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Just Cause 3 Notebook Benchmarks

Adrenaline junkie. Just Cause returns to the PC after five years. The third part follows the tradition of the series and offers an extremely crazy and casual gameplay. However, it looks like the developers forgot the technical optimization with all this fun. Here are our first impressions of the retail version.
Just Cause 3 Logo

For the original German article, see here.

Graphics

2015 was not only the year of action-adventures, but also of sloppy PC ports. Besides Call of Duty Black Ops 3Batman Arkham Knight in particular upset the community. The list includes graphics errors, crashes and framerate drops: Many titles cannot even remotely utilize the potential of the PC platform.

Even though the technology of Just Cause 3 is not the feared catastrophe, there is some criticism for this title as well. It starts with the size of the game: At almost 50 GB, the action title is one of the biggest games in general. Yes, other open-world games occupy even more storage space (GTA VShadow of Mordor, ...), but there are also other examples like Fallout 4 and Metal Gear Solid V that stay below 30 GB.

Just Cause 3
Just Cause 3
Just Cause 3
Just Cause 3
Just Cause 3
Just Cause 3

Another problem are the long loading times. It takes forever befor the main menu opens after the launch – even if Just Cause 3 is installed on an SSD. We also experienced regular crashes during the launch ("JustCause3.exe has stopped working") on some devices. Once you reached the main menu, the loading times are reasonable.

The third-person title does not cause a lot of criticism for the graphics settings. The tilte does lack presets to adjust the overall graphics quality, but the graphics menu is very simple to use and – except for the scrolling sensitivity – well-structured. Starting with the gamma value, you can either turn the options on and off or adjust them in four steps. The anisotropic filtering ranges from 2-16x, while the anti-aliasing modes include the post-processing versions FXAA and SMAA. The resolution and the picture mode can obviously changed as well. The options are completed by V-Sync.

Just Cause 3
Just Cause 3
Just Cause 3
Just Cause 3
Just Cause 3
Just Cause 3

You won't be impressed by the graphics, even when you crank up all the settings. You can, for instance, notice the lack of high-quality anti-aliasing (e. g. MSAA), but the textures still appear blurry on the highest setting. No comparison to GTA V, which is often razor-sharp. Just Cause 3 at least offers an opulent amount of effects. Hardly any game can show explosions that look this good. The viewing distance and the details of the main figures can also keep up with the rivals, and setting changes do not require a restart.

We were still slightly disappointed by the technology. The situation is similar for the hardware requirements, which are significantly higher than our subjective expectation. The developers should also improve the button mapping in the menus (Ctrl instead of Esc for back). The control of the main character itself is a bit "fluffy", which creates positive memories of Saints Row 4. The combination of the parachute and the Grapple-hook creates completely new ways of fast movement.

Just Cause 3
Just Cause 3
Just Cause 3
Just Cause 3
Just Cause 3
Just Cause 3

Just Cause 3 is a part of Nvidia's gaming program TWIMTBP, so it is not surprising that AMD GPUs are sometimes performing significantly worse. The desktop model Radeon R9 Fury, for example, was even slower than the otherwise less powerful GeForce GTX 980 in the tests. We can also notice that the title is – depending on the system – limited by the CPU at moderate settings. From our mid-range notebooks, the 15-inch model Asus N551ZU with Kaveri FX-7600P and Radeon R9 M280X was affected the most, because it could not manage smooth gameplay at all. Entry-level devices cannot handle low details anyway, but there can also be performance fluctuations on fast systems depending on the game situation. This means our results are just an indicator.

Benchmark

Because of the identical sequence, we actually use the start of the game for our performance tests. After the first two intro sequences, the main character Rico jumps on a plane to protect it with a rocket launcher. We record the gameplay (around 30 seconds, until the first ground base – see video – is just 200 meters away) and note the minimum as well as average frame rate.

Results

We already mentioned that Just Cause 3 requires a mainstream GPU. Low-end chips from Intel's HD Graphics lineup (HD 4600HD 5500, …) and older all-round models like the GeForce GT 740M do not manage more than 30 fps in any setting. Only a GeForce GT 750M can more or less handle 1024 x 768 pixels at the lowest details. We would recommend a GeForce GTX 850M or better for 1366 x 768 pixels and normal settings.

Low Settings
Low Settings
Medium Settings
Medium Settings
High Settings
High Settings
Ultra Settings
Ultra Settings
4K Settings
4K Settings
Low Settings
Low Settings
Medium Settings
Medium Settings
High Settings
High Settings
Ultra Settings
Ultra Settings
4K Settings
4K Settings

If you want to play in 1920 x 1080 pixels and high details, you will definitely need a high-end chip like a GeForce GTX 960M or GTX 870M, and we would recommend a top model (GTX 880M+) for the maximum details. 3840 x 2160 pixels are not a good idea for single-GPU notebooks. Even very fast desktop chips like the GeForce GTX 980 or Radeon R9 Fury are struggling in this case (~36 fps @High).

Just Cause 3
    3840x2160 High / On AA:FX AF:8x     1920x1080 Very High / On AA:SM AF:16x     1920x1080 High / On AA:FX AF:8x     1366x768 Medium / Off AF:4x     1024x768 Low / Off AF:2x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 6700K
Desktop PC
36.6 (33min) fps ∼30%
84.2 (75min) fps ∼47%
94.9 (84min) fps ∼56%
135.9 (110min) fps ∼62%
147.1 (108min) fps ∼63%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury, 4790K
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro
36.3 (33min) fps ∼30%
59 (47min) fps ∼33%
63 (50min) fps ∼37%
77 (58min) fps ∼35%
88.6 (66min) fps ∼38%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 4700MQ
Schenker W504
23.6 (20min) fps ∼19%
59.7 (50min) fps ∼34%
65.3 (49min) fps ∼39%
79.3 (58min) fps ∼36%
82.9 (54min) fps ∼36%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 4700MQ
Schenker W504
19.9 (16min) fps ∼16%
50.7 (46min) fps ∼28%
56.5 (46min) fps ∼33%
82.6 (63min) fps ∼38%
86.1 (58min) fps ∼37%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M, 4700MQ
Schenker W504
17.6 (14min) fps ∼14%
40.1 (36min) fps ∼23%
44.8 (40min) fps ∼27%
69.5 (59min) fps ∼32%
78.4 (56min) fps ∼34%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950, 6700K
Desktop PC
16.5 (12min) fps ∼13%
47.7 (44min) fps ∼27%
53.2 (46min) fps ∼31%
97.1 (85min) fps ∼45%
119.4 (102min) fps ∼51%
AMD Radeon R7 370, 4790K
MSI Gaming R7 370 2GB
14.7 (12min) fps ∼12%
41.3 (36min) fps ∼23%
45.2 (40min) fps ∼27%
69 (59min) fps ∼32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M, 4700MQ
Schenker W504
14.6 (11min) fps ∼12%
34.7 (30min) fps ∼19%
41.2 (37min) fps ∼24%
63.8 (53min) fps ∼29%
70.2 (57min) fps ∼30%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ
Schenker XMG A505
11.7 (8min) fps ∼10%
30.9 (29min) fps ∼17%
35.9 (31min) fps ∼21%
63.4 (55min) fps ∼29%
71.8 (51min) fps ∼31%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M, 4700MQ
Schenker W504
10.7 (5min) fps ∼9%
27.5 (24min) fps ∼15%
31.7 (26min) fps ∼19%
51.9 (44min) fps ∼24%
61.7 (52min) fps ∼26%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, 4340M
Schenker M504
9 (6min) fps ∼7%
24.4 (20min) fps ∼14%
28.7 (24min) fps ∼17%
45.7 (33min) fps ∼21%
47.1 (31min) fps ∼20%
AMD Radeon R9 M280X, FX-7600P
Asus N551ZU-CN007H
18.7 (14min) fps ∼11%
21.9 (15min) fps ∼9%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, 4702MQ
Schenker M503
13 (9min) fps ∼7%
14.8 (11min) fps ∼9%
27 (23min) fps ∼12%
34.5 (30min) fps ∼15%
AMD Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop), A10-7850K
A10-7850K Asus A88-XM-PLUS
14.1 (11min) fps ∼8%
24.4 (19min) fps ∼11%
26.6 (18min) fps ∼11%
Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200, 4750HQ
SCHENKER S413
11.9 (10min) fps ∼7%
12.8 (11min) fps ∼8%
21.6 (15min) fps ∼10%
26.6 (23min) fps ∼11%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M, 4200M
HP Envy 15-j011sg
10 (7min) fps ∼6%
11.4 (9min) fps ∼7%
22.3 (19min) fps ∼10%
27 (23min) fps ∼12%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 720M, 4200M
MSI CX61-i572M
7.9 (0min) fps ∼5%
15.5 (0min) fps ∼7%
19.2 (0min) fps ∼8%
Intel HD Graphics 4600, 4700MQ
Schenker W504
6.8 (3min) fps ∼4%
15.1 (12min) fps ∼7%
19.3 (16min) fps ∼8%

Test Systems

Four of our test models are provided by Schenker Technologies (mysn.de):

  • W504 (Core i7-4700MQ, 8 GB DDR3, GeForce GTX 860M, GTX 870M, GTX 880M, GTX 970M, GTX 980M)
  • A505 (Core i7-4720HQ, 8 GB DDR3, GeForce GTX 960M)
  • M504 (Core i5-4340M, 8 GB DDR3, GeForce GTX 850M)
  • M503 (Core i7-4702MQ, 8 GB DDR3, GeForce GT 750M)

Three notebooks are provided by Nvidia:

In addition, Intel provided one notebook:

  • Schenker S413 (Core i7-4750HQ, 8 GB DDR3, Iris Pro Graphics 5200)

The desktop PCs are equipped with CPUs/APUs from Intel and AMD, SSDs from Micron, OCZ, Intel and Samsung, motherboards from Intel and Asus as well as graphics cards from Nvidia, PNY and AMD. We use the monitor Asus PB287Q for our 4K tests.

We used the following GPU drivers: Nvidia 359.06, AMD 15.11.1 Beta, Intel 20.19.15.4300 (Win 10) and Intel 10.18.14.4294 (Win 7), respectively.

Overview

Show Restrictions
PosModel< PrevNext >Just Cause 3
 Just Cause 3 (2015)
low
1024x768
Low / Off
2xAF
med.
1366x768
Medium / Off
4xAF
high
1920x1080
High / On
8xAF FXAA
ultra
1920x1080
Very High / On
16xAF SMAA
4K
3840x2160
High / On
8xAF FXAA
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
176.3
145.3
126.3
131.9
81.6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (Laptop)
125
115
57.6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 SLI (Laptop)
129
115
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
159
165
134
122
62
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile
105
113.35n2
58.6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
158
147.7
92.7
79.3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
133
114n2
51.45n2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
100
96
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
166
153
116
103
48
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
88.6
77
63
59
36.3
AMD Radeon R9 Nano
81
37.1
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
147.1
135.9
94.9
84.2
36.6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
168.1
157.4
100.6
87
38.2
AMD Radeon R9 390X
72.1
65.9
54.1
48.6
31.2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI
127.6
104.5
60.1
51.7
21.3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop)
164
153
99.4
85.6
36.1
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
88
82
32.6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
94.6
83
79n3
70.4n3
30.3
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Max-Q
140
133
89
77
35
PosModel< PrevNext >Just Cause 3
low med. high ultra 4K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
101.1
86.4
78.7n2
33.5
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop)
79
31.7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
106n3
100.4n3
68.7n3
59.7n3
23.6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
98
94.1
60.3
52.6
21.6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
58.9
52.7
22.1
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M
85.7n2
92.45n4
57.9n4
50.75n4
19.9
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680
111
91.9
63.5
49
15.9
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M
85.6
50.4
43.7
17.8
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile
89.8n2
76.6n2
48.15n2
38.65n2
AMD Radeon R7 370
69
45.2
41.3
14.7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M
78.4
69.5
44.8
40.1
17.6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
119.4
97.1
53.2
47.7
16.5
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M
93.6n3
87.1n3
48.4n3
42.8n3
14.4
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M
70.2
63.8
41.2
34.7
14.6
AMD Radeon HD 8970M
82.1
67.5
40.9
37
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
71.8
63.5n3
35.9n3
30.9n3
12.2n2
NVIDIA GeForce MX150
52.7n2
45.55n2
24.2n2
20.8n2
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M
70.9
59.05n2
34.05n2
29.6n2
12.2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M
61.7
51.9
31.7
27.5
10.7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
63.1n3
51.6n3
26.6n3
23n3
PosModel< PrevNext >Just Cause 3
low med. high ultra 4K
AMD Radeon R9 M385X
21.4
22.1
18.8
17.5
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M
47.1
45.7
28.7
24.4
9
AMD Radeon R9 M280X
21.9
18.7
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M
34.5
27
14.8
13
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
41.15n4
32.6n4
15.95n4
16.1n3
NVIDIA GeForce 940M
40.7n2
33.05n2
16.5
16
NVIDIA GeForce 930MX
38.3
29.5
15.9
NVIDIA Quadro M500M
35.6
29.6
16.2
14.5
AMD Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)
26.6
24.4
14.1
Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200
26.6
21.6
12.8
11.9
NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M
27
22.3
11.4
10
NVIDIA GeForce 930M
34.3
28
13.9
12.6
NVIDIA GeForce 920MX
31.5
24.7
Intel Iris Graphics 540
35.9
28.6
15.5
14.2
AMD Radeon R7 (Bristol Ridge)
16
13.2
AMD Radeon R7 (Carrizo)
15
13.1
8.5
8.2
AMD Radeon R7 (Kaveri)
18.4
11.3
AMD Radeon R7 M460
32.1
25.2
11.9
10.1
AMD Radeon R7 M360
31.2
25.6
12.7
10.4
NVIDIA GeForce 920M
25.55n2
21n2
10.3
9.1
PosModel< PrevNext >Just Cause 3
low med. high ultra 4K
AMD Radeon R8 M445DX
18
17.4
11.5
AMD Radeon R7 M440
22.4
18
12.1
AMD Radeon R6 M340DX
18.5
16
8.9
6.1
Intel HD Graphics 630
24.7
21.7
AMD Radeon R5 (Bristol Ridge)
13.3
12.4
8.3
Intel HD Graphics 620
29
22.2
10.8
AMD Radeon R6 (Carrizo)
15.5
13.4
8.3
AMD Radeon HD 8650G
12.2
AMD Radeon R5 M335
23.1
19
9.2
6.3
AMD Radeon R5 M330
23
18.9
9.4
6.1
AMD Radeon R5 M430
25.1
19.5
AMD Radeon R5 M255
31.1
24.6
12.4
NVIDIA GeForce 910M
16.6
14.8
8.1
5.7
Intel HD Graphics 520
21.6
16.7
6.2
3.8
Intel Iris Graphics 6100
21
17.5
NVIDIA GeForce GT 720M
19.2
15.5
7.9
Intel HD Graphics 6000
18.6
14
Intel HD Graphics 4600
17.75n2
13.7n2
6.8
Intel HD Graphics 5500
16.3
14.4
Intel HD Graphics 515
13.1
8.7
PosModel< PrevNext >Just Cause 3
low med. high ultra 4K
Intel HD Graphics 610
15.4
12.5
Intel HD Graphics 4400
17.6
14.5
Intel HD Graphics 505
6.6
4.1
Intel HD Graphics 5300
9.9
7.7
AMD Radeon R5 (Beema/Carrizo-L)
10.8
8.7
Intel HD Graphics 4200
12
11.3
Intel HD Graphics (Haswell)
11.7
(-) * Smaller values are better. / n123 Number of benchmarks for this median value / * Approximate position

 

Legend
5Stutters – This game is very likely to stutter and have poor frame rates. Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, average frame rates are expected to fall below 25fps
May Stutter – This graphics card has not been explicitly tested on this game. Based on interpolated information from surrounding graphics cards of similar performance levels, stutters and poor frame rates are expected.
30Fluent – Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, this game should run at or above 25fps
40Fluent – Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, this game should run at or above 35fps
60Fluent – Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, this game should run at or above 58fps
May Run Fluently – This graphics card has not been explicitly tested on this game. Based on interpolated information from surrounding graphics cards of similar performance levels, fluent frame rates are expected.
?Uncertain – This graphics card experienced unexpected performance issues during testing for this game. A slower card may be able to achieve better and more consistent frame rates than this particular GPU running the same benchmark scene.
Uncertain – This graphics card has not been explicitly tested on this game and no reliable interpolation can be made based on the performances of surrounding cards of the same class or family.
The value in the fields displays the average frame rate of all values in the database. Move your cursor over the value to see individual results.
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Florian Glaser, 2015-12-19 (Update: 2015-12-19)