Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box, Performance Analysis

Features
By Don Woligroski
published

Conclusion

After looking at the test data, our conclusion is simple: Burnout Paradise is not only drop-dead gorgeous, but it’s also very easy on the hardware.

To run the game at 1920x1200 with 8x MSAA applied, you only need a graphics card as powerful as a GeForce 9600 GT or better. A Core 2 Duo running at about 2.5 GHz can supply 60 FPS while a triple- or quad-core CPU, such as the Phenom II or Core 2 Quad, could probably do the job at 2.0 GHz or faster.

These are not monster specifications when it comes to 1920x1200 gaming with high AA. And if you’re running an HTPC with a 720p display, you can handle 4x MSAA with only a Radeon HD 4650.

The fact that the game is so hardware-friendly is impressive and speaks to how well optimized the Burnout Paradise engine really is. Kudos to Criterion Games for not only making an extremely playable and fun game, but for making a title that is so easy to run on common hardware.

The only downside we can see to this title is that it looks as though the SSAO feature was never properly implemented. The dark halos on the telephone wires and the like are so distracting that they completely offset the benefits of SSAO in the first place. But the good news is that the game is still visually immersive, even without the feature enabled, especially since 8xMSAA is so accessible.

If you’re a racing fan with a PC and haven’t had a chance to buy this game for your console, you owe it to yourself to give the demo a download on your PC and try it out.

Don Woligroski
78 Comments Comment from the forums
  • cruiseoveride
    Where is the people's champion? The HD4870?

    I felt the lighting looked a little more natural on the geforce. The colour on the radeon looked better though
    Reply
  • IzzyCraft
    I like the nvidia shadows more makes it less bland look imo a more definitive look which i like.

    I was wonding why no 4870 like above.

    SSAO on :) reminds me of ripping dvd's and messing with sharpness, debanding etc the telephone wire atleast.
    Reply
  • enterco
    Considering how 'hardware friendly' is this game, probably it will be very successful.
    Reply
  • SpadeM
    The first screen shot comparison is quite tricky :) on the first look you might think the geforce does not render the red car at all.
    Reply
  • ufo_warviper
    Nice article so far. I'm still reading the article, but I just wanted to point out that on page 7 of this review, I think the author somehow confused (a couple times) the 4830 with the 4850, and also the GTS 250 with the GTX 260 cards.

    With the resolution increased to 1920x1200, only the Radeon HD 4830 and GeForce GTS 250 barely pass the playable standard with over 30 FPS minimum frame rates.

    Clearly, he meant the other cards here.
    Reply
  • IzzyCraft
    SpadeMThe first screen shot comparison is quite tricky on the first look you might think the geforce does not render the red car at all.A roll over png or jpg would have probably done better then the color restrivie .gif that was used, Shame that IE8 doesn't support APNG like opera and ff does, it would def make the format much more popular.
    Reply
  • chyll2
    I really like the additional benchmark that imitates different number of cores and clocks. It gives us an idea of performance we would get on similar specs with our system.
    Reply
  • linaaslt
    Somehow i missed benches from hd4770 or 4870/4890 and gtx275. but maybe it's because this game doesn't require good GPU to be playable.
    Reply
  • zehpavora
    I think that, if you want to play this game with 8x MSAA, 8x AA, and High settings, a GTX 275 SLI will work. This game must be amazing at those settings! I like Race Games too, but NSF also lost me on Pro Street. I hope Burnout delivers what EA couldn't...
    Reply
  • DjEaZy
    Phenom 940 @ 3400 HD4870 core@790 GRAM512Mb@4400Mhz
    2x2GB 1066Mhz 5-5-5-15
    this all on 22"@1680x1050 all fx crankt up...
    50~100fps
    Reply