F1 25 - PC performance graphics benchmarks of Graphics Cards and Processors

We have tested F1 25 on maximum graphics settings with video cards of the GeForce RTX 20, 30, 40 and 50 series, as well as Radeon RX 6000, 7000 and 9000. Also, during the tests we conducted, we assessed the quality of the graphic display of the game itself.

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THE GRAFICAL PART

This subsection of our review highlights the main graphical aspects of this game. Particular attention is paid to the version of the graphics engine used, the version of the API used, graphic settings and the quality of development of the main visual aspects.

Supported OS and Graphics API

F1 25 — a new part of the racing series with support for ray tracing, path tracing, VR and DX12. The game requires modern hardware, especially in the maximum lighting quality mode. All virtual reality headsets work through SteamVR and OpenXR. Network play requires a stable connection with low latency. Below are the full system requirements.

Minimum system requirements

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit (version 21H1 or later)

• Processor: Intel Core i5-6400 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200

• Processor (VR): Intel Core i5-9600K or AMD Ryzen 5 2600X

• Memory: 8 GB

• Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB / AMD Radeon RX 570 8GB / Intel Arc A380

• Video Card (VR): GTX 1660Ti / RX 590 / Arc A380

• Video card (Ray Tracing): RTX 2060 / RX 6700XT / Arc A380

• DirectX: 12

• Storage: 100GB (SSD required)

• Internet: 1 Mbps, ping < 60 ms

• Additional: AVX2 support, Shader Model 6.6

Recommended System Requirements

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit (version 21H1 or later)

• Processor: Intel Core i5-9600K or AMD Ryzen 5 2600X

• Memory: 16 GB

• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 / AMD Radeon RX 6600XT / Intel Arc A580

• Video Card (Ray Tracing): RTX 3070 / RX 6800 / Arc A580

• DirectX: 12

• Storage: 100GB (SSD required)

• Internet: 3 Mbps, ping < 30 ms

• Additional: AVX2 support, Shader Model 6.6

VR support

Compatible with Meta Quest 2 and 3 via Link, Oculus Rift S, HTC Vive Pro, HTC Cosmos, Valve Index, HP Reverb G2.

 

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

F1 25 was created as the first part of the series, completely freed from support of old consoles. This allowed to focus exclusively on the use of new generation technologies. The main emphasis was placed on the visual reconstruction of the tracks, the reworking of physics and the modernization of all key game modes. There are few innovations in mechanics, but in each aspect there were subtle but important changes. The transition to a new level of quality concerned not only graphics - telemetry data, tire behavior, interaction of the car with the track, as well as the teamwork interface were reworked.

One of the development's features was the introduction of cross-media content: the game integrated fictional elements related to a Hollywood film released in the same year. A team was added that had no relation to the current season, as well as events that did not take place in reality. This caused controversy among fans of simulators, since it violates sports authenticity. However, the project retained the official license and the entire real composition of drivers and teams, which made it possible to compensate for the element of conventionality.

In the career mode, special attention was paid to the reworking of scenarios, as well as dialogues and rivalry between teammates. The main emphasis is on the development of the storyline within the championship. However, despite the increase in cinematography, the internal logic of the AI ​​behavior remained the same - opponents act according to given patterns and do not react to changes in the weather or strategy to the full extent. The variability of events between seasons is minimal. The mechanics of interaction with the team expanded slightly, and diplomacy and politics remained formal.

A dual control feature has been introduced for the team management mode, allowing the player to control their co-pilot themselves. This system is intended to add tactical depth, but in practice it causes confusion and requires additional time to manage. In the later stages of a career, the feature becomes more of a burden than an advantage, especially when playing with limited time on the weekend. In addition, the AI ​​remains unstable when automatically controlling a partner - it can ignore orders, go off the track, and not respond to changing weather.

The game also offers the ability to race in reverse on several tracks. This adds variety, but breaks the real geometry of the racing logic and can be perceived as an arcade element, especially when combined with the lack of realistic damage. From a development perspective, such mechanics simplify AI testing and allow for the rapid creation of alternative routes, but in a full simulation such solutions look questionable.

GRAPHICS

F1 25 is positioned as a qualitative step forward in visual terms, but in fact the changes are of a point nature. The most noticeable improvements are weather effects, reflections and track surface detailing. However, track architecture, background buildings, spectators and environmental objects often do not correspond to the general level. Some elements, such as trees or safety barriers, use outdated textures and have a low LOD level, especially noticeable on high-speed turns.

The racing cars remain the most detailed - each element of their design is highly detailed, including small screws, air intake holes and carbon texture. Damage is visualized, but in a limited form. Often, high-force collisions cause only cosmetic scratches. In dynamics, the models look realistic, but when the camera stops, it becomes clear that the shadows from the wings, reflections and refractions of light are simplified.

The animation of drivers and pit stops has received minor improvements. The mechanics' movements have become slightly smoother, but still follow pre-set trajectories. The interaction of characters does not take into account collisions and does not react to unexpected events. For example, an object falling on the pit lane does not affect the behavior of the staff. Also, in the starting ceremonies, many scenes are repeated, and visual gestures remain formulaic.

At night, the graphics are at their most effective. The game features realistic headlight lighting, dynamic reflections on wet asphalt, and shadows from spotlights. However, this only applies to modern configurations - on video cards below the average level, these effects are simplified or disabled. Even with upscaling technologies, performance may suffer, especially in the rain and with path tracing enabled.

The transition between weather conditions is smooth: rain starts from the clouds, then appears on the track, puddles form, and the tires begin to lose grip. At the same time, the behavior of water remains visual - drops do not interact with the car, do not splash realistically and do not affect the camera. The effects of dirt and particles are limited, and the refractions of light look simplified. The camera remains clean even after collisions, and visual contamination only appears in videos.

Support for ultra-wide monitors works stably, but some of the interface does not scale correctly. Some panels extend beyond the screen or overlap track elements. Visual artifacts are possible in replay mode, especially when path tracing is enabled. On some systems, there are problems with loading textures when changing tracks, which is related to memory caching and working with a 4K video stream.

GAME ENGINE

The project is based on an engine designed to run stably at 60 FPS with modern lighting and basic ray tracing support. However, this year, experimental support for path tracing has been implemented for the first time — path tracing that works in full, unlike standard ray tracing. The technology is only included in the PC version and requires serious resources. It activates global illumination, multi-level reflections, soft shadows, and simulated light interference on wet surfaces.

When path tracing is enabled, the scene changes: the light from the headlights of the cars begins to interact realistically with the fog and aerosol on the track, metal parts of the body cast complex reflections, rain puddles become mirrored with a distortion of the viewing angle. However, the load increases by 2-3 times. On a system with an RTX 4070 Ti, performance drops from 100 to 45 frames in the most difficult moments. Even with DLSS 4 in Multi Frame Generation Sharp jumps persist, especially on tracks with a large number of spectators.

Frame generation support works effectively only in static scenes. In dynamics, when changing the camera or making a quick maneuver, interpolation artifacts appear: phantom objects, doubling of the car borders, and jerks when switching frames. This is especially noticeable in replays and when turning on the helmet camera mode. In such situations, it is recommended to reduce the tracing scale or switch to FSR mode, where anti-aliasing is implemented differently.

The game engine was not originally designed for path tracing. It was integrated on top of the existing lighting system, which causes conflicts. Some sections of the track are overlit, especially at dusk and when moving from shadow to bright areas. This also makes driving difficult with brake assistance on - visual markers blend in with the asphalt. The interface is minimalistic and does not scale well at high resolutions - especially with non-standard aspect ratios.

Loading of tracks works via preloading and cache, but in path tracing mode the amount of RAM increases significantly. With enabled path tracing + DLSS + 4K, at least 16 GB of video memory and 32 GB of RAM are required. With lower values, crashes or a sharp decrease in texture quality to a minimum level are possible. Tracks are not loaded immediately, but are broken into fragments - because of this, during the first playthrough, "freezes" are possible at transition points.

The lack of DirectStorage support on older SSDs also affects smoothness. Even at high FPS, there may be "steps" when approaching the stands or landscape elements. The transition between the cutscene and gameplay is accompanied by a short stop and reassembly of the scene - this is caused by the need to render all traced sources again. In addition, the reflections on the racer's helmet work unstable: sometimes they turn off or are distorted when moving the head.

Overall, the implementation of path tracing in F1 25 is a step forward from a technical point of view, but its use is justified only on top systems. Even with frame generation, the technology remains too heavy for mass use. Without it, the game works stably, but visually loses to competitors, especially in night races and in difficult weather.

QUALITY

Ray Tracing — used to improve lighting, shadows, and reflections by partially rendering rays from light sources. In this mode, the scene is illuminated taking into account direct reflections and shading, including those from dynamic objects. Reflections can be accurate, but are limited by the quality of tracing and the depth of the scene. Shadows become softer, and materials such as metal or glass receive a realistic response.

Path Tracing (patch tracing) — a more advanced and resource-intensive method, in which each pixel in a scene is calculated based on hundreds or thousands of rays. It simulates global illumination and the full interaction of light with surfaces: reflections, light scattering, color mixing from the environment (GI) and precise caustics. Unlike ray tracing, which applies effects selectively, path tracing creates a complete, photorealistic image.

Visually difference between RT and PT is expressed in softer transitions between light and shadow, the absence of sharp boundaries, realistic color rendering and deep work of light in dark areas. Path tracing is especially noticeable in scenes with many reflective surfaces, complex geometry and indirect lighting, for example in rooms with diffused light, fog or a humid environment. Ray tracing also looks modern, but in direct comparison it can feel harsher and less “natural”.

TEST PART

Below you will find a table of equipment that was kindly provided by our sponsors: GIGABYTE, ASUS, Kingston и Deep Cool. It reflects the list of motherboards, video cards, memory modules and cooling systems used in the tests, and also indicates the current configuration of the operating system and drivers.

Test configuration
GIGABYTE
motherboards	Z490 AORUS PROAX      GIGABYTE Z590 VISION Gigabyte X670E AORUS PRO X GIGABYTE Z690 AERO G
ASUS
motherboards	ASUS ROG Strix B650-A Gaming Wi-Fi ASUS Z790-A GAMING DDR4
Video Cards	Asus GeForce RTX 5070 TUF Gaming OC ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4070 Ti OC ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER OC ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 7900 XT 20G
KINGSTON
RAM	16 GB DDR4 4600 CL19 Kingston FURY Renegade 32 GB DDR4 3600 CL16 Kingston FURY Renegade 32 GB DDR4 4000 CL18 Kingston FURY Renegade              32 GB DDR5 5600 CL40 Kingston FURY Beast                       32 GB DDR5 6000 CL30 Kingston FURY Renegade 32 GB DDR5 7200 CL36 Kingston FURY Renegade 48GB DDR5 7200 CL36 Kingston FURY Renegade 48GB DDR5 8000 CL36 Kingston FURY Renegade  Kingston FURY Renegade G5 2TB
Storage devices	Kingston FURY Renegade PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD Kingston NV3 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4 Kingston XS2000 4TB SSD
Deep Cool
Cases and cooling	Case DeepCool CH510 WH  Case DeepCool CH780 WH SVO DeepCool LS720 WH Deepcool PX1200G 1200W Power Supply
Software configuration
Operating system	Windows 11 24H2
Graphics driver	Nvidia GeForce/ION Driver Release 576.52 WHQL AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 25.5.2
Monitoring programs	MSI Afterburner 4.6.6 Beta 5 Build 16555

All video cards were tested at maximum graphics quality using MSI Afterburner. The purpose of the test is to determine how video cards from different manufacturers behave under the same conditions. Below is a video of a test segment from the game:  

 Our video cards were tested at different screen sizes 1920x1080, 2560x1440 и 3840x2160 with maximum graphics quality settings without upscales. 

TEST GPU

 

In the video card test, the default resolution is 1920x1080, other resolutions are added and removed manually. You can also remove and add any video card positions. You can also select any of our test processors from the list in the drop-down menu, comparing its performance with the given video card tests (the most productive solution is selected by default). The test is carried out on the most productive in this game CPU and scales to other processors, taking into account their testing on NVIDIA and AMD video cards.

Ray Tracing

When resolved 1920x1080:

• Average FPS (25 frames): Reached on video cards of the level of Radeon RX 6700 XT or GeForce RTX 3060.
• Minimum FPS (25 frames): Provided by video cards of the Radeon RX 6700 XT or GeForce RTX 3060 level.
• Comfortable average FPS (60 frames): Possible with video cards of the Radeon RX 6800 or GeForce RTX 2080 Ti level.

When resolved 2560x1440:

• Average FPS (25 frames): Reached on video cards of the level of Radeon RX 6700 XT or GeForce RTX 3060.
• Minimum FPS (25 frames): Provided by video cards of the Radeon RX 6800 XT or GeForce RTX 2080 Ti level.
• Comfortable average FPS (60 frames): Possible with video cards of the Radeon RX 7900 XT or GeForce RTX 4070 level.

When resolved 3840x2160:

• Average FPS (25 frames): Reached on video cards of the level of Radeon RX 7800 XT or GeForce RTX 5060 Ti.
• Minimum FPS (25 frames): Provided by video cards of the Radeon RX 9070 XT or GeForce RTX 3080 Ti level.
• Comfortable average FPS (60 frames): Possible with GeForce-level video cards RTX 4090.

Path Tracing

When resolved 1920x1080:

• Average FPS (25 frames): Reached on video cards of the level of Radeon RX 7800 XT or GeForce RTX 3080.
• Minimum FPS (25 frames): Provided by video cards of the GeForce RTX 4070 level.
• Comfortable average FPS (60 frames): Possible with video cards of the GeForce RTX 4080 level.

When resolved 2560x1440:

• Average FPS (25 frames): Achieved on GeForce RTX 4070s level graphics cards.
• Minimum FPS (25 frames): Provided by video cards of the GeForce RTX 5080 level.
• Comfortable average FPS (60 frames): Possible with video cards of the GeForce RTX 5090 level.

When resolved 3840x2160:

• Average FPS (25 frames): Achieved on GeForce-level video cards RTX 4090.
• Minimum FPS (25 frames): Provided by video cards of the GeForce RTX 5090 level.

VIDEO MEMORY CONSUMPTION

Testing of the video memory consumed by the game was carried out by the MSI Afterburner program. The results on video cards from AMD and NVIDIA at separate screen resolutions of 1920x1080, 2560x1440 and 3840x2160 with different anti-aliasing settings were taken as an indicator. By default, the most current solutions are displayed in the graph. Other video cards are added and removed from the graph at the reader's request.

Ray Tracing

Resolution 1920x1080:

• Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 9 GB
• Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 10 GB
• Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 9 GB
• Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 9 GB

Resolution 2560x1440:

• Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 9 GB
• Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 11 GB
• Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 11 GB
• Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 11 GB

Resolution 3840x2160:

• Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 10 GB
• Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 13 GB
• Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 14 GB
• Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 14 GB

Path Tracing

Resolution 1920x1080:

• Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 10 GB
• Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 10 GB
• Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 10 GB
• Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 10 GB

Resolution 2560x1440:

• Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 11 GB
• Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 11 GB
• Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 11 GB
• Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 11 GB

Resolution 3840x2160:

• Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 12 GB
• Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 14 GB
• Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 14 GB
• Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 14 GB

TEST CPU

 

Testing was carried out at a resolution of 1920x1080. In the processor test, you can remove or add any processor positions. You can also select any tested video card from the list in the drop-down menu, comparing its performance with the given processor test results (by default, the most productive solution from NVIDIA is selected). Testing takes place on the most powerful NVIDIA and AMD video cards and scales to low-end models.

Ray Tracing

When using NVIDIA video cards:

• Processors for acceptable FPS (not lower than 25 frames per second):
  • AMD Ryzen 3 3100
  • Intel Core i3-10100
• Processors for comfortable FPS (at least 60 frames per second):
  • AMD Ryzen 3 3100
  • Intel Core i3-10100

When using AMD video cards:

• Processors for acceptable FPS (not lower than 25 frames per second):
  • AMD Ryzen 3 3100
  • Intel Core i3-10100
• Processors for comfortable FPS (at least 60 frames per second):
  • AMD Ryzen 3 3100
  • Intel Core i3-10100

Path Tracing

When using NVIDIA video cards:

• Processors for acceptable FPS (not lower than 25 frames per second):
  • AMD Ryzen 3 3100
  • Intel Core i3-10100
• Processors for comfortable FPS (at least 60 frames per second):
  • AMD Ryzen 3 3100
  • Intel Core i5-10600

Loading and using streams:

• Maximum load: The game can load up to 16 streams.
• Optimal loading: Uses up to 12 threads as efficiently as possible.

RAM TEST

The indicator was taken as all used RAM. The RAM test on the all system was conducted on various video cards without launching third-party applications (browsers, etc.). In the graphics, you can add and remove any resolutions and video cards as desired.

 

Ray Tracing

Resolution 1920x1080:

• Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 16 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 17 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 15 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 16 GB of RAM

Resolution 2560x1440:

• Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 17 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 17 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 15 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 16 GB of RAM

Resolution 3840x2160:

• Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 20 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 17 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 15 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 16 GB of RAM

Path Tracing

Resolution 1920x1080:

• Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 18 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 18 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 15 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 16 GB of RAM

Resolution 2560x1440:

• Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 19 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 18 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 15 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 16 GB of RAM

Resolution 3840x2160:

• Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 22 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 18 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 15 GB of RAM
• Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 16 GB of RAM

SPONSORS TESTS