The return of the original Gears of War in a definitive PC port has set the stage for players to enjoy high-end gaming without the need for a top-tier GPU. By strategically adjusting settings, players can balance both frame rate and graphical fidelity.
PC Graphics Settings
To achieve an ideal performance on PC, certain graphics settings are recommended. Anti-aliasing with Nvidia DLSS 3.5 (or FSR 3.1 for AMD users) ensures smooth graphics without taxing the system. For resolution scaling, utilizing DLAA (or Native AA for FSR) offers sharp textures, keeping the texture quality set to Ultra. Other settings include:
- Anisotropic Filtering: 4x
- Shadow Quality: High
- Ambient Occlusion: Quality
- Motion Blur: On
- Visual Effects Quality: High
- Screen Space Reflections: High
- Flash Reduction: Off
These settings ensure a realistic and immersive gaming experience. Matching the frame rate limit to the monitor's maximum refresh rate (up to a limit of 230) and enabling VSync and HDR (if compatible), players can expect a fluid performance.
Performance Insights
On an RTX 4070 system, Gears of War Reloaded displayed impressive results. At 1920x1080, it averaged 141 fps, with 1% lows at 98 fps. At 2560x1440, the average was 136 fps, with a slight decrease in the 1% lows to 92 fps. For 4K, 60 fps was maintained on average, with a notable drop to 45 fps during intense action sequences.
The game remains impressive across both single-player and multiplayer modes, with significant frame rate decline only evident at 4K resolution.
Steam Deck Adjustments
For those venturing onto the Steam Deck, the game remains accessible with tailored settings. Using a graphics preset set to Medium and anti-aliasing on AMD FSR 3.1, players can secure an enjoyable experience with a frame rate limit of 60 for LCD displays or 90 for OLED. This setting ensures an average of around 60 fps with minimal dips. However, adjusting FSR to Balanced or Performance mode can push framerates closer to 92 fps on the smaller Steam Deck screen, and raising the frame rate limit further optimizes OLED display performance.
A Rigorous Testing Approach
The testing involved dedicated gaming setups, including an Intel Core i7-11700F CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 12GB GPU, 32GB DDR4 RAM, and Windows 11. Both HD and UHD settings were explored in tests at 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 4K, capturing comprehensive frame data for analysis.
While the system requirements may not expressly demand an SSD, leveraging one provides significantly faster load times, enhancing the play experience. Monitoring performance becomes seamless through the Nvidia GeForce or AMD Radeon overlays, with third-party tools like CapFrameX offering enhanced benchmarking capabilities. For handheld devices, integrated real-time monitoring accessible via quick menus aids in ensuring gameplay smoothness.
