Results: 720p And 1080p
720p @ Lowest Details
This game is definitely a go-to for testing the mettle of your HTPC. It brought our Radeon HD 6450 to its knees, barely running the title at its lowest detail settings (even at 720p). The other cards we tested were able to maintain frame rates above 30 FPS at all times, though.
The Radeon R7 250X stays well above 60 FPS, and the GeForce GT 650 does a nice job too, only dropping below 60 during the benchmark's explosions. Some cards handle the sudden demand better than others.
Frame time variance is very low for all of the cards we tested, which is ideal.
1080p @ Lowest Details
We keep the same settings as our 720p test, but bump up the resolution to 1080p. We're also adding the Radeon R7 260X, 270X and GeForce GTX 750 Ti to the mix.
AMD's Radeon R7 240 is now pushed past its limit, and the GeForce GT 650 barely squeezes by with a 31 FPS minimum frame rate. The newly added cards breeze through the benchmark, remaining over 60 FPS at all times.
Once again, there's nothing to talk about when it comes to frame time variance; the issues we saw before the game was patched are gone.
1080p @ Medium Details
Now it’s time to bump the detail level up to medium, facilitating a noticeable increase in graphics quality.
The GeForce GTX 750 Ti and Radeon R7 260X have no problem sustaining a frame rate above 30 FPS, and the other cards we tested do even better.
1080p @ Ultra Details
Finally, we switch to the ultra detail preset, delivering the highest visual fidelity this game has to offer. The engine is beautiful in its own cloudy way at this setting. Daytime scenes are vibrant and flavorful, while dusk has a lovely gloom and eeriness about it. Ever wonder what a sunset in Mordor might look like? Play the game and see for yourself.
Even lower-mid-range cards can handle Shadow of Mordor at 1080p at ultra details. Nvidia's GeForce GTX 660 is barely pushed below 30 FPS, while the GeForce GTX 760 and Radeon R9 270X handle it more adeptly. Frame time variance remains low, too.