The Witcher 3 Remastered launched yesterday as a free update for owners of the original title, bringing CD Projekt Red’s acclaimed role‑playing game up to modern standards. The overhaul touches the skill system, combat mechanics, visual fidelity and several other gameplay components. While the enhancements promise a richer experience, they also raise the bar for hardware, especially the processor.
Benchmark methodology
PC Games Hardware incorporated the remastered edition into its CPU testing suite and selected a particularly demanding stretch of the game’s Toussaint region for measurement. The test segment begins near the marketplace at Le Gran Place and proceeds through a series of narrow streets before reaching a large city gate. According to the outlet, the constantly changing environment and heavy asset streaming in this corridor place a significant load on the processor.
All graphics options were cranked to their maximum settings, and path tracing—a high‑quality lighting technique—was turned on. To shift the bottleneck away from the graphics card and highlight CPU behavior, the resolution was deliberately lowered using DLSS, the AI‑driven upscaling technology. This configuration allowed the testers to capture pure CPU performance under the most taxing visual conditions the remaster offers.
Performance results across CPUs
The resulting frame‑rate numbers illustrate a clear split between older and newer hardware. Intel’s flagship Core i9‑14900KS managed an average of 59.2 frames per second (FPS), just shy of the coveted 60 FPS target. AMD’s Ryzen 7 7800X3D posted a very close 58.9 FPS, while the Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel’s Core i7‑13700K delivered 55.5 FPS and 55.7 FPS respectively.
Processors from the previous generation struggled more noticeably. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D, despite an advertised 24 % uplift from its larger cache, failed to maintain smooth performance throughout the test. Intel’s Arrow Lake‑based chips also could not sustain a steady 60 FPS under the same conditions.
AMD’s newest X3D‑enabled CPUs emerged as the clear leaders. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D achieved 70.7 FPS, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D topped the chart at 73 FPS, and the Ryzen 9 9950X3D recorded 72.4 FPS. These results underscore the advantage of AMD’s expanded cache architecture in scenarios where the CPU is the limiting factor.
Impact of path tracing and optimization tips
Path tracing proved to be a major contributor to the observed CPU load. PC Games Hardware reported that swapping the path‑tracing mode for standard ray tracing boosted performance by more than 30 % in CPU‑bound situations. Disabling ray tracing entirely yielded an even larger gain—over a 137 % increase in FPS—demonstrating that the performance hit is not confined to the GPU alone. CapFrameX, the analysis tool used by the testers, labeled the path‑tracing option a “CPU killer.”
The remaster also introduces support for DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction, a newer iteration of NVIDIA’s upscaling and ray‑tracing enhancement suite. While the benchmark deliberately used DLSS to lower resolution and expose CPU limits, the feature may help users who prefer to keep higher visual fidelity without sacrificing frame rates.
Early user feedback on Steam has already highlighted performance concerns, with a wave of negative reviews pointing to the higher hardware demands. For players whose systems fall short of the top‑tier CPUs, adjusting ray‑tracing settings appears to be the most straightforward way to regain smoother gameplay. Turning off path tracing—or at least reverting to standard ray tracing—can deliver a noticeable uplift without completely abandoning the visual upgrades.
In summary, the Witcher 3 Remastered offers a visually spectacular experience but demands a powerful processor when path tracing is enabled. AMD’s X3D line currently provides the most headroom, while Intel’s latest offerings sit just below the 60 FPS threshold in the tested scenario. Gamers seeking consistent high frame rates should consider disabling path tracing or exploring DLSS configurations that balance image quality with CPU load.
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