# Radeon Raytracing Refined - AMD RT Performance INI (RDNA 2 / 3 / 4)

**Version:** 1.1
**Author:Slim420


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## CONTENTS

1. [Introduction](#1-introduction)
2. [Core Features](#2-core-features)
3. [Target Audience & Hardware](#3-target-audience--hardware)
4. [Important Usage Notes](#4-important-usage-notes)
5. [Installation Instructions](#5-installation-instructions)
6. [Uninstallation Instructions](#6-uninstallation-instructions)
7. [Performance & Tuning Guide](#7-performance--tuning-guide)
8. [Known Issues & Limitations](#8-known-issues--limitations)
9. [Compatibility](#9-compatibility)
10. [Credits & Acknowledgments](#10-credits--acknowledgments)
11. [Support](#11-support)

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## 1. Introduction

Struggling to get playable framerates with Ray Tracing enabled on your AMD Radeon graphics card in Cyberpunk 2077? Do the stunning visuals of RT Reflections, Ambient Occlusion, and Lighting seem out of reach without sacrificing too much performance?

**Radeon Raytracing Refined** is designed to address this! It provides a custom `.ini` configuration file meticulously tuned to enhance the performance and playability of **standard Ray Tracing features** specifically on modern AMD hardware: **RDNA 2 (RX 6000 series), RDNA 3 (RX 7000 series), and the latest RDNA 4 (RX 9000 series) architectures.**

This preset doesn't magically eliminate the performance cost of Ray Tracing, but it significantly optimizes how these features run on Radeon GPUs by employing targeted strategies like aggressive half-resolution tracing, moderated ray distances, and balanced sampling counts. The goal is to provide a smoother, more enjoyable Ray Traced experience in Night City for Team Red users.

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## 2. Core Features

* **Optimized for AMD RDNA 2/3/4:** Settings balanced for improved RT performance across Radeon RX 6000, RX 7000, and RX 9000 series GPUs.
* **Standard RT Focus:** Primarily targets improved performance for Ray Traced Reflections, Ambient Occlusion, Global Illumination (RT Lighting Medium/High), and Shadows.
* **Aggressive Half-Resolution:** Explicitly enables Half-Resolution Tracing for demanding effects like Reflections, AO, and GI, providing critical performance gains on AMD cards.
* **Balanced Quality:** Aims to maintain good visual impact from RT effects while mitigating the most severe performance bottlenecks associated with Radeon RT implementation.
* **Moderate Ray Distances:** Uses sensible tracing radii (`TracingRadius`, `TracingRadiusReflections`) to control GPU workload effectively.
* **VRAM Aware:** Starts with slightly increased RT memory buffers beneficial for common 16GB+ cards, with clear guidance on reducing these for lower VRAM models (<=12GB) for stability.
* **Includes RTXDI:** Enables NVIDIA's Real-Time Direct Illumination (via DX12) for potentially improved local lighting (user testing recommended for performance impact).
* **Path Tracing Parameters Included:** Contains settings relevant to RT: Overdrive mode, but **requires manual user intervention** (especially `BounceNumber=1`) for *attempting* playable performance, with significant visual trade-offs. *Path Tracing is not the default optimization target.*

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## 3. Target Audience & Hardware

* **GPU:** Users with AMD Radeon **RX 6000 (RDNA 2)**, **RX 7000 (RDNA 3)**, or **RX 9000 (RDNA 4)** series graphics cards.
* **Goal:** To enable and improve performance when using **Standard Ray Tracing features** in Cyberpunk 2077.
* **Resolution/Upscaling:** Best experienced at **1440p** with **FSR (Quality or Balanced)**. 1080p users might use FSR Quality or Native (depending on GPU). 4K users will likely need **FSR Balanced or Performance**. RDNA 2 users may need more aggressive FSR settings than RDNA 3/4 users at the same resolution.
* **FSR is ESSENTIAL:** Using AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution is practically mandatory to achieve desirable framerates with Ray Tracing enabled on most AMD cards.

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## 4. Important Usage Notes

* **Enable RT In-Game:** This INI file **optimizes** settings, it does **not** enable RT features by itself. You **MUST** turn on the desired Ray Tracing effects (e.g., Reflections, Lighting [Medium/High], Shadows) in the Cyberpunk 2077 graphics menu.
* **Enable FSR In-Game:** Select FSR (2.1/2.2) in the graphics menu and choose an appropriate quality level (Quality/Balanced recommended starting points).
* **Path Tracing (RT Overdrive):** This mode is **extremely demanding** on ALL hardware, especially non-NVIDIA GPUs. If you choose to enable it in-game, performance will likely be very low with this INI *unless* you manually edit the file and change `[RayTracing/Reference] BounceNumber` from `2` to `1`. This significantly improves PT performance but heavily degrades indirect lighting quality. Use RT Overdrive at your own discretion and expect to fine-tune extensively.
* **Architecture Differences:** Expect lower performance gains on RDNA 2 (RX 6000 series) compared to RDNA 3/4 (RX 7000/9000 series) using the same settings, due to hardware differences in RT efficiency.

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## 5. Installation Instructions

**❗ Backup first! Choose ONLY ONE INI file if trying different mods/presets. ❗**

1. **Backup:** (Recommended) Navigate to the potential installation folders below and make copies of any existing configuration files you might be replacing.
2. **Download:** Download the `Radeon_Raytracing_Refined.ini` file from the 'Files' tab on Nexus Mods.
3. **Extract:** If the download is an archive (.zip, .rar, .7z), extract the `.ini` file using appropriate software (like 7-Zip).
4. **Locate Config Folder:** Determine the correct folder to place the `.ini` file. This depends on your setup:
* **Default/No Mod Manager Override:** `[Cyberpunk 2077 Game Folder]\engine\config\platform\pc\`
* **Cyber Engine Tweaks (CET) Config Override:** `[Cyberpunk 2077 Game Folder]\bin\x64\plugins\cyber_engine_tweaks\config\` (Verify path with your CET version/setup)
* **Other Mod Managers:** Consult your specific mod manager's documentation for its INI override location.
5. **Copy the File:** Place the single `Radeon_Raytracing_Refined.ini` file into the correct configuration folder you identified. If prompted to overwrite, confirm (assuming you have backups).
6. **Launch & Configure In-Game:**
* Start Cyberpunk 2077.
* Go to Settings -> Graphics.
* **Enable the desired Ray Tracing features** (e.g., RT Reflections: ON, RT Lighting: MEDIUM or HIGH).
* **Enable FSR** and select a Quality Mode (e.g., Quality or Balanced).
7. **Play and Test!**

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## 6. Uninstallation Instructions

1. Navigate to the folder where you placed the `Radeon_Raytracing_Refined.ini` file.
2. Delete the `Radeon_Raytracing_Refined.ini` file.
3. If you made backups of original game files, you can restore them now if desired. The game should revert to its default RT settings upon next launch without the custom INI.

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## 7. Performance & Tuning Guide

* **Baseline Expectation:** This mod aims for playable standard RT on AMD, not miracles. Expect lower FPS than pure rasterization.
* **FSR is Your Friend:** Adjust the FSR Quality Mode in-game first for performance gains before heavily editing the INI. FSR Balanced or Performance provides significant uplift.
* **VRAM Tuning (If Needed):** If you experience crashing, texture loading issues, or severe stuttering **AND** have a card with **12GB of VRAM or less**, try editing the INI file:
* Lower `[RayTracing] GeometryUpdateBufferSizeMB` (try `128`, then `64`, then `32`).
* Lower `[RayTracing] ScratchBufferSizeMB` (try `64`, then `32`, then `16`).
* **RTXDI Performance:** Test the impact of `[Developer/FeatureToggles] RTXDI = true`. If disabling it (`false`) gives you a noticeable FPS boost without visual degradation you dislike, feel free to do so. This can vary between GPU generations and driver versions.
* **Targeting More FPS (Standard RT):**
* Lower `[RayTracing] TracingRadiusReflections` and `TracingRadius` (try `100` or `75`).
* Increase `[RayTracing/Reflection] RoughnessThreshold` (try `0.85`).
* Decrease `[RayTracing/Shadow] SampleCount` (if not already `1`).
* Use FSR Balanced or Performance mode in-game.
* **Improving Quality (If FPS Allows):**
* Set `[RayTracing/Reflection] EnableHalfResolutionTracing = 0` (significant FPS cost).
* Set `[RayTracing/AmbientOcclusion] EnableHalfResolutionTracing = 0` (moderate FPS cost).
* Set `[RayTracing/GlobalIllumination] EnableHalfResolutionTracing = 0` (significant FPS cost).
* Increase `[RayTracing/Reflection]` or `[RayTracing/Shadow] SampleCount` to `2`.
* Lower `[RayTracing/Reflection] RoughnessThreshold` (e.g., `0.7`).

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## 8. Known Issues & Limitations

* **Path Tracing (RT Overdrive) is Still Brutal:** This INI makes standard RT more efficient but doesn't overcome the fundamental hardware differences for full Path Tracing. It requires manual edits (`BounceNumber=1`) and results in significant visual compromises for potential playability on AMD.
* **Visual Trade-offs:** Relying on Half-Resolution Tracing and roughness thresholds inherently sacrifices some clarity and detail compared to full-resolution, brute-force RT, but is necessary for performance on this hardware class.
* **Drivers & Game Updates:** Future updates from AMD or CD Projekt Red may alter performance characteristics or how these INI settings are interpreted. The mod may need updates or adjustments over time.

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## 9. Compatibility

* **Game Version:** Developed/Tested primarily on Cyberpunk 2077 v[Your Tested Version]. Check user comments for compatibility reports on newer/older versions.
* **INI Conflicts:** **WILL CONFLICT** with any other mod that provides its own `engine\config\platform\pc\` INI file(s) heavily modifying `[RayTracing]` sections or other graphics settings. You must choose ONLY ONE comprehensive INI mod for these sections, or manually merge settings (advanced users only).
* **Likely Compatible:** Mods focusing on textures, quests, items, UI, gameplay scripts (CET/Redscript), or *different* INI sections (like crowd/traffic mods) should generally be compatible.

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## 10. Credits & Acknowledgments

* **Author:**slim420
* **CD Projekt Red:** For creating Cyberpunk 2077 and its impressive REDengine.
* **The Cyberpunk 2077 Modding Community:** For their continuous exploration and sharing of engine settings and knowledge.

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## 11. Support

* Please report bugs or provide feedback in the **POSTS** section of the Nexus Mods page.
* Include details like your **GPU model** (e.g., RX 6800 XT, RX 7900 XT), **driver version**, **game version**, the **in-game RT settings** you enabled, and the **FSR mode** you are using.
* Confirm you have only this INI mod installed for the affected settings and followed installation steps correctly. Constructive feedback is always welcome!

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*Enjoy a smoother Ray Traced Night City on your Radeon card!*