CPU & RAM Resources, and Conclusion
Processor Usage
At Very High quality, Ghost Recon Wildlands likes to tie up processing resources. Perhaps that's attributable to the open world and DirectX 11-based game engine? By activating additional graphics effects, the GPU load increases, relieving the CPU somewhat. Even then, though, utilization remains high.
Processor Usage - Patch 1.1.5
Patch 1.1.5 corrects what we saw from the launch-day version. This drop in CPU utilization, particularly on GeForce cards, helps explain the overall performance gain and smoother frame delivery. Still, Ghost Recon Wildlands remains CPU-intensive at 1920x1080.
System Memory Usage
System Memory Usage - Patch 1.1.5
The minimum and recommended settings suggested by Ubisoft are not overestimated. It it better to have 8GB of system memory, just to be safe.
We note in passing that activating supplementary effects slightly decreases the amount of RAM used. Remember, this is total system memory, meaning you have to subtract whatever the OS and its various processes are using, too.
Video Memory Usage
The AnvilNext 2.0 engine doesn't even come close to using the GDDR5 at its disposal. There are two things we notice, though. First, the game engine is less memory-hungry on the GeForces than the Radeons. Second, the additional effects naturally tie up more graphics memory.
Video Memory Usage - Patch 1.1.5
The 1.1.5 patch clearly changes how Ghost Recon handles graphics memory. This time around, overall utilization appears higher, while activating additional detail settings has far less effect on the GeForce and Radeon cards.
Conclusion
Graphically pleasing thanks to its open world, Ghost Recon Wildlands asks a lot from your gaming PC (even if patch 1.1.5 toned down CPU utilization somewhat). You'll probably want to pick a preset based on the speed of your system and then fine-tune from there using the (thankfully numerous) graphics options.
With a GeForce GTX 1060 6GB or Radeon RX 480, 1920x1080 at High quality, or even Very High quality, should be attainable. Owners of lower-end GPUs will have to be content with the Low quality preset in order to maintain acceptable frame rates.
MORE: Best Graphics Cards
MORE: Desktop GPU Performance Hierarchy Table
MORE: All Graphics Content
