As I'm trying to figure out if playing CP 2077 v. 2.0 on my current hardware is still feasible, I was wondering if the in-game Benchmark tool included in the settings menu still adequately represent the actual frame rates in-game.. Thanks in advance for a reply...

Since you don't mention your benchmark FPS or your PC specs, I assume you mean whether the benchmark is reliable in general - and in that case, I'd say yes, it's fairly accurate.

Of course, the benchmark just takes a small sample of the game - enclosed environment and open world - and based on my own testing, I've found it to be pretty close.

Did some 1.6 vs 2.0 benchmark testing earlier today, with the results here:
https://www.gog.com/forum/cyberpunk_2077/will_the_20_update_increase_system_reqs_even_on_free_update/post23

12 FPS with default setting for me:

25 FPS on low setting and RTX off:

Can't figure it out.

If I were to guess, I'd say it's your CPU that's a major bottleneck for you.

The 9700K doesn't have hyperthreading. On the 9th generation, that's exclusive to the 9900K. I know this, because I had a 9700K - for 3 months before I sold it, and went with the 10900K instead.

I maxed that 9700K out on a daily basis, even before I tried gaming on it. On paper, it should have been all I needed, upgrading from a 6 year old 3770K. In practical terms, it felt like a 15 % improvement overall. I was completely baffled.

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/186604/intel-core-i7-9700k-processor-12m-cache-up-to-4-90-ghz.html

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/186605/intel-core-i99900k-processor-16m-cache-up-to-5-00-ghz.html

No, I is because I am an idiot. EVGA PrecisionX was set to throttle the GPU to 8% I am locked 90FPS now with RTX Med preset.

Well...no comment on the first part (don't worry, most of us - including me - has done something similar). Glad you figured it out.

Yes, I meant its reliability in general. My own test (on 1080p "high" settings with no RT obviously) for 2.0 are attached. I forgot to make one with 1.63. I was pleasantly surprised, because I assumed my old PC wouldn't be able to run it at the intended settings anymore (especially considering its outdated Ryzen 7 3700X CPU).