Gameplay Performance at 4K with Ray Tracing
On this page we are going to focus on the 4K gameplay performance with Ray Tracing enabled on the GeForce RTX 4080 FE video card. 1440p will be explored on the next page. We will include DLSS and FSR performance on the same graph in the games that are supported. We will use DLSS on NVIDIA GPUs and FSR on AMD GPUs. For video card comparisons we are using a GeForce RTX 3090 Ti FE video card and a GeForce RTX 3090 FE video card, a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti video card, and a Radeon RX 6900 XT video card.
F1 2022
F1 2022 was released on June 28th, 2022 on the PC and uses Codemasters Ego engine. The game supports Ray Tracing, DLSS, AMD FidelityFX, and FSR. We are going to run the game with the highest quality settings of “Ultra High” and TAA+FidelityFX. We will enable all Ray Tracing options in the game to “On.” We will enable DLSS and FSR as needed at the Quality setting for both. We will utilize the built-in benchmark in the Imola track, in dry conditions with a far-chasing cam.
In F1 2022 we cranked up Ray Tracing in the game to the maximum quality settings, and this really puts a hurt on performance at 4K. The GeForce RTX 4080 FE is really the only video card here that allows a smooth and enjoyable experience at 4K with maximum Ray Tracing. It’s not exactly 60FPS, just shy of it, but it is still the fastest, and nearly there. The GeForce RTX 4080 FE is 16% faster than the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti and 36% faster than the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, and 90% faster than the Radeon RX 6900 XT. DLSS is the method to allow nearly 100FPS in this game at 4K and maximum Ray Tracing, that’s a 74% performance increase which is very nice.
Dying Light 2
Dying Light 2 was released in February 2022 on the PC and uses Techland’s C-Engine. The game supports Ray Tracing, DLSS, and FSR2. This game supports Ray Tracing environmental effects including Ray Traced Soft Shadows, Ray Traced Ambient Occlusion, Ray Traced Global Illumination, and Ray Traced Reflections. We utilize the built-in preset option to set “HIGH-QUALITY RAYTRACING” which enables the game’s highest graphics settings plus the environmental effects explained above at the highest values. The game is run in DX12 Ultimate mode with ASYNC Compute turned on. For our benchmark, we are using a custom manual run-through at the end of the game hopping between rooftops, as well as free-roaming on the ground city level, as well as a forested area, in the daylight.
In Dying Light 2 this game is very demanding at 4K with all the Ray Tracing options at maximum settings. It is so intense in fact that even the new GeForce RTX 4080 is not playable at 4K and maximum RT without DLSS. The RTX 4080 is faster than every card, but it just can’t reach nearly the performance desired for a smooth gameplay experience at 4K with maximum Ray Tracing. It’s 22% faster than the RTX 3090 Ti and 41% faster than the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, but that still doesn’t allow it to be playable without DLSS. So with DLSS enabled, which is needed to make 4K RT playable improves performance by 79% and brings performance up to an enjoyable 70FPS.
Far Cry 6
Far Cry 6 was released in October of 2021 and uses the Dunia Engine. We utilize the built-in benchmark for testing. We have the HD Texture pack installed and turned on. We utilize the “Ultra” graphics preset which sets all options to the highest game settings. This game supports Ray Tracing via two DXR settings, one for Reflections and the other for Shadows, we turn on both for testing. This game supports FSR upscaling.
In Far Cry 6 at 4K with both DXR options enabled the GeForce RTX 4080 allows performance over 90FPS at 4K, making it a very enjoyable experience. It is 16% faster than the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti and 29% faster than the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and 37% faster than the Radeon RX 6900 XT. FSR further adds performance and allows up to 120FPS/120Hz gaming.
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 was released in December 2020 and uses the REDengine 4. We have the game patched to version 1.52 and perform a long manual run-through driving in the game’s open world. We test using the Graphics Preset option to set graphics settings. We use the Ray Tracing Graphics Preset of either: “Ray Tracing: Low”, “Ray Tracing: Medium” or “Ray Tracing: Ultra” as indicated. This game supports DLSS and FSR.
Cyberpunk 2077, like Dying Light 2, is very demanding at 4K when you turn on the maximum Ray Tracing options. As fast as the GeForce RTX 4080 is, it is not playable at 4K and maximum Ray Tracing in this game without DLSS. Compared to the RTX 3090 Ti it is 21% faster and compared to the RTX 3080 Ti it is 42% faster. However, what really makes it playable is enabling DLSS, which improves performance by 85%. The GeForce RTX 4080 is the only card that is playable even with DLSS, it’s nearly 60FPS at 4K with maximum Ray Tracing, and is just smooth enough to be playable.
Watch Dogs Legion
Watch Dogs Legion was released on the PC in October of 2020 and uses the Disrupt game engine. We utilize the built-in benchmark for testing. We have the HD Texture pack installed and enabled for testing. We use the built-in graphics preset of “Ultra” for testing. We utilize the “Ultra” preset quality option for Ray Tracing. This game supports DLSS upscaling.
In Watch Dogs Legion at 4K with maximum Ray Tracing the GeForce RTX 4080 also falls short on performance without DLSS. It’s 18% faster than the RTX 3090 Ti and 31% faster than the RTX 3080 Ti. However, DLSS is required to actually enjoy the game at 4K with maximum Ray Tracing. With DLSS performance jumps up 65% and allows a smooth experience at 76FPS.
Metro Exodus Enhanced
Metro Exodus Enhanced is being run with Shading Quality at “Extreme” and Ray Tracing at “Ultra.” This is a demanding game, that heavily focuses on Ray Tracing utilization, including Global Illumination. We are utilizing the built-in benchmark.
In Metro Exodus Enhanced the GeForce RTX 4080 is nearly playable at 4K with maximum Extreme settings and Ray Tracing. It’s 24% faster than the RTX 3090 Ti and 41% faster than the RTX 3080 Ti. DLSS improves performance by 53% up to nearly 80FPS at 4K.