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DOOM: The Dark Ages will launch with DLSS 4 Super Resolution, upscaling, and Multi-Frame Generation. This is a welcome move, as the game can be quite demanding at native resolution. Powerful GPUs like the new Nvidia RTX 50 series options sometimes pull off 60-70 FPS, with occasional stutters during intense combat scenes. Any older hardware fares even worse. This leaves those with a fairly modern GPU with AI magic to work around framerate issues.
We have been testing a few graphics cards in the new DOOM game and have surveyed its DLSS performance in detail. Read on to find out how the upscaling and frame generation tech impacts gameplay.
DLSS 4 significantly improves FPS in DOOM: The Dark Ages
DLSS works as expected in DOOM: The Dark Ages — it improves framerates significantly at the cost of image quality and smoothness. That said, the Bethesda game gets the latest tech stack from Nvidia. You get Transformer-based upscaling, which delivers slightly better image quality at the cost of higher VRAM usage, GPU load, and, in cases, lower framerate gains.
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Moreover, you also get Multi-Frame Generation and Deep Learning Anti-Aliasing. The former comes with 2x, 3x, and 4x presets, which decide the number of AI-generated frames that will be inserted between two consecutive frames rendered by your GPU.
Read more: Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti review
We tested all of these settings on the RTX 5060 Ti:
DLSS helps the mid-range 5060 Ti 16 GB deliver over 210 FPS in a demanding title like DOOM: The Dark Ages. However, the image quality suffers if you're using the Performance preset.
In fact, as Multi-Frame Generation gives you higher framerate gains than upscaling, we recommend turning off the latter completely. Frame generation has been decoupled from upscaling, so you can use it independently of upscaling.
In our experiments, the Ultra Nightmare settings with DLAA coupled with Multi-Frame Generation set to 4x made for the best experience in terms of visual fidelity and framerates. You can rely on the 2x preset if you want better smoothness.
Some more benchmarks for the game at 4K on the RTX 5080 are as follows:
A similar trend continues as the RTX 5080 delivers well over 230 FPS with all the DLSS bells and whistles turned on. If you don't have a very high refresh rate monitor, this performance might seem like a waste. Hence, a better option is to rely on DLAA with Multi-Frame Generation set to 2x. This will comfortably give you over 100 FPS while ensuring the game looks crisp.
Read more: Nvidia RTX 5080 review
Overall, DLSS keeps evolving. In DOOM: The Dark Ages, I had a hard time telling the difference between an upscaled image and native resolution. Moreover, turning off upscaling and using DLAA with frame generation results in a better image quality than native, while also doubling the FPS. This hints at the future of gaming experiences.
