Does DLSS 4 work on RTX 30 and RTX 40 cards?

What you need

• A GeForce RTX GPU — none of DLSS runs on GTX cards
• GeForce Game Ready Driver 595.97 WHQL or newer for DLSS 4.5 features
• The current NVIDIA app, which is where the DLSS overrides live
• A game that supports DLSS at all — overrides upgrade the model a game already uses, they do not add DLSS to a game without it
• For Multi Frame Generation of any multiplier: a GeForce RTX 50 Series GPU

Supported on

• RTX 20 Series — DLSS Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction and DLAA on the transformer model, via the NVIDIA app override
• RTX 30 Series — the same as the 20 Series; no Frame Generation of any kind
• RTX 40 Series — everything the 30 Series gets, plus the upgraded single-frame Frame Generation model and Smooth Motion
• RTX 50 Series — all of the above, plus Multi Frame Generation including the 6X multiplier and Dynamic Multi Frame Generation

Limitations

• Multi Frame Generation, in every multiplier including 6X, is RTX 50 Series only. NVIDIA has not extended it to earlier generations.
• Dynamic Multi Frame Generation — the mode that varies the multiplier to hit your refresh rate — is also RTX 50 Series only.
• RTX 20 and 30 Series GPUs have no native FP8 support, so the newest Super Resolution models cost them more performance than they cost a 40 or 50 Series card. The feature works; the trade is worse.
• Dynamic Multi Frame Generation does not work alongside frame rate limiters or V-Sync. If you cap frames or run V-Sync, that mode is off the table even on a 50 Series card.
• The NVIDIA app overrides only reach games that already ship DLSS. A game with no DLSS integration gets nothing from them.
• Smooth Motion is the fallback for titles with no DLSS Frame Generation, and it reaches RTX 40 and 50 Series only. RTX 20 and 30 owners have no frame-insertion option.
• The latency improvement NVIDIA advertises for DLSS 4 rests partly on hardware Flip Metering in the RTX 50 Series display engine, which older cards do not have.

How to set it up

1. Update the driver first. DLSS 4.5 features need GeForce Game Ready Driver 595.97 WHQL or newer.
2. Update the NVIDIA app. The overrides are an app feature, not a driver setting, and an out-of-date app will not show them.
3. Open the NVIDIA app and go to Graphics > Global Settings to apply DLSS overrides across every compatible game at once, rather than setting each title individually.
4. Turn on the transformer model for Super Resolution and Ray Reconstruction. This is the part every RTX card gets, and on older cards it is the whole benefit.
5. On an RTX 40 Series card, also enable the latest Frame Generation model — NVIDIA's upgrade reduces VRAM use as well as raising performance.
6. On an RTX 40 or 50 Series card, consider Smooth Motion for games that have no DLSS Frame Generation. It works on DirectX 11, DirectX 12 and Vulkan titles, with or without upscaling.
7. If you are on a 50 Series card and Dynamic Multi Frame Generation refuses to engage, check for a frame cap or V-Sync — it is incompatible with both.
8. Benchmark the same scene before and after on a 20 or 30 Series card. Without FP8 support the newest models are heavier, and the sharper image may not be worth the frame rate on your card.

Known problems

• Multi Frame Generation options appear greyed out or absent on RTX 40 and earlier cards. This is the intended behaviour, not a bug.
• Dynamic Multi Frame Generation silently does nothing when a frame rate limiter or V-Sync is active.
• Frame rates drop after enabling the transformer Super Resolution model on an RTX 20 or 30 Series card, because those GPUs lack native FP8.
• Global overrides have no effect in a specific game, because the game has no DLSS integration for the override to upgrade.
• Stuttering after a driver update can look like a DLSS problem when it is not. · how to fix it

Alternatives

• Smooth Motion: For RTX 40 and 50 owners, it inserts a frame at the driver level in games with no DLSS Frame Generation — the closest thing to frame generation that does not need game support.
• DLAA instead of upscaling: On a card that is comfortably fast enough at native resolution, DLAA applies the same transformer model as anti-aliasing rather than as an upscaler. Available on every RTX GPU.
• Stay on the older DLSS model: On RTX 20 and 30 Series cards the newest models are more expensive to run. The previous model is often the better balance of image quality and frame rate on those GPUs.