Resident Evil: Requiem - NXG Technical Review | Visuals, Path Tracing, Performance, Optimal Settings
Why It Matters
The review shows that while path tracing can transform Resident Evil: Requiem’s visuals, only high‑end Nvidia GPUs can deliver playable performance, guiding purchase decisions and highlighting the engine’s scalability challenges.
Key Takeaways
- •Path tracing dramatically improves lighting but reduces FPS dramatically.
- •RTX 4070 mobile runs path tracing at 1080p with DLSS balanced.
- •Ray tracing adds stable reflections; high mode only modest performance hit.
- •Stay within 10‑12% of VRAM capacity to avoid texture throttling.
- •AMD GPUs lack path tracing, relying on raster and FSR for quality.
Summary
Resident Evil: Requiem’s technical review examines how Capcom’s decade‑old RE Engine has been stretched with full path‑trace lighting, ray‑trace reflections, and advanced hair simulation for its ninth main‑line entry. The analysis focuses on PC performance, contrasting the exclusive Nvidia path‑tracing mode with the more modest ray‑tracing options, and outlines optimal settings for a range of GPUs from mobile RTX 4070 to desktop RTX 5060 and AMD equivalents. Key insights include a dramatic visual uplift from path tracing—more accurate bounce lighting, softer shadows, and realistic material response—at the cost of a 91% performance hit over high‑quality ray tracing. Ray tracing itself adds stable planar reflections, with the high setting only a 21% increase over normal. VRAM budgeting proves critical; the reviewer recommends staying within 10‑12% of card capacity, noting that maxed‑out shadow maps alone can consume nearly a gigabyte. RTX 5060 tests at 1440p DLSS Quality show a 35 fps loss versus low settings, while DLSS Performance recovers much of the hit, enabling playable frame rates even with path tracing on lower resolutions. Notable data points: path tracing consumes roughly 1.3 GB VRAM and adds 205% performance cost versus raster lighting; hair strands add 18% VRAM and 7% performance load; disabling ray tracing on AMD GPUs is mandatory as they lack the Nvidia‑only path‑trace pipeline. The reviewer highlights that the RTX 4070 mobile can sustain 60 fps at 1080p with DLSS Balanced and path tracing, whereas the RTX 5080 can push 4K DLSS Performance with all settings maxed, albeit still dipping below 60 fps in heavy scenes. The implications are clear for gamers and hardware buyers: to experience Requiem’s full visual fidelity, an Nvidia RTX 30‑series or newer GPU with ample VRAM and DLSS is essential, while AMD users must settle for raster‑based ray tracing and rely on FSR. The review also suggests that future RE Engine updates may need to balance visual ambition with performance scalability, especially as path tracing becomes a more common expectation in AAA titles.
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