Borderlands 4 PC Performance Tests: Stunning Graphics Make It the Most Demanding Entry Yet

Gearbox Software’s latest addition to the Borderlands franchise, Borderlands 4, has generated significant excitement among fans of the looter-shooter genre. This installment not only showcases stunning graphics but also demands considerable processing power, necessitating a closer look at its performance benchmarks on PC. Here’s what you need to know.

Performance Insights: Borderlands 4 PC Benchmarks

Borderlands 4 represents the fourth major release in the beloved series, renowned for its unique cel-shading art style, which imparts a hand-drawn feel to the environment and characters. While players can adjust the game aesthetics through ini tweaks, the signature black outlines are what make the visual experience truly distinctive.

True to its roots, Borderlands 4 remains a treasure trove of loot, featuring an impressive array of weapons and items. The game boasts such extravagant claims as “Bazillion”and “Gajillion”unique items, ensuring players encounter diverse perks and shooting mechanics that enhance gameplay.

Exploring In-Game Settings for Optimal Performance

To optimize gameplay, players can access various graphics settings found under the “Visuals”panel. Similar to other contemporary titles, Borderlands 4 provides a robust suite of customization options.

Game settings screen with Windowed Fullscreen mode, 3840 x 2160 resolution, and options for Vertical Sync and frame rate limits.

The “Basic”settings panel includes features such as:

Display Mode (Fullscreen/Windows/Borderless)
Display Resolution
Display Stats (None/FPS/All)
Limit Frame Rate (Off/On)
Custom FPS Limit
Vertical Sync
Calibrate Display
Field of View (90 to 110 degrees)

In the “Advanced”settings, players can explore presets including “Badass”for maximum graphics or use Auto-Detect to automatically tailor settings to their hardware specifications. Options for Anti-Aliasing are also available, although this feature is disabled when using an upscaling mode.

Graphics settings menu with Graphics Preset set to Badass and Frame Generation toggled to On, includes DLSS and Full Resolution.

A notable inclusion in Borderlands 4’s settings is support for multiple Upscaling Methods—including NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR, and Intel XeSS—allowing players to achieve quality from “Ultra Performance”down to “Full Resolution Native”modes. Players with older hardware can also opt for spatial upscaling to enhance visual fidelity.

PC Performance Benchmarks: A Closer Examination

Performance assessments show a challenging reality for all tested GPUs. Notably, even flagship cards such as the RTX 5090 struggle to maintain a playable 60 FPS at 4K resolution, averaging only 48 FPS.

At a native resolution of 1440p, performance improves slightly, with cards like the RTX 5090 and 4090 exceeding 60 FPS, while others hover between mid-40s to low 20s.

Moving to 1080p resolution, GPUs such as the 4070 Ti and higher can comfortably provide 60 FPS. However, many mainstream options average lower, underscoring the demanding nature of this game.

Maximizing Performance with Upscaling

Utilizing upscaling techniques proves critical for achieving playable frame rates at higher resolutions. Even with Quality settings enabled in DLSS, the RTX 5090 records only 74 FPS at 4K.

In terms of overall VRAM usage, Borderlands 4 demands significant memory allocation. For instance, at native 4K, the game requires approximately 14.76 GB of VRAM, a notable concern for gamers with less than adequate hardware.

First Impressions and Overall Performance

Borderlands 4 is visually impressive and helps set a new benchmark for detail and intensity within the franchise. However, it carries resource demands that pose challenges for many players. Built on Unreal Engine 5, players may encounter traversal stuttering, with considerable CPU usage reported even on high-end systems like the i9-13900K.

Despite initial performance hiccups, enabling frame generation appears to mitigate some of these challenges, delivering a smoother overall experience. Although nearly every AAA title using Unreal Engine 5 suffers from teething issues, these could potentially be remedied in future patches.

For gamers with high-end rigs, upscaling and frame generation can offer a rewarding experience in Borderlands 4, though players with mid-tier or lower hardware may find the gameplay frustratingly inaccessible at launch.

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