Avowed PC performance analysis: Sometimes good, sometimes bad, frequently odd

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Initially conceptualized as an open-world game akin to Skyrim, embedded within the Pillars of Eternity universe, Avowed morphed into a semi-open adventure. To clarify, it’s packed with vast, interconnected expansive levels. Despite this shift, in numerous aspects, Avowed echoes a fusion of Skyrim and PoE, making it an appealing choice for enthusiasts of both games.

It’s worth noting that when Obsidian developed the Xbox Series X/S version of their game, they aimed for a 30 frames per second (fps) performance. However, this doesn’t automatically mean that the PC version will also run at the same frame rate. In fact, it appears that Avowed won’t deliver ultra-high frame rates on PC.

On the positive side, Avowed appears visually impressive, although there are some important considerations. Powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5, Avowed lacks path-traced global illumination but offers an alternative in Lumen. During my tests, it operates in ‘software RT’ mode, which means a ray-tracing-compatible GPU isn’t necessary to activate the feature. However, this software mode is not as visually precise as the hardware-accelerated version, so do not anticipate the graphics quality of Alan Wake 2.

To play Avowed, you’ll need a Core i5 8400 or Ryzen 5 2600 processor, along with an Arc A580, GeForce GTX 1070, or Radeon RX 5700 graphics card. This indicates that the game may be more dependent on your graphics card performance rather than heavy CPU usage. However, it’s important to note that this isn’t a definitive statement, and other factors could still play a role. Also, while playing Avowed, you won’t need much memory as both 16 GB of RAM is sufficient for the minimum and recommended requirements.

Test PC specs

  • Acer Nitro V 15 (Gaming mode), Ryzen 7 7735HS, GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop, 16 GB DDR5-4800
  • Core i7 9700K (65 W), Radeon RX 5700 XT, 16 GB DDR4-3200
  • Ryzen 5 5600X (65 W), Radeon RX 6750 XT, 32 GB DDR4-3200
  • Core i5 13600K (125 W), Radeon RX 7800 XT, 32 GB DDR5-6400
  • Ryzen 9 9900X (120 W), GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, 32 GB DDR5-6000
  • Core Ultra 7 265K (250 W), GeForce RTX 4080 Super, 48 GB DDR5-8000

The initial tests were conducted at an early site, a bustling seaport named Claviger’s Landing, known for its diverse graphics load. With geometry-rich structures and intricate environmental details, open vistas, and large bodies of water showcasing the engine’s reflection capabilities, this region provides a glimpse into how the game will perform overall. Although other areas in the world of Avowed might be more challenging, this area serves as a useful benchmark for evaluating the game’s performance.

If you often follow these game performance analysis articles, you might have spotted that a frequently used platform is absent from the listed test PCs. On my Asus ROG Ally X, the game operated smoothly initially but after altering the graphics settings, it would simply collapse during loading. Removing the game and all related files failed to resolve the issue, and I was unable to carry out any benchmark tests with that device successfully.

The code under examination generally functioned smoothly, experiencing only occasional hiccups. For instance, there was a classic ‘fall-through-the-floor’ issue that sometimes surfaced. On specific platforms, the game would fail during its first pass of shader compilation, but always managed to avoid crashing on the second try.

Low quality preset

To begin our examination of native rendering performance using the default setting, the video displayed indicates that Avowed looks quite impressive initially. These videos were recorded in 4K resolution, but for easier sharing, they’re presented here in 1080p to minimize file size. No alterations were made from the preset values beyond this change.

As a gamer, let me express my initial thoughts on the Low preset in this game – the sudden appearance of models and shadows is really noticeable, which is something I expected given the minimum graphics settings. However, in Avowed, it stands out significantly, making gameplay a bit distracting. In fact, I’d advise against using it, even if your gaming PC is on the weaker side.

Luckily, both the Core i7 9700K and RX 5700 XT configuration exceed expectations in terms of performance at 1080p and 1440p resolutions, suggesting that the Low graphics setting is ideal for entry-level gaming PCs. It’s disappointing to note that Avowed doesn’t support the ROG Ally X, as it would have been fascinating to observe how a portable gaming PC handles such games.

A key point to highlight is the relatively slow frame rates at only 1%. Unfortunately, except for the Core Ultra 7 265K PC (which may be boosted by using DDR5-8000 RAM), none of them managed to reach 60 fps. This isn’t a promising sign for running high graphics settings.

Medium quality preset

Changing to the Medium quality setting noticeably enhances Avowed’s overall visual appeal due to the increased detail in the game world. The colors appear more vibrant and the initial appearance of shadows is significantly reduced. However, it’s important to note that while the pop-in of shadows can be minimized with this setting, it doesn’t completely disappear, not even when running on maximum graphics settings. If you compare it to other presets, you’ll notice a persistent presence of shadow pop-in, albeit less noticeable in this setting.

To put it simply, it’s somewhat disheartening to note that when Avowed appears at its peak, it truly is quite beautiful. However, upon closer inspection and movement, imperfections or flaws become more noticeable within the image.

One issue is that some objects have a distinct edge which activates their movement. For instance, far-off flags are rigid until you approach them closely. Once you cross the boundary that triggers this, they instantly begin to flutter as if caught in the wind. It’s an awkward method of lessening the CPU burden; ideally, the zone should be smaller at higher quality settings.

High quality preset

In a more conversational manner: The top-notch setting strikes a balance between image accuracy and overall system efficiency. At a resolution of 1080p, all test computers generally deliver acceptable frame rates. Although the 1% lows may seem less than ideal, it still feels satisfactory during gameplay. This peculiarity I’ve encountered in Avowed testing is quite unusual – playing with high frame rates can feel worse compared to playing at around 40 fps (with 25 fps as the 1% lows). This observation aligns with Obsidian’s statements about the game being optimized for a consistent 30 frames per second on consoles.

It appears that the game, Avowed, was designed with a particular performance standard in mind, regardless of the platform it’s played on. To give credit where it’s due, Avowed performs quite well at this level. At 60 frames per second (fps), the game flows exceptionally smoothly, though it should be noted that the 1% lows rarely reach this rate.

Although smooth gameplay might not always be guaranteed, issues like frequent traversal stutters can occur on lower-end PCs during gameplay. As you navigate through the map, there may be temporary lags or judders, likely because it’s loading necessary assets. While Avowed doesn’t require a heavy amount of VRAM (8 GB GPUs should suffice), it isn’t particularly light either. Loading all models and textures for a single map at once could push the VRAM requirements beyond reasonable limits.

In the game, there’s no sign of delays in shader compilation, since it takes care of that during loading. This operation is quite swift, even on the initial run, but it may need to be repeated (in a brief moment) if you adjust any graphic settings.

Epic quality preset

The Epic quality setting brings out Avowed’s top performance, although some might argue it’s just a slight upgrade compared to the High setting. While pop-in is minimal, it’s still noticeable. However, the main advantages of this setting are the stunning depiction of water and the high-quality shader-based anti-aliasing.

At lower quality settings, they lack visual appeal, particularly at 1080p resolution. To put it bluntly, the anti-aliasing is quite poor in this resolution. Given that and the mediocre representation of water, especially the sea surface, I’d advise against using that preset. However, if you switch to the Epic preset, larger bodies of water like the ocean might look better. Unfortunately, smaller bodies of water, such as puddles on the ground, don’t provide very detailed reflections in this setting.

Despite all test computers running game Avowed smoothly at 1080p Epic setting, the performance of the weaker systems during the 1% lowest frames is unacceptably poor, causing a shift from smoothness to lag and stutters. This was particularly noticeable on the RTX 4050 laptop, and I suspect that its 6 GB of video memory is mainly responsible for this, even though the actual 1% lows are superior to those of the 8 GB RX 5700 XT.

One aspect I haven’t discussed yet that could potentially enhance the graphics is the ray tracing feature. In theory, it should improve visuals significantly. It’s a straightforward setting, just toggle it on and the game needs to restart for it to work. However, I’m uncertain about how Lumen technology interacts with other quality settings. I’ve inquired from the publishers about this but haven’t received a response yet.

Lumen ray tracing

Previously discussed, turning on the ray tracing feature allows Lumen to operate in ‘software RT’ mode, making the Radeon RX 5700 XT capable of utilizing it. Yet, I find myself uncertain about its usefulness.

Initially, ray tracing set to Epic quality using the preset doesn’t appear to put more strain on the tested computers than the default Epic setting; sometimes it’s even a bit slower, while other times it performs equally well. Interestingly, when tested with the RTX 4070, the benchmark results showed a slight improvement. This would be exciting if Lumen significantly enhanced the graphics, but unfortunately, in the aspect I tested, it didn’t seem to make a noticeable difference.

I was hoping for clearer water reflections, but they appear quite pixelated. Although the general lighting and shading have improved slightly, there’s an overwhelming amount of bloom that I find disturbing. The image seems slightly duller than without Lumen, but your gaming setup might produce different results.

Here’s a more conversational way of expressing it:

“Great news! Activating ray tracing, giving the game a quick refresh, and checking if it’s beneficial, won’t take much time. Contrastingly, upscaling may not even be worth using in the first place.

Upscaling performance

Upscalers enhance performance by temporarily decreasing a frame’s size by a specific amount, before the majority of the rendering process begins. An intricate algorithm is employed afterwards to increase the frame back to its original screen resolution. Finally, the graphics card displays the frame after all final rendering adjustments have been made.

In contemporary PC gaming, upscalers are often seen as a given and in certain instances, they’re even crucial for achieving decent performance. Fortunately, Avowed doesn’t rely heavily on upscalers; however, its implementation leaves something to be desired. Unfortunately, while it provides the entirety of Nvidia’s DLSS 3.7 (excluding ray reconstruction), it only utilizes the upscaling aspect of AMD’s FSR 3. In simpler terms, Avowed doesn’t heavily rely on upscalers but its current implementation isn’t exceptional, offering some features from Nvidia’s and AMD’s technologies.

The Arc A770 may include Intel’s XeSS technology, however, this graphics card has ceased functioning in the digital realm, and there is no comprehensive information about the game’s scalers on any official platform. Avowed does incorporate Unreal Engine’s Temporal Super Resolution (TSR) upscaler, but it performs similarly to FSR, making it unnecessary for its use.

FSR 3 quality upscaling
Core i5 13600K, Radeon RX 7800 XT, 1440p High preset

At a resolution of 1440p, FSR Quality mode is expected to deliver a minor performance boost without affecting the game’s visuals significantly. However, upon closer inspection in the provided video, you may observe some blurring and trailing effects, particularly noticeable in certain areas. Moreover, the surface of the sea towards the end appears subpar. Although it offers a significant enhancement to the average frame rate, FSR seems to have minimal impact on the 1% lows.

While you may find it satisfactory for your purposes, remember my previous concern regarding the game appearing choppy at higher frame rates. Enhancing the resolution only serves to amplify that sensation. I’m hopeful that in future updates, Obsidian will improve the quality of FSR.

FSR 3 Quality upscaling
Core i7 9700K, Radeon RX 5700 XT, 1080p High preset

As an avid gamer, I can’t help but notice the inconsistency in the utilization of FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) in Avowed, a game that usually sees significant enhancement with upscaling technologies on modern 3D games like the RX 5700 XT. Unfortunately, in this case, it seems to offer no discernible improvement, but rather negatively impacts the graphics quality instead.

If the standard performance of the 5700 XT wasn’t satisfactory, I would feel quite disappointed and somewhat frustrated with this circumstance. Generally speaking, while AMD’s FSR may not match Nvidia’s DLSS in terms of quality, it is still quite capable in most situations. However, in this particular case, it seems almost ineffective.

DLSS Balanced upscaling
Ryzen 9 9900X, GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, 4K Epic, Lumen ray tracing

It’s not like DLSS performs significantly better, though it does preserve image quality more than FSR. However, the improvement in performance isn’t substantial, even with frame generation. Some might think it’s unreasonable to expect an RTX 4070 Ti to handle 4K Epic quality with Lumen, given its capabilities. Yet, DLSS Performance upscaling reduces the frame resolution to a mere 1080p.

In its native state, the PC equipped with Ryzen 9 9900X and RTX 4070 Ti delivers a typical frame rate of 98 frames per second at 1080p resolution, with a 1% low of 44 fps when set to Epic quality with Lumen. However, the DLSS feature at 4K resolution yields an average performance of merely 66 fps, indicating that the implementation of DLSS might not be optimal.

As a passionate enthusiast, I can’t help but emphasize the appeal of Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) for its exceptional antialiasing capabilities, particularly when opting for the less intensive quality settings. It’s a real pity that there isn’t an option for DLAA (Deep Learning Anti-Aliasing) to complement it further.

Final thoughts

Title of this critique: ‘Occasionally impressive, often peculiar’ captures my impression of the PC version of Avowed. On high or epic settings, it indeed looks good and performs decently. However, its drawbacks are apparent: subpar upscaling, faulty anti-aliasing, underwhelming 1% lows, and the recurring issue that it’s another Unreal Engine game with traversal lag.

However, here’s an interesting twist: As I stated at the outset of this piece, Avowed shares similarities with Skyrim set within the Pillars of Eternity universe, not merely due to it being a fantasy RPG. Instead, it’s because both worlds exhibit an extensive yet vacant atmosphere reminiscent of Skyrim. During my preliminary exploration of Claviger’s Landing, I chose to examine the frame rates on two systems – the Core i7 9700K and the Ryzen 9 9900X – in an attempt to shed light on why the 1% lows were so…remarkably low.

As I delved into gaming with an old Coffee Lake processor, I noticed something odd – the frame rates were all over the map, fluctuating like a rollercoaster. Yet, the game world didn’t seem to require much from my CPU. There weren’t countless NPCs scurrying about, and even the ones present mostly stood still or followed simple paths.

With the Zen 5 chip, as you’d anticipate, it provides a more seamless experience, but unfortunately, it’s still not exceptional. Interestingly, during the benchmark run where the 9700K’s frame times become consistent, they unexpectedly worsen with the 9900X. In the same test, the Ryzen 7 5700X3D was putting in a lot of effort, as four logical cores (which equates to four threads on two physical cores) were averaging 60% utilization, and another four cores were around 50%.

It appears that Avowed is heavily dependent on the CPU. Surprisingly, more advanced test computers would have significantly better 1% low frame rates compared to older and less powerful ones. However, the Core Ultra 7 265K gaming setup stands out, which could be attributed to its use of DDR5-8000 memory. Indeed, this is quite unusual.

Avowed is incredibly enjoyable to play, with a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic RPGs that can distract from occasional technical issues. I’d recommend using the High preset, avoid upscaling unless you have a GeForce RTX graphics card, and aim for a smooth gameplay around 60 frames per second (by reducing shadow quality and draw distance). Also, disregard the 1% lows and any performance metrics. Instead, focus on how it feels to play.

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2025-02-13 17:06