The much-anticipated title Lords of the Fallen has finally made its way to PC and consoles. With high expectations for the gaming experience, particularly in terms of graphics, it comes as a surprise that the game's performance has been less than satisfactory on even the most powerful graphics cards available in the market. This analysis aims to provide a detailed overview of how two top-tier GPUs — the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX — handle the graphical demands of the game.
Testing Environment and Initial Observations
The testing rig for this performance analysis was built around an Intel Core i9-13900K processor, complemented by DDR5-6000 CL37 memory. Ensuring stable operation was a Corsair RM1000E power supply unit, with a Lian Li Galahad 360mm CPU cooler managing the thermal performance. An ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero motherboard served as the foundation for the system.
At a 4K Ultra setting with no upscaling, the performance metrics were underwhelming. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, known for its formidable processing prowess, managed an average frame rate of 48.8 FPS, barely holding above the 40 FPS threshold. AMD's flagship, the Radeon RX 7900 XTX, trailed with an average of 34 FPS, dipping below 30 FPS at its lowest.
Frame Time Consistency and Stuttering Issues
Frame time graphs for both the RTX 4090 and RX 7900 XTX showed similar patterns, plagued by micro-stuttering that significantly detracted from the gameplay experience. Both graphics units struggled to maintain a consistent frame rate, despite their advanced architecture and raw power.
Resolution Impact on Performance
Decreasing the resolution to 1440p did provide some stability, but the failure to achieve 100 FPS at Ultra settings was notable. While the RTX 4090's average frame rate improved to 85 FPS, the RX 7900 XTX only managed just over 60 FPS. At 1080p, the RTX 4090 could average 118 FPS, suggesting that the game was primarily GPU-bound but not without sporadic CPU bottlenecks.