System Builder Marathon, June 2011: Value Compared

Benchmark Results: Metro 2033

Metro 2033 can be a big problem for small systems, but a low-enough combination of settings allows the $500 machine to run it at 1920x1080.

Though Very High quality and 4x AA take their toll, the real performance killer in Metro 2033 is often its Depth of Field filter. Enabling it drops the $2000 build’s playable resolution to 1920x1080, while the $1000 machine required 1280x1024 for the frame rates to appear fluid.