Hands-on with the Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti and real-time ray traced gaming

Nvidia has lastly introduced its new RTX 20-series graphics playing cards, with the RTX 2080 Ti taking satisfaction of place on the head of the brand new household. The new Turing GPUs are all in regards to the potential of including real-time ray tracing into our PC games, however how nicely can the brand new gaming GPUs deal with the calls for of ray tracing? We’ve finished some early testing…

The new GPU structure has been designed to help Nvidia’s RTX suite of {hardware} and software program algorithms to assist generate ray tracing on the fly, therefore the swap from the GTX nomenclature to the RTX prefix. This can be construct on the work the corporate has finished with Microsoft to get its DirectX Ray tracing (DXR) into games too.

The RTX 2080 Ti is due for launch on September 20 this yr, costing the princely sum of $999. This is an ultra-enthusiast graphics card and the quickest GeForce GPU you’ll be able to jam into your property PC. It’s additionally your finest guess for getting probably the most out of the 21 new and up to date titles set to help Nvidia’s RTX know-how over the approaching months.

So, how nicely does it deal with the rigours of real-time ray tracing?

The spectacular on-stage demos are one factor, however we had the prospect to stand up shut and private with two of the most important upcoming games to help RTX: Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Battlefield 5, each performed on the brand new Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti.

The very first thing that does must be mentioned, nevertheless, is that we have been clearly taking part in early variations of the RTX builds of each games, and with comparatively early drivers for the RTX 2080 Ti graphics card too.

So the efficiency we have been seeing from the playing cards and the RTX variations of Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Battlefield 5 aren’t essentially 100% indicative of the efficiency that you simply would possibly see once you get your thousand {dollars} price of graphics card residence and attempt to ray hint the enjoyable out of your favorite new games.

But nonetheless, it’s powerful to not be just a little involved when the ultra-expensive, ultra-enthusiast RTX 2080 Ti isn’t in a position to hit 60fps at 1080p in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. We weren’t in a position to see what settings the game was working at because the choices screens have been reduce down within the construct we have been capturing, however GeForce Experience was capturing on the game decision and the RTX footage we have now is 1080p.

With the FPS counter on in GFE we might see the game batting between 33fps and 48fps as customary all through our playthrough and that highlights simply how intensive real-time ray tracing will be on the brand new GeForce {hardware}. We have been taking part in on an exterior, day-time stage, although with plenty of transferring components and many intersecting shadows.

Though there weren’t any distinct space lights, the likes of which we noticed within the significantly spectacular on-stange Tomb Raider demo, it was utilizing a single mild supply – the solar – and used that to create all of the ray traced shadowing within the gameworld.

While the shadows in my play-time did look fairly good, in that brightly lit occasion it’s laborious to see the place they give the impression of being that significantly better than the standard approach that shadows are faked in-game. And to allow the ray traced shadows you’re clearly having to pay an enormous efficiency penalty for the privilege.

The problem is that the most recent Tomb Raider seems nice at 4K, with richly detailed textures; along with your $999 graphics card do you actually need to be taking part in games at 1080p any extra?

Even stepping as much as 1440p is perhaps an excessive amount of for the RTX 2080 Ti – think about what that’ll do to the $699 RTX 2080 with 20% much less ray tracing energy. I’m not even 100% satisfied Shadow of the Tomb Raider was working at max settings at 1080p, although that might be extra to do with the 1080p textures within the game.

Playing the new Rotterdam map in Battlefield 5, nevertheless, was extra convincing of how good real-time ray tracing could make a game look. There is a extra tangible distinction within the constancy of the gameworld with the RTX reflections that DICE is utilizing in its Nvidia-specific construct of the brand new multiplayer shooter.

And all the pieces has reflections. From the bonnets of vehicles reflecting the muzzle flash of your rifle, to the puddles on the ground, and the about-to-be-blown-out home windows of a Dutch tram reflecting gouts of flame from a red-hot tank. The wood inventory of your gun has low stage, ray traced reflections on it, hell, even the watery eyes of your soldier appears to.

Maybe you’ll have the ability to watch that mirrored mild exit as bayonet them, such is the eye to element that DICE has thrown at this seeming labour of graphical love.

But after all there’s nonetheless a hefty efficiency hit to the game. Again we have been capturing the game decision at 1080p and whereas we couldn’t convey the fps counter up within the present demo model, we’d guess it wasn’t hitting 60fps both. And in a aggressive on-line shooter visible constancy is arguably far much less necessary than getting a excessive body fee. And working at the next decision, with out the ray traced reflections, would probably be preferable too as you may truly see extra element at vary for these precision pictures from downtown.

From a purely visible standpoint, nevertheless, it’s laborious to not be impressed with the truth that precise games launched this yr, on {hardware} that’s going to be out there in lower than a month, are going to have real-time ray tracing constructed into them. For a lifetime PC gaming nerd that’s super-exciting; as Jen-Hsun’s mentioned, it’s lengthy been the holy grail of PC graphics.

But it’s nonetheless simply step one. Even probably the most highly effective gaming {hardware} on the planet goes to be dropped at its knees by the efficiency calls for of real-time ray tracing. But what we have now seen to this point can be simply the early days of the tech – there can be a bunch of efficiency optimisations each Nvidia and the builders will work on over the approaching months, however even then will individuals actually need to be working games at sub-60fps at 1080p after they’ve spent a minimal of $499 on their new RTX graphics card?

For these first-gen RTX GPUs then real-time ray tracing seems extra like a proof of idea than one thing that may develop into in any approach mainstream this technology. But it does give us a tantalising glimpse as to what the way forward for all our gameworlds goes to appear to be. And they’re going to look gorgeous… as soon as they’ll high 60fps at 1080p.