Gameplay Performance – Ray Tracing
Alan Wake 2
In Alan Wake 2 we dropped the resolution down to 1440p to enable the new “Ultra” Ray Tracing preset in Alan Wake 2. This new quality option is enabled in the new beta developer build provided access to by NVIDIA, which supports DLSS 4 and also a new higher “Ultra” RT option. Even at 1440p, though, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE isn’t exactly playable, some might find it playable, but you might still want to enable Upscaling to really get smooth gameplay. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE is only 13% faster than the GeForce RTX 4080 Super FE, however, with Ray Tracing. The uplift doesn’t seem as large as we would have expected, and you’ll see this replicated in other games as well. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE is 18% slower than the GeForce RTX 4090 FE.
Black Myth: Wukong
In Black Myth: Wukong we also dropped the resolution down to 1440p due to the Very High RT option in this game being very demanding. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE is not playable even at 1440p with Very High RT without Upscaling. You will need to enable Upscaling, which brings you just to 60FPS in this game at 1440p with Very High RT. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE is 16% faster than the GeForce RTX 4080 Super FE, but that only equates to a 5 FPS difference. This puts the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE 16% slower than the GeForce RTX 4090 FE.
Cyberpunk 2077
In Cyberpunk 2077 we also lowered the resolution to 1440p to enable the “Ultra” Ray Tracing preset, this is the regular RT, not Overdrive. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE does provide a playable experience without needing Upscaling at 1440p with RT, but enabling Upscaling certainly helps smooth out performance. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE is just 12% faster than the GeForce RTX 4080 Super FE, and that puts it 18% slower than the GeForce RTX 4090 FE.
Dying Light 2
In Dying Light 2 the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE doesn’t even get us to 60FPS at 4K with High Ray Tracing in this older game. You will need Upscaling at 4K to enjoy it. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE is 16% faster than the GeForce RTX 4080 Super FE and 16% slower than the GeForce RTX 4090 FE.
F1 24
In F1 24 this game is playable at 4K with the highest quality RT on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE is though only 10% faster than the GeForce RTX 4080 Super FE, which is disappointing to say the least. This puts the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE 23% below the GeForce RTX 4090 FE.
Star Wars Outlaws
In Star Wars Outlaws, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE cannot provide a playable gameplay experience even at 1440p with the “Ultra” Ray Tracing option enabled, but neither could the RTX 4090 FE either. In order to achieve a playable experience with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE you will have to enable Quality DLSS at the very least, which will then give you performance above 70FPS average. To further the disappointment, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE is only 8% faster than the GeForce RTX 4080 Super FE at these settings, ouch. This puts the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE 25% slower than the GeForce RTX 4090 FE.