The Tool Desk
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What each option changes
Native resolution
With native rendering, the game renders at the selected output resolution rather than using DLSS Super Resolution to reconstruct an image from a lower-resolution input. It is the straightforward choice when performance meets your needs and you prefer its image to the alternatives. Native resolution does not guarantee a particular frame rate; results vary with the game and hardware.
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DLSS Super Resolution
Super Resolution renders from a lower-resolution input and uses motion data and information from prior frames to reconstruct higher-resolution output. NVIDIA describes it as a performance-oriented feature; that is the vendor’s description, not an independent comparison of image quality or performance. Availability depends on both the game and the specific DLSS feature supported by your GPU. See NVIDIA’s DLSS overview and DLSS hardware compatibility information.
Lower graphics settings
Reducing a demanding graphics setting can improve performance while retaining native output resolution. The cost in image quality and the performance benefit vary by game and setting, so there is no reliably universal setting to lower first. Change one setting at a time and compare.
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DLAA and Frame Generation are separate options
DLAA uses DLSS technology at native resolution for image quality and anti-aliasing; it is not the same as Super Resolution’s performance-oriented upscaling. Frame Generation is different from both: it generates additional displayed frames rather than reconstructing higher-resolution output from a lower-resolution input. NVIDIA says Frame Generation works with Reflex, but generated frames should not be treated as equivalent to additional natively rendered frames or assumed to improve responsiveness in every case. See NVIDIA’s Frame Generation information.
Choose by comparing the same scene
- Check resolution and support. Confirm the game’s output resolution and which DLSS features it offers. Then check whether your GPU generation supports the specific feature; DLSS capabilities are not identical across all GeForce RTX cards.
- Establish your native baseline. Play or benchmark a representative scene at the intended output resolution with native rendering. Decide whether its performance is smooth enough for your own use. There is no universal FPS threshold established for this decision.
- Try Super Resolution if needed. If native performance falls short, enable DLSS Super Resolution and compare the same scene, camera angle, and movement. Look closely at fine detail and any artifacts, especially while the view is moving.
- Adjust settings if the reconstruction is not acceptable. Return to native rendering if you prefer its image, then reduce one demanding setting and recheck performance and visual impact. Keep the change only if the tradeoff works for you.
- Consider DLAA when image quality is the priority. If the game offers DLAA and you have performance headroom, try it at native resolution for its image-quality and anti-aliasing approach.
- Evaluate Frame Generation separately. If available, compare it as its own feature. It does not replace the Super Resolution decision, and generated frames are not the same as frames rendered natively by the GPU.
What to judge in your comparison
- Performance: Does each option meet your own smoothness target in the games and scenes you actually play?
- Clarity in motion: Inspect fine detail and look for reconstruction artifacts while moving the camera, not only in a still image.
- Output resolution: Keep the game’s output resolution aligned with your display when comparing rendering options; Super Resolution changes the rendering input and reconstruction, not the intended output resolution.
- Setting tradeoffs: Note what each reduced setting changes visually and whether the performance gain is worthwhile in that game.
- Compatibility: Verify support for the particular feature in both the game and GPU rather than assuming every RTX card and game offers the same DLSS options.
Official descriptions explain how NVIDIA says these features work, but they do not establish an independent image-quality or latency ranking across games and GPU configurations. Performance and visual results depend on the game, implementation, hardware, output resolution, DLSS mode, scene, and player preference.
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