Benchmark Results: Metro 2033 (DX11)
We used the fastest single-GPU graphics card available in order to expose any platform-oriented bottlenecks in Metro 2033. With that said, it’s hard to imagine anyone buying a GeForce GTX 580 and gaming at 1680x1050. If they did, they’d see performance start to drop off in a noticeable way starting with AMD’s Phenom II X4 970, continuing on through Intel’s dual-core offerings, and ending with an older Core 2 Quad Q9550.
The moral of the story here seems to be that, as you step up to higher-end graphics, a dual-core processor simply isn’t fast enough.
Also interesting is that the six-core Phenom II X6 1100T, though not the fastest offering, opens up enough headroom to enable the highest minimum frame rate in our Metro 2033 benchmark. That advantage shrinks as you crank resolution up, though, shifting more demand onto the GPU. By the time you hit 2560x1600, eight of 10 platforms fall within one frame per second of each other.
