Dune: Awakening has become my new main game, it just hooked me. But one thing is driving me crazy: the performance. Even in notebook mode, I can’t get the game to 60 FPS, if it’s even stable above 40 FPS. Thanks to Unreal Engine 5 and my PC.
My PC isn’t that bad, is it?
Until now, I actually thought my PC was still quite powerful. The Nvidia RTX 3080 Founder’s Edition is only two generations old, and 64 gigabytes of RAM is a lot. What I didn’t expect, however, despite my WQHD resolution (3440×1440), was that the GPU isn’t the problem. My CPU is the bottleneck. The i7-8700k is now 6 generations behind, and it seems more has happened in the CPU market than I thought.
Dune: Awakening is an Unreal Engine 5 game. UE5 is known for making it relatively easy to create good-looking games. However, it’s also known for games that are often not well-optimized. Epic Games has added many brand-new effects to the engine that are not yet well-optimized. This has significantly raised the bar for hardware.
How does this manifest?
I can play Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing on medium and all other settings on Ultra with DLSS scaling and without frame generation at about 70-90 frames per second. The game is already five years old, but CD Projekt Red has updated it repeatedly over the years, and it’s still a graphical benchmark. It’s not for nothing that it’s used as a reference game in many benchmarks. But it’s from a different era with weaker hardware and was adapted for it, despite all the updates.
With Dune: Awakening, it’s a different story. The game is new and not yet optimized, just like Unreal Engine 5. The developer, Funcom, is also not comparable to CD Projekt Red. Even though Funcom is an established and experienced developer studio, they are smaller. Over 500 people worked on Cyberpunk 2077. That’s the entire (estimated) workforce of Funcom across all games and administration. At best, 300 people worked directly on Dune: Awakening.
The result? When I use the recommended settings from the game or the Nvidia app, I get 20-25 FPS without frame generation. Since my graphics card doesn’t support DLSS frame generation, I have to switch to FSR, version 3. But it’s just not good. The problem isn’t just artifacts, but also image stuttering. The only way to play the game somewhat smoothly is the low-performance notebook mode. This is a mode that sets the graphics settings even lower than the ‘Low’ option can. But the game looks accordingly. And it doesn’t make the experience that much smoother. 40-50 FPS is the maximum. Thanks to Steam’s new performance overlay, it’s also quickly clear that the CPU is gasping for air and running on fumes.
The solution?
The question of all questions. In my desperation, I even thought it was the Nvidia drivers for Linux and went back to Windows, yet again. That’s what made the 40-50 FPS possible in the first place; on Linux, I was 10 FPS lower. With a few tweaks to the engine.ini file, I can squeeze out a few more FPS, but it doesn’t work miracles either.
I’m honestly amazed that I can play at all with such lousy FPS. But in Dune: Awakening, I play as a marksman. Try aiming when your opponents feel like they’re stuttering across the screen. The number of spitdarts I’ve shot into walls and floors because the enemies can’t be targeted properly. So I’m a bit frustrated, even though I’m having a lot of fun with the game.
It’s actually clear to me: I need a new CPU. But a new CPU also means a new motherboard and new DDR5 RAM. Since my case has been annoying me for years with its size and width, that means a new case as well. Linux with Nvidia isn’t a great combination either, so why not add a new graphics card? After all, an AMD RX 9700 XT could deliver 30-60% more FPS. And now, SSDs can be connected with PCIe 5. 15,000 Gbit/s instead of 3,500 Gbit/s is not to be ignored.
Unfortunately, the price for that package can’t be ignored either. It would cost 2500 euros. Sure, an Nvidia RTX 5090 currently costs that much alone, but it’s still a lot of money. My heart tells me: ‘Buy it now.’ My head says: ‘Dude, 2500 euros.’ My girlfriend says: ‘Do what you want.’ (which means ‘I’m not thrilled.’)
What now?
I have no idea. As a nerd, of course, I’m always up for a new PC. As a responsible ‘adult,’ I know that this is not a small investment. Roughly, my PC expenses have averaged just under 300 euros per year over the last 10 years. Not a little, not a lot. Actually, perfectly fine for a hobby.
If I order the PC, I will definitely report back here.
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