Nvidia technically launched DLSS 4.5 back at CES 2026, improving the already-great DLSS 4 algorithm with an updated transformer model for upscaling. But its headline feature, Dynamic Multi-Frame Generation, was absent until now.
Essentially, this technology takes the 4x multi-frame generation that was already available to current-generation graphics cards like the RTX 5090, ups the peak multiplier to 6x and adds a dynamic mode that changes the frame multiplier, well, dynamically, to keep it in sync with your monitor’s refresh rate.
It is important to note, though, that this technology is only compatible with RTX 5000 series graphics cards. By its very nature, it requires multi-frame generation, which is something only Nvidia’s newest graphics cards can do.
For slower Blackwell graphics cards, that means upping the multiplier when it needs to, such as in more demanding scenes, in order to keep your gaming monitor fully saturated with a high frame rate. For anyone who has something as powerful as the RTX 5090, though, it’ll keep the frame generation limited, which should help a tiny bit with latency – after all, why generate frames that your monitor can’t even display?
What is Frame Generation? Does It Improve Performance?
Because frame generation improves your frame rate, it’s easy to mistake that for extra performance. That’s because DLSS Frame Generation uses an AI model to look at a rendered frame, along with motion vector data, and generate new frames to insert into the render queue. This sends more frames to your display, which helps with visual fidelity, but it doesn’t make the game run any faster.
In fact, Dynamic Multi-Frame Generation, just like Nvidia’s past iterations of the technology, comes with a bit of a latency cost, which is why you shouldn’t turn it on unless you’re already getting decent performance. In my experience, I make sure I’m already getting between 50-60 fps before I enable it. Under those conditions, I usually don’t get any kind of visual glitches or noticeable input lag.
That’s not to say there’s no benefit, though. If you have a high refresh monitor, especially at a higher resolution, frame generation is the best way to take advantage of that higher refresh rate. Fully saturating one of these displays with frames makes a noticeable difference when it comes to visual smoothness. However, that’s entirely subjective, and might not be worth it if all you care about is minimizing input lag.
Let’s Put It To The Test
When I tested Dynamic Multi Frame Generation, I first tried just plugging in an RTX 5090 to see what it could do. However, even with a 4K monitor, in the games I was testing and the graphics settings I was running, the frame generation multiplier just hovered between 2x and 3x, which was great for not ‘wasting’ any frames, but it didn’t really make a difference over the FG models I could already use.
However, when I plugged in the RTX 5080, the technology made a lot more sense. With that graphics card, the multiplier had room to grow, reaching 5x and 6x in games like Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Cyberpunk 2077.
In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remake, the RTX 5080 gets a solid 71 fps with no frame generation, and with Nvidia reflex enabled, gets an average PC Latency of 32ms. When I set the frame gen multiplier to 4x – the previous maximum – I ended up with a displayed frame rate of 215 fps, with the latency jumping up to 43ms.
However, when I enabled dynamic multi frame gen, the multiplier typically hovered around 5x, upping the average displayed frame rate to 242 fps, which is right around my monitor’s 240Hz refresh rate. What’s fascinating, though, is that the extra 20-30 fps didn’t impact latency all that much, only increasing it to 44ms.
For Cyberpunk 2077, I tested it at 4K with the Ray Tracing Ultra preset, with upscaling set to ‘Performance’. Without frame generation, the RTX 5080 gets a respectable 79 fps, with PC latency of 31ms. When I set frame generation to 4x, I got an average of 215 fps, but with latency increased to 43ms.
With such similar frame rates to Oblivion, it shouldn’t be surprising that when I enabled Dynamic Multi-Frame Generation, the multiplier again hovered at around 5x, but it ended up delivering a lower average frame rate, at 231 fps. That’s not quite at the refresh rate of the monitor, but it is close enough that you probably wouldn’t notice the difference unless you were actively looking for it. PC latency was unchanged at 43 ms.
With Dragon Age: The Veilguard, though, the RTX 5080 is able to get 105 fps and 23 ms latency even without frame generation at 4K with ultra settings and ray tracing. Turn generation on at 4x, then, and you get an average of 281 fps and 32. In this case, Dynamic Frame Generation has the same behavior I briefly saw with the RTX 5090. It limits the frame rate down to the monitor’s refresh rate, typically hovering around 3x frame gen and averaging 245 fps, with latency of 31 ms.
With Dragon Age, the latency ends up being lower with Dynamic MFG than with the standard 4x, which only makes sense, given the lower average multiplier.
Who Is Dynamic Multi-Frame Generation For?
In my gut, Dynamic Multi Frame Generation seems like it’d be best for anyone that just wants a frame gen option that they can set and forget, automatically configuring itself to your display’s refresh rate. That does seem to be the goal here, but in practice, it’s a bit clunky right now.
In order to enable it, you have to go into the Nvidia app, go to Global Settings and change the Frame Generation model to ‘Preset B’, then go into ‘Frame Generation Mode’ and select ‘Dynamic’. While that doesn’t take long to do, it does require knowing that it’s there. However, this is the same way you had to enable multi frame generation in the early days, and these days there are plenty of games that’ll just let you select your frame gen multiplier in the game settings.
Once that starts to happen, Dynamic Multi Frame Generation is going to make a lot of sense for anyone that’s already getting decent performance and doesn’t want to do the mental math to figure out if they need 2x, 3x or 4x to get the most out of their monitor’s refresh rate. Until then, it probably just makes sense sticking to the game’s settings, and just enabling 4x frame gen if you just want to absolutely maximize the amount of frames being sent to your monitor.
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra
