DRAGON QUEST XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age PC Performance Review

PC system requirements

Below are Dragon Quest XI’s official PC system requirements, which are extremely high when compared to most modern titles, calling for an RX 470 to play at 720p at 30FPS. This is likely an overestimation on the part of the developer, though we will see exactly how difficult Dragon Quest XI is to run as we progress through this performance review.  

Minimum requirements (1280×720, 30 fps):

Operating System: Windows 7 SP1/ Windows 8.1 / Windows 10 64-bit
CPU: Intel Core i3-2105 / AMD A10-5800K
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750Ti / AMD Radeon RX 470
Memory/RAM: 8GB memory/RAM
Hard Disc Drive Space: 32GB

Recommended requirements (1920×1080, 60 fps):

Operating System: Windows 7 SP1/ Windows 8.1 / Windows 10 64-bit
CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 / AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon RX Vega 56
Memory/RAM: 8GB memory/RAM
Hard Disc Drive Space: 32GB

Enthusiast requirements (3840×2160, 30 fps):

Operating System: Windows 7 SP1/ Windows 8.1 / Windows 10 64-bit
CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 3.6GHz and equivalent AMD CPU
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB and equivalent AMD GPU
Memory/RAM: 8GB memory/RAM
Hard Disc Drive Space: 32GB

 

GPU Drivers

While testing F1 2018, we used Nvidia’s Geforce 399.07 WHQL driver and AMD’s Radeon Software Adrenalin 18.8.2 driver. Neither GPU manufacturer has created “Game Ready/Optimised drivers for DRAGON QUEST XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age. 

Testing Methodology

OC3D is a website that is dedicated PC hardware, so you better believe that we test every game on a wide range of hardware configurations. This commitment to variety means that we will be using both Intel and AMD based testbeds as well as a range of GPU offerings from both Nvidia and Radeon. 

Our primary test system uses Intel’s X99 platform, containing an Intel Core i7 6850K at a fixed clock speed of 4GHz. This testbed will use 32GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR4 memory and will be powered and cooled by an HX1200i PSU and an H110i AIO liquid cooler respectively, with everything sitting inside a Corsair 460X chassis. In this system, we are using an ASUS Strix X99 motherboard. 

 

Game Test Rig
Intel i7 6850K @4.0 GHz
ASUS X99 Strix
Corsair Vengeance LP 4x8GB DDR4 3200MHz
Corsair HX1200i
Corsair H110i GT
Windows 10 x64 “Creators Update”

 

Secondary Ryzen Test System

Aside from our standard X99 test system we also have a testbed based on AMD’s Ryzen 7 1700X CPU, which will sit at a clock speed of 4GHz be housed in an ASUS Crosshair VI Hero motherboard. This system will use Corsair’s 3200MHz Vengeance White LED memory and is contained inside another Corsair 460X chassis. 

This extra system will allow us to see if any games offer a performance advantage to AMD’s Ryzen or Intel’s Core series processors.  

 

AMD Ryzen Game Test Rig
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X @ 4.0GHz
ASUS X370 Crosshair VI Hero
Corsair Vengeance LED 2x8GB DDR4 3200MHz
Corsair 460X System Chassis
Corsair RMi650
Corsair H115i
Nvidia GTX 1080 Founders Edition
Windows 10 x64 “Creators Update”

 

 

GPU Selection

No gaming test suite would be complete without a selection of GPUs, which in this case covers Nvidia’s GTX 10-series and 9-series and AMD’s RX Vega, RX 400 and R9 300 series graphics cards. We have replaced our RX 480 GPU with its RX 580 equivalent, giving us a fairer comparison point between AMD/Nvidia’s modern graphics card lineups. 

Geforce GTX 10-series

– Nvidia GTX 1080 Founders Edition
– Nvidia GTX 1070 Founders Edition
– ASUS GTX 1060 Strix Gaming OC

Geforce GTX 900-series 

– ASUS GTX 960 Strix 

       

AMD RX Vega Series

– AMD RX Vega 56

AMD RX 500 Series

– AMD RX 580 Strix OC


AMD GCN GPUs

– ASUS R9 380 Strix

Keyboard & Mouse

To control this setup, we will be using Corsair Strafe RGB keyboard with Cherry MX Silent keys alongside a Corsair M65 RGB mouse, matching the general theme of this RGB illuminated system.  

Cherry MX Silent Keys are ideal for gaming, coming with similar characteristics as Cherry MX Red keys, but with quieter operation. This comparative silence will help keep players immersed in their games, without the distracting clicks that are present in other Cherry key switches.