What ray tracing actually costs at 1080p

Ray tracing at 1080p is a trade, not a free upgrade. Understanding what it costs in frames, and where it shows, decides whether the setting is worth leaving on.

Quick answer

• Test reflections and shadows separately.
• Note the frame rate with everything off.
• Check whether the game uses upscaling by default when ray tracing is enabled.

Why this keeps happening

Reflections and shadows are the visible part of ray tracing, and they are most obvious on wet surfaces and in enclosed spaces. In open, bright scenes the difference is often smaller than the frame cost.

The second variable is resolution scaling. Many implementations pair ray tracing with upscaling, which means the image is reconstructed, and the artefacts from that can outweigh the lighting gain.

What to do, in order

1. Test reflections and shadows separately, since they cost very different amounts.
2. Note the frame rate with everything off, then enable one effect at a time.
3. Check whether the game uses upscaling by default when ray tracing is enabled.
4. Look at a static scene in daylight, where the effect is hardest to justify.
5. Compare a dark, wet scene, where the effect is most visible, before deciding.
6. Decide by lowest frame rate rather than average, since dips are what you feel.

How to measure it

Frames lost per effect is the number to know. If reflections cost forty percent of your frame rate, they are a luxury; if they cost eight, they are nearly free.

Mistakes that undo the work

• Enabling every ray tracing option at once and judging the total.
• Ignoring upscaling artefacts because the lighting looks better.
• Testing in a cutscene rather than in gameplay.

Frequently asked

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