Cyberpunk 2077: Using Benchmark.json for Frame Time Analysis

The objective is to isolate the FrameTime Delta ($\Delta T$) to ensure that your 1% and 0.1% lows are within 15% of your average frame rate, providing a “stutter-free” experience in Dogtown and heavy crowd areas.

1. Locating the Benchmark Results

Every time you run the in-game benchmark (Settings > Graphics > Run Benchmark), Windows generates a detailed report in your local app data.

File Path:

%LocalAppData%\CD Projekt Red\Cyberpunk 2077\Benchmarks\

The Target File:

Look for the most recent .json file. It will be named with a timestamp (e.g., benchmark_2026_02_16_10_30.json).

2. Reading the Performance Metrics

Open the .json file with any text editor (VS Code or Notepad++ is recommended for better formatting). You will see a structured map of your hardware performance.

Key Metric	Ideal Target	Technical Analysis
“averageFps”	60+	The baseline smooth-motion target.
“minFps”	>80% of Avg	If this is below 60% of your average, you have a stuttering issue.
“frameTimeAverage”	<16.6ms	The target for 60Hz. For 144Hz, aim for <6.9ms.
“gpuBound”	>95%	If this is low (e.g., 60%), your CPU is bottlenecking the GPU ($CPU_{limit}$).

3. Visualizing Frame Times with CapFrameX

The raw JSON data is useful, but in 2026, we use CapFrameX to visualize the frame time variance.

1. Open CapFrameX.
2. Drag and drop the benchmark.json file into the “Captures” list.
3. Navigate to the Analysis tab.
4. Look for the Frame Time Graph:
   • Flat Line: Perfect pacing.
   • Micro-Spikes: Likely background process interference (DWM or Browser).
   • Periodic Peaks: Often indicates VRAM overflow, where the GPU is waiting for the SSD to swap textures ($T_{swap}$).

4. The 2026 “SMT & Threading” Override

If your Benchmark.json shows high CPU Frame Times ($T_{cpu} > T_{gpu}$), especially on Ryzen 9000 or Intel Ultra CPUs, ensure the AMD SMT or Intel Thread Director setting is properly toggled.

GameEngineer.net Pro Tip:

Check the "benchmarkResults" array in the JSON. If the frameTime values fluctuate wildly during the “Kabuki Market” sequence, lower your Crowd Density to Medium. This reduces the Draw Call overhead on the CPU, stabilizing the frame pacing without affecting graphical fidelity.