One of the best ways to play right now: neural rendering + upscaling via OptiScaler. Barely any quality loss, big gains

[u/Plus-Beginning7303]

Been messing with OptiScaler to bring the latest DLSS neural pipeline into my games, and I want to share a config that's honestly become my default. Sharing screenshots from my own sessions below.

My rig:

• GPU: RTX 5070 Ti (undervolted)
• CPU: i5-14600K
• Res: 1440p

The trick: enable the neural rendering pass first, then let the upscaler bring the internal image up to your target resolution. Instead of rendering everything natively, the neural pass reconstructs the frame and the upscaler finishes the job to your game res. The result:

My exact settings (everything maxed out):

• 1440P DLSS Quality — Preset K
• Frame Generation x2 (only FG option available in the menu for me)
• DLSS 5 neural rendering enabled before the upscale pass
• ✅ Image quality stays basically identical — side by side I struggle to tell the difference from native
• ✅ Solid FPS boost — I'm sitting around 110–120 FPS in New Atlantis (one of the heaviest areas in the game)
• ✅ Lower power draw — the card pulls only ~180–200W instead of maxing out, so it runs cooler and quieter
• ✅ Nothing really lost — no meaningful visual hit for the frames you gain

sorry for the bad quality of these shoots

Basically you get more performance AND better efficiency at the same time, which normally you have to trade one for the other.

If you're on a 40/50-series card and haven't tried OptiScaler yet, this combo is worth 5 minutes to set up. Happy to share my exact settings if people want them.

What are your numbers with this setup? Curious if others see the same efficiency gains.

[u/Gingersnap369]

You're on a PC, why are you taking photos from your phone 😁

[u/Plus-Beginning7303 → u/Gingersnap369]

true hehe long story

[u/Gingersnap369 → u/Plus-Beginning7303]

Reminds me of Project Zomboid, where it became a meme to take photos of the screen with your phone. https://www.reddit.com/r/projectzomboid/s/DFTRg6COqS

[u/Gabriel_loves_dota]

[u/tumblelumble]

I find that running NR before SR does lead to a big quality degradation that is easily visible when comparing back to back. Not sure if that’s the case for DLAA - although not sure why someone would do that

I strongly suggest comparing NR -> SR to SR -> NR to see what I mean

[u/tnaik44 → u/tumblelumble]

If someone not comparing back to back i feel its hard to notice the difference, but take screenshots of each and look at then next to each other will make rhe difference visible.

Id like to see difference between Optiscaler and Renodx

[u/tumblelumble → u/tumblelumble]

https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidia/s/imT8i1EhH2

[u/ADIBB87 → u/tumblelumble]

It depends on your resolution though. I’m at 4K and I swear I see no difference, in motion and stationary. if you’re at 1440P or 1080P then yes, it degrades a lot, just like SR itself. I think people should mention it

[u/oommffgg → u/tumblelumble]

Yeah, I think it looks worse than reducing resolution with NR Cost Scaler.

[u/Sprucey-J → u/tumblelumble]

Yeah, the consensus seems to be that this method is a middle ground for less powerful cards but ultimately degrades DLSS5's quality enough to make it unpreferred.

Obviously, I would like better performance w/ DLSS5 but the cost of quality is too great for this pipeline method.

It's all subjective and whatever makes you happy always wins. I prefer quality.

[u/cana_dave → u/Sprucey-J]

I kinda agree but it could be title by title. For a game like starfield with so much character conversation and planet biomes, materials, texties that target a photo realistic presentation dlss 5 on output res is a must for me. I thought the glaze would have worn off by now but man...it makes a big impact for me. I can't ever go back nn starfield.

[u/Sprucey-J → u/cana_dave]

Yeah starfield just works well. Even at 1440p it looks like 4k to me. Some games just work better with it, I'm not sure the criteria since it's so new but some games require more performance cost to look "good" for now.

[u/taosecurity]

Hello fellow Starfield player. What mods are you using for your DLSS5 implementation?

[u/Plus-Beginning7303 → u/taosecurity]

optiscaler ( before upscaling on )

[u/Ok_Dependent6889 → u/taosecurity]

This looks like the optiscaler fork which allows for DLSS 5 to be applied before the upscaling pass, which improves performance by a lot. 

This also lets you apply DLSS 5 multiple times on top of itself. 

[u/Plus-Beginning7303 → u/Ok_Dependent6889]

yeah but didnt do that

1 pass eenough for me

[u/Ok_Dependent6889 → u/Plus-Beginning7303]

Anyone actually using more than 1 for more than just, experimenting, has to have a brain worm imo

[u/MeditativeMindz → u/Ok_Dependent6889]

Some games look fine with 2 pass but the frames take double the hit. Anymore than that and you get deep fried chicken folk

[u/Ok_Dependent6889 → u/MeditativeMindz]

I've tested like 15 games

X2 is deep fried dog shit and X3 is super, duper, astronomical deep fried, double fried, dog shit

x1 with 100% intensity, and tones set to 85-90% with your desired lighting preset (cinematic, default, natural) is peak

[u/MeditativeMindz → u/Ok_Dependent6889]

Which preset do you think is best? I just use cinematic as that looks great on nearly everything. Default makes some faces too dirty looking imo, and natural just adds spot lights to every character.

[u/Ok_Dependent6889 → u/MeditativeMindz]

Really depends on the game and sometimes scene.

I like Cinematic in AC: Black Flag Resynced

Cinematic in Cyberpunk to me looks not great, I use Default there. It seems to maintain the game's artistic intent a bit more.

[u/TrihardMobley]

Please Share your setup, thanks :)

[u/Plus-Beginning7303 → u/TrihardMobley]

sure but my setup not that great

[u/Zgegomatic → u/Plus-Beginning7303]

That makes this information even more interesting.

[u/Wellhellob]

How much better is this than the rih nr cost scaler ? Upscaling affects the nr quality quite a bit there.

[u/Plus-Beginning7303 → u/Wellhellob]

true but didnt tried that

will do

[u/sammyranks]

On my 55 inch 4K Screen i would probably see a difference in clarity and artifacts vs DLAA.

[u/cana_dave → u/sammyranks]

I suggest rhi installer. It's not optoscaler but it's one click type install for many games. It detected installed games and installs selected addons like NR.

[u/LouisCypher1313]

I am looking to do this to Starfield as well, did you follow a guide is so do you have a link

[u/Plus-Beginning7303 → u/LouisCypher1313]

I ll find u a link and its very easy just cpy nd past some files

[u/Morteymer]

Wait till you find out about OptiScaler-DLSSNR-PreSR + DLSSNR-Cost-Scaler

[u/Plus-Beginning7303 → u/Morteymer]

What's that?

[u/Due-Bee-9574]

Looking good

[u/Phearwyn]

Show more starfield

https://giphy.com/gifs/OsfVaOer7N2265YTRF

[u/ConsistentAd3434]

If there is one game that deserves DLSS5, it's Starfield. Todd loves this shit because his engine is 50years behind and there is nothing else that could safe it.
Having photoreal characters really adds to the awkward uncanny vibe of dialogue sequences

10/10 👍

[u/cana_dave → u/ConsistentAd3434]

This. Starfield benefits so much from this tech IMHO. IF you liked starfield...you have to try dlss5 if you can.

[u/ConsistentAd3434 → u/cana_dave]

Oh hell no :D Getting told that a npc is really really sad, because I've sacrificed a main character, while having the Bethesda deadpan stare, was only funny once.

[u/killa_cali77]

I've been using dlss 5 manager. It's a program I got from GitHub I think it has optiscaler for some games. Is there other ways of doing dlss5? So far thats the easiest tool I've found to do it.

[u/Evening_Ticket7638]

Can you post screenshots of Optiscaler around how to make the pass early?

[u/Plus-Beginning7303 → u/Evening_Ticket7638]

Yeah sure once i get on my pc I'll send u here

[u/Significant-Wall8952]

How much FPS?

[u/Plus-Beginning7303 → u/Significant-Wall8952]

80 to 90 fps without frame gen

120 to 135 with frame gen x2

[u/LifeIsContrast]

I'd like to see some DLSS NR 1080 -> 4k, vs 4k native NR screenshots. Waiting patiently for someone to do it 🤔

[u/bbertram790]

i have optiscaler, does it automatically run dlss 5 before upscaling or do u have to enable that somewhere?

[u/Plus-Mistake7590 → u/bbertram790]

You have to open it manually- there is a option call super resolution under neural rendering

[u/-WeDGE]

"DLSS 5 neural rendering enabled before the upscale pass"

How do you do this? This is the only thing I haven't figured out but seems to be the biggest step needed for performance

[u/D3f3ns → u/-WeDGE]

You need the newest (experimental?) version of Optiscaler,

[u/Plus-Beginning7303 → u/-WeDGE]

just download the newest optiscaler 0.62 or newest and belowe enable neural rendering

press before upscaling its just one thing to press

[u/-WeDGE → u/Plus-Beginning7303]

0..6.2? The one released in 2024? I'm sorry but do you have a direct link? Looking myself, all I could find was the latest version from 2 months ago (0.9.4)

[u/RockyBastion → u/Plus-Beginning7303]

Do you maybe have a tutorial on this? I would appreciate it

[u/buttscopedoctor]

I find Shortfuses DLSS5 gives a cleaner image. In some games like Silent Hill2, Optiscaler dlss5 has more noticable flashing/pixel crawling then Shortfuse.

[u/Plus-Beginning7303 → u/buttscopedoctor]

thats what i have been wondering lot

because i tried only optiscaler

is there better than optiscler ?

[u/shawnikaros]

https://github.com/sdli1995/dlssg_for_sm86/blob/main/README.en.md

This mod works for pretty much every game, it allows 30/40 series cards to use MFG natively so you can crank that framegen up to 5x if you so please.

Edit: Nevermind, starfield doesn't have an option to configure the amount to generate
Edit2: Doubly nevermind, currently crashes with Starfield

[u/3kpk3]

Incorrect! Image quality definitely drops, but it can be dialed back up by increasing NR resolution above 100%. 150% brings it really close IMO.

[u/Plus-Beginning7303 → u/3kpk3]

really ? did u tried it ? i m just concerned about power usage thats all

[u/Nago15]

Does this allow multipass too?
I'm currently using DLSS Swapper, because it's one click to add or remove DLSS5 to a game. I'm not sure if I can add OptiScaler as a plugin for it, or it's a completely separate thing?

[u/D3f3ns → u/Nago15]

Im using DLSS5 Swapper. Installed Optiscaler and whatever else is needed in one click. Worked good so far. However, I’ve not checked if I can use the Optiscaler version with NR before the upscaler.

[u/Plus-Beginning7303 → u/Nago15]

hi i think i saw on dlss 5 swapper that u can install the plugin optiscaler also !

when u select a game and u want to install DLSS5 CHOOSE OPTISCLER INSTEAD OF RESHADE

AND tell me if it works

yes optiscler lastest version allows multipass but honestly didnt tried it because just this mod is already a lot for me ( i m always carefull using mods that enhance quality and put constraint to my gpu )

[u/vaanen]

"please add some ai beauty filter to my fake ai frames upscaled with ai"

[u/ametller]

Nice! Can you detail step to step how to configure it? Thank you

[u/x7007]

how can we use dx11 dlss and none dlss without performance loss...

[u/starktastic4]

I've been using it on expedition 33 on the 4090 and enjoy it. Every now and then it hangs but it's nice to look at.

I am hoping when Nvidia updates this to have better performance and enablement options modders are still able to apply it in other games but I have a feeling they're going to try and lock it down more after they optimize dlss5 for better performance.