Duke Nukem Forever – in 3D!

Hardware and System Requirements

Duke Nukem Forever is quite stable and bug free; there were absolutely no issues nor crashes in many hours of playtime which is quite an achievement for a modern game as many are released first and patched later. It also runs well on low to medium systems and upper-midrange PCs can handle it with all in-game settings fully maxed out at 1920×1080 resolution and even in 3D Vision! Generally, the minimum frame rate for the review PC (i7-920/GTX 560 Ti) as measured by Fraps stayed above 60 frames per second – or 30 FPS for 3D Vision – it is a very fluid first person shooter experience.

The minimum hardware required to play Duke Nukem Forever as listed on the official GearBox forum is:

Minimum Specifications

• OS: Windows XP/Vista/7
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.0 Ghz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 @ 2.0 Ghz
• Memory: 1 Gb
• Hard Drive: 10 Gb free
• Video Memory: 256 MB
• Video Card: nVidia GeForce 7600 / ATI Radeon HD 2600
• Sound Card: DirectX Compatible

Recommended Specifications

• OS: Windows XP/Vista/7
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.4 Ghz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 @ 2.6 Ghz
• Memory: 2 Gb
• Hard Drive: 10 Gb free
• Video Memory: 512 MB
• Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8800 GTS / ATI Radeon HD 3850
• Sound Card: DirectX Compatible

As you can see, it is designed to run well on a Nvidia 8800 GTS so it will be absolutely fluid on a GTX 560 Ti – even playing fully maxed out at 1920×1080 with 3D Vision as we did. We started out by playing with a GTX 580 but soon realized it was completely overkill for Duke Nukem Forever.

Digital Rights Management [DRM] and more

OTHER REQUIREMENTS & SUPPORTS

Initial installation requires one-time internet connection for Steam authentication; software installations required (included with the game) include Steam Client, Microsoft DirectX, Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable (ATL), Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable, and AMD Dual Core Optimizer. (AMD optimizer required only for specific AMD processors to run the game correctly, but installs for all of them.

Software license terms available at www.take2games.com/eula. Non-transferable access to special features such as exclusive, unlockable, downloadable or online content, services, or functions may require single-use serial code, additional fee and/or online account registration (13+). Access to special features may require internet connection, may not be available to all users, and may, upon 30 days notice, be terminated, modified or offered under different terms. Online play and download requires broadband internet service. User responsible for associated fees.

Test Configuration

Test Configuration – Hardware:

• Intel Core i7 920 (reference 2.66 GHz and overclocked to 3.2 GHz); Turbo is on.
• Gigabyte EX58-UD3R (Intel X58 chipset, latest BIOS, PCIe 2.0 specification; CrossFire/SLI 16x+16x).
• 6 GB OCZ DDR3 PC 18000 Kingston RAM (3×2 GB, tri-channel at PC 1600 speeds; 2×2 GB supplied by Kingston)
• Nvidia GTX 580 (1.5 GB, reference clocks), supplied by Nvidia
• Galaxy GTX 560 Ti (1 GB, reference clocks) supplied by Nvidia
• Galaxy GTX 560 Ti (1 GB, reference clocks) supplied by Galaxy
• Onboard Realtek Audio
• 500 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 hard drive
• Thermaltake ToughPower 775 W power supply unit supplied by Thermaltake
• Thermaltake Element G Case supplied by Thermaltake
• Noctua NH-U12-P SE2 CPU cooler, supplied by Noctua
• Philips DVD SATA writer
• 3 ASUS VG236H 120Hz 3D Vision ready 1920×1080 23″ displays, supplied by Nvidia/ASUS

Test Configuration – Software

• Duke Nukem Forever, Steam version; key supplied by Nvidia
• Nvidia GeForce WHQL 275.33
• Windows 7 64-bit; very latest updates
• DirectX July/November 2010
• The game is patched by Steam
• vsync is forced off in the control panel but does not apply to 3D Vision as it is forced by the 3D drivers.
• Varying AA enabled – FXAA and FSAA
• All results show average, minimum and maximum frame rates except as noted.
• Highest quality sound (stereo) used.

Now that we have an introduction to Nvidia’s 3D Vision and the hardware to play Duke Nukem Forever on, let’s get a feel for the game.