Free-to-play multiplayer games are only profitable if as many people as possible have access to them. So, it's hardly surprising that Dota 2 is not a particularly demanding title. It's really meant to run well on the lowest common denominator. Our little exercise today demonstrates just how little rendering horsepower it need.
At low (but still attractive) detail levels, gaming at 1920x1080 is smooth enough on both AMD's mobile A10-4600M with integrated Radeon HD 7660G graphics and Intel's Core i5-3210M with HD Graphics 4000. As far as discrete cards go, the GeForce G 210 is the only model we tested that couldn't handle this title's entry-level options. Meanwhile, the Radeon HD 6450 delivers frame rates in excess of 45 FPS throughout our benchmark run.

Crank up the detail settings as high as they'll go and you'll want at least a Radeon HD 6670 DDR3 or GeForce GT 630 GDDR5 for at least 30 FPS at 1920x1080. A GeForce GTX 650 or Radeon HD 7750 are better choices for that combination of details and resolution, though. And if you want more than 45 FPS at 2560x1600, get a Radeon HD 7770 or GeForce GTX 650 Ti.
The game is also pretty forgiving when it comes to processor performance. A dual-core AMD chip running faster than 2.5 GHz should suffice, and anyone with a modern Intel CPU clocked at 2 GHz or higher should be fine as well. Ideally, I'd say an LGA 1155-based Pentium or Phenom II X4/FX-4000-series processor running at 3 GHz should keep you up above 50 FPS.
As far as hardware goes, this game doesn't give you much to worry about. At this point, the only question is how Dota 2's main competition, League of Legends, compares. To answer, I'll be putting that game through a similar set of tests, so stay tuned to Tom's Hardware for the results.
- Are You Playing Defence Of The Ancients (Dota) 2?
- Dota 2 Image Quality And Detail Settings
- Test System And Graphics Hardware
- Results: Low Details, 1920x1080
- Results: High Details, 1680x1050
- Results: High Details, 1920x1080
- Results: High Details, 2560x1600
- Results: CPU Benchmarks
- Dota 2 Runs Well On Low-End Hardware
I'm so glad they keep the game mechanic and the system requirement low...
the one problems i had is no near server in my country, and the internet connection is quite bad...
I'm wonder if this game is playable on LAN or private/local server?
and desktop core i3 is keeping up with fx8350 and then beats it in avg fps? so much for moar cores. the time has come again to recommend core i3 over fx!! relax c.a.l.f., i am kidding, it's not 2011 anymore.
i think..... this is the second multiplayer game since the guild wars 2 where core i3 has taken a lead.
kidding aside, could you test core i5 3570k or 3470 (at stock) instead of core i5 3550, the 3570k is selling for $220 at newegg, i5 3550 is $225 and fx8350 is $200(excl. shipping). i5 3470 is selling for $200 and with a mobo like asus z77-v lx, i think it can hit 4 ghz with multicore turbo enabled.
no one is going to rage, its a low requirement game as for cpu, all they needed to test was the general core difference. if your quad core intel cpu is faster than the tested cpu, then just add a few fps to the tested results +/- irregularities with systems and testing situations. the cpus chosen were just a bunch of cpus of different core count and architectures to gather data from modernish cpus for the game. No one is really going to argue against something like a 4.5 3570k being better than like a i5-3470 at max turbo clock. Its generally accepted that clocks in the same architecture will make it run better.
Unless field of view is preserved it won't be.
This is just straight up wrong as well. There is no items that give in-game advantage, everything is purely cosmetic and nothing changes gameplay at all. Not sure where you got that from.
Unless field of view is preserved it won't be.
It is a fun game but this is one of the reasons why I haven't touched it since October.
However, to say that any items in the Dota 2 provides an advantage is quite harsh and I recommend that the writer of this benchmark change that statement. On the theoretical side, one miiiiggghht be able to get an advantage by getting a Genuine Vintage item, and try to snipe his opponent when that poor fella tries to check out the item :3