Although it was somewhat of an underdog when it arrived in October 2009, Borderlands quickly became a hit among PC and console gamers alike, selling over 4.5 million copies and propelling Gearbox Software to new heights. Despite complaints about repetitive gameplay and finicky menus, fans loved the title's unique comic-like art style and its seamless mashup of the first-person shooter and role-playing genres.

Considering the success of its first entry, it came as no surprise when Gearbox revealed plans to produce a sequel that would address Borderlands' shortcomings while expanding on its strengths. As you're very likely aware, that follow-up launched to critical acclaim this week, earning a Metacritic score of 89 out of 100 on PC (even higher marks for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions at 92 and 90, respectively).

Based on reviews we've read, Borderlands 2 succeeds at building on the foundation laid three years ago, delivering an improved menu system, revamped skill trees, new characters, more weapons, smarter foes, and the same addictive loot-driven co-op first-person shooter action. As exciting as all of that may be, we're more interested in seeing how the game runs on the finest PC hardware from Intel, AMD and Nvidia.

Built on a highly modified version of Unreal Engine 3, the game only uses DirectX 9, opting to exclude the engine's DirectX 11 support. It's worth mentioning that Borderlands 2 is a "The Way It's Meant to be Played" title, supporting many Nvidia features such as PhysX and 3D Vision Surround. In other words, we wouldn't be surprised if Nvidia's cards maintain a noticeable performance lead throughout our review.

Additionally, as another side note, folks shopping for a new graphics card to play Borderlands 2 should be aware that the game is bundled with all Nvidia cards starting with the GeForce GTX 660 Ti and higher. We already held that model in high regard as it offers an incredible value at $300, so the arrangement between Gearbox and Nvidia sweetens the deal even further. Anyhow, let's get down to business...

Testing Methodology

We'll test 26 graphics card configurations from AMD and Nvidia across all price ranges using the latest official drivers for every card. Our test bed will feature an Intel Core i7-3960X to remove any CPU bottlenecks that could influence high-end GPU scores.

We'll use Fraps to measure frame rates during 90 seconds of gameplay footage from Borderlands 2's second level, "Southern Shelf." The test begins at the start of the level and here the frame rate is quite high as there is little scenery. However, the frame rate quickly dives as the player walks out into an open area and battles some Brat Bullymong.

Test System Specs