New Tests Show DLSS 4.5 Delivers Better Image Quality Than Native Resolution in Some Games

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The Performance Does Take A Hit Though!

Story Highlight
  • Testing shows DLSS 4.5 provides better quality than native in Cyberpunk and RDR 2. 
  • The image quality is much sharper and better, providing a huge upgrade over DLSS 4.
  • However, the performance does take a hit, as DLSS 4 provides better FPS. 

When the upscaling technologies like DLSS and FSR were first introduced, they were treated more like a liability because, yes, they did improve performance, but at a severe cost to picture quality. That has now significantly changed.

Years later, we are at a point where upscaling tech has become so much better that the quality is indistinguishable from the native resolution. In fact, testing shows that DLSS 4.5 delivers better quality than native in some titles. 

Why it matters: Since upscaling is now a basic demand for almost every AAA title, it needed to be significantly improved. Nvidia seems to have just done that with the latest iteration of its DLSS technology. 

MxBenchmarks tested Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2 on RTX 5080 at different resolutions and settings, and surprisingly, in certain cases, DLSS 4.5 provided much better quality than native resolution. 

In Cyberpunk 2077, the image quality between DLSS 4 and DLSS 4.5 is a night-and-day difference. There were cases of blurred textures and smearing during motion that have been fixed with DLSS 4.5. 

The lighting and sharpness even feel better than native resolution in most cases. The difference is even more noticeable in Red Dead Redemption 2, where everything looks much sharper, brighter, and overall better than native.

The image quality is certainly improved, but that does come at a cost of performance. In both titles, we can see that DLSS 4 clearly has higher FPS in almost every scenario. So, it ultimately depends on the user.

What are your thoughts on DLSS 4.5 providing better quality than native resolution? Let us know your opinions in the comments or join the discussion at the official Tech4Gamers Forum.

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