Borderlands 2 GPU & CPU Performance Test

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.