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.
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.
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.
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.
Test rig
| Testovacia konfigurácia | |
| Procesor | AMD Ryzen 9 5900X |
| Chladič CPU | Noctua NH-U14S@12 V s NT-H2 |
| Základná doska | MSI MEG X570 Ace |
| Pamäte (RAM) | Patriot Blackout, 4× 8 GB, 3600 MHz/CL18 |
| SSD | 2× Patriot Viper VPN100 (512 GB + 2 TB) |
| Napájací zdroj | BeQuiet! Dark Power Pro 12 (1200 W) |
Note.: At the time of testing, Nvidia Game Ready 461.71 and AMD Adrenalin 21.3.1 graphics drivers are used and the OS Windows 10 Enterprise build is 19042.
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.
Cyberpunk 2077 without visual “gimmicks”
Test platform custom scene (Little China); API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset Ultra; no extra settings.
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.
Cyberpunk 2077 with DLSS and FidelityFX CAS
Test platform custom scene (Little China); API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset Ultra; extra settings DLSS and FidelityFX CAS.
FidelityFX CAS (50%)
DLSS (performance)
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.
Cyberpunk 2077 with DXR, DLSS and FidelityFX CAS
Test platform custom scene (Little China); API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset Ultra; extra settings DXR with DLSS and FidelityFX CAS.
DXR
DXR with DLSS (performance)
DXR with FidelityFX CAS (50%)
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.
Improvements and deteriorations…
In short, the new patch 1.2 for Cyberpunk 2077 does not bring significant performance changes. But that would be a very superficial conclusion. There are changes in performance. Small, but they are. And it is noteworthy that while the performance on GeForce has mostly increases, on Radeon it rather decreases. However, the differences are really negligible, and after trying both patches, you would hardly point to the one that makes the game run faster.
On GeForce, the difference is roughly 1% (usually increased), with DLSS without DXR the scenario is repeated, i.e. 0–2% increase and with FidelityFX CAS the increase is up to 3%. FHD with FFX CAS does not suit the RTX 3060 Ti that well and that’s the only case, where we measured a more significant, 4% decrease.
Radeon only got better in combination with FFX CAS, but only in FHD and QHD by 1–2%. The 2% difference in FHD represents a difference between 141.7 fps (before) and 144.8 fps (now). We did not notice any significant differences in the average fps anywhere, and as this is not an extremely difficult to test, we will not discard the results measured so far in further tests. However, for complete correctness and accuracy of the results, the date of testing should be taken into account when inspecting the graphs. You will find it for each card in the interactive window. That will pop up when you hover the cursor over the appropriate lane. Results before March 30 are with patch 1.12 (you can apply a percentage correction from this article to them) and latter with 1.2. Again and finally, it is good to add that the performance differences among the patches are really negligible, and when inspecting the graphs they almost make no sense to get involved from a practical point of view.
AMD graphics cards already support ray tracing, but you won’t enjoy it much yet. The performance is low in native, the RX 6700 XT performs 30% worse than the RTX 3060, the achieved fps in FullHD is around 22. You will naturally not achieve smooth operation even with the RX 6900 XT with twice the RT units that the RX 6700 XT has.
Native RTX in higher resolutions is not perfect even on the RTX 3090, and DLSS only helps there. Radeon does not support this, and a partial alternative FidelityFX CAS will not cope with DXR on AMD cards, literally. After a few frames, the image freezes, then jumps to a black screen, followed by the game crashing to desktop. This behavior occurs with WHQL 21.3.1 as well as with non-WHQL 21.3.2. Owners of the RX 6×00 (XT) interested in smoother ray-tracing graphics in Cyberpunk 2077 have no choice but to believe that such a combination (DXR + FFX CAS) is technically possible and will be solved by some of the hotfixes.