RTX 4090 gameplay benchmarks with DLSS 3
As mentioned earlier, we tested eight games on maximum quality settings at various resolutions to see how things played. To say DLSS 3 impresses would be an understatement. Both in 4K or 1440p, the results surpassed even my expectations.
Before specific games come into play, here is some quick data from synthetic benchmarks of the RTX 4090 Founders Edition to get an idea of general performance. Using 3DMark’s DLSS feature test, both 1440p and 4K were tested. At 4K resolution, the benchmark averaged a framerate of 56.7 fps with DLSS 3 off. Turning it on increased the result to 190.4 fps. For 1440p, the test averaged 113.5 fps without DLSS 3, and more than doubled to 288.9 fps with DLSS 3 enabled. The other 3DMark test we ran was Time Spy to get an idea of general DirectX 12 performance. Testing at 4K averaged 117.5 fps, while 1440p averaged 233.8 fps.
Cyberpunk 2077 is a game with particularly demanding requirements. We tested the in-game benchmark with maximum settings including maxed-out ray tracing. At 4K resolution with DLSS off, it measured an average framerate of 75.7 fps with 1% lows of 45.5 fps. With DLSS 3 on, performance doubled with an average of 154.6 fps with 1% lows of 116.8 fps. At 1440p, the results were a degree better with an average of 89.9 fps. With DLSS 3 on, the game averaged 186.9 fps.
Click to enlarge. (Image credit: PC Invasion).
Moving on to another demanding title, Microsoft Flight Simulator is one of the most hardware-demanding games released over the last few years. It’s one of those games where if you don’t even have a moderately powerful computer, you’re going to have issues getting the best performance from it. With the RTX 4090, that’s no concern. To test the card, we loaded into the game’s Sydney landing challenge. At 4K max settings, DLSS 3 saw a performance jump from an average framerate of 51.6 fps to 101.9 fps. At 1440p, the frames went from 76.4 fps to 124 fps.
The Unreal Engine 5: Lyra — a third-person sample game to showcase Unreal Engine 5Â — performance with DLSS 3 frame generation and reflex enabled reached 161.6 fps with 1% lows of 116.0 fps. Turning DLSS 3 off entirely dropped the result to just 74.6 fps with 1% lows of 54.9 fps.
One brand new game with a pre-release build that included DLSS 3 for testing was A Plague Tale: Requiem. A short play session at 4K Ultra and 1440p Ultra settings highlighted drastically different results with DLSS 3 on and off. At 4K with DLSS off, the game averaged 73.2 fps with 1% lows of 52.4. Turning DLSS 3 on increased the average framerate to 168.0 fps with 1% lows of 134.7 fps. At 1440p, the numbers were even more impressive with DLSS 3 on. The game averaged 259.0 fps with 1% lows of 169.1. Turning DLSS 3 off at 1440p averaged 124.1 fps with 1% lows of 81.2 fps.
Click to enlarge. (Image credit: PC Invasion).
Moving on to racing games, the differences between DLSS 3 on and off were highly impressive in F1 22. At 4K Ultra with DLSS off, F1 22 averaged 90.3 fps. Turning it on netted a 2.3x boost to 210.3 fps in dry conditions. Framerates even improved while racing in the rain, albeit slightly lower with DLSS 3 enabled at 181.2 fps. In 1440p, F1 22 ran at 240.5 fps with DLSS 3 on, and 113.2 with it off. It makes an already fun game even more so.
RTX 4090 gameplay benchmarks without DLSS 3
The next thing you’re certainly wondering is how Nvidia’s RTX 4090 performs in popular games that do not support DLSS 3. After all, adding updated versions of DLSS to existing games costs development resources that not all developers can afford. Here’s a look at how the RTX 4090 handles other titles, and how it does with DLSS 2.
Forza Horizon 5, one of the best-looking games I’ve personally ever played, shines with the RTX 4090. The game hits an average of 128.2 fps at 4K and 154.1 fps at 1440p using the in-game benchmarking tool.
Click to enlarge. (Image credit: PC Invasion).
Fortnite didn’t have DLSS 3 support during testing, but it does have DLSS 2 which works fully with the RTX 4090. Playing the game without DLSS 2 enabled ran Fortnite at an average of 103.5 fps in 4K with max settings. Turning on DLSS 2 increased that average to 128.3 fps.
Another game that features DLSS, but not DLSS 3, is Farming Simulator 22. Like Fortnite, the game sees a good boost when going from DLSS off to turning it on. With DLSS off, framerates averaged 115.4 fps while it jumped to 192.6 fps once DLSS was enabled.
For clarity’s sake, we did play the Metal: Hellsinger demo and Overwatch 2 at 1080p. Performance was strong with framerates averaging 140 fps and 298 fps, respectively. Again, however, if you are buying this graphics card, you aren’t looking at playing at 1080p.
Click to enlarge. (Image credit: PC Invasion).
Thoughts on Reflex and ray tracing
The one drawback of DLSS and Nvidia’s Frame Generation functionality is that it adds latency. Nvidia offset this by integrating its low-latency Reflex tech to mitigate the added latency caused by DLSS 3. If you aren’t aware of what it is, Reflex reduces system latency by eliminating GPU render queue. It also reduces CPU back pressure in GPU-intensive scenes. Game developers do have to include support for the feature, but Reflex is becoming more commonplace in newer titles and in games which receive major updates.
In games like Fortnite and Apex Legends where it’s key to mitigate latency, there are clear benefits to enabling Nvidia Reflex. On average, we saw latency reductions of 15-20% when utilizing it. In the case of Fortnite specifically, the latency dropped from 49ms with it off to just 27ms with Nvidia Reflex enabled. That improvement alone gave me just enough time to continue to miss my shots and find myself eliminated. Overall, it’s something that, if it’s available, I highly recommend to competitive players.
Speaking of high recommendations, ray tracing is something that does wonders for the overall environment within your games. From the look of the city in Cyberpunk 2077 to the skies in Microsoft Flight Simulator, the beauty of what’s around you is something that you have to really see on your own machine to truly appreciate.
(Image credit: Cyberpunk 2077).
Nvidia RTX 4090 Founders Edition review verdict
From a performance perspective, there is nothing better on the market right now than the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090. DLSS 3 is a game-changer in supported titles, and even traditionally rendered games without DLSS support still exhibit great performance. Ray tracing also continues to improve the overall immersion within supported game. With the 4090, the feature finally delivers in ways expected from the beginning without compromising framerates. Like it was in the past, though, it shouldn’t be the major reason you look at this card. The major selling point is, and will be for quite some time, DLSS 3.
Whether playing in 4K or 1440p, every game with DLSS 3 shined with no issues whatsoever regarding playable framerates. Noticeable artifacts from generated frames also weren’t a problem in any situation tested. Gameplay is the smoothest I’ve personally ever had, and it really doesn’t matter the title. Even refresh rates from 144Hz to 240Hz are hit with ease.
Still, the $1,599 USD price point for the Founders Edition can’t be overlooked. It’s a major ask for any enthusiast to pay that much, and that’s just the MSRP. If you want to look for an AIB partner card, you’re going to be looking at paying even more. At least this time around, availability shouldn’t be as much of a problem.
Reviewer’s note: The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition was provided directly from Nvidia for review. As with any PC component, this graphics card is only as good as the parts around it. It’s strongly suggested that you pair a high-end PC with the RTX 4090 to avoid performance bottlenecks. See our review of the Intel i9-12900K for something that will pair well with the RTX 4090.
