Crysis 2: performance across 45 graphics cards! (page 1: Introduction)

Much anticipated, Crysis 2 arrived last week. Although currently limited to Direct3D 9, we wanted to observe performance at 1080p, with and without 3D Vision, in the three quality modes on offer and all this across no less than 45 graphics cards!

Limited graphics options

Influenced by console versions, but also to distance itself from the idea that a monster graphics card is required to run it, Crytek has limited graphics options and avoided making overly demanding modes available. Only a Direct3D 9 version is therefore currently available with 3 overall quality settings: high, very high and extreme. There aren’t any specific settings or antialiasing parameters, which will of course disappoint certain enthusiasts who will have to get their hands dirty to adapt rendering in more detail. A little utility has also been developed by a member of the Incrysis.com forum to facilitate customisation of graphics options.

High quality mode

Very High Quality mode

Extreme quality mode
Although the difference in quality seems minimal on these screenshots, it’s more noticeable in practice. The quality modes differ mainly on 3 points which are noticeable above all during movement: the level of antialiasing (post process and MSAA), the quality of shadows and the level of detail according to distance. Without antialiasing, with shadows that aren’t much filtered and which flicker a great deal and details that appear or disappear suddenly according to the distance of objects, ‘high’ quality mode seemed a lot less pleasant to us than the two others, even if the level of quality on offer is clearly better than the low and medium quality levels of the first Crysis.