DLSS 4.5: Nvidia app with new features now available for all users

DLSS is now available for all users of Nvidia graphics cards. The new version of Nvidia's upscaling model is now also available in the regular version of the Nvidia app after a one-week beta phase. Nvidia has slightly simplified the implementation compared to the beta version of DLSS 4.5.

Under the name DLSS (“Deep Learning Super Sampling”), Nvidia bundles several AI features that can provide higher frame rates in games. DLSS consists of two components: upscaling, which recalculates a lower render resolution to the desired resolution, and frame generation, which currently inserts up to three AI-generated frames between two rendered frames.

In the DLSS version 4.5 announced at CES, both components are to be improved. However, there are currently only innovations in upscaling. New frame generation features, including the ability to insert up to five AI frames between two real frames, are expected to follow in the spring.

Presets M and L are new

Users can already use improved upscaling by selecting either Preset M or Preset L for their games in the Nvidia app – these are the two new DLSS 4.5 presets. For the first time, Nvidia does not recommend the latest presets for all upscaling modes: Preset M is intended for DLSS's “Performance” mode (50 percent of the target resolution), while Preset L is intended for the "Ultra Performance" mode. In the “Balanced” and “Quality” modes, Nvidia still recommends Preset K, i.e., DLSS 4.0.

In the beta version of the app, this led to confusion among testers who had to manually change the preset in the Nvidia app for each resolution mode. Therefore, in the now final version of the Nvidia app, Nvidia has introduced an automatic preset selection called “Recommended.” If users select this default setting in the Nvidia app, Nvidia will automatically overwrite the preset with the appropriate variant.

This also works when switching between different upscaling modes in the game: If you switch from “Performance” to “Balanced” in the game options, the Nvidia app switches from Preset M to Preset K. If you want to use Preset M in the Quality mode as well, you simply select “Preset M” instead of “Recommended” at the driver level. This way, enthusiasts still have the option to experiment manually with the different presets.

DLSS 4 remains recommendation for “Quality” and “Balanced”

The primary reason why Nvidia does not recommend the new DLSS 4.5 presets for upscaling in the “Balanced” and “Quality” modes is performance: DLSS 4.5 is significantly more demanding on older graphics card generations than DLSS 4/Preset K. This can lead to the frame rate dropping in Quality mode in some games compared to native resolution, even though the graphics are rendered at a lower resolution.

However, the upscaling quality of DLSS 4.5 has increased again compared to DLSS 4: details are resolved better, particles are preserved better, and there are fewer artifacts in motion. In games like “Oblivion Remastered,” DLSS 4.5 at 4K target resolution looks better even in “Performance” mode than native resolution with TAA anti-aliasing – at significantly more FPS.

Even the “Ultra Performance” mode with the new Preset L is now reasonably usable at 4K resolution. Here, the image is rendered at only one-third of the target resolution. For a typical 4K monitor, this is 720p. Even if the result is not perfect, DLSS 4.5 shows how quickly AI upscaling of video games has developed in recent years. With DLSS 3, the “Ultra Performance” mode was still largely unplayable.

There is still one pitfall: Nvidia has not ported Ray Reconstruction to DLSS 4.5. This means that games like “Cyberpunk 2077” and “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora” will not run with DLSS 4.5 even with preset override if Ray Reconstruction is activated. Whether and when Ray Reconstruction will be switched to the new model is unknown.

(dahe)