Anno 117: Pax Romana has detailed cities, close-up views and changing weather, but the graphics settings can make a major difference to performance. Ubisoft’s official PC targets range from 1080p at 30 FPS on Low to 1080p at 60 FPS on Medium; Notebookcheck’s pre-release test also found that resolution and preset can sharply change results. The right GPU therefore depends on the resolution, quality setting and frame rate you want—not on a single universal “best” card.
What PC hardware does Ubisoft recommend?
Ubisoft published several targets on September 2, 2025. They are recommendations for particular resolutions, frame rates and presets, not promises that every system with the listed parts will deliver identical performance.
| Target | Graphics goal | Processor | Graphics card | Memory and system |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 1080p, 30 FPS, Low | Intel Core i7-7700 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | NVIDIA GTX 1660 (6 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (6 GB) | 16 GB dual-channel RAM; Windows 10 64-bit; 117 GB storage; AVX2 support and an SSD |
| Recommended, Option 1 | 1080p, 30 FPS, High | Intel Core i5-9600K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 | NVIDIA RTX 2070 (8 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (8 GB) | 16 GB dual-channel RAM; Windows 11 64-bit; 117 GB storage; AVX2 support and an SSD |
| Recommended, Option 2 | 1080p, 60 FPS, Medium | Intel Core i5-9600K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 | NVIDIA RTX 3070 (8 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (16 GB) | 16 GB dual-channel RAM; Windows 11 64-bit; 117 GB storage; AVX2 support and an SSD |
These specifications come from Ubisoft’s official PC specifications announcement. Ubisoft also lists higher targets on that page; check its full table for their exact hardware and graphics goals. The options above illustrate why “recommended GPU” is not one fixed answer: the 1080p/30 High and 1080p/60 Medium targets call for different graphics cards.
How did the game perform in Notebookcheck’s test?
Notebookcheck published its results on November 15, 2025, using a pre-release build. These are measurements from specific laptop GPUs and settings, not predictions for all PCs or desktop cards.
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| GPU and device class | Resolution and setting | Upscaling | Reported average |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU | 1920×1080, Low, TAA | None reported | 83.6 FPS |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU | 1920×1080, Ultra High, TAA | None reported | 26.2 FPS |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU | 2560×1440, Ultra High, TAA | None | 27.6 FPS |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU | 2560×1440, Ultra High | DLSS Max Quality | 41.2 FPS |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU | 3840×2160, Ultra High, TAA | None | 21.1 FPS |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU | 3840×2160, Ultra High | DLSS Max Quality | 34.5 FPS |
The 4050 Laptop GPU results show how much the preset can matter at 1080p: the reported average fell from 83.6 FPS on Low to 26.2 FPS on Ultra High. At 1440p and 4K, Notebookcheck’s reported DLSS Max Quality results were higher than the corresponding TAA results, but they still describe those tested laptop configurations alone.
Notebookcheck says the test build had DLSS, FSR and XeSS upscaling, each with three quality levels, and did not have frame generation. Its article noted that the initial set of results was limited, with more GPUs to follow. Read Notebookcheck’s Anno 117: Pax Romana test for its test details and additional results.
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What does the technical test say about the graphics?
Notebookcheck highlights detailed cities and the ability to zoom in close, alongside flowing water and dynamic day, night and weather conditions. Those elements give the island and its settlements visual variety, while the measured results show that pushing the preset upward can be demanding. The attractive presentation and the hardware cost are two sides of the same settings decision: players can trade some visual detail for smoother performance.
How to judge your own GPU
Start with Ubisoft’s closest target, then treat the test figures as context rather than a guarantee. Before choosing an upgrade—or deciding which settings to use—match these factors:
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- Resolution: A 1080p target is not evidence of equivalent performance at 1440p or 4K.
- Preset: Ubisoft’s targets distinguish Low, High and Medium, while Notebookcheck’s measurements show a substantial gap between Low and Ultra High on one tested 1080p laptop GPU.
- Frame-rate goal: Ubisoft separates a 1080p/30 High recommendation from a 1080p/60 Medium recommendation.
- Rendering mode: Notebookcheck’s results show higher reported averages with DLSS Max Quality than with TAA in the cited higher-resolution laptop tests. Upscaling is an option to consider, not a guarantee of a particular result.
- GPU model and device: The benchmark cards are laptop GPUs. A laptop GPU result should not be read as a desktop GPU result with the same number in its name.
If you already own a card near one of Ubisoft’s targets, use that target as a starting point for its stated resolution, preset and frame rate. Then adjust settings to suit your display and performance preference. If you are weighing a new card, first decide whether your goal is 1080p, 1440p or 4K, and whether you are willing to use upscaling; the available test does not establish a single best GPU across those different goals.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How reliable are these performance figures?
Notebookcheck’s results are from a pre-release test published November 15, 2025, not a controlled post-release retest. The available results do not compare the same GPU configurations after release, and game patches or drivers can affect performance. Use Ubisoft’s requirements as the publisher’s stated targets and Notebookcheck’s measurements as dated results from its particular test systems.
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