Playable path tracing on an RTX 3050 – New mod for Cyberpunk makes it possible

Cyberpunk 2077 RT Overdrive is made playable even on the weakest RTX graphics card with a brand new mod. How does it work?

Cyberpunk 2077 has obtained a brand new replace that brings with it a ray tracing mode referred to as RT Overdrive. The brand new mode provides extremely practical lighting, however it is usually extraordinarily computationally intensive.

In accordance with CD Projekt Crimson, this mode requires a minimum of an Nvidia RTX 4000 collection graphics card or an RTX 3090, which signifies that many PC players shall be shut out and may solely make do with path tracing in picture mode at greatest – a minimum of to this point.

Now there’s a brand new mod that enables even the weakest RTX graphics card to get pleasure from path tracing at playable body charges.

20 to 35 % extra efficiency because of mod

With the (new mod) from developer “Erok and Scorn”, the efficiency in RT overdrive mode could be elevated by as much as 35 %, in response to Digital Foundry. However how can that be?

The answer: The quantity that mild displays off surfaces is decreased from twice to as soon as.

This protects an unlimited quantity of processing energy, making it doable to even play the sport at playable body charges with the RTX 3050, at present Nvidia’s weakest ray tracing graphics card. 

This stays above 30 FPS in most scenes with the mod enabled, DLSS efficiency and 1080p decision – and that’s with path tracing enabled. The Geforce RTX 3070 even manages 1440p decision with it, although it might probably fall under the 30 FPS restrict on the body fee in some locations within the sport. 

House owners of AMD graphics playing cards can even get a good efficiency increase with the mod, although the achieve is decrease in comparison with Nvidia graphics playing cards. Digital Foundry has examined the RX 6800 XT for this: in 1080p decision and FSR 2.0 Balanced, the AMD graphics card involves a comparatively steady 30 frames per second, with occasional fluctuations in direction of 20. 

PC players with Intel Arc graphics playing cards nonetheless need to be affected person. At present, RT-Overdrive resembles a slide present on Intel graphics playing cards. In accordance with Digital Foundry, that is mentioned to be resulting from driver issues and never a scarcity of efficiency.

What sacrifices need to be made visually? 

Though the floor reflection has been virtually halved, the sport nonetheless seems to be very spectacular and nonetheless higher than in “regular” ray tracing mode. Many of the variations shall be seen within the reflections. With the mod put in, some particulars are lacking in these. As well as, shadows are quite a bit darker as a result of much less mild is mirrored from partitions and different surfaces.

The compromise is suitable: All in all, the visible sacrifices are seen, however they aren’t so extreme. And above all, they make it doable for considerably extra PC players to play with path tracing.

By the best way, decreasing the variety of floor reflections is nothing new: In Portal RTX, this can be a setting you’ll be able to simply discover within the sport.

Now it’s your flip: in case you personal Cyberpunk 2077 and a ray tracing succesful graphics card, give it a strive your self. To put in the mod, all you must do is extract the contents of the ZIP file into the sport’s root listing. Then inform us within the feedback in case you have been capable of obtain a playable outcome with it.