Alan Wake 2 Patch Just Miraculously Delivered A Huge Boost On Old GeForce GPUs
Alan Wake 2 has been a fantastic game, filled with mystery and a very compelling story. It also comes packed with some of the most demanding graphics technologies that a GPU can face, with often crippling effect. Ray tracing is really just the appetizer, with path tracing also available to bring environments to their full breadth.
Thankfully, a new patch for Alan Wake 2 has brought some optimizations to even older supported GPUs. With patch 1.0.16.1, owners of NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1070 and AMD's Radeon RX 5600 XT can enjoy the game. You'll have to turn settings down to minimum levels to play, of course, but it will be possible. Even GeForce GTX 1080 Ti owners, a once powerhouse GPU, will likely have to play with the lowest settings depending on resolution. But, it's at least now playable on those GPUs.
While NVIDIA is reportedly sunsetting its GeForce GTX lineup in favor of RTX models going forward, this is still great news for the many owners who have not yet upgraded but want to experience Alan Wake 2, which now sports a revised set of minimum system requirements with the latest patch in place.
Thankfully, a new patch for Alan Wake 2 has brought some optimizations to even older supported GPUs. With patch 1.0.16.1, owners of NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1070 and AMD's Radeon RX 5600 XT can enjoy the game. You'll have to turn settings down to minimum levels to play, of course, but it will be possible. Even GeForce GTX 1080 Ti owners, a once powerhouse GPU, will likely have to play with the lowest settings depending on resolution. But, it's at least now playable on those GPUs.
While NVIDIA is reportedly sunsetting its GeForce GTX lineup in favor of RTX models going forward, this is still great news for the many owners who have not yet upgraded but want to experience Alan Wake 2, which now sports a revised set of minimum system requirements with the latest patch in place.
If you want to experience all of the dazzling visuals that Alan Wake 2 has to muster, you'll still want the highest-end PC that you can fit within your budget. At 4K resolution, even the GeForce RTX 4090 with a first-class CPU will struggle natively play the game at high frame rates when completely maxed-out with path tracing.
One key benefit that GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs will have in such a title is DLSS 3. With its frame generation technology, it will keep the game looking good while giving a significant boost in playable frame rates. Even on the upper echelon of GeForce RTX GPUs, this is a much appreciated feature.
Older GPUs, such as the minimally supported GeForce GTX 1070, will be bereft of this feature. Mid-life GPUs such as the GeForce RTX 30 series will have to make-do with the regular DLSS, sans frame generation.
AMD GPUs will have to rely on FSR 2 in order to provide a boost, with the caveat that ray tracing is likely a non-starter for all but the highest-end models. Lower resolutions are also a must for most GPUs that aren't at the cutting edge.
Alan Wake 2 is dependent on mesh shaders for its execution, which is why many older GPUs were not supported in many cases. This new patch is a step in the right direction for gamers, even if path tracing is still a feature they'll likely leave toggled off.
One key benefit that GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs will have in such a title is DLSS 3. With its frame generation technology, it will keep the game looking good while giving a significant boost in playable frame rates. Even on the upper echelon of GeForce RTX GPUs, this is a much appreciated feature.
Older GPUs, such as the minimally supported GeForce GTX 1070, will be bereft of this feature. Mid-life GPUs such as the GeForce RTX 30 series will have to make-do with the regular DLSS, sans frame generation.
AMD GPUs will have to rely on FSR 2 in order to provide a boost, with the caveat that ray tracing is likely a non-starter for all but the highest-end models. Lower resolutions are also a must for most GPUs that aren't at the cutting edge.
Alan Wake 2 is dependent on mesh shaders for its execution, which is why many older GPUs were not supported in many cases. This new patch is a step in the right direction for gamers, even if path tracing is still a feature they'll likely leave toggled off.
