Key Takeaways
1. Game Success: Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 is a strong contender for “Game of the Year” with high praise for its graphics, turn-based battles, and storyline, reflected in a Metacritic score of 92 and a user rating of 9.7.
2. GPU Requirements: The game has high system requirements, needing at least a GTX 1060 or RX 5600 XT for minimum performance, and an RTX 3060 Ti or RX 6800 XT for recommended performance.
3. Performance on Budget GPUs: Testing shows that budget GPUs like the RX 580 and GTX 1060 struggle to maintain 30 FPS at 1080p on medium settings, suggesting that lowering settings could improve performance.
4. Lack of Performance Features: The game does not support FSR, which limits performance improvements for users with compatible GPUs like the RX 580, leading to disappointment among those players.
5. Upgrade Recommendation: For a better gaming experience, it is suggested to invest in a GPU like the RX 6600, priced around $220, to achieve smoother gameplay at higher settings.
Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 has definitely made waves in the gaming community. Created by a small group at Sandfall Interactive, the title is already being discussed as a contender for “Game of the Year,” and for good reasons. With stunning graphics, engaging turn-based battles, and an interesting storyline, it has been successful in many areas. It’s no surprise that the game boasts an impressive score of 92 on Metacritic and a user rating of 9.7.
Graphics Card Woes
However, due to the current challenges in the PC hardware market, especially concerning desktop GPUs, many eager gamers might not possess the “Recommended” specifications needed to run the game smoothly. The system requirements for Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 mention that a GTX 1060 6 GB or RX 5600 XT 6 GB is necessary for “Minimum” performance, while the “Recommended” performance calls for an RTX 3060 Ti or RX 6800 XT. Sadly, acquiring modern GPUs like the RX 6800 XT or RTX 5070 at their official prices is nearly impossible.
Testing on Budget GPUs
This brings us to a crucial question: If you can’t afford a new GPU, how does Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 perform on the “Minimum” GPUs? Thankfully, AMD APU Gaming conducted tests on a budget-friendly gaming PC featuring an RX 580 and a GTX 1060 6 GB.
AMD APU Gaming tried Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 on a PC with:
The tested graphics cards were the XFX AMD Radeon RX 580 8 GB and the Palit GTX 1060 6 GB Storm X.
Both GPUs, as expected, had trouble maintaining 30 FPS at a 1080p resolution with medium settings. This suggests that lowering the quality settings to low could likely boost the frame rate above 30 FPS, potentially reaching a stable 40 FPS. The frame time graph was also not smooth, which is typical for GPUs that are nearly ten years old.
Missing Performance Features
It’s worth mentioning that the game lacks support for any form of FSR. While the GTX 1060 cannot utilize DLSS, the RX 580 does support FSR but lacks Frame Generation capabilities. Independent tests have shown that enabling FSR on the RX 580 can lead to a significant performance increase. Thus, the absence of FSR in Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 is disappointing for RX 580 users, who number over 960,000 according to the Steam Hardware Survey.
In conclusion, if you have either a GTX 1060 or RX 580, you can still enjoy Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 at over 30 FPS at 1080p. However, it would be wise to invest around $220 in a GPU like the RX 6600 to guarantee a more fluid and visually appealing gaming experience.
AMD APU Gaming shared their findings on YouTube, along with a teaser image from Sandfall Interactive.
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