DLSS 5 Performance Hit: Nvidia's AI-Powered Tech Tanks Frame Rates

Nvidia's DLSS 5 technology has been put to the test by experts at Digital Foundry, and the results are not encouraging. The tech, which uses gen-AI-powered neural rendering to alter game graphics, takes a heavy toll on frame rates.

In tests of NBA 2K7, running Ultra settings in native 4K resolution on an RTX 5090 card dropped from 128.4 FPS to 62.7 FPS with DLSS 5 turned on. This represents a significant performance hit, with the experts at Digital Foundry describing it as 'super, super heavy'.

The primary point of concern is the fixed frame-time cost associated with DLSS 5, which varies from 8.2ms to 13.7ms depending on the graphics card and resolution being used. This has led some experts to question the value of the technology, with one noting that 'eight milliseconds of processing time at 4K on a 5090: that's mega expensive'.