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Black Myth: Wukong runs across a broad range of graphics cards when full ray tracing is off, but its optional Very High full ray-tracing mode is exceptionally demanding and favored high-end Nvidia GPUs in launch-era tests. Those August 2024 results are useful for understanding the settings trade-offs, not for ranking GPUs in 2026: the tests used specific drivers, hardware, resolutions, upscaling settings, and—in some cases—frame generation.
What the PC benchmarks establish
Independent tests from Tom’s Hardware and TechSpot found that Black Myth: Wukong can be played in rasterized mode across a wide range of GPUs. Full ray tracing is optional, and Tom’s Hardware found the game visually attractive without it. With full ray tracing set to Very High, performance fell sharply, particularly on AMD and Intel cards in that test campaign.
That makes the practical question less “Can my GPU run the game?” and more “At what resolution and visual settings can it run comfortably?” Rasterization and full ray tracing are very different workloads; a result for one does not predict performance in the other.
How the independent tests were run
Tom’s Hardware
In its article updated August 23, 2024, Tom’s Hardware tested 23 GPUs from Nvidia, AMD, and Intel. The test PC used an Intel Core i9-13900K, 32 GB of DDR5 memory, and Windows 11. The drivers were Nvidia preview driver 560.87, which Tom’s Hardware said had the same game optimizations as public driver 560.94; AMD Adrenalin 24.7.1; and Intel driver 5971. These are historical test conditions, not current driver recommendations. Read Tom’s Hardware’s benchmark article.
The tests included medium and cinematic presets, rasterized results, and full ray tracing at Low and Very High. Tom’s Hardware manually set scaling to 67% in its tested configurations. Its built-in benchmark sequence takes about 145 seconds, according to the article. A result from that sequence describes performance in the benchmark scene, not necessarily every area or combat encounter in the full game.
TechSpot
TechSpot ran a separate 2024 campaign with two Ryzen 7 7800X3D systems and coverage of up to 41 GPUs across configurations and resolutions. It tested native configurations without ray tracing, upscaling, or frame generation, as well as ray-tracing configurations. Its Very High RT setup used the cinematic preset, 75% upscaling, and frame generation; it also tested Medium RT. TechSpot used Nvidia driver 560.87 and AMD Adrenalin 24.7.1. Read TechSpot’s GPU benchmark.
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Why benchmark numbers are easy to misread
Two FPS figures are comparable only when the relevant test conditions match. Check the resolution, graphics preset, ray-tracing level, upscaler and scaling percentage, and whether frame generation is enabled. Also check whether the figure is a base rendered frame rate or generated output, and whether it comes from an independent test or a vendor’s own claim.
- Resolution and preset: 4K cinematic is a substantially different workload from 1080p medium.
- Ray tracing: Rasterization results do not measure the cost of full ray tracing.
- Upscaling: A scaled render can raise reported output performance, but it is not the same test as native resolution.
- Frame generation: Generated output frames can make the displayed FPS higher than the rate of frames rendered directly by the GPU. TechSpot cautions that its frame-generation results overstate the underlying rate; read them as generated output, not as an equivalent base frame rate.
These distinctions matter when comparing a chart with a game’s settings menu or with a GPU claim published by its manufacturer.
What full ray tracing means for GPU choice
Tom’s Hardware characterized Very High full ray tracing as a feature suited to at least RTX 4070-class hardware in its 2024 test context. Its results also showed a substantial performance penalty, especially for AMD and Intel GPUs. The article’s practical recommendation was that AMD and Intel owners generally stick with rasterization; that does not mean those cards cannot play the game.
When full ray tracing is disabled, the tested game uses software-based Lumen lighting. Tom’s Hardware judged rasterized mode attractive enough that players do not need an RTX card or path tracing to enjoy the visuals. The case for an RTX 4070-class or faster card is therefore specifically about prioritizing Very High full ray tracing—not a minimum requirement for playing Black Myth: Wukong.
Tom’s Hardware also observed more ghosting and artifacts with the FSR implementation in its 2024 testing than with DLSS. Treat that as an observation about the tested game and software versions, not a universal comparison of current upscalers.
How to check how well your current setup plays the game
The game has a free standalone benchmark available as a Steam download. TechSpot describes it as a way to check a PC before playing, and Tom’s Hardware says the utility uses the same built-in benchmark as the game. Use it as a practical self-check at the settings you intend to play, not as a guarantee of performance in every gameplay scene.
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- Download and launch the Black Myth: Wukong Benchmark Tool from Steam.
- Choose the resolution and graphics preset you expect to use.
- Set the ray-tracing level, upscaling mode and percentage, and frame-generation option to match your intended gameplay settings.
- Run the benchmark and note both the displayed FPS and whether frame generation was enabled.
- If performance is not satisfactory, change one setting at a time—such as lowering the preset, disabling full ray tracing, or adjusting scaling—and run it again.
Changing several options between runs makes it harder to tell which setting caused a difference. For a fair comparison with published results, reproduce their stated configuration as closely as the game and tool allow.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What about frame generation—and Nvidia’s launch figures?
Nvidia’s August 2024 GeForce News page reported nearly 100 FPS at 4K for an RTX 4090, 74 FPS for an RTX 4080 SUPER, and 66 FPS for an RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, with full ray tracing and settings maxed. Nvidia attributes those results to DLSS 3. They are vendor-reported figures and should not be read as native, frame-generation-off measurements or directly compared with independent results that use different test systems and settings. See Nvidia’s launch-era feature and performance claims.
Nvidia’s page also described GeForce NOW streaming for the game and said its Ultimate tier offered the RTX feature set described there. That is a potential alternative to local GPU performance, but the launch-era page does not establish current availability, regional terms, or subscription conditions.
How to use these results in 2026
The benchmark articles date from August 2024, and their GPU rankings reflect their test hardware, drivers, game build, and settings at that time. Use them to understand the scale of the full-ray-tracing workload and why matching test conditions matters. For a decision about your own PC, run the standalone benchmark with your intended settings and current installed drivers; do not treat the 2024 charts or Nvidia’s launch figures as a current 2026 ranking.
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