Our 8K check system
Dying Light 2 is the lengthy awaited follow-up to the unique Dying Light, which got here out all the best way again in 2015, and the sequel is a enjoyable, frantic and impressive zombie survival sport.
The ambitions of Techland, the builders of the sport, is not simply confined to the gameplay and map dimension of this open world sport. It is also an extremely good trying sport, particularly on PC the place it employs all method of fancy graphical results, similar to ray tracing, to make for a way more immersive expertise.PC constructed by Chillblast
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX Z390-E GAMING
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S
Case followers: Noctua NF-A14 PWM Chromax 140mm
Processor: Intel Core i9-9900K, 8 Cores / 16 Threads
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090
Storage: 500GB Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 PCIe
Secondary Storage: 2TB Samsung 860 QVO
Energy: Corsair RM850x 80 PLUS Gold 850W PSU
Case: Fractal Design Vector RS Tempered Glass
RAM: G.Talent Trident Z RGB 32GB DDR4 3200MHz
Display: LG 55NANO966PA
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S
Case followers: Noctua NF-A14 PWM Chromax 140mm
Processor: Intel Core i9-9900K, 8 Cores / 16 Threads
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090
Storage: 500GB Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 PCIe
Secondary Storage: 2TB Samsung 860 QVO
Energy: Corsair RM850x 80 PLUS Gold 850W PSU
Case: Fractal Design Vector RS Tempered Glass
RAM: G.Talent Trident Z RGB 32GB DDR4 3200MHz
Display: LG 55NANO966PA
Nevertheless, as SociallyTrend's personal parts queen, Jackie Thomas, famous in her Dying Light 2 PC efficiency roundup, whereas Dying Light 2 units a brand new bar in terms of ray tracing visuals, it additionally comes at an enormous value, with even the mighty RTX 3090 GPU, at present probably the most highly effective gaming GPU on the planet proper now, struggling to hit 60 frames per second (fps) with all the best graphical settings turned on. So, if it struggles at 4K, that does not bode properly for 8K efficiency. Nevertheless, I am nonetheless eager to see if there's any approach to play it at 8K. In any case, the wonderful thing about PC gaming is that there are many choices to tweak to assist enhance efficiency. Dying Light 2 additionally helps each Nvidia's DLSS and AMD FidelityFX Tremendous Decision scaling applied sciences. These have each turn into more and more vital in getting video games operating at excessive resolutions, excessive settings and at excessive refresh charges, and so they allowed me to run the beautiful God of Struggle at 8K not too way back. I am additionally altering my 8K testing setup within the coming months, and I've began by swapping out the Dell UltraSharp UP3218K 8K monitor. It is a beautiful monitor, and nonetheless stays the one 8K monitor out there, however it's primarily designed for inventive work, not gaming, and comes with an extremely excessive price ticket. It additionally wants to make use of two DisplayPort cables to attain 8K at 60Hz. As an alternative, I am now going to make use of the LG 55NANO966PA, a 55-inch 8K LCD TV. It makes use of HDMI 2.1, and at a 3rd of the value of the Dell UltraSharp UP3218K, that is the sort of 8K display screen most video games might be utilizing when (or, to be sincere, if) 8K gaming turns into mainstream.
Placing the RTX 3090 by means of its paces
As you may think about, the 8K (7680 x 4320) decision is extraordinarily demanding, even at the very best of instances, with 4 instances the variety of pixels of 4K. Which means that graphically intensive video games are going to actually put any graphics card by means of its paces.
So, it most likely comes as no shock that Dying Light 2 is extraordinarily punishing on the RTX 3090. At native 8K decision with 'Excessive High quality' graphical settings, the sport chugged alongside at 18.1fps. That is extraordinarily painful, and basically unplayable.
Nevertheless, turning on Nvidia's DLSS characteristic on the 'Efficiency' setting, which favors increased body charges on the expense of graphical settings, and upscales the picture from a decrease decision to output at 8K, the sport hit 36.1fps on common, with a minimal of 29.8fps.
I contemplate 30 frames per second to be absolutely the minimal for a sport to be satisfying, so the truth that the RTX 3090, with assist from DLSS, will get above that at excessive settings and at 8K is spectacular. Whereas DLSS means this is not a local 8K picture, the tech has come a great distance, and the outcomes are very spectacular.
Nevertheless, whereas 30fps is the minimal we would wish to see, nobody would wish to put down $1,499 / £1,399 / round AU$2,030 (or more, thanks world chip scarcity!) for a graphics card solely to play at 30fps. Dying Light 2, with its emphasis on quick parkour traversal, performs greatest at excessive body charges, however is that doable at 8K?
You definitely can low cost ray tracing results. Turning these on drops the body charges dramatically to only 16.3fps - and that is with DLSS enabled.
Dropping the visible settings to 'Medium', whereas conserving DLSS at 'Efficiency' raises the body charge to a mean of 38fps. Not a nasty leap, and even at medium graphical settings, Dying Light 2 stays a looker.
Subsequent, I dropped the sport all the way down to 'Low', and this once more boosted the body charges to 44.2fps on common. The sport felt rather more responsive and satisfying, however it was nonetheless a method off the 60fps milestone that I search for when enjoying video games at 8K.
The excellent news is that Dying Light 2 does not simply assist Nvidia DLSS, but in addition AMD's various FSR tech. Switching over to that upscaling expertise will get a mean framerate of 59.9fps, lastly! The sport definitely feels higher to play, and it is good to have the ability to say you may play Dying Light 2 at 8K... nearly.
However, is it well worth the compromises I needed to make?
Robust selections
As is so typically the case with 8K gaming in the mean time, you are going to should make compromises to succeed in that sort of decision. This implies closely relying on upscaling expertise. Whereas video games utilizing DLSS will not look as clear as when performed at a local decision, the actual fact is that DLSS has come on in leaps and bounds since Nvidia launched it, and AMD's FSR tech can be very spectacular. It signifies that influence to graphics high quality is minimized, whereas efficiency enhancements are capable of make an enormous distinction in playability. Even on a big display screen at 8K, there's not a massively noticeable distinction in picture high quality except you go in search of it. Try our comparability pictures beneath, all taken at 8K with Ray Tracing on its highest settings, with a wide range of DLSS and FSR ranges utilized.
What's more of a painful compromise, nonetheless, is having to show the graphical settings all the way down to their lowest to get to 60fps. Whereas Dying Light 2 nonetheless appears to be like good, the drop in high quality continues to be very noticeable. Textures are more blurry, draw distance is lowered and lighting results are barely there. The world feels quite a bit much less alive - by no means an important factor, even in a zombie sport. The bump to 8K is not well worth the compromise on this case. By enjoying at 4K, I used to be capable of get 59.8fps at 'Excessive High quality' with DLSS on efficiency. That is nonetheless with out ray tracing enabled, however it seemed so significantly better, even with the decrease decision. Remember, most video games do not actually benefit from 8K but anyway, with textures and fashions geared toward a most of 4K anyway.
The truth that the would possibly RTX 3090 can solely simply hit 60fps at 4K with DLSS on and no ray tracing highlights simply how intensive this sport is. There's additionally a touch of a scarcity of optimization about it, and there is already been a day one patch to deal with bugs. I count on Techland to proceed to patch Dying Light 2 to enhance efficiency at 4K. At 8K although? No quantity of patching will assist.
