The summary of ‘Does DLSS Hurt Input Latency?’

00:00:00

In this segment of the video, the host addresses a frequently asked question about whether using DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) increases input latency. He mentions receiving this question during a Q&A session, particularly inquiring about potential added input lag from DLSS. To investigate, the host decided to conduct a series of tests using Nvidia’s DLSS technology, which is known for enhancing frame rates with minimal image quality impact since version 2.0.

The concerns about input lag originate from competitive gaming experiences in titles like Fortnite and Call of Duty Warzone, where DLSS might add latency during the frame processing time. The host acknowledges the theoretical basis for these concerns but stresses the need for practical testing due to the lack of detailed information from Nvidia.

To perform the tests, he utilized seven games on an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X system equipped with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU and 16GB of DDR4 memory, along with a low-latency, high-performance Gigabyte Aorus FI27Q-X display. Testing was done at both 1080p and 1440p resolutions to minimize bottlenecks. For measuring latency, Nvidia’s Latency Display Analysis Tool (LDAT) was used, which the host confirms as highly accurate and effective for this type of analysis.

00:03:00

In this segment, the video discusses the impact of DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) on latency and frame rate across various games, with detailed measurements and comparisons. Key points include:

1. **Testing Methodology**: The current in-game version of DLSS was used, with latency results based on at least a 50 sample average per game.
2. **Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition**: Using DLSS at 1440p improved frame rates from 130 fps to 180 fps, and decreased input latency by 27% to 40%. Similar but less pronounced improvements were observed at 1080p.
3. **Watchdogs Legion**: At 1440p, DLSS provided a 10% to 15% boost in performance and an 11% to 17% reduction in input latency. At 1080p, no significant performance gains were noted due to the game being less GPU limited.
4. **Cyberpunk 2077**: At 1440p, DLSS quality mode improved performance by 26% and reduced latency by 16%, while the DLSS performance mode resulted in a 52% higher frame rate and a 27% reduction in input latency. Similar benefits were seen at 1080p, though less dramatic.

The overall takeaway is that DLSS consistently improves both frame rates and reduces input latency, particularly in GPU-limited scenarios.

00:06:00

In this part of the video, the focus is on analyzing input latency and performance impacts when using DLSS in competitive games. In Fortnite, it was observed that enabling DLSS, whether in quality or performance mode, actually reduced performance due to the game being CPU-limited at 1440p, leading to higher overheads than benefits. Despite this, the increase in latency was minimal, at just 3% or 0.3 milliseconds. At 1080p, the performance reduction was more significant with DLSS, showing an 8% frame rate drop and a 6% increase in latency.

In Rainbow Six Siege, using medium settings and enabling DLSS at 1440p provided a small performance boost of 7% in the best case, slightly improving input latency by 6%. At 1080p, DLSS showed a marginal performance improvement with no significant change in latency.

The segment concludes with Call of Duty Warzone, described as challenging for input latency and performance testing. Despite DLSS’s poor image quality reputation among the Warzone community, the video suggests that the input latency impact may not be as detrimental.

00:09:00

In this part of the video, the focus is on the impact of DLSS on performance and input latency at different resolutions in various games. At 1440p, quality mode DLSS led to a 5% performance improvement and a 2% reduction in input latency, while performance mode DLSS resulted in a 12% performance gain and a 3% lower input latency. At 1080p, however, DLSS caused a slight performance loss and a 3% increase in input latency due to CPU limitations. In “DOOM Eternal,” DLSS provided up to a 12% performance improvement and a 10% reduction in input latency at 1440p but had minimal impact due to high native frame rates. At 1080p, performance mode DLSS showed a 9% increase in performance and a 5% reduction in latency. Scaling in-game resolution rather than using DLSS at 1440p resulted in a slightly improved input latency by 1 millisecond. The segment concludes that in realistic scenarios, DLSS typically decreases input latency in line with frame rate improvements, although exceptions occur when CPU limitations are present.

00:12:00

In this segment, it is discussed that in games like Fortnite and Warzone, DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) doesn’t provide performance benefits when the system is CPU limited. Instead of improving frame rates, it can lead to a small increase in latency, although this impact is minor (less than a millisecond). Using DLSS under these conditions may reduce frame rates and worsen image quality, especially at 1080p and 1440p resolutions. It is recommended not to use DLSS if it doesn’t enhance FPS. For competitive, latency-sensitive titles, it is advisable to focus on settings that enhance performance, such as using a high refresh, low latency display with adaptive sync, and disabling VSync if not gaming within the refresh rate range. Lower quality settings also help in reducing latency and spotting enemies. The segment concludes by thanking viewers and inviting them to support via Floatplane and Patreon, offering early access to videos and community interaction on Discord.