Today we are testing DLSS 4.5 against DLSS 4 to explore improvements to image quality across a wide variety of games and scenarios. DLSS 4.5 is an impressive step forward for Nvidia’s upscaling technology. While it may not be on the same level of improvement as DLSS 4 versus DLSS 3, and the performance hit may be larger than expected for owners of older GeForce GPUs, Nvidia is nevertheless continuing to improve its upscaler at a solid pace.
DLSS 4.5 builds on DLSS 4 by introducing a second-gen transformer model, accelerated using FP8 instructions. Nvidia claims this model delivers better temporal stability, reduced ghos…
Today we are testing DLSS 4.5 against DLSS 4 to explore improvements to image quality across a wide variety of games and scenarios. DLSS 4.5 is an impressive step forward for Nvidia’s upscaling technology. While it may not be on the same level of improvement as DLSS 4 versus DLSS 3, and the performance hit may be larger than expected for owners of older GeForce GPUs, Nvidia is nevertheless continuing to improve its upscaler at a solid pace.
DLSS 4.5 builds on DLSS 4 by introducing a second-gen transformer model, accelerated using FP8 instructions. Nvidia claims this model delivers better temporal stability, reduced ghosting, smoother edges, and improved lighting.
A particular focus has been placed on the Performance mode, where Nvidia expects the largest gains in image quality relative to performance. DLSS 4.5 is. But of course, DLSS 4.5 is available to use across all the modes.
The new DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution features are accessed through one of two model presets.
"Preset M" is the primary model and has been optimized for the Performance mode. It is also the recommended DLSS 4.5 preset for most other modes.
"Preset L" is optimized for the Ultra Performance mode. In the Nvidia App, users still have access to all previous model presets, including "Preset K", which corresponds to DLSS 4.0 using the first-gen transformer model.
Enabling DLSS 4.5 is simple. Install the latest Nvidia App, head to the Graphics tab, find the game you’re playing, and in the Driver Settings find DLSS Override – Model Presets and set Super Resolution to Preset M.
You can also do this globally across all titles, or use Nvidia’s "Recommended" setting – though be aware that using the Recommended mode only applies DLSS 4.5 to the Performance and Ultra Performance modes; in other modes, like Quality, it uses Preset K which is DLSS 4.0. You can verify that DLSS 4.5 is enabled by using the DLSS Statistics view in the Nvidia overlay, and looking for Preset M or Preset L on screen.
Benchmarks
DLSS 4 vs DLSS 4.5 Performance - RTX 5070 Ti
Before exploring DLSS 4.5 image quality, we first need to establish how it performs. This allows us to find the right quality matchups that deliver similar performance. It’s especially important with DLSS 4.5 because Nvidia claims the new model runs slower than DLSS 4.0: they describe this as a "minor performance tradeoff" on RTX 50 and RTX 40 GPUs, which have FP8 acceleration; and a "heavier performance impact" on RTX 30 and RTX 20 GPUs, which lack native FP8 support.
Starting with Cyberpunk 2077 running on a GeForce RTX 5070 Ti at 4K using the Ultra Ray Tracing preset, DLSS 4.5 Preset M delivers similar performance to DLSS 4.0 Preset K. In the Quality and Balanced modes, DLSS 4.5 is around 5% slower, while in the Performance mode it is 3% slower. This performance hit is not large enough to significantly alter the performance tiers. For example, DLSS 4.5 Balanced remains 12% faster than DLSS 4.0 Quality.
At 1440p, the results are very similar. In the Quality mode, DLSS 4.5 is 5% slower, dropping to 3% slower in Balanced and 2% slower in Performance.
In Mafia: The Old Country using the Epic preset, DLSS 4.5 places a slightly heavier load on the RTX 5070 Ti. At 4K, the Quality mode runs 9% slower, while both Balanced and Performance are 5% slower. This results in roughly half a tier of performance impact. DLSS 4.5 Balanced now falls between DLSS 4.0 Quality and Balanced in terms of frame rate, while DLSS 4.5 Performance sits between DLSS 4.0 Balanced and Performance.
At 1440p, the performance hit is smaller. In this title, moving to DLSS 4.5 results in a 2-4% reduction in performance across the three modes, which still equates to roughly half a tier overall. In absolute terms, this amounts to only a few frames per second and is not especially significant.
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered runs faster at native resolution, which increases the relative overhead of DLSS upscaling. As a result, DLSS 4.5 has a larger performance impact in this title. At 4K, DLSS 4.5 Quality runs 13% slower than DLSS 4.0 Quality. Balanced is 9% slower, and Performance is 6% slower. This represents close to a full tier of performance impact, with DLSS 4.5 Balanced running slightly slower than DLSS 4.0 Quality.
At 1440p, the impact is reduced a little bit. DLSS 4.5 Quality is still 8% slower than DLSS 4.0 Quality, while Balanced is 5% slower and Performance is 2% slower. Although the performance penalty is much smaller at lower render resolutions, even at 1440p there is still roughly one tier of performance impact overall.
DLSS 4 vs DLSS 4.5 Performance - RTX 3090
To give you an idea of how DLSS 4.5 performs on older architectures, we re-ran all of these tests on the GeForce RTX 3090, which does not support native FP8. In Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K, DLSS 4.5 Quality now runs 19% slower than DLSS 4.0 Quality. While this is still faster than native rendering at such low base frame rates, it’s quite a sizable hit. The Balanced and Performance modes run 15% slower, compared to around a 5% hit on the RTX 5070 Ti.
At 1440p, the situation improves somewhat, with performance drops of 11%, 9%, and 6% for the Quality, Balanced, and Performance modes respectively. At 4K, we observed roughly one tier of performance loss when using DLSS 4.5, while at 1440p the impact is closer to two-thirds of a tier. DLSS 4.5 Balanced at 1440p ran slightly faster than DLSS 4.0 Quality, though the difference was minimal.
The performance impact in Mafia: The Old Country is similar. At 4K, DLSS 4.5 ran 17%, 15%, and 10% slower across the Quality, Balanced, and Performance modes. This is roughly one tier of performance loss, meaning DLSS 4.5 Quality provides a 40% performance uplift over native, compared to a 70% uplift with DLSS 4.0.
At 1440p, performance also struggles in this title, with drops of 11%, 9%, and 7% across the three modes. These results closely mirror what we saw in Cyberpunk 2077. DLSS 4.5 Balanced again ran slightly slower than DLSS 4.0 Quality.
Lastly, the performance hit in Horizon Zero Dawn on the RTX 3090 is significant. At 4K, DLSS 4.5 Quality ran 26% slower than DLSS 4.0 Quality, causing Quality upscaling to perform worse than native TAA rendering. This mirrors behavior Steve observed in several titles during a preliminary investigation.
The Balanced mode was 25% slower, while Performance was 17% slower. This represents more than two tiers of performance loss, with DLSS 4.5 Performance running slower than DLSS 4 Quality in this title on the RTX 3090.
At 1440p, we recorded performance drops of 17%, 15%, and 12% for the Quality, Balanced, and Performance modes respectively. While not as severe as at 4K, the impact is still large enough that DLSS 4.5 Performance runs worse than DLSS 4.0 Quality.
Based on these results, owners of RTX 40 and RTX 50 series GPUs should not see a major performance penalty when using DLSS 4.5 instead of DLSS 4.0. In the worst cases, there may be up to one quality tier of impact, though typically it is less. This makes direct comparisons between equivalent modes – such as Quality versus Quality or Performance versus Performance – largely valid. The performance cost is not zero, but we did not find any cases where Quality upscaling runs slower than native unless the base frame rate is already very high.
For those with older RTX 30 and RTX 20 series GPUs, Nvidia’s guidance appears accurate. There is a heavier performance impact, and sticking with DLSS 4.0 Preset K is likely the better option. In general, we would expect at least one quality tier of performance loss when using DLSS 4.5 on these older architectures, if not two tiers in some cases.
It is also entirely possible for DLSS 4.5 to run slower than native rendering depending on the configuration.
Image Quality Comparison
Now let’s move on to direct quality comparisons between DLSS 4.5 Preset M and DLSS 4.0 Preset K. If you are wondering where FSR 4 fits into these comparisons, we will cover that in detail in a future review. Including it here would significantly extend this investigation, as every comparison would need to be repeated.
Textures
For a better representation of image quality comparisons, check out the HUB video below:
We’ll start by looking at texture quality. DLSS 4 was the first version of Nvidia’s upscaler to effectively eliminate what is often referred to as "TAA blur." This describes the effect where a game appears relatively sharp when stationary but becomes blurry or loses detail during motion. The stark contrast between these two states is why many players historically disliked temporal anti-aliasing, often describing it as a blur filter. With this issue largely resolved in DLSS 4, there are no further improvements to TAA blur behavior in DLSS 4.5.
That said, DLSS 4.5 generally produces a sharper image overall, and this applies to both static scenes and motion. In some games, such as Horizon Zero Dawn, the increase in sharpness is especially noticeable and leads to improved perceived detail. In other titles the improvement is more subtle, but it typically applies across all modes and resolutions, whether we are looking at 4K Quality or 1440p Performance. Most of the time this results in a subjectively better image, particularly in scenes with a lot of grass or fine surface detail, which we will examine more closely shortly.
DLSS 4.5 is not a universal improvement, however. In one Cyberpunk 2077 scene, we observed moiré patterns in a metal ground texture when using Preset M that are not present with DLSS 4 Preset K. While Preset M delivers slightly higher overall sharpness, it shows a regression in texture stability in this scene. This issue appears across multiple settings, including 4K Performance, 4K Quality, and even 1440p Performance. It is not a common problem, and in other moiré stress tests Preset M performs well, but it is something to be aware of.
Stability
For a better representation of image quality comparisons, check out the HUB video below:
DLSS 4.5 fine-detail and edge stability is more of a sidegrade compared to DLSS 4. After examining a broad selection of games, DLSS 4.5 sometimes provides better stability than DLSS 4, while in other situations stability can be worse. In many cases this comes down to the specific DLSS mode being used.
In Ratchet & Clank using the Performance mode, stability is better with Preset M when viewing the distant blue float. However, as the nearer gold float enters the scene, Preset K can have the edge. Viewing the same scene using the Quality mode, Preset K appears more stable overall – especially for the distant blue float, which was actually more stable with Preset M when using the lower mode.
In Mafia: The Old Country, this boat scene contains a large amount of fine rope detail. Using the Performance mode, DLSS 4.5 offers better rope reconstruction, but DLSS 4 is sometimes more stable with less flicker. When switching to the lighthouse scene, however, the fine detail on the fence and the top of the building is more stable with DLSS 4.5. A similar pattern appears in the Quality mode, where DLSS 4.5 shows more flicker but better rope reconstruction. In this type of scene, there is little doubt that DLSS 4 using the Quality mode still looks better overall than DLSS 4.5 using the Performance mode.
Moving to the Balanced mode at 1440p, the flicker in the DLSS 4.5 Preset M image becomes more noticeable. In a still screenshot, DLSS 4.5 would likely appear superior, but in motion its stability is less pleasing. In the lighthouse test, both options trade blows, with no clear overall winner.
We could continue through additional examples, but this pattern repeats. In some cases Preset M is superior, and in others Preset K comes out ahead. Nvidia has clearly adjusted how the second-generation transformer model reconstructs detail, but these changes do not always benefit fine line elements that are particularly prone to aliasing.
Disocclusion
For a better representation of image quality comparisons, check out the HUB video below:
Disocclusion is greatly improved in DLSS 4.5 and represents one of the most significant upgrades in this release. As a refresher, disocclusion occurs when a foreground object moves and reveals the scene behind it. This is especially noticeable in third-person games, where the player character frequently occludes and disoccludes the background in a small area around them. With DLSS 4, disocclusion artifacts were common, often appearing as low-resolution sizzling in the newly revealed areas.
As a refresher, disocclusion occurs when a foreground object moves and reveals the scene behind it. This is especially noticeable in third-person games, where the player character frequently occludes and disoccludes the background in a small area around them.
In The Last of Us Part I, this issue was particularly obvious. Comparing DLSS 4 Preset K to DLSS 4.5 Preset M in the Performance mode, DLSS 4.5 is clearly superior, with disocclusion artifacts greatly reduced. They are not eliminated entirely, as this is extremely challenging for upscaling techniques, but the remaining sizzling is far less distracting.
This improvement also carries over to higher modes like Quality, where disocclusion artifacts are now difficult to spot in real-time gameplay.
In terms of disocclusion quality, DLSS 4.5 Performance at 4K often looks better than DLSS 4 Quality. If disocclusion is a major issue in a game using DLSS 4, switching to DLSS 4.5 should noticeably clean up those artifacts.
As a sanity check, consider the Mafia: The Old Country example again (video above). Instead of focusing on the ship’s ropes, look at the area around Enzo, the player character. Disocclusion is clearly improved with DLSS 4.5, and even when dropping the resolution to 1440p Balanced, DLSS 4.5 continues to show fewer disocclusion artifacts.
Ghosting
For a better representation of image quality comparisons, check out the HUB video below:
DLSS 4.5 also delivers improvements to ghosting. Across many examples where we observed ghosting with DLSS 4, these artifacts are either eliminated or significantly reduced with DLSS 4.5. One clear example appears in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. As Ratchet moves across the red carpet using DLSS 4 Performance at 4K, a visible trail is left behind on the carpet. This trail is largely absent when viewing the same mode with DLSS 4.5.
In Cyberpunk 2077, ghosting around street lights seen with DLSS 4 is almost completely eliminated with DLSS 4.5, leading to improved edge stability. In Horizon Zero Dawn, we also observed particle ghosting in a particularly demanding scene where small particles move across a wooden bridge. While DLSS 4.5 does not fully remove this ghosting, it is much harder to notice in both the Performance and Quality modes at 4K, resulting in a visibly cleaner presentation.
Another example appears in Mafia: The Old Country, where ghosting caused by disocclusion is removed when using DLSS 4.5, and the improvement is especially noticeable in this scene. That said, DLSS 4.5 can still produce ghosting on par with DLSS 4 – or in some cases worse. For example, while driving in Mafia, a noticeable ghost trail can appear on the windshield element in certain situations, and this can be slightly more visible with DLSS 4.5. In the Performance modes the results are similar overall, but in the Quality mode Preset K still has the edge.
Hair Rendering
For a better representation of image quality comparisons, check out the HUB video below:
With improvements to sharpness, disocclusion, and ghosting, hair rendering is generally improved when using DLSS 4.5. Across a range of configurations we examined – including 4K Performance and 1440p Balanced – DLSS 4.5 typically delivers better hair stability with reduced grain. This gives hair a more consistent appearance between frames and a higher-resolution look, particularly in the main body of the hair.
In many cases these improvements are subtle, as hair rendering was already fairly strong with DLSS 4. The most noticeable gains appear at lower internal resolutions, such as 4K Performance, though even the Quality mode benefits to some extent.
Particles
For a better representation of image quality comparisons, check out the HUB video below:
Particle quality has improved slightly with the new DLSS 4.5 model. As shown in several previous examples, particles are less likely to induce ghosting with Preset M, though the resolution and reconstructed detail of the particles themselves is largely similar to DLSS 4 Preset K across a wide range of situations.
Particles are a little sharper overall thanks to broader sharpness improvements, but edge quality and the level of aliasing are largely unchanged compared to previous versions.
In some scenes, DLSS 4.5 particles can actually look worse overall. A 1440p Performance mode example in Horizon Zero Dawn focuses on snow (video above). While the DLSS 4.5 image is less streaky within the snow itself, the background appears grainier and more pixelated than the DLSS 4 image. The same behavior is visible when viewing this scene in the 4K Performance mode. Although the pixelation is less pronounced at 4K, it can still be noticed to a small degree during gameplay.
Transparency
DLSS 4.5 does not appear to materially improve how transparency effects are handled. Looking at these elements across a variety of games shows image quality that is very similar to DLSS 4.
Transparent and translucent objects were not a major weakness of DLSS 4, so it makes sense that this was not a focus when training the second-generation transformer model. Elements such as fire and holograms continue to look very good with DLSS 4.5, even at relatively low internal resolutions like 1440p Balanced.
Foliage
For a better representation of image quality comparisons, check out the HUB video below:
One of the more substantial image quality improvements with DLSS 4.5 relates to foliage, particularly trees. Across all the modes we examined, DLSS 4.5 tree stability is noticeably better than DLSS 4, resulting in less shimmering during motion. For example, in Star Wars Outlaws at 4K using the Performance mode, trees and branches moving in strong wind appear sharper and more stable. Fine details within the trees are clearer, especially in lower branches that overlap with one another. This improvement is also visible in the 4K Quality mode and becomes even more noticeable at 1440p.
These gains are most apparent in games with dense and complex tree detail, such as Mafia: The Old Country. In motion, DLSS 4.5 trees are far more consistent and less prone to shimmering artifacts, creating a more stable and pleasing image. By comparison, the DLSS 4 image using Preset K – even in the Quality mode – appears somewhat grainy when examining the internal structure of tree models. Importantly, this is not simply Preset M smoothing or blurring tree detail to reduce motion artifacts. DLSS 4.5 maintains crisp detail while still removing shimmering.
As with disocclusion, this is an area where DLSS 4.5 Performance mode often surpasses DLSS 4 Quality in image quality. In the Mafia example at 4K, Preset M Performance is more stable and less grainy than Preset K Quality. In games with detailed trees and significant motion, switching to the DLSS 4.5 model is clearly beneficial.
There are also titles where tree quality is broadly similar between DLSS 4.5 and DLSS 4. This tends to occur in scenes where trees are less detailed or overlap less during motion. For example, in the forest areas of The Last of Us, there is little visible difference, though DLSS 4 already performed very well in this scenario.
Grass quality is another important consideration. In some cases, DLSS 4.5 delivers improvements similar to those seen with trees and hair. Mafia: The Old Country is again a strong example, with reduced grain and sizzling in roadside grass when using DLSS 4.5. Grass in Star Wars Outlaws also appears sharper and clearer with the new model, particularly as it remains in constant motion.
In other titles, results are more mixed. In Horizon Zero Dawn, DLSS 4.5 improves grass reconstruction and reduces blur in fine details, but the grass also appears much sharper overall. Depending on the scene, this can create an overly sharp look, sometimes introducing grain or aliasing compared to the softer DLSS 4 presentation. A similar effect can be seen in Ratchet & Clank when examining the purple foliage along the roadside.
This ultimately comes down to a trade-off. While many aspects of foliage rendering are clearly superior with DLSS 4.5, in some cases Preset M would benefit from slightly reduced sharpness while retaining its improvements to reconstruction and stability.
Fences
For a better representation of image quality comparisons, check out the HUB video below:
Fence rendering is another great test for upscalers. Thanks to major improvements in disocclusion, DLSS 4.5 performs far better than DLSS 4 in the Spider-Man 2 overlapping mesh test.
The foreground fence is higher quality, background fences are less blurry and garbled, and overall clarity and frame-to-frame consistency are improved. When comparing DLSS 4.5 at 4K Performance to DLSS 4 at 4K Quality, the results are now closely matched, as Preset M is much more effective at reconstructing these elements from a lower internal resolution.
The difference becomes even more obvious at 1440p using the Performance mode. DLSS 4 appears extremely blurry and garbled in this scene, whereas DLSS 4.5 is significantly clearer. While the result is not perfect, it is clearly playable and far more coherent.
Lighting
For a better representation of image quality comparisons, check out the HUB video below:
Finally, lighting quality. Nvidia claims one of the benefits introduced with DLSS 4.5 is that all upscaling calculations are performed in linear light space before tone mapping, rather than in logarithmic space after tone mapping. According to Nvidia, this allows the image to retain its full color and luminance range, with the second-generation transformer model being powerful enough to handle the added complexity while maintaining stability.
Across the games we examined, lighting quality is subjectively better with DLSS 4.5, particularly for bright highlights such as sunlight reflections, street lights, and neon signs. These elements tend to appear brighter, more colorful, and more impactful. That said, DLSS 4.5 does not dramatically alter entire scenes. The benefits are more noticeable in highlight-heavy moments rather than across the whole image.
There is, however, a trade-off. DLSS 4.5 is more prone to highlight flicker, as seen in several Cyberpunk 2077 scenes. While the lights are brighter, they also flicker more during motion. By comparison, DLSS 4 produces dimmer but more stable lighting. Nvidia has stated that earlier upscalers and previous TAA implementations operated in logarithmic space to dampen flicker. Although DLSS 4.5 is designed to manage instability without compressing data, it appears that this approach does not fully eliminate flicker in all scenarios.
This flicker can occur even in high-quality modes such as 4K Quality, indicating that it is not limited to low internal resolutions, but is instead tied to how the new model processes lighting information.
Better Overall, But Not a Universal Replacement
And that’s our first look at DLSS 4.5 and how it compares to DLSS 4. Overall, the new second-gen transformer model produces better image quality, but it is not the same kind of universal upgrade we saw moving from DLSS 3 to DLSS 4, where enabling the new version was an easy decision in almost every case. DLSS 4.5 Preset M does introduce some regressions and trade-offs in specific scenarios that can make the older DLSS 4 Preset K the better option. That said, on the whole, we prefer the way DLSS 4.5 looks.
The most meaningful improvements Nvidia has made relate to disocclusion, sharpness, ghosting, and foliage quality. In titles that previously suffered from distracting disocclusion sizzling or streaky ghosting with DLSS 4 enabled, these issues are significantly reduced with DLSS 4.5.
For these specific artifacts, Preset M in the Performance mode often looks better than Preset K in the Quality mode. As a result, we particularly recommend DLSS 4.5 for third-person games that are more prone to disocclusion, especially those with dense foliage.
To achieve these gains, there are some visual trade-offs. Overall image stability, particularly for fine detail, is more of a sidegrade relative to DLSS 4, and there are configurations where DLSS 4.5 stability is worse than the previous model.
Lighting quality is improved, but this can introduce flicker. Some textures are more prone to moiré patterns, and the oversharpened look in certain games can lead to increased grain during motion. These issues are why we would not describe DLSS 4.5 Performance mode as a universal replacement for DLSS 4 Quality. There are cases where it clearly wins despite the lower render resolution, and others where it does not.
Even so, in most games the benefits of the new model outweigh these drawbacks, making DLSS 4.5 our pick for the best overall image quality. On RTX 50 and RTX 40 series GPUs, we recommend using Preset M in most scenarios, as the performance hit relative to Preset K is relatively small.
While Nvidia suggests using the new model primarily for Performance mode and Preset K for higher-quality modes, in many games we are happy to accept a 5-10% performance hit and use Preset M even with DLSS Quality, as it generally delivers a better image.
DLSS 4.5 also makes lower upscaling modes more viable than ever.
DLSS 4.5 also makes lower upscaling modes more viable than ever. DLSS 4 already performed well in modes like 4K Performance or 1440p Balanced, but there has traditionally been hesitation to use anything below Quality due to poor results in earlier generations.
With DLSS 4.5, this concern is largely gone. 4K Performance is now extremely usable with strong image quality in motion, and even 1440p Performance holds up reasonably well, though we would personally still favor Balanced.
When factoring in both image quality improvements and performance cost, DLSS 4.5 is a net positive on the latest GPUs. The performance hit is modest in many configurations, and if it does become an issue, it can often be offset by dropping to a lower upscaling mode – confident in the knowledge that DLSS 4.5 handles lower internal resolutions better than ever.
For owners of RTX 20 and RTX 30 series GPUs, the value proposition is less clear. We are seeing performance losses of at least 10% when enabling DLSS 4.5 in the same mode, and in worst-case scenarios Quality upscaling can even run slower than native rendering.
For owners of RTX 20 and RTX 30 series GPUs, the value proposition is less clear. We are seeing performance losses of at least 10% when enabling DLSS 4.5 in the same mode, and in worst-case scenarios Quality upscaling can even run slower than native rendering.
DLSS 4.5 may still be useful despite this, but the balance between performance and visual improvement is far less favorable than on newer architectures. Fortunately, DLSS 4 Preset K continues to deliver excellent results in many games.
One final point to note is that DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution is not currently compatible with Ray Reconstruction. When Ray Reconstruction is enabled, a combined model is used that also handles Super Resolution, but this model is still based on DLSS 4. In games with heavy ray tracing, overall image quality will likely be better using Ray Reconstruction with DLSS 4-level upscaling rather than DLSS 4.5 without it.
Next, we’ll be taking a look at how DLSS 4.5 compares to FSR 4 using these same examples, so stay tuned. For now, that wraps up this investigation.