Problems · Under load
Can my PC run path tracing?
Path tracing modes in current games are practical on graphics cards with dedicated ray tracing hardware from the last few generations, with the game's upscaling and usually frame generation turned on. Anything older, or any integrated graphics, can turn the option on but not play it. Whether a capable card actually delivers depends on things the spec sheet does not show: whether it holds its clocks under sustained load, whether the processor keeps up, and whether the power supply and case cope.
The honest way to find out is to measure your own card under a sustained path tracing load rather than read a chart. The SystemCheck run ends with exactly that stage, in the browser, with nothing to install.
First, notice when it happens
The causes, ranked
1. The card lacks ray tracing hardware or enough of it
most commonHow to confirm it
The card predates hardware ray tracing, is integrated graphics, or is an entry-level card from a generation that has it. The game's own path tracing benchmark runs in single digits even at low resolution.
The fix
Use the game's standard ray tracing or rasterized mode instead. Path tracing at playable rates on these cards is not a settings problem.
2. Upscaling or frame generation is off
commonHow to confirm it
The game is rendering at native resolution with path tracing on. Even the fastest cards are designed to run path tracing with upscaling.
The fix
Turn on the game's upscaler at the quality or balanced preset and, where the card supports it, frame generation. That is how the mode is meant to be run.
3. The card cannot sustain its clocks under a continuous load
commonHow to confirm it
The game starts smooth and degrades over minutes. The card's overlay shows clocks stepping down and temperatures near the limit. A sustained test shows samples per second falling through the stage.
The fix
Clean the card's cooler and case filters, improve case airflow, and check the card's fans. Path tracing loads a card harder and for longer than most games, so a marginal cooler shows here first.
4. The processor cannot feed the card
occasionalHow to confirm it
Frame rate barely changes when the resolution is lowered, and the overlay shows one or two processor cores near 100 percent. Older or low-core processors paired with a new card do this.
The fix
Lower processor-heavy settings, close background programs, and make sure memory runs at its rated profile. If the gap is large, the processor is the upgrade.
5. The power supply is at its limit
rare but seriousHow to confirm it
Black screens, restarts or sudden clock drops under path tracing load specifically, which draws close to the card's maximum for long periods.
The fix
Compare the supply's rating with the card maker's recommendation and replace a supply that is near the limit or old. A supply that fails under load can take other parts with it.
Measure it instead of guessing
The path tracing stage of a SystemCheck run renders a small scene at a fixed 960 by 540, one path per pixel per sample, with samples taken back to back for the whole stage so the card stays loaded. It reports samples per second, which is the cost of one sample on your card, and how consistently those samples arrived. A card that holds its rate to the end of the stage sustains a path tracing load; one whose rate slides is losing clocks to heat or power, and that is the machine that plays well for ten minutes and then does not. The stage runs through WebGL2 on any card, so it measures general shader throughput rather than ray tracing hardware, which makes it comparable across cards but not a prediction of a specific game's frame rate.
What software cannot tell you here
- The frame rate you will get in a specific game's path tracing mode. That depends on the game, its denoiser and upscaler, and your ray tracing hardware, which a browser cannot use.
- Temperatures, clocks or power draw. The card maker's overlay shows those; the test shows their effect on throughput.
- Whether your power supply is adequate. Only its rating and the components' requirements answer that.
Asked, in people’s own words
- Which graphics cards can run path tracing?
- Cards with dedicated ray tracing hardware from recent generations, run with upscaling and usually frame generation. Higher tiers do it comfortably at 1440p; lower tiers manage 1080p with aggressive upscaling. Cards without ray tracing hardware and integrated graphics cannot play it.
- Can integrated graphics run path tracing?
- Not in a game at playable rates. It can run a browser path tracing test, which is a way to measure the chip's sustained throughput, but path tracing modes in games are designed for dedicated cards.
- Why does path tracing run well at first and then stutter?
- Heat or power. Path tracing loads a card near its maximum for long periods, and a card whose cooler or case is marginal steps its clocks down after minutes. A sustained test that starts fast and slides shows the same thing.
- How do I test whether my PC can handle path tracing?
- Run a sustained path tracing load and watch whether the rate holds. The SystemCheck run includes a path tracing stage that runs in the browser and reports samples per second and consistency, which tells you whether the card sustains the load, without installing anything.