How to Boost FPS with Ray Tracing Enabled

To boost FPS with ray tracing enabled, activate DLSS or FSR, reduce ray-traced reflections and lighting, update GPU drivers, and adjust in-game settings. Disable unnecessary background apps, use performance power plans, and monitor thermals to prevent throttling and ensure smooth gameplay with ray tracing on.

Modern gaming has seen massive visual upgrades in recent years, and ray tracing stands at the forefront of this revolution. By simulating how light behaves in the real world, ray tracing dramatically enhances realism in shadows, reflections, and lighting. But there’s a catch: performance.

If you’re here, you’ve likely turned on ray tracing only to see your FPS drop dramatically. This guide explains why that happens and, more importantly, how to boost FPS with ray tracing enabled, without sacrificing too much visual fidelity.

What Is Ray Tracing?

Ray tracing is a graphics rendering technique that simulates the physical behavior of light to create more realistic visuals in games. Unlike traditional rasterization, which approximates lighting using shortcuts, ray tracing:

• Calculates how individual rays of light bounce, reflect, and refract.
• Produces realistic shadows, reflections, and global illumination.
• Is used in games like Cyberpunk 2077, Minecraft RTX, and Control to achieve cinematic visuals.

There are different types of ray tracing effects:

• Ray-Traced Shadows: Softer and more accurate based on light angle and distance.
• Ray-Traced Reflections: True reflections that show off-screen objects.
• Ray-Traced Global Illumination: Realistic ambient lighting and bounce light.
• Ray-Traced Caustics: Rare but advanced rendering of light through water or glass.

While beautiful, these effects are computationally expensive, which brings us to the next point.

Why Does Ray Tracing Impact FPS?

Ray tracing is resource-intensive because it requires your GPU to:

• Calculate hundreds of thousands (or millions) of rays per frame.
• Simulate complex light interactions in real time.
• Use dedicated RT cores (Ray Tracing Cores on NVIDIA RTX GPUs or Ray Accelerators on AMD).

This has several implications for performance:

• Higher GPU load: Your GPU does more work, reducing frame rate.
• Increased power draw and thermals: May cause thermal throttling if cooling is poor.
• VRAM usage spikes: Ray tracing can push the limits of lower-end GPUs, causing stutter or frame drops.
• CPU bottlenecks: Ray tracing can expose other performance limitations in CPU-limited systems.

Developers often provide scalable ray tracing options and DLSS/FSR support to balance quality and performance, which we’ll explore in later sections.

Performance Cost of Ray Tracing

Before we dive into optimizations, it’s important to understand exactly why ray tracing reduces FPS, and how your hardware and settings influence that hit.

GPU Load and Ray Tracing Overhead

Ray tracing tasks are significantly more complex than traditional rasterization. Even on GPUs designed for ray tracing (like NVIDIA’s RTX and AMD’s RX series), enabling it activates RT cores or ray accelerators, which process vast amounts of light interaction data.

Here’s what increases the load:

• Reflections and shadows calculated for every pixel.
• Light bounces across multiple surfaces.
• Real-time lighting adjustments based on scene changes.

The result? A dramatic increase in rendering time per frame, reducing the number of frames rendered each second (FPS).

Benchmarks With and Without Ray Tracing

Here’s a typical real-world example (based on popular titles):

These numbers will vary based on GPU model and resolution but clearly show the significant performance cost.

Common Bottlenecks: VRAM, CPU, and Drivers

1. GPU VRAM Limitations: Ray tracing increases VRAM usage substantially. Exceeding VRAM can cause stutter, frame drops, or even crashes.
2. CPU Constraints: While ray tracing is GPU-intensive, your CPU still handles draw calls, game logic, and AI. An underpowered CPU can bottleneck your system, preventing the GPU from running at full potential.
3. Driver Optimization: Outdated or unoptimized drivers can massively impact ray tracing performance. New driver updates often contain ray tracing performance patches for specific games.

Hardware Considerations: Can Your System Handle Ray Tracing?

To boost FPS with ray tracing enabled, it’s essential to know what your hardware is capable of. Even with all the right settings, a GPU that’s not built for ray tracing will struggle. Let’s break down what matters.

Minimum vs Recommended Specs for Ray Tracing

Minimum Requirements (Playable with Compromises)

• GPU: NVIDIA RTX 2060 / AMD RX 6600 XT
• CPU: Intel i5-10400 / Ryzen 5 3600
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• Storage: SSD (for game loading, not ray tracing itself)

Note: You’ll need to use DLSS/FSR, reduce resolution, or lower RT quality to stay above 30–45 FPS.

Recommended for Smooth Performance (60+ FPS at 1440p)

• GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3070+ / AMD RX 7800 XT+
• CPU: Intel i5-12600K / Ryzen 7 5800X+
• RAM: 16–32GB DDR4/DDR5
• Storage: NVMe SSD recommended for loading and asset streaming

Best GPUs for Ray Tracing Performance

If you’re serious about ray tracing and FPS, the GPU is your single most important investment. Here’s a quick reference:

CPU/GPU Pairing for Balanced Performance

Ray tracing is GPU-heavy, but an outdated CPU can bottleneck your frame rates, especially in CPU-bound games (like open-world or strategy titles).

Avoid mismatched setups like:

• RTX 4080 + i5-8400 (GPU throttled by CPU)
• Ryzen 9 7900X + GTX 1660 (CPU wasted on weak GPU)

Tip: Use tools like MSI Afterburner or CapFrameX to monitor your CPU/GPU utilization and identify bottlenecks.

Don’t Forget Cooling and Power

• Ray tracing makes GPUs run hotter and draw more power.
• Ensure your PSU meets wattage requirements.
• Improve airflow to prevent thermal throttling (which drops FPS significantly under load).

Hardware Takeaway

You don’t need the best GPU to enjoy ray tracing, but you do need to balance your components and optimize settings.

Game Settings Optimization

Once your hardware is capable, the biggest FPS gains come from tuning your in-game settings. Ray tracing doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing, strategic tweaks can preserve visual quality while dramatically improving performance.

Enable DLSS, FSR, or XeSS to Boost FPS

Modern GPUs support AI-powered upscaling to maintain image quality while rendering fewer pixels:

Tip: Use DLSS “Balanced” or “Performance” mode when ray tracing is enabled to boost FPS by 40–70% in supported games.

Adjust Individual Ray Tracing Effects

Most games allow you to customize which ray-traced effects are used. Not all have equal impact on FPS:

Tip: Turning off RT Reflections often gives the biggest FPS boost with minimal visual downgrade.

Use Resolution Scaling Wisely

You don’t always need native 4K or 1440p. Try:

• Dropping to 85–90% render scale
• Using dynamic resolution scaling
• Combining with DLSS for best results

Example: In Cyberpunk 2077, playing at 1440p with DLSS Balanced and 85% scaling can improve FPS by 50% with ray tracing still enabled.

Disable Non-Essential Effects

Some settings stack on top of ray tracing and tank performance:

• Motion Blur: Off
• Depth of Field: Low or Off
• Volumetric Fog & Clouds: Medium or Low
• Tessellation: Medium or Off

These aren’t ray tracing effects, but they compound the GPU load.

Use In-Game Presets to Your Advantage

Start with a “High” or “Medium” preset, then:

1. Turn on ray tracing selectively.
2. Enable DLSS/FSR.
3. Tune resolution scaling.
4. Benchmark your FPS.

Use built-in benchmarking tools or overlays (e.g. NVIDIA GeForce Experience, MSI Afterburner) to monitor results.

Driver and System-Level Optimizations

Even the best in-game tweaks won’t help much if your system isn’t running efficiently. Optimizing your GPU drivers, Windows settings, and background processes can reclaim valuable performance.

Keep GPU Drivers Updated

Outdated drivers are a top cause of poor FPS and crashes with ray tracing enabled.

How to Update:

• NVIDIA Users: Use GeForce Experience or download from NVIDIA.com.
• AMD Users: Use Adrenalin Software or get the latest from AMD.com.
• Intel Arc: Use Intel Arc Control or the official Intel Drivers page.

Tip: Enable “Game Ready” or “Adrenalin Edition” driver updates for new titles that support ray tracing.

Optimize Windows for Gaming Performance

Power Plan

• Go to: Control Panel > Power Options
• Select: High Performance or Ultimate Performance (for desktops)

Disable Background Apps

• Open Task Manager → Startup tab → Disable unused apps
• Use Win + R → type msconfig → disable non-essential services

Enable Game Mode

• Go to: Settings > Gaming > Game Mode → Turn ON

Disable Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling (optional)

• Works for some, hinders others — test both ways.
• Go to: Graphics Settings > Default Graphics Settings → Toggle on/off

Clean Up Background Tasks

Ray tracing requires maximum GPU and CPU headroom.

Use:

• MSI Afterburner or HWiNFO64 to monitor CPU/GPU utilization.
• Razer Cortex or ISLC (Intelligent Standby List Cleaner) to free up RAM and system memory.

Pro Tip: Kill apps like Chrome, Discord (with hardware acceleration enabled), or OneDrive before launching your game.

NVIDIA & AMD Control Panel Tweaks

NVIDIA Control Panel:

• Set Power Management Mode to “Prefer Maximum Performance”
• Set Texture Filtering – Quality to High Performance
• Disable Vertical Sync (unless using G-Sync)

AMD Adrenalin:

• Set Graphics Profile to eSports or Custom
• Enable Radeon Boost if available (dynamic resolution based on movement)
• Set Tessellation Mode to Override > 8x or lower

Overclocking and Thermal Management

If you’ve already optimized your game settings and system, the next step is hardware tuning. Overclocking can unlock extra performance, especially useful when ray tracing is enabled and pushing your GPU to the limit.

Before You Overclock:

Overclocking increases power draw and heat output. Proceed carefully:

• Use reputable tools (MSI Afterburner, AMD Adrenalin, Intel XTU).
• Monitor temps and usage (HWiNFO64, GPU-Z).
• Ensure proper airflow and cooling.

Target Temps:

• GPU: < 85°C under full load
• CPU: < 80°C under sustained load

GPU Overclocking Basics

Overclocking your GPU involves increasing:

1. Core Clock – the speed of the GPU processor
2. Memory Clock – speed of the VRAM
3. Power Limit – allows higher power draw to sustain boost clocks

Recommended Tools:

• MSI Afterburner (NVIDIA/AMD GPUs)
• EVGA Precision X1 (NVIDIA only)
• AMD Adrenalin Tuning (AMD GPUs)

Steps:

1. Raise Power Limit to maximum.
2. Increase Core Clock in small increments (+15 to +25 MHz).
3. Run a benchmark (3DMark, Heaven Benchmark, or a heavy game).
4. Repeat until instability or artifacts appear.
5. Do the same with Memory Clock.
6. Finalize stable settings and save profile.

CPU Overclocking Tips

Ray tracing doesn’t heavily tax the CPU, but boosting single-threaded performance can still help in CPU-limited games.

Options:

• Intel XTU (Intel CPUs)
• BIOS Overclocking (most reliable)
• Ryzen Master (AMD CPUs)

Tip: Use Cinebench or Prime95 to test CPU stability.

Thermal Management for Performance Gains

High temps = lower FPS due to thermal throttling.

How to Improve Cooling:

• Clean dust from fans and filters.
• Reapply thermal paste on CPU/GPU (advanced users).
• Set custom fan curves (MSI Afterburner or BIOS).

Upgrade cooling:

1. Better case airflow (intake/exhaust)
2. Aftermarket GPU cooler or liquid cooling

Monitor:

• Use HWiNFO64 to check for thermal throttling.
• Watch for sudden FPS dips under load — that’s a red flag.

In-Game and Third-Party Tools

After optimizing your settings and hardware, it’s important to track your results and apply fine-tuned adjustments.

In-Game Overlays for Monitoring

Most modern games and GPU drivers offer built-in performance overlays.

NVIDIA GeForce Experience (Alt + R)

• Displays real-time FPS, temperatures, GPU usage, and latency
• Allows enabling NVIDIA Reflex (reduces system latency)
• Offers automatic game optimization suggestions

AMD Adrenalin Performance Overlay

• Shows FPS, CPU/GPU temperatures, clock speeds, and VRAM usage
• Built-in performance tuning and Radeon Boost options

Steam FPS Counter

• Lightweight FPS overlay for any Steam game
• Found under Steam > Settings > In-Game > FPS Counter

These overlays are essential for benchmarking your optimizations and identifying performance drops when ray tracing is active.

Third-Party Tools for Tuning and Monitoring

MSI Afterburner

• Industry-standard overclocking tool for GPU tuning
• Includes RivaTuner for custom FPS overlay and frame time graphs
• Can set custom fan curves and monitor real-time temps and usage

HWiNFO64

• Advanced hardware monitoring tool
• Offers in-depth readings for GPU, CPU, VRAM, thermals, and voltages
• Great for spotting thermal throttling or power draw issues

CapFrameX

• FPS benchmarking and analysis tool
• Helps measure 1% low and 0.1% low performance in ray-traced games
• Useful for comparing optimization tweaks with before/after data

Tools That Help Free Up System Resources

Razer Cortex

• Game booster that temporarily shuts down background processes
• One-click RAM and CPU optimization before launching games

ISLC (Intelligent Standby List Cleaner)

• Frees up system memory cached by Windows
• Can improve stability and reduce microstutters during ray-traced gameplay

Process Lasso (Advanced Users)

• Lets you assign CPU priorities and affinities
• Useful for minimizing background app interference

Best Practices

• Run a baseline benchmark before making changes
• Tweak one variable at a time (e.g., DLSS mode, RT reflections, or overclock)
• Monitor frame rate, GPU usage, and temps with each change
• Use tools to capture data across different game scenarios: indoor vs outdoor, action vs idle

Game-Specific Optimization Guides

Each game implements ray tracing differently, and the impact on FPS can vary significantly. Below are specific optimization tips for some of the most demanding and popular ray-traced games.

Cyberpunk 2077

Challenges: One of the most demanding games with full-scene ray tracing, including reflections, shadows, and global illumination.

Recommendations:

• Enable DLSS (Balanced or Performance) — this is essential at 1440p and above.
• Turn Ray-Traced Lighting to Medium or Off.
• Use Psycho Reflections only on high-end GPUs (RTX 4080+).
• Disable Film Grain, Chromatic Aberration, and Motion Blur.
• Use DLSS Frame Generation if you have an RTX 40-series card.

Control

Challenges: Uses ray-traced reflections and indirect lighting, which significantly impact performance.

Recommendations:

• Turn on DLSS Quality for sharp visuals and a large FPS boost.
• Reduce Reflections from High to Medium.
• Global illumination can remain enabled if DLSS is active.
• Use Fullscreen rather than Borderless for more stable frame times.

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition

Challenges: Fully ray-traced lighting engine with no fallback rasterized path.

Recommendations:

• Use DLSS Performance if playing at 1440p or 4K.
• Set Ray-Traced Reflections to Normal for better performance.
• Keep Ray-Traced Global Illumination on Medium.
• Consider reducing HairWorks and Volumetric Lighting.

Minecraft RTX

Challenges: Fully path-traced lighting model; highly GPU-intensive even at low resolutions.

Recommendations:

• Use DLSS Performance mode at 1080p and higher.
• Lower Render Distance to 12 chunks or less.
• Reduce Ray Traced Light Bounces to 1.
• Turn off Ray-Traced Water Reflections if underwater scenes lag.

Alan Wake 2

Challenges: Features ray-traced global illumination, shadows, and reflections with advanced lighting.

Recommendations:

• Enable DLSS Balanced or Performance.
• Lower Ray-Tracing Quality to Medium.
• Use Dynamic Resolution Scaling with a 60 FPS target.
• Disable Motion Blur, Film Grain, and Chromatic Aberration.

Other Games to Include (Optional Quick Tips):

• Battlefield V: Lower RT Reflections and use DLSS.
• Watch Dogs: Legion: Use DLSS and disable RT Shadows for smoother gameplay.
• Quake II RTX: Lower Path Tracing Quality and Resolution Scale.

When to Disable Ray Tracing?

While ray tracing can make games look stunning, there are times when even the best optimizations aren’t enough to maintain playable frame rates.

Situations Where Disabling Ray Tracing Makes Sense

1. Competitive or Fast-Paced Games: In games like Call of Duty, Fortnite, or Overwatch, higher FPS and lower latency matter more than visual fidelity. Disabling ray tracing allows for smoother, faster gameplay with reduced input lag.
2. GPU or VRAM Limitations: If your GPU has 6GB or less VRAM (like RTX 2060 or RX 6600), you may experience stutters or crashes with ray tracing enabled in modern titles. In this case, prioritize stable performance.
3. CPU Bottlenecking: If your CPU is older or already running near 100% usage, ray tracing may worsen frame pacing or cause microstutters. In CPU-bound scenarios, it’s often better to disable ray tracing entirely.
4. Playing on a Laptop: Even gaming laptops with RTX GPUs tend to run hot. Ray tracing accelerates thermal buildup and can cause throttling, especially in poorly ventilated systems.
5. Targeting 120Hz+ Refresh Rates: If you’re gaming on a 120Hz or 144Hz monitor and want to consistently hit high frame rates, ray tracing may make that unachievable unless you’re using a top-tier GPU like an RTX 4080 or higher.

Smart Alternatives

You don’t have to turn all ray tracing off. Try this instead:

• Use RT Shadows only, which often has a minor FPS cost.
• Disable RT Reflections, which are expensive and often redundant with screen-space reflections.
• Use DLSS or FSR aggressively to offset performance cost while keeping ray tracing on.

Bottom Line: How to Boost FPS with Ray Tracing Enabled

To boost FPS with ray tracing enabled, focus on a combination of hardware readiness, game setting adjustments, and system-level optimizations. Start by enabling DLSS, FSR, or XeSS to maintain image quality while rendering fewer pixels, which can improve FPS by 40–70%. Lower high-impact ray tracing settings such as reflections and global illumination, while keeping shadows or ambient occlusion enabled for visual balance.

Next, update your GPU drivers and use a high-performance Windows power plan. Monitor system resources with tools like MSI Afterburner and disable unnecessary background apps to reduce CPU and memory load. For advanced users, GPU overclocking and improved thermal management can further stabilize high-performance gameplay.

If performance still suffers, consider using ray tracing selectively or disabling it in competitive scenarios. Even entry-level RTX GPUs can benefit from optimized settings, especially at 1080p with upscaling enabled.

In short, boosting FPS with ray tracing enabled is entirely possible without sacrificing too much visual quality. The key is to optimize strategically, not just toggle settings blindly. With the right balance, you can enjoy ray-traced visuals while maintaining smooth, responsive gameplay.

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