Left 4 Dead 2 RTX Remix Mod Pushes RTX 5080 to its Limits, Showing Path Tracing Still Ahead of Current Hardware
A new RTX Remix mod for Valve's classic co-op zombie shooter, Left 4 Dead 2, demonstrates that despite impressive graphical enhancements, current GPU hardware—even NVIDIA's powerful RTX 5080—still struggles significantly when it comes to handling full-fledged path tracing at higher resolutions.
The Left 4 Dead 2 RTX Remix mod, now available via GitHub, makes the beloved title compatible with NVIDIA’s RTX Remix framework, enabling path tracing and dramatically enhancing visual fidelity. Despite its stunning graphics, the mod noticeably impacts performance, highlighting the demanding nature of path tracing technology.
Heavy Performance Impact Demonstrated in New Benchmark
In a recent performance analysis shared by MxBenchmarkPC on YouTube, the impact of the RTX Remix mod on gameplay framerates is stark. Running on an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 at 4K resolution and very high settings, Left 4 Dead 2's framerate plummets from approximately 500 FPS down to a fluctuating 60 FPS when using path tracing and NVIDIA’s latest DLSS 4 set to Performance mode.
Even at 1440p resolution, the RTX 5080 continues to struggle with stable performance, averaging around 90 FPS only when employing NVIDIA DLSS set to Quality mode and enabling Frame Generation.
Frame Generation Remains Essential for Path Tracing
These results underline the critical role of NVIDIA’s Frame Generation technology, especially the advanced Multi Frame Generation, which is currently exclusive to the RTX 5000 series GPUs. This technology allows users to achieve smoother gameplay experiences even with resource-intensive path tracing features, as previously demonstrated in demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077.
Despite the significant visual upgrades, the substantial performance cost of path tracing indicates that mainstream adoption is still some way off. For now, DLSS 4 and Frame Generation appear essential for achieving playable framerates, particularly at higher resolutions.
Would you consider sacrificing framerate for visual enhancements with path tracing, or is smooth gameplay still king? Let us know your thoughts!
