Unleash the Fury: Stalker 2 Heart of Chernobyl GPU Benchmark Speed Test
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl Benchmarks
Have you found yourself staring at the Shader Compilation loading screen in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, wondering if the game will ever let you start playing? We’ve been there, too. But, we’re not here to dwell on the waiting game. We’re excited to dive into the performance of Stalker 2, using 31 different GPUs across three resolutions and three quality presets, with results from quality upscaling included. So, let’s dive in!
About Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Stalker 2 is a first-person shooter/survival horror single-player game developed using Unreal Engine 5. It’s the fourth main game in the Stalker series, and it’s been 15 years since the last release, Call of Pripyal. As a fan of the game, we were thrilled to see a new title hit the market.
The Benchmark Pass
Our benchmark pass takes place in the Lesser Zone, one of the first towns you’ll encounter in the game. This location was chosen because it’s highly demanding on both the CPU and GPU. We’ve tested multiple quality presets: Epic, High, and Medium, with results from quality upscaling included.
Performance Disparity: 8GB vs. 16GB VRAM
One of the most significant factors affecting performance in Stalker 2 is the amount of VRAM available. We’ve observed a significant performance disparity between 8GB and 16GB VRAM GPUs, even with upscaling enabled. To better understand this, we’ve taken a closer look at the issue.
Benchmarks
8GB vs. 16GB VRAM Frame Time Comparison
We’ve compared the performance of 8GB and 16GB VRAM GPUs, highlighting the frame time differences. You can see that the 8GB model struggles to keep up with the 16GB model, particularly at the Epic preset.
Why the Disparity Matters
The rapid aging of 8GB graphics cards is a common trend. For example, an entry-level product like the Radeon RX 6600 can only play at 1080p with medium-quality settings, achieving a modest 44 fps without upscaling. However, if you’ve invested in an RTX 4060 Ti, you might expect 1440p with upscaling on the Epic preset to be feasible – but only if you have a 16GB model.
Frame Generation and Stalker 2
The floaty controls and "realistic" animations make this game perfect for frame generation, which can enhance the smoothness of CPU-intensive areas without addressing the latency issues of gaming at or below 60 fps.
Shopping Shortcuts:
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super on Amazon
- AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT on Amazon
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super on Amazon
- AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT on Amazon
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super on Amazon
- AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX on Amazon
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 on Amazon
We hope you’ve enjoyed our in-depth benchmark review of Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. If you’d like to see more content like this, please subscribe to our newsletter and check out our TechSpot Elite subscription option for ad-free browsing and additional perks.
