CDPR has just released Update 2.1 for Cyberpunk 2077. This new update introduced ReSTIR GI to the PC version, making Path Tracing even better. As such, we’ve decided to capture ten minutes of gameplay from the game, using Path Tracing, ReSTIR GI, and DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction.
In order to capture this video, we used an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, 32GB of DDR5 at 6000Mhz, and an NVIDIA RTX 4090. We also used Windows 10 64-bit, and the GeForce 546.29 driver. Moreover, we’ve disabled the second CCD on our 7950X3D.
Cyberpunk 2077’s Path Tracing is quite demanding, even for the RTX 4090. To get playable framerates, we used DLSS 3 Frame Generation. We also used DLSS 3 Super Resolution on Balance Mode.
With these settings, our NVIDIA RTX4090 was pushing framerates between 70-90fps. For those wondering, I didn’t have any major issues with the input latency at those framerates. The game was very playable.
Let’s start with some good news. Most of the ghosting that could previously occur with Ray Reconstruction seems to be addressed. Or at least I didn’t notice any major issues. Path Tracing also seems more stable. Again, some ghosting issues that plagued it are nowhere to be found.
However, I’ve experienced some other weird graphical glitches and issues. Even with Path Tracing, there are still some SSR reflections. You can see them in various scenes of our video. And, I just don’t get it. One of the main reasons for using RT reflections is to fix the SSR artifacts. But here we are with CP2077, using “full Ray Tracing” and still having these issues. This just shows that this is a hacked implementation of Path Tracing. This isn’t as advanced as what we saw in Quake 2 RTX. I also noticed a bunch of flickering shadows and textures. Shadows can pop in and out, right in front of you. It’s pretty distracting and, in some cases, totally ruins the immersive experience. I highlighted this issue at the end of the video.
In conclusion, while standing still, Cyberpunk 2077 can look great with Path Tracing. However, in motion, the game can fall apart. Distant objects can have different lighting settings/colors, shadows pop in as you move closer to objects, there are a lot of flickering issues with billboards/objects, there are some shading issues, and there are still some SSR reflections. I’m not exaggerating here, the game can look like a complete mess at times with all those issues. And, let’s be honest here. Since day-1, CP2077’s Path Tracing had numerous visual glitches and issues. That’s the complete opposite experience I had with Quake 2 RTX or Portal RTX. Let’s at least hope that CDPR will keep working on it so that it can fix these issues.
John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved – and still does – the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the “The Evolution of PC graphics cards.”
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