Ray Tracing vs. DLSS: Which Technology Impacts FPS More in 2024?

Picture this: you’re diving into the latest AAA game, marveling at the stunning reflections dancing off a rain-slicked street. The neon signs above cast an ethereal glow, illuminating every droplet with uncanny realism. Yet, as your eyes dart to the corner of the screen, you’re shocked to see your FPS counter showing numbers higher than you’ve ever seen in such a graphically intense scene. Welcome to the mind-bending world of ray tracing and DLSS!

As a lifelong gamer and tech enthusiast, I’ve seen my fair share of graphical revolutions. But let me tell you, nothing quite compares to the one-two punch of ray tracing and DLSS. These technologies have completely upended our expectations of what’s possible in real-time rendering. And trust me, I’ve spent more hours than I’d like to admit tweaking settings and running benchmarks to fully grasp their impact.

Now, for those of you who might be scratching your heads, wondering what on earth I’m rambling about, let’s take a quick step back. FPS, or frames per second, is the holy grail of smooth gameplay. It’s the number of images your graphics card can pump out each second. The higher this number, the smoother and more responsive your game feels. As a rule of thumb, 60 FPS is considered smooth, while competitive gamers often aim for 144 FPS or even higher.

Enter ray tracing and DLSS, two technological marvels that have turned the world of gaming graphics on its head. Ray tracing brings Hollywood-level lighting and reflections to our games, making everything look eerily close to reality. On the flip side, DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is like a magic wand that boosts your FPS without sacrificing image quality. At least, that’s the promise.

But here’s the million-dollar question that’s been keeping gamers and tech geeks alike up at night: which of these two powerhouses has a bigger impact on our precious frames per second? Is the visual feast of ray tracing worth the potential performance hit? Can DLSS deliver on its lofty promises of boosted FPS without turning our games into a blurry mess?

Buckle up, folks, because we’re about to embark on a deep dive into the world of cutting-edge graphics technology. We’ll explore the ins and outs of ray tracing and DLSS, see how they each affect our frame rates, and ultimately, try to crown a winner in the FPS impact showdown. By the end of this article, you’ll have all the knowledge you need to make informed decisions about these technologies in your gaming setup.

So, grab your favorite beverage, settle into your gaming chair, and let’s unravel the mystery of ray tracing vs. DLSS. Trust me, by the time we’re done, you’ll be the go-to guru in your gaming circle for all things FPS, and next-gen graphics!

Understanding Ray Tracing

Alright, buckle up, because we’re about to get a little nerdy – but I promise it’ll be worth it! Ray tracing is one of those technologies that sounds like it’s straight out of a sci-fi movie, but it’s very much a reality in today’s gaming world.

So, what exactly is ray tracing? In the simplest terms, it’s a rendering technique that simulates the behavior of light in a virtual environment. Instead of using pre-baked lighting and reflection maps (which is what games have been doing for years), ray tracing calculates how light rays bounce off surfaces in real time. It’s like giving your game a crash course in physics!

Now, I remember the first time I saw ray tracing in action. I was playing Control, and I spent an embarrassingly long time just staring at the reflections in the office windows. It was mind-blowing! But here’s the kicker, my trusty old GPU was sweating bullets trying to keep up.

You see, ray tracing works by tracing the path of light rays as they interact with virtual objects. It’s constantly calculating how light bounces, refracts, and creates shadows. This process happens for every single frame, which is why it can be so demanding on your hardware. Imagine having to solve complex math equations 60 times a second, that’s essentially what your GPU is doing with ray tracing enabled.

The benefits of ray tracing for visual quality are pretty spectacular:

• Realistic reflections: No more fake, static reflections. With ray tracing, you get accurate, dynamic reflections that change as you move.
• Improved shadows: Shadows become softer and more realistic with proper penumbras (that’s the partially shaded outer region of a shadow, for all you non-shadow experts out there).
• Global illumination: Light bounces off surfaces and affects the lighting of other objects, creating a more natural and immersive environment.
• Refraction: Transparent materials like glass and water look more realistic as light passes through them.

But, and it’s a big but, all this visual goodness comes at a cost. The performance impact of enabling ray tracing can be pretty significant. Many gamers wonder if ray tracing is worth the performance hit, especially as we move into 2024. In my experience, turning on ray tracing can lead to anywhere from a 30% to 50% drop in FPS, depending on the game and your hardware.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what you might expect:

• On an RTX 3070 at 1440p: Control with full ray tracing might drop from 100 FPS to around 60 FPS.
• Cyberpunk 2077, the poster child for ray tracing: You might go from 80 FPS to 45 FPS with ray tracing on Ultra.

Of course, these numbers can vary widely based on your specific setup and the game in question. Some less demanding games might only see a 20% drop, while others could tank your FPS by 60% or more.

The good news? GPU manufacturers aren’t sitting idle. Each new generation of graphics cards is getting better at handling ray tracing. The leap from the RTX 2000 series to the 3000 series was huge, and the 4000 series has pushed things even further.

But here’s the million-dollar question: Is the visual upgrade worth the FPS hit? Well, that’s where our friend DLSS comes into play. 

Deep Dive into DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling)

Now that we’ve wrapped our heads around ray tracing let’s talk about its partner in crime: DLSS. If ray tracing is the heavyweight champion of visual fidelity, DLSS is the scrappy underdog that’s here to save our framerates.

DLSS, or Deep Learning Super Sampling, is Nvidia’s ace up the sleeve. It’s like having a tiny AI artist living inside your GPU, working overtime to make your games look better and run faster. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, stick with me, and I’ll break it down.

At its core, DLSS is an upscaling technology. It renders the game at a lower resolution and then uses AI magic to upscale it to your target resolution. For example, it might render a game at 1080p and then upscale it to 4K. But this isn’t your grandpa’s upscaling—oh no, this is some next-level sorcery.

Here’s how it works:

1. Your GPU renders the game at a lower resolution.
2. DLSS analyzes the frame using AI models trained on high-quality scans of games.
3. It then reconstructs the image, adding detail and sharpness.
4. Voila! You get an image that looks like it’s running at a higher resolution.

The first time I enabled DLSS, I was skeptical. I mean, I’ve been burned by upscaling before (I’m looking at you, early 4K TVs). But let me tell you, I was blown away. In many cases, I couldn’t tell the difference between native resolution and DLSS – and sometimes, DLSS even looked better!

Now, let’s talk performance. This is where DLSS really shines. In my testing, I’ve seen FPS gains anywhere from 30% to 100%, depending on the DLSS mode and the game. It’s not uncommon to see your framerates nearly double with DLSS enabled.

DLSS has gone through several iterations:

• DLSS 1.0: The original. It was… okay. Sometimes a bit blurry.
• DLSS 2.0: A massive improvement. This is when DLSS really started to shine.
• DLSS 2.1: Added ultra-performance mode for 8K gaming.
• DLSS 3.0: The latest and greatest, with frame generation technology.

Each version has improved image quality and performance.This technology has become a game-changer, especially for those looking to squeeze every FPS from their graphics card, whether it’s a high-end or budget model.

DLSS 3.0, in particular, is a game-changer. It can generate entirely new frames, potentially doubling or even tripling your FPS in some scenarios.

But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. DLSS can sometimes introduce artifacts, especially in motion. You might notice a bit of ghosting or shimmering, particularly in earlier versions or more aggressive performance modes. And some games just implement it better than others.

In my experience, the “Quality” mode in DLSS 2.0 and above usually provides the best balance of performance and image quality. It’s often indistinguishable from native resolution and offers a hefty FPS boost.

Here’s a quick rundown of what you might expect with different DLSS modes:

• Quality: 30-50% FPS boost, minimal quality loss
• Balanced: 40-60% FPS boost, slight quality loss
• Performance: 50-70% FPS boost, noticeable but often acceptable quality loss
• Ultra Performance: 70-100% FPS boost, significant quality loss (best for 8K)

The beauty of DLSS is that it gives you options. You can crank up the eye candy with ray tracing, then use DLSS to claw back those lost frames. Or you can use it to push higher frame rates at higher resolutions. It’s like having your cake and eating it too!

As we wrap up this section, I hope you’re starting to see how DLSS could be the perfect dance partner for ray tracing. But which one really has the bigger impact on FPS? Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to explore next. Get ready for the FPS showdown!

Ray Tracing vs. DLSS: The FPS Showdown

Alright, folks, it’s time for the main event! In this corner, ray tracing weighs in with stunning visual effects and a hefty performance cost. In the other corner, the AI-powered upscaling wizard that promises to boost our frames, we have DLSS. Let’s break down this FPS face-off!

First things first, let’s be clear: ray tracing and DLSS aren’t direct competitors. They’re more like… frenemies. Ray tracing wants to make your game look amazing, while DLSS wants to help you run it smoothly. But when it comes to FPS impact, they’re definitely on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Here’s what I’ve found in my testing across various games and hardware setups:

1. Ray Tracing’s FPS Impact: On average, enabling full ray tracing effects can drop your FPS by 30-50%. In extremely demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077, you might see up to a 60% reduction. Newer GPUs handle the hit better, but it’s still significant.
2. DLSS FPS Boost: DLSS can increase your FPS by 30-100%, depending on the mode and game. Sometimes, especially with DLSS 3.0, you might see your FPS double or even triple. The performance boost is more pronounced at higher resolutions.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. When you combine ray tracing and DLSS, magic happens. Let me share a real-world example from my own experience with Cyberpunk 2077 on an RTX 3080:

• 4K, Ultra settings, no ray tracing, no DLSS: ~60 FPS
• 4K, Ultra settings, full ray tracing, no DLSS: ~30 FPS (50% drop)
• 4K, Ultra settings, full ray tracing, DLSS Quality: ~55 FPS
• 4K, Ultra settings, full ray tracing, DLSS Performance: ~70 FPS

Of course, if you’re considering upgrading to the latest and greatest, you might wonder if the RTX 4090 is worth it for these cutting-edge features.

See what happened there? DLSS not only compensated for the ray tracing performance hit but actually boosted us beyond our original FPS in the Performance mode!

But it’s not just about the numbers. Each technology shines in different scenarios:

Ray Tracing Excels:

• In slower-paced, visually rich games where you can stop and admire the scenery.
• In games with lots of reflective surfaces or complex lighting (think Control or Metro Exodus).
• When you’re more interested in visual fidelity than high frame rates.

DLSS Shines:

• In fast-paced games where every frame counts.
• When you’re trying to hit high refresh rates for competitive gaming.
• When you want to game at 4K without sacrificing performance.

The real magic happens when you use both technologies together. Ray tracing gives you those jaw-dropping visuals, while DLSS helps maintain playable frame rates. It’s like having your graphics cake and eating it too!

But here’s the kicker – the balance between visual quality and performance is highly personal. Some of my friends can’t stand playing below 144 FPS, while others are happy to drop to 30 FPS if it means getting those sweet, sweet ray-traced reflections.

In my book, DLSS is the clear winner in terms of raw FPS impact. It’s a game-changer that can dramatically boost frame rates with minimal visual compromise. Ray tracing, while stunning, is still a performance hog.

But you know what? I wouldn’t want to game without either of them. The visual upgrade from ray tracing is spectacular, and DLSS makes it feasible to actually use it without turning my game into a slideshow.

As we wrap up this showdown, remember that the “best” choice depends on your preferences, your hardware, and the games you play. In the next section, we’ll look at how to make the right choice for your setup. 

Future Developments in Ray Tracing and DLSS

Hold onto your GPUs, folks, because the future of gaming graphics looks brighter than a ray-traced sun reflecting off a chrome bumper! Both ray tracing and DLSS are evolving at a breakneck pace, and I can’t wait to see what’s coming next.

Ray Tracing: The Path to Efficiency

Remember when I first enabled ray tracing, and my GPU sounded like it was trying to achieve liftoff? Well, those days might soon be behind us. The industry is working hard to make ray tracing more efficient:

1. Hardware Improvements: Nvidia’s RTX 4000 series has shown significant gains in ray tracing performance. The 4090, for instance, can handle ray tracing workloads nearly twice as fast as its predecessor. AMD and Intel are also upping their game, with each new generation bringing better ray tracing capabilities.
2. Software Optimizations: Game developers are getting savvier with ray tracing implementation. They’re learning to use hybrid approaches, combining traditional rasterization techniques with selective ray tracing for optimal performance.
3. Machine Learning Acceleration: There’s a buzz about using AI to predict light behavior, potentially reducing the number of rays that need to be calculated. Imagine if your GPU could “guess” where light would bounce with near-perfect accuracy!

I’m particularly excited about path tracing, the holy grail of real-time graphics. It’s like ray tracing on steroids, simulating light bounces much more comprehensively. We’ve seen glimpses of it in games like Minecraft RTX, and it’s mind-blowing. As hardware improves, full path tracing in AAA games might become a reality.

DLSS: The AI Revolution Continues

On the DLSS front, Nvidia isn’t resting on its laurels. The progression from DLSS 1.0 to 3.0 has been nothing short of remarkable, and the future looks even brighter:

1. DLSS 3.0 and Beyond: DLSS 3.0 introduced frame generation, which can dramatically boost FPS. Future iterations might refine this technique, reducing artifacts and improving compatibility across various games.
2. Improved AI Models: As AI technology advances, we can expect even better upscaling quality. Imagine DLSS that’s indistinguishable from native resolution 100% of the time, even to the most discerning eye.
3. Wider Adoption: As DLSS proves its worth, we might see more game engines integrating it natively, making implementation easier for developers.

But here’s where it gets really interesting – the competition is heating up:

• AMD’s FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) is giving DLSS a run for its money. It’s open-source and works on a wider range of hardware. FSR 2.0 made significant strides in quality, and I’m eagerly awaiting what FSR 3.0 will bring to the table.
• Intel’s XeSS is another player in the field, promising similar benefits to DLSS but with broader hardware support.

This competition is great news for us gamers. More options mean better technology and wider adoption across the industry.

The Game-Changers on the Horizon

Looking ahead, there are a few potential game-changers that could flip the script on the ray tracing vs. DLSS debate:

1. AI-Powered Ray Tracing: Imagine if AI could handle some of the ray tracing calculations, significantly reducing the performance hit. We might see a fusion of ray tracing and DLSS-like technologies.
2. Cloud Gaming Advancements: As cloud gaming technology improves, we might see high-end ray tracing becoming accessible to players without top-tier hardware. The processing could happen in the cloud, with the results streamed to your device.
3. New Display Technologies: Advancements in display tech, like microLED or holographic displays, could change how we perceive and render graphics, potentially altering the importance of current ray tracing and upscaling techniques.

As we look to the future of graphics technology, it’s fascinating to consider the complete history of graphic cards and how far we’ve come. The evolution from basic 2D rendering to complex ray tracing and AI upscaling is truly remarkable.

The exciting part is that these advancements will likely compound. Ray tracing will become more efficient, DLSS (and its competitors) will better reclaim those frames, and new technologies will emerge to push the boundaries even further.

As a gamer and tech enthusiast, I can’t help but get giddy thinking about what our games will look like in five or ten years. Will we be path-tracing entire worlds in real time? Will AI upscaling be so good that running games at native 4K or 8K becomes obsolete?

One thing’s for sure – the future of gaming graphics is blindingly bright. Just remember to wear your gaming glasses; all those ray-traced reflections might be hard on the eyes!

Making the Right Choice for Your Gaming Setup

Alright, fellow gamers, it’s time to get our hands dirty and figure out how to squeeze every last frame out of our systems while still enjoying those sweet, sweet visuals. Here’s my tried-and-true guide to balancing ray tracing and DLSS for optimal gaming nirvana.

1. Know Your Hardware

First things first, you need to know what you’re working with. Here’s a quick rundown:

• For Ray Tracing, you’ll want an RTX 2000 series or newer for Nvidia or an RX 6000 series or newer for AMD.
• For DLSS, you need an Nvidia RTX card. AMD users, look into FSR as an alternative.

Pro Tip: If you’re rocking an older GTX card or a non-RTX AMD card, you might want to stick to traditional rasterization for now. Trust me, I tried ray tracing on my old GTX 1080 once, and it was like watching a slideshow painted by a drunk artist.

2. Assess Your Gaming Goals

Ask yourself:

• Are you all about those crisp, high frame rates?
• Do you crave visual fidelity above all else?
• Are you trying to push higher resolutions, like 4K?

Your answers will guide your settings. If you’re a competitive gamer gunning for 144+ FPS, you might want to skip ray tracing altogether and use DLSS to boost your frames. On the flip side, if you’re more of a single-player, story-driven gamer, cranking up ray tracing and using DLSS to offset the performance hit could be your ticket to gaming bliss.

3. Experiment with Settings

Here’s where the fun begins. Start with these baseline recommendations and tweak from there:

• 1080p Gaming:
  • Mid-range GPU: Try ray tracing on medium, DLSS on Quality mode
  • High-end GPU: Ray tracing on high/ultra, DLSS on Quality or off if frames are good
• 1440p Gaming:
  • Mid-range GPU: Ray tracing on low/medium, DLSS on Balanced
  • High-end GPU: Ray tracing on high, DLSS on Quality
• 4K Gaming:
  • High-end GPU: Ray tracing on medium/high, DLSS on Quality or Balanced
  • Top-tier GPU: Go wild! Ray tracing on ultra, play with DLSS settings

Remember, every game is different. Cyberpunk 2077 might bring your GPU to its knees, while a game like Control might give you more headroom to crank up the settings.

4. Prioritize Ray Tracing Effects

Not all ray tracing effects are created equal. If you’re struggling for frames, try enabling them selectively:

1. Reflections: Usually the most noticeable. Keep these on if you can.
2. Global Illumination: Big visual impact, but heavy performance hit.
3. Shadows: Subtle but can add depth. Maybe save these for beefier GPUs.

DLSS can be a game-changer, but it needs some finessing:

• Start with Quality mode and work your way down if you need more frames.
• Some games have a sharpness slider for DLSS. Play around with it!
• If you notice ghosting or artifacts, try dropping down a DLSS mode.

Pro Tip: In some games, running at a higher resolution with DLSS can look better than native resolution at a lower setting. I was blown away when I realized 4K with DLSS often looked better than native 1440p on my setup!

While we’re all hyped about ray tracing and DLSS, don’t neglect the basics:

• Keep your drivers updated. I know, I know, it’s a pain, but it can make a big difference.
• Monitor your temperatures. Ray tracing can make your GPU sweat. Make sure you have good airflow.
• Consider your CPU. In some cases, you might be CPU-bound, limiting the benefits of DLSS.

At the end of the day, what matters most is what looks good to you. Don’t get too caught up in the numbers. If a game looks and feels good, you’ve found the right settings!

Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. It’s all about finding the right balance for your hardware, the game you’re playing, and your personal preferences. If you’re feeling adventurous, you might even consider safely overclocking your GPU to squeeze out a bit more performance. Don’t be afraid to experiment!

And here’s my final piece of advice: don’t let the pursuit of perfect graphics settings keep you from enjoying the game. I once spent so long tweaking Cyberpunk 2077’s settings that I forgot to actually play the game! The best graphics in the world won’t make a difference if you’re stuck in the options menu.

So go forth, apply these tips, and most importantly, have fun! After all, that’s what gaming is all about. And hey, if you stumble upon the perfect balance of settings that makes your game look like real life while running at 360 FPS, do let me know. I’ll be first in line to hear your secrets!