NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition Review – GeForce RTX 4080 Ti Super with Blackwell genes

1 - Introduction and details of the Blackwell GB203-400-A1 GPU 2 - Test system and equipment 3 - Gaming: Full-HD 1920x1080 Pixels (Rasterization Only) 4 - Gaming: WQHD 2560x1440 Pixels (Rasterization Only) 5 - Gaming: Ultra-HD 3840x2160 Pixels (Rasterization Only) 6 - Gaming: WQHD 2560x1440 Pixels, Supersampling, RT & FG 7 - Gaming: Ultra-HD 3840x2160 Pixels, Supersampling, RT & FG 8 - DLSS4 and MFG: Cyberpunk 2077 in detail 9 - DLSS4 and MFG: Alan Wake 2 in detail 10 - PCIe Gen5 problems, power consumption and standards 11 - Load peaks and power supply recommendation 12 - Cooler, temperatures, thermography, noise development 13 - Summary and conclusion

The test of Alan Wake 2 was conducted to analyze the performance and image quality under various conditions, including native Ultra HD and WQHD resolution, DLSS 3 with frame generation as well as the latest DLSS 4 technology with multi-frame generation (MFG). Alan Wake 2 is an extremely technically demanding title based on the Northlight engine. This engine was specially developed to enable cinematic visuals and the intensive use of modern graphics technologies such as ray tracing and path tracing. The game is characterized by its impressive lighting atmosphere and detailed shadows, which are raised to a high level by a comprehensive implementation of ray tracing. Pathtracing extends these technologies by fully simulating light rays, creating realistic reflections, refractions and accurate global illumination. This contributes significantly to immersion and the representation of the dark, atmospheric world.

However, the combination of ray tracing and pathtracing is a major challenge even for modern GPUs, especially in Ultra HD resolution. This is where technologies such as DLSS 3 and DLSS 4 can be decisive in ensuring playable frame rates. While DLSS 3 enables a significant improvement in performance through frame generation, DLSS 4 sets new standards with multi-frame generation. This technology generates up to three additional frames per rendered image while integrating advanced features such as ray reconstruction to further optimize image quality in complex scenarios. Tests have shown that DLSS 4 not only significantly increases the frame rate, but also improves image stability, especially with active path tracing.

In addition, frametimes and frame spacing were also examined in order to evaluate the stability of the frame rate under different conditions. The results show that DLSS 4 offers the most harmonious presentation and the most consistent gaming experience. Alan Wake 2 impressively demonstrates how modern graphics technologies in combination with AI-supported upscaling and frame generation can help to present a technically advanced game at the highest level, both visually and in terms of performance.

Native vs. DLSS 3 with frame generation and DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation

In the native resolution without AI-supported optimizations, the GPU is exposed to an extremely high load, which is reflected in low frame rates and a considerable strain on the hardware. The visual quality is impressive and raises the level of detail and lighting to an exceptional level, but at the expense of playability. The load increases, especially when patch tracing is activated, which enables a complete simulation of light rays and therefore realistic global lighting as well as complex reflections and shadows. In many cases, this leads to frame rate drops and impairs the gaming experience, especially in scenes with intense lighting effects.

With DLSS 3 and frame generation, performance can be significantly improved. Here, images are rendered in a lower resolution and upscaled using AI to achieve the target resolution. In addition, frame generation inserts AI-generated intermediate images, which results in a significantly smoother display. Nevertheless, even with DLSS 3, fluctuations in the frame rate can occur in particularly demanding scenes, such as in complex light simulation through path tracing, as the underlying hardware is still under heavy strain.

DLSS 4 with Multi-Frame Generation (MFG) addresses this and raises performance to a new level. In addition to a further optimized AI-supported super resolution, DLSS 4 offers the possibility to generate multiple frames from a single rendered image. This further development leads to smoother frame times and a more stable image display, which is particularly advantageous in technically demanding scenarios such as pathtracing. The use of advanced Transformer models and the latest generation of optimized Tensor Cores also reduces memory requirements. According to NVIDIA, this significantly improves the efficiency of the render pipeline, as fewer hardware resources are required for individual calculations.

Individual metrics for WQHD and Ultra HD

Individual metrics such as percentile frame time, variances, latencies, power consumption and efficiency are essential for precisely evaluating the performance of graphics cards in demanding scenarios such as Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing enabled. The percentile frame time, which looks at the 99th or 95th percentile, for example, provides information about the worst frame times and is a reliable indicator of performance drops that can severely disrupt gameplay. A low and consistent frame time, on the other hand, indicates a smooth and stable gaming experience. In contrast, high variances in frame times, i.e. uneven distances between frames, indicate fluctuations that can lead to noticeable micro-stutters even at high average frame rates.

System latency, which measures the time between input and image output, is particularly relevant for the perception of reactivity in the game. Low latency significantly improves the gaming experience, especially when combined with technologies such as DLSS frame and multi-frame generation, which can not only increase the frame rate but also minimize input lag. This is particularly important in scenarios that require high frame rates and intensive graphical calculations at the same time.

Power consumption increases significantly when ray tracing is active and in higher resolutions such as Ultra HD (UHD), as the GPU is heavily used to calculate complex lighting scenarios and high pixel densities. In native display, the energy consumption in such scenarios often reaches peak values. However, technologies such as DLSS 3 and DLSS 4 help to reduce the GPU load through intelligent upscaling and frame generation, which not only increases performance but also improves efficiency.

Efficiency, measured in watts per frame, is a key comparative value. It shows how well a graphics card converts its energy into actual performance. Modern NVIDIA graphics cards such as the RTX 5080 benefit from specially optimized hardware for AI-supported rendering technologies, such as the latest generation of Tensor Cores. These optimizations not only enable impressive performance, but also above-average energy efficiency, even in demanding scenarios with ray tracing and path tracing.

Overall, these individual metrics provide a differentiated and comprehensive picture of a graphics card’s performance. They go beyond simple average values and enable a detailed evaluation of playability, system stability and energy efficiency. Especially in technically demanding titles such as Alan Wake 2, such analyses are indispensable for precisely assessing hardware performance and making targeted optimizations.

Alan Wake II - AvFPSoB - 1440p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - FPS99th - 1440p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - FrameTime - 1440p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - FrameTimeVariance - 1440p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - Latency - 1440p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - AvWatt_DE - 1440p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - AvWattCPU_DE - 1440p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - AvWattFPS_DE - 1440p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - AvFPSoB - 2160p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - FPS99th - 2160p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - FrameTime - 2160p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - FrameTimeVariance - 2160p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - Latency - 2160p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - AvWatt_DE - 2160p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - AvWattCPU_DE - 2160p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - AvWattFPS_DE - 2160p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Differences between the rendering methods

The comparison of the frame-time curve and the actual power consumption in Alan Wake 2 provides valuable insights into the performance and efficiency of the GPU under different rendering methods. This visualization not only provides a snapshot of the average system load, but also enables an analysis of dynamic fluctuations and short-term performance peaks that can occur during gameplay. At native resolution, the frame-time curve shows clear fluctuations, accompanied by significantly higher power consumption. In this configuration, the GPU bears the entire rendering load without support from AI-based technologies such as frame generation. This leads to pronounced load peaks, especially with intensive use of ray tracing and pathtracing, which can cause unstable frame rates and micro-stutters. These effects impair the perception of fluidity and consistency and highlight the weaknesses of a purely native display, especially in scenarios with complex lighting and shadow effects.

Activating frame generation (FG) improves the situation considerably. AI-generated frames reduce the render load, as the GPU does not have to calculate every frame completely. The frame-time curve becomes smoother as a result and the previously observed load peaks are alleviated. Nevertheless, temporary peaks can occur in particularly demanding scenes with intensive lighting simulations, which continue to place high demands on the hardware. Multi-Frame Generation (MFG), introduced with DLSS 4, takes this optimization to a new level by generating multiple frames from a single rendered image. The frame-time curve shows even greater smoothing, which indicates increased stability and consistency of the frame rate. At the same time, however, MFG increases the number of load peaks, as the calculation of several frames from one image is a complex and computationally intensive task. These short-term performance peaks can be particularly noticeable in dynamic scenes with highly complex ray tracing.

The parallel display of the frame time curve and the power consumption shows impressively how technologies such as FG and MFG can optimize performance, even in a technically demanding title such as Alan Wake 2 with high-end graphic effects activated. However, it also shows that the advanced AI-based methods can be accompanied by higher volatility in power consumption, as the GPU is temporarily more heavily used to process dynamic scenarios. I will explore these load peaks and their impact on stability and hardware efficiency in more detail later on to provide a more comprehensive picture of the benefits and limitations of multi-frame generation in real-world application scenarios.

Alan Wake II - RTX 5080 DLSS FG X2 - FrameTimeSolo - 1440p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - RTX 5080 DLSS4 MFG X3 - FrameTimeSolo - 1440p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - RTX 5080 DLSS4 MFG X4 - FrameTimeSolo - 1440p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - RTX 5080 FrameTimeSolo - 1440p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - RTX 5080 - FrameTimeSolo - 2160p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - RTX 5080 DLSS4 FG X2 - FrameTimeSolo - 2160p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - RTX 5080 DLSS4 MFG X3 - FrameTimeSolo - 2160p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Alan Wake II - RTX 5080 DLSS4 MFG X4 - FrameTimeSolo - 2160p Max Settings, RT Mittel, Pathtracing On, FG On

Interim conclusion

Alan Wake 2 impressively demonstrates how modern graphics technologies such as ray tracing, path tracing and AI-supported upscaling can revolutionize the gaming experience. The combination of intense cinematic atmosphere and innovative technology raises the visual quality and immersion to a new level. In particular, the use of DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation makes it possible to offer fluid gameplay with impressive graphical depth of detail even in demanding scenarios.

Despite the high hardware requirements, Alan Wake 2 demonstrates that technologies such as frame generation and MFG can not only improve frame rates, but also optimize the efficiency of hardware utilization. The stabilized performance with simultaneous relief of the GPU allows a harmonious presentation that further blurs the boundaries between gaming and cinematic presentation. Alan Wake 2 sets a new standard for upcoming games by seamlessly integrating technological advancements into an immersive and visually stunning gaming experience.