Unreal Engine 5.7 shows significant performance gains, up to 25% faster in benchmarks

Unreal Engine 5.7: A Promising Leap Forward in Performance and Visual Fidelity

For years, many gamers and developers have expressed frustrations with the demanding nature of Unreal Engine. It appears Epic Games has been listening intently. Recent benchmarks for Unreal Engine 5.7 reveal a substantial performance uplift, showcasing up to a 25% improvement over version 5.4 on an RTX 5080. This encouraging progress was vividly demonstrated in a comparative video by the YouTube channel MxBenchmarkPC, offering a clear visual of the engine's enhanced capabilities.

Demonstrating the Power of UE 5.7

The benchmark utilized the highly detailed 'Photorealistic Venice Tech Demo,' meticulously crafted by Scans Factory. By running this demanding showcase side-by-side on both Unreal Engine 5.4 and the newer 5.7, the potential of the latest iteration becomes strikingly apparent. According to the content creator behind MxBenchmarkPC, the performance gains on the RTX 5080 were indeed significant, reaching up to a quarter better performance depending on the specific scene's complexity. It's also noted that UE 5.7 exhibits a more efficient resource utilization, which, perhaps counterintuitively, can lead to higher power draw from the graphics card as it flexes its enhanced capabilities.

CPU Gains and Smoother Gameplay

The improvements aren't limited to the GPU. The Intel Core i7-14700F processor also experienced a remarkable boost, with performance enhancements reaching as high as 35%. This dual improvement in both CPU and GPU performance translates directly into a more fluid gaming experience. The benchmark highlights a "more stable frame rate with fewer hitches across all scenes." This aspect is particularly welcome, as stuttering and performance dips have been a persistent thorn in the side of many Unreal Engine 5-powered games, often detracting from immersion.

Visual Enhancements and Lingering Challenges

Beyond raw performance, Unreal Engine 5.7 also brings welcome advancements in visual quality. MxBenchmarkPC's analysis points to subtle but meaningful improvements. While the quality of Lumen's denoising has seen only marginal gains, external solutions like NVIDIA's DLSS Ray Reconstruction still offer superior results. Nevertheless, the UE 5.7 update delivers "more stable and accurate Lumen lighting, and significantly higher quality Lumen reflections (while also performing better)." It's heartening to see Epic actively addressing the engine's most criticized weaknesses, which have sometimes felt like a bottleneck for cutting-edge game development. A small but poignant detail noticed in the demo is the inclusion of Ukrainian flags on the buildings of Venice, a subtle nod to current events.

This latest iteration suggests Unreal Engine is indeed charting a course toward a more optimized and visually superior future, addressing past criticisms and setting a stronger foundation for the next generation of games.