Nvidia's October DLSS 5 update doubles model speed, cuts 4K VRAM use by 20%
Nvidia announced an October update to its DLSS 5 neural-rendering model that it says is twice as fast as the current version, a roughly 10x gain since the technology was first shown in March. The company says the model is 24% smaller at about 118 million parameters and uses 20% less VRAM at 4K, halving GPU overhead versus the September release at comparable visual fidelity. Nvidia claims frame-rate gains of up to 1.4x, while TechRadar cites its NBA 2K27 testing showing 30% to 40% improvements. The new model debuts in NBA 2K27 on October 16 and runs on RTX 50-series GPUs, RTX Spark laptops and GeForce NOW; Hogwarts Legacy gets support on November 5, with Where Winds Meet described as coming in the near future. Nvidia also introduced a faster Frame Generation performance mode called Preset C, which replaces the AI model used for optical flow with a lighter algorithm and is claimed to be up to 35% faster on the RTX 5060, though Nvidia acknowledges minor image-quality trade-offs and TechRadar reports some users see added glitching. The Verge notes that DLSS 5's facial changes in Hogwarts Legacy appear far more subtle than in the March preview.
By Nvidia's account, the update halves GPU overhead versus the September build at comparable fidelity, addressing criticism that DLSS 5's performance cost was too high.
Nvidia has today announced that its somewhat controversial DLSS 5 technology — AI-powered neural rendering for gaming — is now two times faster than the current model, marking a 10x performance leap since March. The model is also now smaller and uses up to 20% less VRAM.
Nvidia says it has achieved this through a combination of "systematic pipeline optimizations and neural model refinements." As mentioned, the latest performance jump over the current model is a 2x leap, which means that the transformation DLSS applies to games through lighting and beyond will now run at higher frame rates or more intense settings.
Nvidia says the DLSS 5 October update shrinks the overall DLSS 5 model's footprint by nearly a quarter to 118 million parameters, and reduces VRAM usage at 4K by 20%. As such, the company claims that at similar visual fidelity, the GPU overhead versus the September model has been halved. Elsewhere, Nvidia says the change can boost frame rates by up to 1.4x.
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