Gameplay Performance
We are going to focus on 1080p gameplay performance with the MSI GeForce RTX 3050 GAMING X and SAPPHIRE PULSE Radeon RX 6600 GAMING video cards. We will include DLSS and FSR performance on the same graph in the games that are supported. We will use DLSS on NVIDIA GPUs and FSR on AMD GPUs in games that support both technologies. Ray Tracing performance will be shown on a separate page.
Dying Light 2
Dying Light 2 was released in February 2022 on the PC and uses Techland’s C-Engine. The game supports both DLSS and FSR upscaling technologies. We are running the game in DX12, and with ASYNC Compute turned on in the game. We will set the graphics options at the highest settings below Ray Tracing. For our benchmark, we are using a custom manual run-through at the end of the game hopping between many rooftops, as well as free-roaming on the ground running among the zombies, a forested area, and downtown city scenes in the daylight.
In Dying Light 2 we are running at the highest graphics settings at 1080p but without Ray Tracing. The Radeon RX 6600 is the faster video card in this game, producing near 60FPS for a smooth and playable gameplay experience at the highest settings. While the GeForce RTX 3050 is barely playable. The Radeon RX 6600 is 25% faster. Remember, the MSI RTX 3050 GAMING X is a factory overclocked video card, so it has a great advantage, but the reference spec Radeon RX 6600 is still beating it by 25%.
Now, once we turn on DLSS the GeForce RTX 3050 is very playable, performance increases 34% and it’s now at 60FPS gameplay. However, in this game, we can also utilize FSR on the Radeon RX 6600. Turning on FSR increases performance by 30% on the Radeon RX 6600 and takes it to 76FPS. The FSR versus DLSS performance shows that the Radeon RX 6600 with FSR turned on is 21% faster than the GeForce RTX 3050 with DLSS on.
Forza Horizon 5
Forza Horizon 5 was released on PC in November of 2021 and it uses the ForzaTech game engine. For our evaluation, we raise the in-game graphic settings beyond the “Extreme” preset to the maximum game settings. In addition to the “Extreme” preset, we raise SSAO Quality to Ultra, Reflection Quality to Extreme, SSR Quality to Ultra. We also disable MSAA and use FXAA. We test AMD FidelityFX Contrast Adaptive Sharpening (CAS) performance from the Resolution Scaling option. We utilize the built-in benchmark for testing.
In Forza Horizon 5 we are running the game at the absolute highest game settings, push it beyond the “Extreme” preset. However, we are using FXAA instead of MSAA. In this game both cards are playable and provide a playable gameplay experience, however, the Radeon RX 6600 offers a better and smoother experience. The Radeon RX 6600 is a whopping 41% faster than the GeForce RTX 3050 and just has really high framerates, which is something you want for a game like this. We can turn on CAS, and this buys us a little bit more performance, which we see a greater margin of with the Radeon RX 6600. RX 6600 versus RTX 3050 CAS to CAS performance puts the 6600 at 45% faster than the 3050.
Far Cry 6
Far Cry 6 was released in October of 2021 and uses the Dunia Engine. We utilize the built-in benchmark for testing. We have the HD Texture pack installed and turned on. We utilize the “Ultra” graphics preset which sets all options to the highest game settings. This game supports FSR upscaling.
In Far Cry 6, we are running the game at the highest settings, without Ray Tracing, and we do have the HD Texture pack turned on. Both video cards handle the HD Textures well because they both have 8GB of VRAM, so that’s no problem. Both video cards also produce a wonderful gameplay experience in this game, delivering smooth gameplay, and really not much difference is felt between them. The Radeon RX 6600 does have a distinct performance advantage, operating 33% faster than the GeForce RTX 3050.
Turning on FSR helps both video cards boost performance. The Radeon RX 6600 can exceed 100FPS with FSR enabled. The RTX 3050 gains 23% more performance with FSR and the RX 6600 gains 14% more performance with FSR. The RX 6600 with FSR is still faster than the RTX 3050.
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 was released in December of 2020 and uses the REDengine 4. We have the game patched to version 1.52 for our testing and perform a long manual run-through driving in the game’s open world. We test using the Graphics Preset option to set graphics settings. This game supports DLSS and FSR.
Cyberpunk 2077 is demanding at 1080p on “Ultra” settings. The GeForce RTX 3050 is not playable, but the Radeon RX 6600 is very much doable, it’s not the best experience, but it is playable, more so than the RTX 3050. The Radeon RX 6600 is 25% faster than the RTX 3050. What really makes the game better though at “Ultra” settings, for performance is enabling DLSS or FSR.
With DLSS enabled the GeForce RTX 3050 is now very playable at near 60FPS, which is a 48% performance increase. FSR also improves performance on the Radeon RX 6600 taking it up to 76FPS which is a 55% performance increase. The RX 6600 with FSR is faster than the RTX 3050 with DLSS.
Microsoft Flight Sim 2020 Game of the Year Edition
MS Flight Sim 2020 was released in August of 2020 but has received a big update in November 2021 called the Game of the Year Edition update. This brought with it support for the DX12 API which we have enabled for testing. We are utilizing the game’s “Ultra” preset for graphics settings and live terrain is enabled. We perform a manual run-through of an activity landing in New York with an outside view camera.
In MS Flight Sim both video cards are playable at “Ultra” graphics at 1080p in this game. The Radeon RX 6600 is going to deliver a smoother experience, it is 7% faster than the GeForce RTX 3050.
Watch Dogs Legion
Watch Dogs Legion was released on the PC in October of 2020 and uses the Disrupt game engine. We utilize the built-in benchmark for testing. We have the HD Texture pack installed and enabled for testing. We use the built-in graphics preset of “Ultra” for testing. This game supports DLSS upscaling.
In Watch Dogs Legion at 1080p and “Ultra” settings, the GeForce RTX 3050 is not playable. Though it is averaging 48FPS, the minimums are too low to really enjoy the game. However, the Radeon RX 6600 does offer a playable and smooth gameplay experience at 60FPS at these same settings. The Radeon RX 6600 is 31% faster than the GeForce RTX 3050.
When we turn on DLSS the GeForce RTX 3050 is now playable, but even with DLSS, the Radeon RX 6600’s base performance is matching, or just slightly better.