DLSS 5 The smaller neural model improves performance across RTX 50 graphics cards, but heavy FPS losses and visual problems remain.
DLSS has traditionally promised higher frame rates. DLSS 5’s neural renderer works differently. Rather than simply upscaling an image or generating extra frames, it applies AI lighting and material effects after the game has rendered its frame. That additional processing consumes GPU time, sometimes cutting performance in half.
NVIDIA’s October update aims to reduce that cost. In its October 13 GeForce announcement, the company confirmed that it shrank the AI model by 24% to roughly 118 million parameters. The updated model also uses 20% less video memory at 4K while cutting neural processing time nearly in half.
NBA 2K27 received the revised model on October 16. Hardware Unboxed’s Tim Schiesser, writing for TechSpot, tested it across 7 RTX 50 graphics cards: the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5070, RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, RTX 5060 and RTX 5050. Relevant comparisons used DLSS Quality upscaling without relying on Multi Frame Generation. His benchmarks found average neural rendering speed improvements of 83% at 4K and 94% at 1440p. Yet the feature still imposes substantial frame rate penalties.
RTX 5080 Gains Performance but Still Loses 58% of Its Frames
At 4K, the RTX 5080 jumped from 53 FPS with the original model to 78 FPS after the update. However, NBA 2K27 ran at 185 FPS with neural rendering disabled. Turning on the improved model still reduced performance by 58%.
The RTX 5070 showed similar limitations at 1440p. Performance improved from 67 FPS with the original model to approximately 100 FPS, but the game reached 217 FPS without neural rendering. Meanwhile, the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB managed just 35 FPS at 4K, compared with 95 FPS when the feature was disabled.
Why Faster AI Processing Still Means Lower FPS
On the RTX 5080 at 4K, the original neural rendering pass required 13.7 milliseconds per frame. The October update reduced that to 7.4 milliseconds.
A game running at 185 FPS spends roughly 5.4 milliseconds producing each frame. Adding the updated AI pass brings the total close to 12.8 milliseconds, explaining the drop to approximately 78 FPS.
Hardware Unboxed also calculated performance using a hypothetical 120 FPS baseline, equivalent to 8.33 milliseconds per frame. Applying the measured AI overhead across the 7 GPUs produced average estimated losses of 58% at 4K and 39% at 1440p. The previous model caused losses of 71% and 54%, respectively.
Visual Problems Remain Despite the Speed Improvements
The faster model has not resolved several visual problems in NBA 2K27. Arena lighting still flickers, while player faces can become darker or unusually glossy as the broadcast camera pulls away. The neural renderer also produces noticeable halos around moving characters.
“What we really need to see from DLSS 5 is performance and visual quality improving simultaneously,” said Tim Schiesser of Hardware Unboxed.
Some enthusiasts have manually swapped updated DLSS 5 .dll files into unsupported games, reporting weaker shadows and reflections. However, those modifications lack the developer tuning used in official integrations, making their visual results less reliable.
Upcoming Games Will Test NVIDIA’s Improvements
Hogwarts Legacy will add the updated model on November 5, followed by Where Winds Meet later in November. Their outdoor environments should help establish whether the lighting problems extend beyond NBA 2K27‘s indoor arenas.
NVIDIA has made neural rendering considerably faster, but the RTX 5080 still drops from 185 FPS to 78 FPS at 4K. Losing 107 FPS to an optional lighting feature remains a steep price, especially when visible artifacts persist. For players who prioritize smooth gameplay and low latency, leaving DLSS 5 neural rendering disabled is still the smartest call.
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Anup Singh is an independent technology journalist and content writer covering Apple, Android, AI, laptops, gaming, and the consumer tech industry. He focuses on delivering factual, well researched, and easy to understand reporting while explaining how new technologies impact everyday users.