Total War: Warhammer II (DX11)

Last in our 2018 game suite is Total War: Warhammer II, built on the same engine of Total War: Warhammer. While there is a more recent Total War title, Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia, that game was built on the 32-bit version of the engine. The first TW: Warhammer was a DX11 game was to some extent developed with DX12 in mind, with preview builds showcasing DX12 performance. In Warhammer II, the matter, however, appears to have been dropped, with DX12 mode still marked as beta, but also featuring performance regression for both vendors.

It's unfortunate because Creative Assembly themselves have acknowledged the CPU-bound nature of their games, and with re-use of game engines as spin-offs, DX12 optimization would have continued to provide benefits, especially if the future of graphics in RTS-type games will lean towards low-level APIs.

There are now three benchmarks with varying graphics and processor loads; we've opted for the Battle benchmark, which appears to be the most graphics-bound.

Total War: Warhammer II - 3840x2160 - Ultra QualityTotal War: Warhammer II - 2560x1440 - Ultra QualityTotal War: Warhammer II - 1920x1080- Ultra Quality

Again, the RTX 2070 slots into familiar position: faster than the GTX 1070 by 30 to 40%, yet only around 10% or so ahead of the GTX 1080. Even if it were to catch up to the GTX 1080 Ti, the RTX 2080 would need to make ground as well.

At 1080p, the cards quickly run into the CPU bottleneck, which is to be expected with top-tier video cards and the CPU intensive nature of RTS'es. Even still, the Founders Edition specs, which don't materially change the RTX 2070's positioning, is helpful for the RTX 2080 in pipping the GTX 1080 Ti.

F1 2018 Compute & Synthetics
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  • TheinsanegamerN - Tuesday, October 16, 2018 - link

    Because the 2070 is a 1070 replacement? Why do you people get hung up on "WELL IT COST A BUNCH SO ITS A HIGH TIER CARD"

    No, it isnt, its a mid tier card with a high tier pricetag. It doesnt make sense to compare the 2070 to a 1080ti because of the pricetag, anymore then comparing a vega 64 to a 1070 because they both cost $400 at some point.
  • ioni - Tuesday, October 16, 2018 - link

    2070's die size is closer to the 1080 ti than it is to the 1080. It should be, at minimum, being compared to a 1080.
  • Nioktefe - Tuesday, October 16, 2018 - link

    Exactly, it could be called RTX 2050 and still use the same chip, don't compare marketing with die specifications, RTX chips are huge, and they are priced accordingly to that, we will never see 2080Ti come close to 1080ti prices
  • PeachNCream - Tuesday, October 16, 2018 - link

    ^^ So much of this right here! Name it what whatever, but the retail price is ultimately what dictates what it must compete with from prior generations or from the nearest competitor. As far as pricing is concerned, the RTX 2070 must contend with the GTX 1080Ti and 1080 when a present day buyer is looking at options in that price range.
  • tamalero - Wednesday, October 17, 2018 - link

    die size is irrelevant, price points is what is important in price brackets.. if the 2070 is on 1080gtx prices for a tiny improvement, its not worth it..
  • Vayra - Monday, October 22, 2018 - link

    Die size is not irrelevant. Cause & Effect: larger die = lower yield per wafer = higher price.
  • CheapSushi - Thursday, October 18, 2018 - link

    Do you make your choice based on die size OR price?
  • dguy6789 - Tuesday, October 16, 2018 - link

    What an absolutely ridiculous statement. People don't cross shop products that have radically different pricing- they pick a budget and look for what is best in that price segment. Hmmm I'm torn between a Kia and a BMW. Yeah right.
  • evilspoons - Wednesday, October 17, 2018 - link

    That's reasonable, the Kia Stinger is a pretty decent RWD/AWD luxury sedan. For like $45k CAD you get roughly what you'd have to pay $65k CAD to get in a BMW, so a $45k BMW by contrast is a much less interesting vehicle. (Although personally, I'd go with the Genesis G70 instead of the Kia, you can get it with a 6-speed manual.)
  • khanikun - Friday, October 19, 2018 - link

    Car analogies do and don't work here. Some might start with size, while other start with price. Some will start with looks, some will start with power, some will start with drivetrain, etc. Some will cross shop products that have different prices, some won't.

    Some might be torn between a Kia and a BMW, if both made rwd sports cars that compete against each other, even with a price tag difference. Look at all the comparisons between something like a Subaru WRX STI vs a BMW M3, even though the M3 is easily $20k over the STI.

    The only time I see someone set a budget first, is those looking at the used car market. Not the looking at the new car market.

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