Dragon Age: Inquisition

Our RPG of choice for 2015 is Dragon Age: Inquisition, the latest game in the Dragon Age series of ARPGs. Offering an expansive world that can easily challenge even the best of our video cards, Dragon Age also offers us an alternative take on EA/DICE’s Frostbite 3 engine, which powers this game along with Battlefield 4.

Dragon Age: Inquisition - 3840x2160 - Ultra Quality - 0x MSAA

Dragon Age: Inquisition - 3840x2160 - High Quality

Dragon Age: Inquisition - 2560x1440 - Ultra Quality - 0x MSAA

Dragon Age is another solid win for AMD at 4K, with the R9 Fury taking an 8-11% lead over the GTX 980. However it’s also a game that’s better played at 1440p than 4K on the R9 Fury, at which point that lead shrinks to just 2%. At the very least the R9 Fury can claim to be the minimum card required to crack 60fps at that resolution, a feat the GTX 980 falls just short of.

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  • CiccioB - Monday, July 13, 2015 - link

    If you still can't understand numbers but only can understand bar colors, I can sum up things for you for the same game (Crysys 3) also for the techpowerup review at 2560x1440 (the resolution for this kind of cards):
    At 780Ti presentation (nov 2013)
    780ti 27
    290X 26.3
    At Fuxy X presentation (so, last week):
    780ti 29.3
    290X 29.4

    So the 290X passed from -0.7fps to +0.1fps... WOW! That is a miracle!!!!!
    Only a fanboy should think about that, or one that does not understand benchmarks numbers, can't interpret them and can only see bar length/relative positions.

    You see a similar trend with Battlefield 3, where the 290X from -3fps became -0.3fps. And both cards have raised their FPS.
    So, yes, AMD recovered a fraction of nothing and nvidia didn't crippled anything.

    You have also not noted that in the meantime AMD changed the 290X policy on BIOS and custom, so all cards have become "uber" and better custom radiators allowed the card not to be throttled. So the advantage of this performance is reserved for those that have bought these cards, not for those that have bought the "not sampled" reference ones (can you remember the issue about those cards in retail market that have quite different performances with respect to those send to reviewers?). Yes, another miracle...

    These are the MYTH I like reading about that only fanboy can sustain. These are the type of arguments that let you clearly spot a fanboy in the group.
  • CiccioB - Wednesday, July 15, 2015 - link

    So, where are the facts sustaining your myth? I can't see them and it seems you can't provide them either.
    Yes, 780Ti a crappy investment... it was good the 290X with stuttering all over the place that still continues today with DX9 games.
  • FlushedBubblyJock - Wednesday, July 15, 2015 - link

    Thank you CiccioB, I was wondering if another sane person was here.
  • loguerto - Sunday, July 12, 2015 - link

    This is the primary reason why i buy AMD, because i am not willing to change my hardware every year i brought a 290x in 2013 and in that period it was neck to neck with the 780 ti, after nearly two years the 290x destroys the 780 ti and beats constantly even the 970, which at it's release was ahead. The 970 remained there with the performance meanwhile the 290x continued improving. I am so glad i brought the 290x.
  • CiccioB - Monday, July 13, 2015 - link

    You are a poor man with no clue on what it is buying. Your justification for buying the cheaper card on the market are quite pitiful.
    I bet you can't report a single case where Kepler run faster before than it is today. Nor can't you evaluate how much this miraculous" AMD drivers have improved your gaming experience.
    Can you? Let's see these numbers.
    If not, well, just don't go on with this king of talking because it really picture you (all AMD fanboys) more ridiculous than you already are.
  • FlushedBubblyJock - Wednesday, July 15, 2015 - link

    What the HELL are you babbling about ?
    The 980 wasn't realeased THEN at your "proof link" and the 290x is winning over the 780...

    WHAT FANTASY HAVE YOU CONVINCED YOURSELF OF YOU AMD FANBOY... TIME WILL NOT HEAL THE FURY AND FURY X LOSSES !
  • mikato - Wednesday, July 15, 2015 - link

    I agree. This would make a fantastic article - and a unique critical thinking subject that Anandtech is well positioned to undertake and is known for. It would certainly generate traffic and be linked to like crazy, hint hint.
  • ajlueke - Friday, July 10, 2015 - link

    "The R9 Fury offers between 8% and 17% better performance than the GTX 980, depending on if we’re looking at 4K or 1440p"

    "I don’t believe the R9 Fury is a great 4K card"

    "in a straight-up performance shootout with the GTX 980 the R9 Fury is 10% more expensive for 8%+ better performance."

    "This doesn’t make either card a notably better value"

    So at resolutions under 4K, which are the applications you recommend for the R9 Fury, it performs 17% better than the GTX 980 for 10% more price, and yet you conclude it is not a better value? Help me out here. It would be more accurate to say that neither card is a better value for 4K gaming, where the difference was indeed 8%. Any resolution below that, the Fury X is indeed a better value.
  • Ryan Smith - Friday, July 10, 2015 - link

    At 1440p the Fury X is 8% faster for 10% more cost. From a value standpoint that's a wash.

    At 4K the lead is upwards of 17%, but on an absolute basis it's a bit too slow if you're serious about 4K.
  • ajlueke - Friday, July 10, 2015 - link

    Thanks for the clarification. Also, I really appreciate the inclusion of the 7970 data, as I currently run a 3.5 yr old reference version of that card.

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