DLSS means “Deep Learning Super Sampling.” It is NVIDIA’s family of AI-assisted rendering features for GeForce RTX graphics cards. The most common feature, DLSS Super Resolution, renders a game internally below your chosen resolution and reconstructs the output, often increasing GPU-limited frame rates while retaining more detail than basic upscaling. Other DLSS features generate intermediate frames, improve ray-traced reconstruction, or provide native-resolution anti-aliasing.
What the words in DLSS mean
Deep learning refers to neural-network models trained by NVIDIA. In a game, the model runs in real time on the GPU and uses information supplied by the renderer.
Super sampling traditionally means rendering more pixels than the display needs and reducing them for cleaner edges. Modern DLSS Super Resolution usually works in the opposite direction: the game renders fewer pixels, then AI reconstructs an image at the display resolution. The name remains historical, while the current DLSS family now covers several technologies.
NVIDIA’s current feature descriptions are available on its DLSS technology page.
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How DLSS Super Resolution works
Suppose a game is displayed at 2560×1440. With DLSS enabled, it may shade an internally lower-resolution image. The reconstruction combines the current frame with previous frames, motion vectors and other game-rendering data, then produces a 1440p output.
Shading fewer pixels can reduce GPU frame time and raise conventional FPS when the GPU is the limiting component. The result is a reconstruction, not identical native 1440p rendering: it can look cleaner than a game’s ordinary anti-aliasing or spatial upscaling, but it can also show game-specific artifacts. NVIDIA explains the rendering pipeline in its driver guide.
What each DLSS option does
DLSS Super Resolution
This is what most graphics menus mean by “DLSS.” Common modes are Quality, Balanced, Performance and Ultra Performance. They trade internal resolution for speed.
| Mode | NVIDIA-published internal-resolution example | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | About 67% of output resolution | Best starting point at 1080p and 1440p |
| Balanced | Varies by implementation | Middle ground when Quality is not fast enough |
| Performance | About 50% | Often useful at 4K or in very demanding ray-traced games |
| Ultra Performance | About 33% | Specialized high-resolution use; can look soft at lower resolutions |
Custom scaling can range from roughly 33% to 100% in supported NVIDIA App situations. These percentages are examples, not guarantees: games can use different labels or scaling behavior. NVIDIA’s guidance starts with Quality at 1920×1080 and 2560×1440, Performance at 3840×2160 and Ultra Performance at 7680×4320. See the NVIDIA RTX games guide and NVIDIA App DLSS override details.
DLSS Frame Generation
Frame Generation creates an additional image between traditionally rendered frames. It can make motion appear much smoother, but a generated frame does not contain a new game-simulation step or fresh player input in the way a conventionally rendered frame does. Therefore, a higher displayed FPS is not equivalent to the same FPS achieved through native rendering.
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Frame Generation is most convincing when the underlying rendered frame rate is already reasonably stable. At a very low base rate, controls can remain sluggish even while the counter rises. NVIDIA Reflex, when offered by the game, is designed to reduce system latency; it does not remove every latency or artifact trade-off. Independent measurements discuss these limits in the TechSpot RTX 5070 review and Tom’s Hardware testing.
DLSS Multi Frame Generation
On RTX 50-series hardware, Multi Frame Generation can create several additional frames for each conventionally rendered frame. NVIDIA describes modes reaching up to five additional frames in a 6X mode. “6X” describes displayed-frame multiplication, not six times the underlying rendering power: the GPU still renders base frames and performs the AI work, while game support, pacing, latency and image quality determine whether the result is useful. Details are in NVIDIA’s DLSS developer overview.
DLSS Ray Reconstruction
Ray Reconstruction is for ray-traced effects. It uses AI reconstruction in place of, or alongside, conventional denoising to improve the appearance of lighting, reflections and other traced effects. It is not the same as Super Resolution and does not primarily lower your output resolution. In supported games it can be enabled alongside Super Resolution.
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DLAA (Deep Learning Anti-Aliasing) uses DLSS technology at native resolution. It prioritizes anti-aliasing and image quality rather than reducing the internal resolution for a performance gain. Use it when your GPU already has sufficient headroom. DLAA is not simply another name for DLSS Quality.
Which RTX generations support which features?
NVIDIA’s current hardware table describes support, but a game must also implement the feature or be compatible with an NVIDIA App override.
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| Feature | RTX 20 | RTX 30 | RTX 40 | RTX 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DLSS Super Resolution | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DLSS Ray Reconstruction | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DLAA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DLSS Frame Generation | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| DLSS Multi Frame Generation | No | No | No | Yes |
| DLSS Dynamic Multi Frame Generation | No | No | No | Yes |
GTX cards generally lack the Tensor Core hardware used by standard DLSS features. An RTX badge alone does not guarantee every feature: RTX 20- and 30-series cards can use Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction and DLAA, but not NVIDIA’s hardware-supported DLSS Frame Generation. Laptop capability depends on the actual GPU, power limit, cooling and display, not just the laptop’s model name.
As of August 18, 2026, NVIDIA brands its current model generation DLSS 4.5. Its Super Resolution component uses a second-generation transformer model, while RTX 50-series systems can use Dynamic Multi Frame Generation and up to 6X Multi Frame Generation where the game, driver and NVIDIA App support them. A DLSS version number is not an all-or-nothing package; a title may support one component but not another. See NVIDIA’s DLSS 4.5 announcement and Dynamic Multi Frame Generation update.
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How to turn DLSS on in a game
- Install the latest game update.
- Install a current NVIDIA Game Ready or Studio driver through the NVIDIA App or NVIDIA’s driver-download page.
- Open the game’s Settings, Options or Graphics menu.
- Find NVIDIA DLSS, DLSS Super Resolution or a similarly named option.
- Start with Quality at 1080p or 1440p. At 4K, try Quality or Balanced, then Performance if needed. Reserve Ultra Performance for cases where its lower internal resolution is acceptable.
- Configure Frame Generation separately if the menu provides it, and enable NVIDIA Reflex when offered alongside it.
- Apply the settings and check average FPS, 1% lows, frame pacing, responsiveness and image artifacts rather than relying only on the headline FPS number.
For compatible titles, the NVIDIA App may offer overrides: open Graphics, select the game, open Driver Settings and choose an available DLSS model, Super Resolution or frame-generation override. Availability is title-specific and can be limited by the game version, launcher, anti-cheat system or rendering API; an override is not a universal way to add DLSS to every game.
Which setting should you use?
| Situation | Sensible starting point |
|---|---|
| 1080p competitive game | Native or DLSS Quality; avoid Frame Generation when response time is critical |
| 1440p single-player game | DLSS Quality; add Frame Generation only with a healthy base frame rate |
| 4K ray-traced game | DLSS Quality or Performance, plus Ray Reconstruction if supported |
| Very demanding path-traced game | DLSS Performance, with careful inspection for softness and artifacts |
| RTX 20/30 card | Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction or DLAA |
| RTX 40 card | Those features plus standard Frame Generation |
| RTX 50 card | Applicable DLSS features, including Multi Frame Generation, subject to title and driver support |
| Image-quality-first play | Native rendering or DLAA if performance headroom exists |
Resolution, screen size, refresh rate, engine, motion and tolerance for ghosting all matter. There is no universally best mode.
When DLSS helps—and when it does not
It helps most when the GPU is the bottleneck
- High-resolution 1440p or 4K rendering.
- Ray tracing or path tracing.
- A game with a mature DLSS integration and good motion vectors.
- A need for more performance without dropping the display resolution.
It helps less when another limit dominates
- A CPU-limited game, because reducing pixel shading does not remove the CPU limit.
- A system already meeting its desired FPS natively.
- A very low internal resolution that produces distracting softness or shimmer.
Frame Generation can raise the displayed counter in a CPU-limited game, but it does not make the simulation or input processing run faster.
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Common problems and fixes
Ghosting, trails and shimmering
Trails behind foliage, particles, hair, thin wires or moving characters can result from low internal resolution, weak motion vectors or an older game integration. Try Quality instead of Performance, update the game and driver, and test a newer DLSS model through the NVIDIA App if one is offered. Disable Frame Generation separately to identify which component causes the problem, then compare with native rendering or another upscaler. GamersNexus documents motion artifacts in its DLSS 4 image-quality testing.
HUD, text or crosshair artifacts
Some frame-generation implementations can mishandle interface elements. Newer models may improve this, but behavior remains game-dependent. If a menu or crosshair looks wrong, compare with Frame Generation disabled while leaving Super Resolution enabled.
Low base FPS and floaty controls
Generated frames do not replace a stable base frame rate. Lower settings, use Super Resolution or reduce ray-tracing quality first; judge Frame Generation by both motion and control response.
Latency in competitive games
For shooters, fighting games, rhythm games and other timing-sensitive titles, native rendering or a modest Super Resolution mode is often the safer starting point. Favor stable frame times and low latency over a larger displayed FPS number.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.DLSS, native rendering, FSR and XeSS
Native rendering provides the most direct image fidelity when the GPU can sustain the target performance. DLAA is an image-quality-first NVIDIA option when native-resolution anti-aliasing is desired.
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AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) is a competing upscaling and frame-generation family designed for broader hardware compatibility; see AMD’s FSR page. Intel XeSS is Intel’s competing reconstruction technology, with hardware-accelerated and broader-compatibility paths depending on the implementation; see Intel’s XeSS developer page.
Neither brand is automatically best. Compare the specific game implementation, resolution, GPU, desired frame rate, latency requirements and tolerance for artifacts.
DLSS and buying an RTX card
DLSS alone does not make a slower GPU equivalent to a faster one. Choose a card first for its raw performance, VRAM, power and the games and resolution you actually use.
- RTX 20/30 cards remain relevant if you mainly want Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction or DLAA.
- RTX 40 adds standard DLSS Frame Generation.
- RTX 50 is the generation NVIDIA lists for Multi Frame Generation and Dynamic Multi Frame Generation.
- The free NVIDIA App can manage drivers and offer supported overrides, but it cannot guarantee every feature in every title.
Before upgrading, ask which DLSS feature you want, which games support it, what resolution and refresh rate you use, and whether your current limitation is the GPU or CPU.
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On a compatible RTX system, DLSS Super Resolution is usually worth trying: begin with Quality, compare image quality and frame-time behavior, and move toward Balanced or Performance only when the extra speed is worth the reconstruction trade-off. Treat Frame Generation and Multi Frame Generation as smoothness technologies rather than equivalent raw rendering power, and judge them by responsiveness as well as the FPS counter. Ray Reconstruction is a separate ray-tracing aid, while DLAA is the native-resolution quality option.
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