Nvidia makes some of the best graphics cards, but Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) is an increasingly big part of what makes them great. This can be seen very clearly in a new RTX 5090 gaming test, in which the behemoth flagship couldn’t even maintain an average of 30 frames per second (fps) in Cyberpunk 2077 at maximum settings when DLSS was toggled off.
YouTuber PC Centric got to take the RTX 5090 for a quick spin at CES 2025, and while the GPU breezed through 4K gameplay at max settings with path tracing enabled, this was only true with DLSS in the picture.
The test was also a testament to the power of Nvidia’s upcoming multi-frame generation. With DLSS 4 and 4x frame generation enabled, as well as DLSS set to Performance, the RTX 5090 was hitting a whopping 290 fps and over 40ms of latency. This was with Nvidia’s Reflex 1, as Reflex 2 wasn’t available for this test.
Switching from Performance to Quality already dropped the frame rates by a considerable amount, now averaging around 200 fps and slightly higher latency. Still, 200 fps is more than anyone needs in a game like Cyberpunk 2077, which is not an esports title. As observed by NotebookCheck, turning down the frame generation from 4x to 2x didn’t have a huge impact on latency.
Getting rid of DLSS entirely exposed the actual performance of the RTX 5090 without any bells and whistles, and it didn’t look good. Getting rid of frame generation sliced the frames down to around 65 fps, but turning off DLSS entirely resulted in the RTX 5090 being unable to hit even 30 fps. That’s well below console level, and bordering on unplayable.
Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
This doesn’t mean that the RTX 5090 is going to be a bad GPU. On the contrary, it’s guaranteed to be Nvidia’s best, and it’ll beat its predecessor by a solid amount. But seeing such a drastic difference in frame rates leaves no doubt as to the importance of frame generation in modern AAA titles. Cyberpunk 2077 with path tracing at 4K is just about as taxing as it gets right now. Whether it’s a question of game optimization or a shift in the way GPUs are being made — probably both — it’s a fact that frame generation is becoming increasingly important.
The RTX 5090 was also spotted in leaked benchmarks, and that gives us some insight into raw rasterization improvements. As spotted by VideoCardz, the card was tested in Vulkan, where it was up to 37% faster than the RTX 4090. The RTX 5090 fared worse in the OpenCL test, where it was up to 15% faster.
As always, it’s important to remember that tests like this can’t be taken at face value. We’ll know the full story once reviews of the card go live and the card is available to buy, so January 30 at the latest.