Prey Performance And Optimization Guide With The AMD Radeon RX 580


Upgrading To An AMD Radeon RX 580 For Prey Gameplay Performance

The AMD Radeon RX 580 has been in the wild for over a month at this point. AMD pitched the Radeon RX 580 as an ideal choice for gamers looking to upgrade from graphics hardware acquired a couple years back. Specifically, in the lead up to the launch, AMD compared the performance of the RX 580 to cards like the Radeon R9 380. So, with that in mind, we're in the lab today to test that claim using the recently launched Prey reboot from Bethesda Softworks and developer Arkane Studios, as our primary benchmark and game engine to explore. The game also just so happens to look fabulous. 

This is an AMD focused analysis; yet all frugal-minded gamers in general, should take note. If the Sub-$300 GPU market is where you play, and your GPU team of preference is #BetterRed, then this should make for an interesting case study.  

Prey 3
Gloo Gun FTW! 


A creepy, isolating and gloriously open-world -- that’s how we'd describe Prey, the new single player, first-person sci-fi action adventure romp from Bethesda and developer Arkane Studios. The pair have stuck the landing with this 2017 reboot, which mixes some of the best open-ended gameplay elements of titles like System Shock and Deus Ex, to construct a new “thinking-man’s shooter”, running beautifully on the CryEngine 3.

Experiencing And Exploring Prey, The Reboot To Remember

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The new mid-range contender...


You play Prey as Morgan Yu (as male or female) aboard a sprawling space station, ravaged and now teeming with aggressive aliens who are all part of an intergalactic collective of sorts. Like the titles noted previously, most obstacles can be tackled in a variety of different ways based on play-style and how one customizes Morgan’s weapons and abilities.

Over time, by looting and exploring new and previously traversed areas Metroid-style, the entire space station will become available for a true open world experience. Some of the more exhilarating moments take place outside the station, in zero-g deep space, where you can connect key pathways to reach new areas of the station. Prey is an intense action-packed adventure that is challenging, immersive, and it features a breathtaking world to experience.

Prey 7

Before we dive into the numbers and see how Prey performs on a couple of AMD's GPUs, let’s go over our test rig.

Our Test Rig For Prey

We’re using an Intel X99 platform as the foundation of the test machine. Our processor is a Core i7-5960X, installed in an ASUS X99-Deluxe motherboard, equipped with 16GB of Corsair Dominator Platinum 3000MHz DDR4 memory. Windows 10 is installed on a 512GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD and our game files installed on a 240GB Corsair MP500 NVME M.2 SSD.
gb rx 580 front
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Next we’ll inspect the new Gigabyte Radeon RX 580 we used for testing, then we’ll speak more on the game's visuals, check in on performance, and wrap it all up with some closing thoughts.

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