Is The Finals CPU or GPU intensive?

If you are one of the many excited gamers who are checking out The Finals and were wondering if it was more CPU or GPU intensive, look no further, we have the answers.

The Finals is an exciting new first-person shooter that has recently been released in its beta stage. It’s an exciting combination of environmental destruction and shooter gameplay. With that insane destruction level though also naturally comes questions and concerns about CPU and GPU levels.

After all, what’s the point of potentially being able to destroy everything within the game if you can barely see it. It’s exactly that concern that have had rumors circulating wildly with accusations of CPU bottlenecks and more flying around. Let’s take a look at what’s actually happening with The Finals’ graphics and if it is more CPU or GPU intensive.

Is the Finals CPU or GPU intensive?

In short, it’s both.

We ran The Finals using an Nvidia RTX 2070 Super, 16GB RAM, and a Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8GHz and these were the results we got:

• With DLSS on Ultra Performance:
  • CPU utilization averaged: 50%-60%
  • GPU utilization averaged: 60%-65%
• With DLSS on Quality:
  • CPU utilization averaged: 50%-60%
  • GPU utilization averaged: 85%-90%
• With DLSS on Balanced:
  • CPU utilization averaged: 50%-60%
  • GPU utilization averaged: 65%-80%
• With DLSS off:
  • CPU utilization averaged: 50%-60%
  • GPU utilization averaged: 90%-100%

As you can see the CPU utlization remained steady, but the GPU utilization massively fluctuated depending on the DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) settings.

The GPU level results are unsurprising for a game of this level with such gorgeous graphics. Ray tracing options are available to enable and we fully recommend making sure you’re getting the most out of the stunning graphics by checking over your settings.

With a game so heavily destruction based it’s not surprising that the CPU levels would be higher than average. This is because of the sheer amount of physics calculations the CPU has to run to decide how and where things explode to.

That being said, it is concerning that many rumors are circulating of players having their CPU utilization almost maxed out while their GPU remained strangely under-utilized.

Potential reasons for the discrepancies in gameplay experience could be due to individual gamers’ set-ups interfering in the effective running of the game. However, until The Finals release the minimum and recommended specs for the game we can’t definitively recommend a particular set up over another to remove the discrepancy. For now, we would suggest making sure that your CPU and GPU and fully compatible and one is not bottlenecking the other.

Not sure where to start with that? Don’t worry, here’s a little introduction into CPU and GPU.

Why does CPU matter for The Finals?

CPU or Central Processing Unit is a processor that takes information from a program and translates it into instructions that it then executes. There are three stages the CPU puts information through. These are Fetch, Decode, and Execute. Or in other words, What, How, and Doing it Now. The CPU takes this information from the RAM (Random-Access Memory) and processes it through it’s cores serially at a rate determined by that CPU’s clock speed. You will see this advertised as the GHz (Gigahertz) speed.

In-game the CPU generally takes care of working out where things should be, calculating the physics of destruction, and taking care of AI (Artificial Intelligence) decisions, such as the sort of random things NPCs get up in the background. Essentially the building blocks of the game. The GPU, or graphics card, makes those building blocks look pretty.

Why does GPU matter for The Finals?

GPU (Graphics Processing Unit, or graphics card, is the processor that renders the fine details in frames. If CPU provides the stencil, then GPU provides the image. GPU is either soldered to the CPU (integrated) or independent (discrete). Discrete GPUs tend to outperform integrated GPUs as they don’t have to share memory or resources with the CPU. However, integrated GPUs take up less computer power and thus reduce system costs.

GPU is able to render such fine detail as it processes information in parallel rather than serially like the CPU. To do this, where CPU tends to have 4-16 cores, GPUs have thousands of cores. This massive output means that GPUs often need a specialized cooling set up to allow it to perform to its full potential. If you’re unsure where to get started with that, check out our top picks for thermal paste for CPU and GPU.

People tend to think that the better your GPU, the better your graphics, resolution and faster your frame rates. However, your system must be balanced. A massively overpowered GPU will not provide the sort of magical graphics they promised if they are hindered with an out of date CPU that just can’t keep up.

Similarly, it’s important to make sure that your GPU matches the individual game requirements. We’ve had a look at the best GPU for some top games including Sons of Forest, Destiny 2: Lightfall, and Fortnite, so check those out if you’re not sure where to start.

If you’re still confused about the difference between GPU and CPU, don’t worry, it’s a complicated question! Head on over to our definitive GPU vs CPU guide for information.

Final Verdict – Is The Finals CPU or GPU intensive?

We did not find The Finals to be particularly CPU intensive instead leaning more towards the GPU level. Instead it averaged between 50%-60% CPU utilization while the GPU levels fluctuated much more depending on DLSS setting. Until the final version is released we won’t be able to say for certain if the sort of interference gamers are experiencing is due to incompatible gaming set ups or a more systematic problem with the game itself.

For now, watch this space. We’ll keep you updated on all the gaming news and information you could want.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does ray tracing affect the GPU?

Yes, ray tracing affects your GPU performance and can put quite a strain on it. Activating ray tracing can even produce a drop in frame rate so make sure your GPU is sufficiently equipped to effectively deal with ray tracing.

Does DLSS affect GPU?

Yes, switching on DLSS increases the GPU utilization by a large amount. If you are finding your GPU is maxing out, we would recommend switching off DLSS.