Ultimate Showdown: Baldur's Gate 3 Demystified - Vulkan vs DirectX 11, What Reigns Supreme?

The launch version of Baldur's Gate 3 performs significantly better than it did during its early access phase. It now runs more smoothly on various systems, although this may not be the case for every player. Those experiencing poor performance might discover that simply lowering their graphics settings will not fully resolve their issues.

Fortunately, there are numerous potential solutions available, and one of them can be found within the Baldur's Gate 3 launcher itself. When starting the game, players are presented with the option to choose between Vulkan and DX11. While these terms may be meaningless to individuals uninterested in computer technology, understanding the purpose of each can greatly impact one's enjoyment of the game.

Baldur's Gate 3: DX11 or Vulkan?

Vulkan and DX11 serve as 3D graphics APIs, managing communication between games and PC hardware. Each option has its unique approach, potentially excelling in compatibility with specific brands. However, their impact primarily relates to the hardware rather than in-game mechanics.

Considering the choice between Vulkan or DX11 for Baldur's Gate 3, it largely relies on the GPU utilized by the players. Generally, Vulkan performs more optimally with AMD cards, while DX11 showcases superior performance with NVIDIA products. Nevertheless, regardless of the hardware installed, players may still discover that their game runs faster with either DX11 or Vulkan.

For optimal performance in Baldur's Gate 3, players should utilize NVIDIA's RTX-enabled GPUs and enable the DLSS setting. This will significantly enhance the game's average FPS while maintaining high picture quality. AMD users, on the other hand, can utilize FSR 1.0, a similar but less effective alternative to DLSS.

We conducted a simple test using a gaming laptop equipped with an NVIDIA RTX 4050 GPU and an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU. When playing Baldur's Gate 3 on Ultra settings, the game averaged around 70 FPS using Vulkan and 75 FPS with DX11 during turn-based combat sequences. By optimizing the graphical settings further, we were able to achieve over 100 FPS using both APIs.

Mileage may vary depending on the individual PC setup, and switching between DX11 and Vulkan may not necessarily resolve all FPS-related issues. Players have the flexibility to switch between the two APIs every time they start the game without encountering significant hardware problems. Therefore, feel free to use whichever API works best for you.

Baldur's Gate 3 is currently accessible on PC, and a PS5 version will be available in the near future.