Bad Weather = Bad FPS? I ran some tests to find out!

Hi all, I'm not sure if this has been posted before, but I recently wanted to know how much bad weather and/or time-of-day would impact the performance on my system, so I ran some informal tests and took notes.

I made a video about it and posted it on YT, but self-promotion isn't permitted here, so I just post my final findings here instead in case anyone is curious:

Note: I play AMS2 on a 65" Hisense U8G 4K TV which maxes out at 120Hz, so I normally cap my FPS at 117 via NVIDIA Control Panel. That said, I tend to avoid thunderstorms because not only is it taxing on my system, it's also a real PITA to drive in (natch).

These are my current settings:



My PC Specs:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X (ECO mode, PBO enabled, CO -15 all cores)
• Video Card: NVIDIA Founders Edition GeForce RTX 4080 16GB (100% stock, no overclocking, latest drivers at time of publishing)
• Liquid CPU Cooler: Lian Li GALAHAD AIO 360 RGB UNI FAN SL120 EDITION
• Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX X670E-A GAMING WIFI ATX AM5 (BIOS 3205)
• Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 NEO RGB Series 32GB (2x16GB) 288-Pin SDRAM DDR5 6000 CL30-38-38-96 1.35V Dual Channel (EXPO II profile)
• Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 2TB m.2 2280 PCIe 4.0x4 NVME SSD
• Case: Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO ATX Mid Tower (White)
• Power Supply: MSI A1000G PCIE5 1000 Watt 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX 3.0
• Case Fans: 10 x Lian Li Uni Fan SL-Infinity 61.3 CFM 120mm
• OS: Windows 11 (latest build and patches

 

Thank you for taking the time to run these tests and for sharing the info. I've been wondering if upgrading my hardware could let me muscle my way out of the frame drops I get on my own system. I also run on a 4K120 panel (driver capped at 116Hz, in the event a game uses NV Reflex) so this information is right up my alley. I don't really drive in Thunderstorm conditions as I cannot keep up with the AI, but I am still having a tough time with dry day/night transitions despite having a semi-beefy mid-range system (12900k/RTX 3080).

I wonder if the Madness Engine is as friendly towards the modern AMD 3D Cache CPUs as some other titles (ie ACC).