When Nvidia launched the RTX 20-series GPUs back in 2018, ray tracing wasn’t really feasible on its mid-range and entry-level cards because of the massive performance hit. That’s mainly why the company introduced DLSS, which helps offset that performance loss with AI-based upscaling. However, the initial version was far from perfect because it made games look softer, and if anything, it felt more like a compromise than a real solution. Fortunately, DLSS has come a long way since then.
Today, DLSS isn’t just about upscaling, but also about frame generation, and together they significantly enhance your overall gaming experience. Moreover, the upscaling quality in DLSS 4 has improved so much that it looks almost as good as natively rendered footage in most scenarios. What began as a feature to make ray tracing feasible has evolved into something much bigger. Even if you have a high-end GPU like the RTX 4090 or 5090, you can reap its benefits while gaming.
4K gaming at high frame rates
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DLSS lets me enjoy ultra settings without crippling my FPS
While you can game at native 4K with a high-end graphics card like the RTX 4090 or 5090, maintaining high frame rates is still not easy in many AAA titles, especially once you enable ray tracing. For instance, the RTX 5090 averages around 30FPS at 4K in Cyberpunk 2077 with every setting maxed out and RT Overdrive enabled. However, with DLSS upscaling and frame generationyou can run the game at well over 150FPS for a much smoother experience.
What’s more impressive about this frame rate jump is that you’re barely compromising image quality to get those numbers. DLSS 4’s upscaling looks incredibly sharp, often indistinguishable from native 4K at a glance, even in motion. Of course, frame generation adds latency, but it’s really not a dealbreaker in single-player games from my experience. And that’s coming from a competitive gamer. My RTX 4090 may be a few years old and may not support Multi-Frame Generation like the 5090, but it’s still capable of handling almost any game at 4K, all thanks to DLSS.
DLSS helps mitigate CPU bottlenecks
Frame Generation boosts frame rates even when your CPU can’t keep up
I don’t have my RTX 4090 paired with the fastest CPUs on the market today, like the 9800X3D or 9950X3D. So, you could say that I’m not getting the best possible frame rates at native resolution. In some open-world titles, my 5800X3D can easily become the limiting factor, often causing the GPU usage to dip below 85%. However, in these scenarios, enabling frame generation makes a world of difference, as it helps overcome CPU limitations by using AI to predict and insert interpolated frames between rendered frames.
For instance, my RTX 4090 could only run Assassin’s Creed: Shadows at around 55FPS at 4K, even with DLSS Quality enabled. Lowering the preset to DLSS Balanced or Performance barely improved my frame rate, clearly indicating that my CPU was the bottleneck. Once I enabled frame generation, though, I suddenly got around 100FPS, and the game just felt more fluid despite the added latency. The AI-generated frames filled in the gaps perfectly, even though my CPU couldn’t feed the GPU with game data fast enough.
GPU longevity
Without DLSS, I’d be tempted to upgrade my RTX 4090 by now
I remember feeling tempted to upgrade my GPU every time Nvidia announced a new flagship. This time around, when Nvidia launched the RTX 5090, I didn’t feel that same urge. In fact, I now plan to keep my RTX 4090 at least until the 6090 comes out, and that’s mainly because of DLSS upscaling and frame generation. Both of these features have extended the life of my GPU far beyond what I expected when I bought it.
My RTX 4090 shipped with DLSS 3, but I rarely used it because the upscaled image looked noticeably softer than native 4K. But when Nvidia rolled out DLSS 4 to its older cards, everything changed. The improvement in sharpness and motion clarity was immediately noticeable. And on my OLED monitor, the upscaled image now looks just as crisp as native 4K. For the first time, I didn’t feel like I needed the extra 20-25% FPS gains of the RTX 5090. When all my favorite games can run at 4K while maintaining high frame rates with DLSS upscaling and frame generation, spending $2,000 on a new GPU feels like a waste of money.
DLSS has changed the way I perceive quality and performance
A few years ago, I used to care about running every game at native 4K because DLSS upscaling wasn’t all that great, and frame generation introduced artifacts. But today, DLSS has reached a point where I barely feel like I’m sacrificing anything for higher frame rates. Yes, frame generation is still not ideal for competitive gamingbut for demanding single-player titles, it does the job very well. Even the occasional artifact is easy to overlook when the overall experience feels fluid. And if the technology is good enough to stop me from upgrading to a new GPU, that says how far it has come since its introduction. Sure, it still greatly benefits budget and mid-range cards the mostbut that doesn’t make it any less useful for someone with an RTX 4090 or 5090.
