Cyberpunk 2077 patch 1.2 – how’s the performance? Tests done!

A new Cyberpunk 2077 patch is here

The long-awaited big update 1.2 for Cyberpunk 2077, was released a few days ago. We always test this game comprehensively, using six different settings. And from the high attendance of these chapters, we know that you are interested in its post-apocalyptic theme. Testing the performance difference “before” and “after” the patch was therefore a nice duty that we enjoyed. Also because ray tracing is already available on Radeon.

You won’t often read much positive about the performance in Cyberpunk 2077. It is still under fire from negative reviews so far. Naturally, older graphics cards can’t reach 60+ fps on average at the highest visual settings, but, for example, the RTX 3060 Ti can handle it in QHD resolution with DXR. Although with DLSS 2.0, it does not significantly degrade image quality, as you can see in our article comparing the details from this game.

Anyway, given the unique and timeless graphics that Cyberpunk 2077 definitely has, the hardware requirements are reasonable. At least from the January patch 1.1, i.e. since we have been actively working with the game in graphics card tests. A significant increase in performance with the patch 1.2 would likely surprise us, but just for the sake of overview, it is good to retest everything and compare with the previous hotfix 1.12.

According to the notes of CD Project, patch 1.2 does not promise any major changes in performance and, above all, it fixes dozens of partial bugs and brings various extensions. We will not discuss this in detail here, the complete list of changes can be found in the overview on cyberpunk.net. In this article we will talk about the impact on performance. Also to be able to work with the results measured so far, of which there are already quite a few.

Screenshot of Cyberpunk 2077 with DXR (Ultra) and DLSS 2.0 set to “performance”

In terms of hardware options, one of the key extensions is the support of ray-tracing graphics on AMD RX 6000 cards. Ray tracing has worked exclusively on GeForce so far and that basically does not change now if “works” is interpreted as “can be used”. You can read more about the (un)usability of RT on AMD Radeon graphics cards at the end of the article.

We tested the performance of the patch 1.2 on both GeForce and Radeon. To be specific, we used the MSI RTX 3060 Ti Gaming X Trio and the Sapphire RX 6700 XT Nitro+ from the last two graphics cards tests. Before we start the tests, it’s worth noting that testing takes place in a wind tunnel with optimal airflow, the constant inlet temperature of which is properly controlled. This also contributes to minimal measurement error across tests.

For the comparison we have used the MSI RTX 3060 Ti and Sapphire RX 6700 XT Nitro+ graphics cards

We always test Cyberpunk 2077 in the highest settings, as you can see in the accompanying settings screenshots in the individual chapters. First we test the game via DXR and DLSS/Fidelity FFX CAS, then with DLSS and FidelityFX CAS, but still without ray tracing, we turn it on only during the measurements of the third chapter. There you will find the results with native settings, but also in combination with DLSS 2.0 in “performance” and FidelityFX at 50%. Under both Nvidia DLSS and AMD FFX, the rendering resolution in both axes is halved. SAM is turned off on Radeon for comparison with GeForce. However, we are preparing the results with Smart Access Memory as part of the Sapphire RX 6700 XT Nitro+ test.

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