Importance of AI Surpasses Raw Graphics Power as Nvidia DLSS 3.5 Demonstrates
With each new generation of graphics cards, it seems that the difference in performance compared to the previous one is decreasing, and this is clear to customers who are more and more often delaying the purchase of new graphics. However, as TrustedReviews writes, it is often forgotten that manufacturers invest much more in the development of other parts of graphics cards: ray tracing and DLSS for example.
The real proof of this is the introduction of DLSS 3.5, an Nvidia AI technology that seems to be a technology that we will use more and more in the future, because it pushes the number of frames up, much more than the GPU alone can do. In addition to the basic application, DLSS 3.5 also brought a new technology called ray reconstruction (Ray Reconstruction).
What is Ray Reconstruction in DLSS 3.5?
The new technology uses artificial intelligence to enhance the appearance of Ray-Tracing lighting effects, correcting any technical errors in the process, so that the final result is much more realistic. As can be seen from the image from the Cyberpunk 2077 game below, Ray Reconstruction technology can make reflections much clearer.
NvidiaWhile standard Ray tracing technology can appear blurry when you're moving around, due to the work on the lights that needs to be done in real-time, activating DLSS 3.5 technology ensures that reflections look clear all the time.
A video from the game Portal shows that DLSS 3.5 can fix the technical bugs of ray tracing lighting effects. If you look to the left and right of the cube you will see a strange shimmering effect, which shouldn't happen because the light source remains stable. Activating DLSS 3.5 immediately corrects this, resulting in more realistic lighting effects.
Some gamers say that the improved lighting effects have a far greater impact on the visual quality of the game than, say, a higher frame rate would. Of course, the increase in performance of the RTX 4000 cards compared to the previous RTX 3000 series is not huge, but the introduction of DLSS 3.5 seems to make up for it very well.
So what's the problem?
DLSS 3.5 will be supported by only a few games when it launches later this year, including Alan Wake 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and Portal with RTX. The level of gaming support will need to improve significantly in the coming year if DLSS 3.5 plans to become a worthwhile item that would make you consider buying an RTX 4000 series graphics card.