NVIDIA announced at GDC the release of DLSS 5 this fall, introducing a real-time neural rendering model that "enrichs pixels with photorealistic lighting and materials." It also announced the release with a video:

 

 

Awesome!

..apart from the fact you need 2x 5090's to run it

2 hours ago, kevinfirth said:

..apart from the fact you need 2x 5090's to run it

 

Maybe SLI will make a comeback, for those who can splash out mega-bucks?

 

"Based on initial reports and demonstrations of NVIDIA's DLSS 5 (appearing in 2026 as an "AI-Powered Breakthrough" update), the technology is expected to be more resource-intensive and power-hungry than previous versions, especially when utilizing high-performance modes like 6x Multi Frame Generation. 

 

Key Takeaways regarding DLSS 5 Power/Resource Consumption:

• Increased Compute Usage: The updated AI model in this iteration uses significantly more compute power to enhance image quality and stability.
• Higher Power Draw: Testing on similar, highly advanced versions (like DLSS 4.5/5 previews) has indicated roughly a 5% increase in power draw from the GPU.
• High-End Focused: Demonstrations for DLSS 5 were captured using high-end systems (e.g., dual RTX 5090s), indicating it is designed to leverage top-tier hardware.
• VRAM Overhead: New transformer models used in these advanced iterations require higher VRAM, with estimates of up to 50% more VRAM needed at high resolutions to handle the increased stability. 
   

Why it's more Power Hungry:
DLSS 5 is not simply an "fps-booster" but acts more like a real-time lighting and detail rendering engine. While it reduces the load on traditional rendering by creating frames, the Tensor cores are working harder to analyze more complex scene information (characters, materials, and lighting) for enhanced fidelity. 

 

Is it worth it?
Although it increases power consumption, the technology aims to provide superior image quality, better sharpness, and reduced artifacts (like ghosting) that often plague lower-tier upscaling, making the trade-off worthwhile for those looking for maximum fidelity, especially on RTX 50-series hardware. "

 

Wowza, looks incredible.  Too bad it sounds like the rest of technology needs to catch up to it.

Bottom line, I'll never be able to afford it.☹️ 

In this video, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang responds to a reporter who asked him what he thought of the criticism raised after the announcement of the release of DLSS 5 this fall: