Raytracing 4K Performance Comparison: Battlefield 5, Metro Exodus and Shadow of the Tomb Raider with DXR/DLSS

We wanted to know: What do raytracing effects from Nvidia's RTX cards look like in games like Battlefield 5 or Metro Exodus, and what effect does that have on performance at different settings? For our graphics comparison on PixelPerfect, we did the test with the RTX 2080Ti and GTX 1080Ti graphics cards.

Is it worth activating resource hungry raytracing effects (DXR features with RTX compatible cards) in games and how do the additional reflections, light and shadow effects affect performance? We tested three compatible games: Battlefield 5, Metro Exodus and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Each one was tested with different raytracing intensity on a GTX 1080Ti (Nvidia Founder's Edition) and RTX 2080Ti (ASUS ROG Strix 11G OC Gaming) graphics cards. We tormented the 2080Ti with the ultra graphics presets for each game, while we left it at Medium or High with the 1080Ti. Otherwise, the performance losses would have been too severe at times. Watch the changes on the FPS displays as you watch them. By the way: The GTX 1080Ti doesn't support DLSS in general. A feature that improves the performance despite raytracing and is only available on real RTX cards. Please find all the graphic settings at the end of the video.

4K Raytracing Performance Comparison 1080Ti VS 2080Ti | BF5 | Metro Exodus | Shadow of the Tomb Raider DXR/DLSS on/off | PC UHD

A conclusion from this test: 1080Ti with 4K resolution and raytracing? Nope. 1080Ti with Full HD and Raytracing? A recommendation with limitations. We recommend to use raytracing only with RTX cards.

Battlefield 5: This title represents the introduction of raytracing in games and was used by Nvidia to promote the new features. It is the only game in the trio that uses and displays the full DXR reflections. In some places it is very conspicuous (windows, puddles, fire) and beautiful to look at. Decide for yourself whether the performance losses will pay off for you. With DLSS enabled, it works very well even with Ultra graphics presets on the 2080Ti and even more is possible if you reduce the graphics a bit. In some scenes the effects are really impressive.

Metro Exodus: Unlike DICE (Battlefield 5), developer A4 Games didn't specialize in reflections, but in general ambient lighting. This influences the shadow casts and plays along with the raytracing effects also into the ambient light obscuration. This is particularly noticeable where surfaces reflect sun rays. DXR features make it possible to give the atmosphere of the game a little more pep. But as you can see from the FPS counters: Have mercy on your 1080Ti!

Shadow of the Tomb Raider: The name of the game is program. With DXR features turned on, you'll have more shadow effects. Of the three games tested, SoTR has the fewest raytracing effects and you'll have to take a close look to find any noticeable differences. We've run the game's internal benchmark test with the different configurations. We show you the results with FPS values.

Get your own picture of the "differences" and watch the PixelPerfect clip on a 4K screen in full screen mode (if possible) for best results.

Note: PixelPerfect takes care when creating the clips to ensure there is no loss in image quality. For the Video Editing the professionals at Caseking are responsible.

If you'd like to see more from our sister channel PixelPerfect be sure to subscribe for more graphic comparison tests for the latest games! Special thanks to Overclockers UK and Caseking for sponsoring the video and providing the hardware.

Hardware used for the Graphics Comparison

Specs of the Recording PC (components available at Overclockers UK/Caseking):

• Intel Core i7-7700 CPU @ 4.20 GHz
• 16 GB RAM (DDR4)
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
• GeForce Game Ready Driver 431.18
• Mainboard ASRock Z270 Pro4
• Windows 10 Home (64 Bit)