Gaming Tests: Deus Ex Mankind Divided

Deus Ex is a franchise with a wide level of popularity. Despite the Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (DEMD) version being released in 2016, it has often been heralded as a game that taxes the CPU. It uses the Dawn Engine to create a very complex first-person action game with science-fiction based weapons and interfaces. The game combines first-person, stealth, and role-playing elements, with the game set in Prague, dealing with themes of transhumanism, conspiracy theories, and a cyberpunk future. The game allows the player to select their own path (stealth, gun-toting maniac) and offers multiple solutions to its puzzles.

DEMD has an in-game benchmark, an on-rails look around an environment showcasing some of the game’s most stunning effects, such as lighting, texturing, and others. Even in 2020, it’s still an impressive graphical showcase when everything is jumped up to the max. For this title, we are testing the following resolutions:

  • 600p Low, 1440p Low, 4K Low, 1080p Max

The benchmark runs for about 90 seconds. We do as many runs within 10 minutes per resolution/setting combination, and then take averages and percentiles.

AnandTech Low Resolution
Low Quality
Medium Resolution
Low Quality
High Resolution
Low Quality
Medium Resolution
Max Quality
Average FPS
95th Percentile

DEMD is often considered a CPU-limited title, so when the 11700K is better than the older Intel CPUs is at the low resolution, low quality setting, that confirms that. But as we ramp up the resolution, and the quality, the 11700K falls behind ever so slightly in both averages and percentiles.

All of our benchmark results can also be found in our benchmark engine, Bench.

CPU Tests: SPEC Gaming Tests: Final Fantasy XIV
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  • Makaveli - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link

    lol the only one looking like a fanboy is you.
  • DigitalFreak - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link

    Why so butthurt? You wouldn't be on here whining if the benchmarks were in Intel's favor. Never understood the fanboi mentality.
  • arashi - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link

    Because now his website won't get the views he thought they'd get.
  • Spunjji - Saturday, March 6, 2021 - link

    Nice projection there.
  • MarcusMo - Sunday, March 7, 2021 - link

    ”Using a processor that isn't suppose to be sold is sketchy”

    The operative word you’re missing is “yet”. The batch of processors this one is from is Intel release silicon intended for end customer hands. And there are more out there. This article represents exactly the kind of performance that at least some day one customers should expect. Now maybe there will be updates to the software stack that will improve performance over time, but that doesn’t make this review any less valid.
  • Slash3 - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link

    Appreciate the statement, Ryan.

    Pre-release content is nothing new for AnandTech, and it's interesting to see how passionately some people feel about the topic. Might be something worth exploring in a future article, as I'd wager that there are a lot of readers who weren't around to see things like the original Sandy Bridge pre-review which Ian referenced in another reply.
  • CiccioB - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link

    I think the criticism on this review is quite justified.
    You are reviewing a device that is not ready to be sold yet.
    Yes, you could buy it at retail but just because, like you, some other "smart guy" made the wrong (would say fraudolent) move to not respect a date.

    What we have here is a "preview" of the CPU performances that may (or not, but you don't know now) change when the CPU will really available for the rest of the mortals on the globe.

    I would like to think that you will do a new review of the CPU once the motherboards will be updated and make evidence if, how and by how much something has changed since this preview with what are early samples that results being compatible with the device.

    However, while you were at it, you could also try PCI4 connected memory storage to see how good Intel implementation of the technology is.
  • MFinn3333 - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link

    "You are reviewing a device that is not ready to be sold yet." How is it Ian or Ryan's fault that Intel released a CPU in this condition? If Intel isn't doing any QA on their end for proper use out of the box then the problem is on their end.

    And yes, they did release it in that condition because unless they intend to recall all the packages and open them up and replace the CPU inside, it is the product that people are going to be getting and using when they open it up and slapping it in their computer. I used to work retail and getting new product on major releases is usually about 3-4 weeks ahead.

    Following your logic then they shouldn't do a review unless they are willing to also update all of the AMD CPU's as well to include their performance and bug fixes which would turn bench-marking into a never ending nightmare because of updates.

    Intel whiffed this release, get over it.
  • CiccioB - Saturday, March 6, 2021 - link

    You have misses that Intel has not released the product yet and the samples you can find on the market come from a seller that broke the NDA and start selling them before the official release time.
    They are actually are in beta support with BIOS, microcode, drivers and such on not final motherboards as well.

    Once you understand that you'll understand why this is a preview or a beta test, not a full review of the product.
  • Qasar - Saturday, March 6, 2021 - link

    um THE HAVE RELEASED THEM. the store just started selling them early, that is the stores fault. you are grasping at straws.

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