AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT In Cyberpunk 2077: Ray Tracing & FSR 4.0 Tested

Unlock breathtaking graphics and fluid gameplay in Cyberpunk 2077 by leveraging cutting-edge upscaling and tracing innovations

Hardware by Katmin on Jun 02, 2025

After testing Cyberpunk 2077 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Super, we decided to test the game on AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT. Leveraging full-path-traced ray tracing in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p resolution, these elements show notable frame rate enhancements and improved image quality over past FidelityFX Super Resolution implementations.

We tested AMD's new FSR 4 upscaling technology, forced via Optic Scaler—alongside native rasterization, ray tracing, and path tracing on AMD's latest RDNA 3-based RX 970 XT GPU.

AMD, Radeon RX 9070 XT, Cyberpunk 2077, Ray Tracing, FSR 4.0, Tested, NoobFeed

The insights presented here are based on limited testing with retail hardware and current drivers, offering an early glimpse of what to expect when official FSR 4 support and optimized driver integrations become available.

FSR 3 vs. FSR 4

When I ran Cyberpunk 2077 at native 1440p with no upscaling, the RX 970 XT delivered a smooth experience, but the game already exhibited noticeable flickering. Enabling FSR 3 (the version implemented in-game) at native resolution with native anti-aliasing made the flicker worse, resulting in an unstable and unpleasant image.

Even switching from FSR 3 at Native AA to FSR 3 in Quality mode did not resolve the issue; the image remained extremely unstable and flickery.

Forcing FSR 4 through the Optic Scaler proved essential. After applying the mod, I was able to override the default upscaler and force FSR 4. The result was a far more stable, visually coherent image.

Although the Optic Scaler implementation may not appear quite as crisp as a driver-integrated solution, it still represents a night-and-day improvement over the in-game FSR 3 implementation. Had AMD provided proper driver support for FSR 4, the image quality might have been slightly better, but Optic Scaler still delivers excellent results.

AMD, Radeon RX 9070 XT, Cyberpunk 2077, Ray Tracing, FSR 4.0, Tested, NoobFeed

Rasterisation Performance

With ray tracing disabled and rasterization settings fully maxed out at 1440p, the RX 970 XT consistently achieved high frame rates. In native 1440p without upscaling, I observed an average of around 80–90 FPS.

Once I switched to FSR Quality with Optic Scaler, the card reached approximately 130–140 FPS in many scenes.

This demonstrates that you can enjoy a smooth, high-refresh-rate experience in Cyberpunk 2077 without even touching ray tracing, thanks to the combination of the RX 970 XT's power and FSR 4's efficiency.

Ray Tracing Performance

To evaluate the cost of enabling ray tracing, I returned to native 1440p (without upscaling) and maximized raster settings. Under these conditions, I observed a frame rate of roughly 80–90 FPS without ray tracing.

When I switched on ray tracing at Ultra quality, my frame rate dropped to around 45–50 FPS, essentially losing nearly half of the performance.

Reintroducing upscaling by switching to FSR Quality (FSR 4 mod) allowed frame rates to climb back into the 80–100 FPS range, depending on scene complexity.

It's worth noting that on NVIDIA GPUs, ray-reconstructing denoisers (especially those using Transformer models) produce cleaner reflections and reduce ghosting in puddles and other reflective surfaces.

AMD GPUs currently lack an equivalent denoising solution in Cyberpunk 2077; however, the raw ray-tracing performance of the RX 970 XT remains impressive.

I usually cap single-player games at 90 FPS for a balanced visual experience, and I was able to hit that target with Ultra ray tracing and FSR Quality on this mid-to-high-end AMD card.

AMD, Radeon RX 9070 XT, Cyberpunk 2077, Ray Tracing, FSR 4.0, Tested, NoobFeed

Path Tracing Performance

After testing ray tracing, I enabled path tracing (global illumination mode) while maintaining FSR Quality. Previously, with Ultra ray tracing and FSR Quality at 1440p, I averaged around 80–100 frames per second (FPS).

With path tracing enabled at FSR Quality, performance dipped to around 40–50 FPS. In practice, certain areas can be more demanding, pushing frame rates even lower.

Still, averaging around 50 FPS in path-traced mode is a remarkable feat on an AMD GPU. If you are willing to trade a bit of fidelity for smoother gameplay, switching to an FSR Balance preset could push you closer to 60 FPS.

From my experience, path tracing with FSR 4 looks significantly better than FSR 3 at Native AA, which was plagued by flickering. The Optic Scaler mod's FSR 4 support reveals details that the default FSR implementation cannot match.

AMD, Radeon RX 9070 XT, Cyberpunk 2077, Ray Tracing, FSR 4.0, Tested, NoobFeed

Denoising and Upscaling Discussion

I discovered via my testing that Cyberpunk's default FSR implementation is not very good. According to some community theories, several hardware makers provide incentives to developers, but AMD is ultimately accountable.

It is in their interest, as a technology provider and major industry player, to ensure their upscaling solutions are appropriately integrated and widely adopted.

If FSR 4 were easier to integrate, more developers would include it, and players would benefit from better visuals. As it stands, NVIDIA games with DLSS 2 and DLSS 3 (utilizing Transformer-based denoisers) provide cleaner reflections and reduced ghosting, particularly in puddles and other reflective surfaces.

Rather than blaming NVIDIA, I focus on choosing the best product for my needs. I hope AMD uses its influence to encourage more titles to support FSR 4, thereby giving consumers broader access to high-quality upscaling across all platforms.

For now, Optic Scaler serves as a practical workaround to bring FSR 4 to games like Cyberpunk 2077.

AMD, Radeon RX 9070 XT, Cyberpunk 2077, Ray Tracing, FSR 4.0, Tested, NoobFeed

Key Takeaways

By following this guide, you can experience Cyberpunk 2077 with FSR 4 on an AMD GPU, achieving a stable, high-quality image that vastly outperforms the default FSR implementation.

The RX 970 XT demonstrates impressive rasterization, ray tracing, and path tracing performance when paired with FSR 4, allowing for a near 90 FPS experience with Ultra ray tracing or approximately 50 FPS with path tracing at 1440p.

Installing Optic Scaler is straightforward, and once configured, you will notice a considerable improvement in visual fidelity without sacrificing frame rate.

Enjoy exploring Night City with improved upscaling and lighting effects!

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