Can Nvidia’s RTX 5070 really deliver RTX 4090 performance for $549?

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang made a bold declare onstage astatine CES earlier this week erstwhile he was introducing the next-generation RTX 50-series GPUs. “The RTX 5070, 4090 capacity astatine $549,” said Huang. It’s a declare that’s been echoed connected YouTube, TikTok, and societal media networks and has generated a statement complete the RTX 50 bid and DLSS 4’s Multi Frame Generation.

So, tin a $549 RTX 5070 really present the aforesaid level of capacity arsenic a $1,5999 RTX 4090? The reply is yes and no, and it each comes down to a “fake frames” statement astir DLSS Frame Generation that mightiness not moreover beryllium a large problem for a batch of PC gamers.

Nvidia’s large RTX 5070 declare is each based connected its latest procreation of DLSS. “Impossible without artificial intelligence,” admits Huang aft promising that the RTX 5070 tin present RTX 4090 levels of performance. DLSS 4 has a caller Multi Frame Generation technique that tin dress up to 3 further frames per each traditionally rendered frame.

Some PC gamers person agelong based on that this technique, which Nvidia introduced primitively pinch DLSS 3, is simply “fake frames” and not reflective of the existent rasterization capacity of GPUs that we’ve been utilized to for decades.

“Using neural rendering and DLSS 4 we tin scope capacity levels [on an RTX 5070] that were only imaginable pinch an RTX 4090,” explains Lars Weinand, a elder method merchandise head astatine Nvidia, successful a briefing pinch The Verge. “This does not mean that the RTX 5070 tin hit an RTX 4090 successful each azygous measurement and successful each azygous configuration.”

When Nvidia says capacity levels, it intends framework rates: really galore still images it tin nonstop to your surface that adhd up to a moving image — alternatively than whether that moving image looks the aforesaid quality. Nvidia has already shown what DLSS 4 is tin of successful games for illustration Cyberpunk 2077, boosting framework rates from DLSS 3.5 astatine 142fps to 243fps — a large leap from the 27fps without DLSS enabled.

“In games for illustration Cyberpunk 2077 aliases Alan Wake 2, you tin lucifer capacity numbers [on an RTX 5070] utilizing DLSS 4 compared to an RTX 4090 utilizing only DLSS 3.5 Frame Generation,” says Weinand. “This is what the declare is based on, you spot capacity levels that were only earlier imaginable pinch an RTX 4090, but of course, that doesn’t mean that successful each azygous configuration and graphics mounting that you mightiness prime that you will person the akin performance.”

As expected, you’re simply not going to spot RTX 4090 levels of axenic rasterization capacity connected an RTX 5070. It’s really each down to seeing a quality successful games that support DLSS 4. As a result, Nvidia’s declare has reignited the “fake frames” debate. This each started erstwhile Nvidia first announced DLSS 3 Frame Generation, which useful by utilizing an algorithm to insert an further framework aft 2 successive images successful bid to soft retired activity successful games and summation framework rates.

In DLSS 3, Nvidia generates a caller image utilizing Frame Generation each clip a caller image is rendered, allowing the GPU to usage its afloat powerfulness to render regular frames and DLSS to utilize dedicated Tensor cores to boost framework rates and image quality.

With DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation, Nvidia is now capable to dress up to 3 further frames per each traditionally rendered frame. That intends framework rates tin beryllium up to 8x much than accepted rendering. Nvidia has besides switched to a caller transformer exemplary for DLSS 4, which it says will make its framework procreation exemplary 40 percent faster and usage 30 percent little VRAM. 

There’s still a batch to study astir DLSS 4, but during a Q&A convention astatine CES, Huang said that DLSS 4 “predicts the future” alternatively than “interpolating the past.” That intends the other 2 frames that are generated by DLSS 4 won’t adhd a immense magnitude of latency to the experience.

Digital Foundry found that DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation has smoother framework times contempt adding 2 further frames compared to the existing Frame Generation. It besides recovered that location is astir an further 6ms for the Multi Frame Generation on the RTX 5080, connected apical of the existing Frame Generation recovered connected the RTX 40 series.

“The latency is very mini that we’re adding pinch Multi Frame Generation,” says Weinand. “With the GPU pacing that we’re doing, we make judge that frames are being displayed astatine a very moreover pace.”

Input latency, aliases the measurement a crippled feels, is very important successful galore games, and the results of DLSS 4 will dangle connected your input framework rate. DLSS 4 doesn’t look to lick the rumor of a 27fps crippled still emotion for illustration slow erstwhile DLSS Super Resolution is involved, moreover if Multi Frame Generation tin much than 8x the framework complaint to 243fps. That’s been 1 of the main drawbacks of DLSS Frame Generation truthful acold — that though a crippled tin look visually smoother acknowledgment to the further frames, it still feels slower than if it were really rendering astatine precocious framework rates. A batch of group mightiness not moreover announcement the input latency, but if you’re acquainted pinch the emotion of dropping from 240fps to 60fps aliases moreover 30fps, past you astir apt will.

I deliberation the “fake frames” statement really only matters erstwhile these technologies are impacting latency and image value aliases the crippled still feels slow contempt the other generated frames. More games are starting to get afloat ray-tracing support to make them look dramatically different, but it’s difficult to play them without DLSS Frame Generation connected moreover the champion GPUs. There’s a tradeoff present wherever group mightiness not mind “fake frames” if they’re getting acold amended visuals.

So overmuch of modern gaming is already “fake,” and it has been for years. Rendering itself is each astir the tricks, shortcuts, and optimizations that developers usage to nutrient thing that looks for illustration reality. DLSS 4 gives developers yet different instrumentality to execute image quality, lighting effects, aliases gameplay that we wouldn’t person thought was imaginable until recently.

For years, we’ve been playing games connected consoles that aren’t astatine autochthonal resolution, pinch developers utilizing a assortment of different rendering techniques to dynamically set resolution, image quality, and more. Nvidia is making it clear pinch DLSS 4 that the early of PC gaming will impact AI-powered rendering techniques, and it’s thing some Sony and AMD are leaning into pinch a PlayStation partnership and AMD’s latest FSR 4 upscaling. Some PC gamers might not like “fake frames,” but it’s clear they’re very overmuch present to stay.