I recently tested the
HP Omen Max 16
, which astonished me due to its remarkable performance powered by the Nvidia RTX 5090. This allows it to play titles such as
Doom Eternal
and
Indiana Jones and the Grand Loop
up to several hundred frames per second! Such remarkable frame rates can be achieved благодаря этому
The hidden ace of RTX 50-series: DLSS 4
.
Multiframe generation technology such as DLSS 4 could significantly benefit less powerful desktop GPUs like the ones mentioned.
Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti
and
RTX 50 laptops
In many situations, there’s typically no downside to having DLSS 4 activated. You not only experience a considerable increase in frames per second, but you will usually notice an enhancement in picture quality as well.
best PC games
. Mostly, it turns out to be beneficial for everyone involved!
I’ve expressed enthusiasm for different versions of DLSS previously, but having tested systems equipped with both desktop and laptop variants of the Nvidia RTX 5090, my support for DLSS has grown even more robust.
Allow me to explain how DLSS 4 represents such a significant advancement and why you should consider enabling it if your gaming system includes an Nvidia graphics card.
My DLSS 4 experience
The Alienware Area-51 was the first gaming PC I’ve evaluated this year equipped with an RTX 5090. Given that this is a desktop featuring Nvidia’s strongest graphics card available at present, I intentionally disabled DLSS to assess the system’s intrinsic performance capabilities. For more detailed insights, you may refer to my complete review.
Alienware Area-51 review
For the specifics, let’s just say I wasn’t let down.
When I began testing the HP Omen Max 16, I disabled DLSS to evaluate the performance of the laptop’s RTX 5090 graphics card. Initially, I felt let down when I saw
Cyberpunk 2077
run at 35 frames per second when it ran at 66 FPS on Alienware’s PC, but I wasn’t surprised, given that I was playing on a gaming laptop instead of a gaming PC. This is where DLSS 4 comes in.
When DLSS 4 was activated, Cyberpunk 2077 maintained frame rates from 65 to 70 FPS with the ray-tracing set to ultra and played at a resolution of 1440p, which were the standard graphical settings for the game. In contrast, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle operated smoothly at 80 FPS under ultra graphic settings and at a resolution of 1600p without using DLSS 4. However, once DLSS x4 was turned on, this figure skyrocketed dramatically up to 240 FPS!
Following further tests with additional games, the main query I posed to myself regarding DLSS 4 was: Why would anyone opt out of using this feature? Let me address that shortly, but let it be said that for the majority of players, DLSS 4 generally enhances both frame rates and visuals in a way that is largely beneficial.
If you’re using a gaming laptop or your desktop has a less powerful GPU such as the RTX 3060 Ti, it would be wise to enable DLSS 4.
The big downside
DLSS 4 has the potential to enhance frame rates and provide crisper imagery during gameplay. However, similar to my previous point, this advantageous tech does come with a drawback.
In our
Review of Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti
, we noted that having DLSS 4 enabled severely impacted the response time of
Call of Duty: Black Ops VI
With DLSS 4 activated, the game showed a response time of 27.2 milliseconds at a 1440p resolution, making it unsuitable for an intense first-person shooter that requires incredibly quick reactions.
Reducing the resolution to 1080p decreased the latency to 11.3ms, but this isn’t quite at the under-10-ms latency level preferred for online gaming.
To achieve improved frame rates and lower latency, consider reducing the graphics settings even more. However, for optimal responsiveness in online gaming, it’s advisable to turn off DLSS completely.
Bottom line
I’ve been a fan of DLSS ever since I first tried it out on my gaming setup with a powerful graphics card.
Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti
Since then, the technology has continued to advance, with DLSS 4 representing the most refined version so far. This development holds significant potential, particularly for systems equipped with less powerful desktop GPUs and gaming laptops.
Unless you frequently dive into multiplayer games, there’s hardly any downside to enabling DLSS 4. It truly is a groundbreaking feature.
More from Tom’s Guide
- I just played games on Nvidia RTX 50-series GPUs, and it feels as though we’ve stepped into the future.
- I recently tried out LG’s 45-inch 5K curved OLED gaming monitor.
- I traded in my laptop for a portable mini PC and a set of AR glasses.
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