More "fake frames" are headed to NVIDIA RTX 50-series GPUs — DLSS 4.5 also updates Super Resolution with stunning effect

NVIDIA RTX 5090 DLSS 4.5
NVIDIA has announced DLSS 4.5 at CES 2026. (Image credit: NVIDIA | Edited with Gemini)

You might not be able to afford or even find an NVIDIA GPU for sale in 2026 due to severe, AI-caused hardware shortages and rumors of production downturns, but that isn't stopping Team Green from forging ahead with its next version of DLSS.

MORE CES 2026

A badge that says "Windows Central CES 2026" on top of a blurred convention center background.

(Image credit: Windows Central (Edited with Gemini))

• Start: Tuesday, January 6, 2026
End: Friday, January 9, 2026
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
• More info: CES 2026

Available today for all NVIDIA RTX GPUs is a second-gen Transformer Super Resolution model with promises of far better image quality. The second-gen Transformer model is significantly heavier than the first-gen model, offering five times the compute power.

How will that affect performance? NVIDIA says that the use of FP8 acceleration on Ada and Blackwell GeForce cards balances it to the point that there is only a minor performance difference compared to the first-gen model.

In the examples provided by NVIDIA, the new DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution looks incredible. Increased temporal stability provides finer details in background and foreground scenes, ghosting is significantly reduced, and anti-aliasing looks better than ever, reducing jagged edges in moving scenes.

The second-gen Transformer model is debuting with two new model presets that you can select as you please. Model M is best suited for general compatibility, while Model L is better if you're gaming at 4K with Ultra settings enabled.

Although it's available on all RTX cards, the older Ampere and Turing generations can't take advantage of FP8 hardware acceleration. It will be interesting to see how it performs without.

The second half of the DLSS 4.5 announcement is all about Multi Frame Generation (MFG), and it's limited to the latest RTX 50-series Blackwell GPUs.

I admit I was skeptical of these AI-generated "fake frames" when they were first revealed at CES 2025, but once I actually got to test out the magic on an RTX 5070 Ti, I was hooked.

Whereas DLSS 4 allowed for up to 4x MFG, DLSS 4.5 pushes it to 6x. NVIDIA is targeting 240Hz+ refresh rates with this new tech, and that's with Path Tracing enabled at 4K.

There's also something called Dynamic Multi Frame Generation that NVIDIA likens to a car's automatic transmission. You can set a target framerate (like the native refresh rate of your monitor, and Dynamic MFG will only create extra frames when required. Very cool.

MFG 6x and Dynamic MFG are not expected to arrive until Spring 2026. However, DLSS 4.5 and its improved Super Resolution are available now via the NVIDIA app for more than 400 games.

NVIDIA G-Sync Pulsar wants to do away with motion blur completely

Another new announcement for PC gamers, especially those in the competitive esports scene, is NVIDIA G-Sync Pulsar.

Headed into a range of new 27-inch QHD 360Hz monitors starting at $599 on January 7, G-Sync Pulsar is said to increase motion clarity by up to four times compared to a regular picture. With VRR (variable refresh rate) enabled, it will look and feel like you're gaming at a refresh rate higher than 1,000Hz.

These monitors can automatically adjust brightness and contrast based on the ambient lighting around you, further helping with clarity and reducing eye strain.

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Have you accepted that "fake frames" are the future of PC gaming? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments section below!


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Cale Hunt
Contributor

Cale Hunt brings to Windows Central more than nine years of experience writing about laptops, PCs, accessories, games, and beyond. If it runs Windows or in some way complements the hardware, there’s a good chance he knows about it, has written about it, or is already busy testing it.

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