To mark the launch of DLSS 5 technology, Nvidia released performance charts highlighting record-breaking figures for its RTX 5000 series. According to the data provided, the RTX 5090 reference card can reach up to 370 frames per second (FPS) in certain scenarios. Of course, a careful reading of these statistics shows that this performance relies heavily on interpolation techniques rather than increased raw rendering power.
Most Frames Generated by AI
The official tests presented by the American tech giant rely on the use of 6x Multi-Frame Generation (MFG) mode, combined with AI-powered upscaling. In this mode, for every frame actually rendered by the graphics processor, five additional frames are interpolated by the algorithm. Thus, of the 370 FPS advertised for the RTX 5090 at 4K resolution, only 62 frames correspond to traditional rendering, while 308 frames are generated by artificial intelligence.
This breakdown varies depending on the resolution and the preset used. In Full HD (1080p), the card renders approximately 62 frames per second, which is consistent with the six-fold increase needed to reach the advertised 370 FPS. In contrast, at WQHD (1440p), the number of frames actually rendered drops to 98 per second to reach the advertised 260 FPS. The RTX 5080, meanwhile, is limited to 68 rendered frames per second in this configuration.
Limited Test Conditions
It’s important to note that these figures do not necessarily reflect the user experience in all games. The tests presented by Nvidia use NBA 2K27, a game with predictable movements and a fixed camera, which is ideal for interpolation. For games with free-roaming cameras or open-world environments, latency and frame rate may vary. Additionally, no official benchmarks compare these results with DLSS 5 disabled, making it difficult to assess the actual performance loss caused by the technology.
It is also noted that 6x mode is reserved for Blackwell-series graphics cards and displays with very high refresh rates (240 Hz and above). For users with standard monitors, DLSS 4.5’s 4x mode remains the standard. Finally, the advertised performance figures are maximum values; independent tests show that enabling these features can significantly reduce the native frame rate in other titles, such as *Control*, where a 50% drop was observed on an RTX 5070 Ti.
Until more comprehensive independent tests are available—including latency measurements and comparisons without AI—these figures remain an indication of the RTX 5090’s theoretical ability to render images, but not of its ability to compute them. Beyond the controversies, we’ve already noted here that Nvidia’s approach strikes us as interesting and that we shouldn’t get bogged down in these debates over “true performance,” when the user experience is the only thing that should matter.