Start with DLSS Quality if native rendering falls short of your frame-rate goal and you want to preserve detail. If Quality is not fast enough, try Balanced, then Performance. Choose DLAA when native-resolution performance is already sufficient and you want DLSS-based anti-aliasing instead of upscaling. The best choice still depends on the game, output resolution, GPU, performance target, and what visual compromises you notice.
Choose a starting mode based on your goal
DLSS is not one setting with one universal best value. Super Resolution modes trade some input resolution for performance headroom, while DLAA targets anti-aliasing at native resolution. Frame Generation and Ray Reconstruction address different parts of the image or display pipeline, so they should not be treated as substitutes for a Super Resolution mode.
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Use this as a starting decision, not a promise about a particular frame rate or image result. NVIDIA notes that DLSS options and their implementation vary substantially by game. The game’s own menu is the practical authority on which features and modes are available to you.
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| Option | When to try it | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| DLAA | Native-resolution performance is already adequate and image quality is the priority. | It applies DLSS technology for anti-aliasing at native input resolution; it is not an upscaling mode intended to recover performance by rendering fewer input pixels. |
| Quality | You want a performance lift while retaining more input detail than lower-resolution modes. | NVIDIA’s example input scaling is 67%. That is not a guaranteed performance gain. |
| Balanced | Quality mode does not meet your performance target, but image quality remains important. | Exact scaling and results depend on the game and its implementation. |
| Performance | You need more headroom and can accept less input detail. | NVIDIA’s example input scaling is 50%. The DLSS 4.5 model guidance says its improvement is most pronounced in this mode and Ultra Performance. |
| Ultra Performance | You are under severe performance pressure, particularly at a high output resolution. | NVIDIA’s example input scaling is 33%. With fewer input pixels to work from, reconstruction compromises may be more apparent, depending on game and scene. |
| Frame Generation or Multi Frame Generation | The game and GPU support the feature and you want to assess smoother displayed motion. | These features generate additional displayed frames; they are distinct from Super Resolution. Support varies by GPU generation. |
| Ray Reconstruction | A supported ray-traced game offers it and you want to evaluate its ray-traced image. | It targets ray-tracing denoising and reconstruction rather than general upscaling. |
What the modes change—and what the percentages mean
DLSS Super Resolution reconstructs a higher-resolution output from lower-resolution input using information across frames. It is the mode family to consider when you are trading some input detail for performance. At lower input resolutions the game renders fewer pixels before reconstruction, but that does not translate into a guaranteed FPS increase: the result depends on the game, its implementation, the GPU, and the rest of the system.
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NVIDIA’s NVIDIA App documentation gives these example input-resolution scaling values: Quality, 67%; Performance, 50%; Ultra Performance, 33%; and DLAA, 100%. NVIDIA App-supported overrides also allow a custom scaling value between 33% and 100%. These are input-resolution figures, not measurements of output image quality or performance. Balanced’s exact scaling is not stated in the cited guidance, so do not assume it has a particular percentage in every game.
DLAA is the important contrast. It uses DLSS technology for anti-aliasing while working at native input resolution. If you have enough performance at your display’s native output resolution, DLAA is an option to assess for image quality; it does not create the same kind of upscaling headroom as rendering from a lower resolution.
How to tune DLSS in a game
Because titles expose different options and implementations, there is no reliable universal menu path. Open the game’s graphics, display, or video settings and look for DLSS or upscaling controls; labels and locations are game-specific. Keep the display output at its native resolution as your baseline unless you have a specific reason to change it.
- Set a clear target. Decide whether the priority is a chosen frame-rate goal, preserving detail, or a balance. Without a goal, it is difficult to tell whether a setting is helping.
- Record a baseline. In the same game scene you will use for comparisons, note how native rendering looks and performs. A baseline makes it easier to judge the change rather than relying on memory.
- Try Quality first when you need headroom. Inspect the same view and movement before changing another option. If it meets your performance goal and its image looks acceptable to you, there is no need to move to a more aggressive mode.
- Step down only if necessary. If Quality misses your target, try Balanced, then Performance. Consider Ultra Performance only when you still need substantially more headroom and accept that reconstruction may be more noticeable.
- Change one control at a time. If you also change resolution, graphics quality, Frame Generation, or a model override, you will have a harder time identifying which change affected the result.
- Check still detail and motion. Compare fine detail, shimmer, and ghosting in the same scene, both at rest and while moving. Look at frame pacing as well as the displayed frame rate; a higher number alone does not establish that the experience looks or feels better.
- Keep the setting that meets your own trade-off. If an image looks too soft or unstable, step back toward Quality or, when performance allows at native resolution, DLAA. These are practical tuning steps based on the documented input-resolution trade-off, not a guarantee that every game will behave identically.
Choose a DLSS model override with care
Some games or NVIDIA App controls may expose Super Resolution model overrides. NVIDIA’s FAQ says the NVIDIA App’s “Recommended” preset maps Preset M to Performance, Preset L to Ultra Performance, and Preset K to the remaining Super Resolution modes. It also says Models M and L are supported in Quality, Balanced, and DLAA, but offer their strongest quality-performance benefits in Performance and Ultra Performance.
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NVIDIA further cautions that RTX 20 and RTX 30 Series GPUs lack native FP8 support, so Models M and L carry a larger performance impact on those generations; NVIDIA says users on those cards may prefer Model K. Treat this as vendor guidance, not a guarantee that one model is best in every title or on every system. Model behavior and recommendations can change with software releases, and an override is useful only if the game and your NVIDIA App configuration expose it.
NVIDIA’s DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution announcement says its newer model improves image quality across modes, with the largest improvement in Performance and Ultra Performance, where fewer pixels are rendered. That describes where NVIDIA says the improvement is most pronounced; it does not establish that those modes look best in every game. If your game supports a model override, compare it in the same scene rather than assuming the recommendation will match your preference.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use Frame Generation and Ray Reconstruction for their own jobs
Frame Generation
Super Resolution reconstructs the rendered frame from lower-resolution input. Frame Generation creates additional displayed frames. Since they do different jobs, first choose a Super Resolution mode that gives you an acceptable balance of input detail and performance, then assess Frame Generation separately if it is available.
NVIDIA says its Frame Generation works with Reflex. When deciding whether to use it, consider responsiveness and generated-frame smoothness separately, especially in games where input latency matters. Do not treat a smoother-looking stream of displayed frames as proof that controls will feel more responsive. Multi Frame Generation availability, like other frame-generation variants, is narrower than general DLSS support and depends on the GPU generation and game.
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Ray Reconstruction
Ray Reconstruction is relevant when a supported game offers it for ray-traced scenes. NVIDIA describes it as replacing traditional denoisers with an AI reconstruction approach. It is a ray-tracing image-quality control, not another name for Quality, Balanced, or Performance Super Resolution. Evaluate it independently in the ray-traced scene you care about, and avoid attributing every visible change to the upscaling mode if you changed both controls at once.
Check compatibility before looking for a missing option
DLSS is an RTX technology, but support differs by GPU generation and feature. NVIDIA’s current overview lists Super Resolution and DLAA support across RTX 20, 30, 40, and 50 Series, while frame-generation variants have narrower generation support. A compatible RTX card therefore does not guarantee that every DLSS feature appears in every game.
- Check the game’s own graphics menu for the feature and modes it actually supports.
- Confirm GPU-generation support for the specific feature, particularly Frame Generation or Multi Frame Generation.
- Distinguish an unavailable game feature from a setting that is simply named or placed differently in that title.
- Use NVIDIA’s current compatibility notes when confirming a specific combination; feature support can change with software and game releases.
A particular preset cannot be responsibly prescribed without knowing the game, GPU, output resolution, performance target, and visual preference. For a useful default, keep native output resolution, use Quality when native rendering misses your target, and move toward Balanced or Performance only if you need more headroom. If native performance is already adequate, test DLAA instead of expecting an upscaling mode to improve performance.
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