It turns out that you can play the PC port of The Last of Us without a graphics card, and using an iGPU doesn’t make it a slideshow. Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic scene looks a bit like the PlayStation 2 demake, but you’ll still be able to travel the land with Joel and Ellie without catastrophic hardware failure.
Even the simple suggestion that you can run a PC port of TLoU without a GPU goes against The Last of Us system requirements. Naughty Dog says you’ll need something on par with an Nvidia GTX 970 to meet the minimum specs, which means the port is dependent on dedicated hardware. While we don’t doubt the hardware developer’s advice, we now have proof that you don’t need a graphics card to run The Last of Us.
In a new video from YouTuber RandomgaminginHD, a low-spec enthusiast runs The Last of Us on an AMD Ryzen 7 5700G processor with integrated Radeon graphics. Surprisingly, the iGPU can boost the frame rate up to around 30fps with minimal settings and FSR 2.0 enabled. We claim that the results are not a complete attack on the eyes, but you can see the pictures and see for yourself.
RandomgaminginHD says you’ll be able to recreate the setup using one of our best gaming CPUs, the Ryzen 7 5600G, as AMD’s FSR 2.0 seems to do the heavy lifting. However, it’s worth noting that while the experiment uses 1080p as the resolution, “super performance” mode technically changes it to 360p and then scales it. For context, even the PS2 can run games at 480p, so it probably makes sense that modern CPUs can handle low-spec graphics.
RandomgaminginHD is no stranger when it comes to running games without a GPU, as previous experiences have included Spider-Man, Warzone 2, and No Man’s Sky without a GPU. We always recommend going with one of the options from our list of the best graphics cards, but experimenting with iGPU technology is a fun thing to do and can help someone on a budget to enjoy Steam games.
Playing TLoU with AMD APUs is arguably old news, as Steam Deck compatibility with The Last of Us already exists. Sure, Van Gogh’s chip in the Deck is on purpose, but they both perform similar tricks in the treatment room under the hood. Of course, Linux and SteamOS are an additional hurdle for portable devices, and Valve currently considers The Last of Us to be incompatible with the Steam Deck.
If you already have a decent graphics card and aren’t interested in CPU shenanigans, check out the best Last of Us settings. Our menu item suggestion should help fix some of the performance issues, and Naughty Dog’s latest patch fixes Nvidia RTX 3000 GPU quirks.
Source : PC Gamesn
