Ray tracing, DLSS 4.0, FSR 3.0: when we talk about graphics cards, these technologies are inevitably brought up. Between the promise of lifelike special effects, FPS boosts, and generative AI, it’s a dream come true. But what does it change when you’re holding a keyboard and mouse, and headphones on? Ray tracing, DLSS 4.0, and FSR 3.0: what does it mean in-game? Today, we’re lifting the veil on this often-overly vague jargon.
Ray tracing, DLSS 4.0, and FSR 3.0: which technologies are really useful?
Ray tracing, DLSS 4, FSR 3.0: some seriously technical jargon. But what’s that all about? Is it just a nice little pipe dream to sell? Thank goodness not. Ray tracing is for creating amazing lighting effects. DLSS 4 is for boosting your FPS on the NVIDIA side, and FSR 3? It’s the same thing, but from AMD. And when you combine them, you get a truly insane rendering. Even better than at the cinema. But you still need to understand what they’re used for to use them properly.
What is ray tracing?
Ray tracing—or light tracing, as Molière would say—is the feature that makes lighting effects as realistic as possible. Like in the movies. Concretely: reflections in which you could redo your hair, vivid shadows, and a truly believable gaming atmosphere.
But it’s not free, and it comes at a rather high price: activating ray tracing often cuts your FPS in half… unless you have a good graphics card. It’s a real addiction; once you’ve tried it, you can’t go back to basic settings that are bland and colorless. It’s the little extra that leaves you AFK because it’s so “wow.” Fortunately, this is where DLSS and FSR come into play to compensate.
What is DLSS 4?
DLSS 4 ( Deep Learning Super Sampling, its full name) is Nvidia’s AI, and incidentally, your new best friend for gaining FPS, which doesn’t even exist in the first place. Let me explain: in fact, the AI will generate intermediate images between each native image of the game, which makes your number of frames per second explode.
It’s almost cheating. But that’s not all: the AI will also optimize the rendering of every detail to preserve image quality. And unless you’re a pixel purist, you won’t notice anything. On the latest GeForce RTX 5000, it’s downright graphics doping. You can go from 60 to 100 FPS in the blink of an eye. In addition to the upscaling, the image remains beautiful. Everything is so fluid that once again, you’re just amazed.
What is FSR 3?
FidelityFX Super Resolution — the third of its name — is AMD’s response. Shortened to FSR 3 for those in the know. No AI here, but a technology that’s just as good as it gets. It lets you boost the quality of your graphics performance and FPS in a truly clean way.
And version 3.0 adds generative imaging, like DLSS. Imagine: with FSR 3, you can have your cake and eat it too,o AND a graphics card that breathes. Test it out on an RX 9070 XT, and let me know how it goes.
How do these technologies improve gaming?
These days, we’re all drooling over games that are getting more and more beautiful… and heavier and heavier. Without a helping hand, even a good graphics card can be put to the test. That’s where DLSS and FSR come in like saviors: they give you extra FPS so as not to ruin your gaming experience.
If you add ray tracing to the equation, you have to activate it constantly. But in concrete terms, how many extra FPS does all that give you? And does the image remain flawless? Let’s check all that out.
Boosted FPS, but to what level?
With DLSS 4 or FSR 3 enabled, you can easily double your FPS. I’m not using the expression figuratively; I’m not just talking about 5 or 10 frames per second. No, no. DLSS 4 can quadruple your FPS! Here’s the reality: you’re on Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing on full blast. Unsurprisingly, you drop to 30 FPS.
It’s so jerky it makes you nauseous. Pause, go to your settings and enable DLSS 4 on your RTX 5080, and then, it’s as if Mimie Mathy had snapped her fingers. Not 60 but 120 FPS appears on the counter. Same thing with FSR 3 on the AMD side (a little less annoying, though). RTX 5000, RX 9070 XT… when it comes to big graphics cards, it’s a real all-you-can-eat buffet, so don’t deprive yourself.
Sharp image or blurry image?
With great power comes great responsibility, and especially knowing your setup is essential. Some players find movements blurry. This is the risk of adjusting your settings blindly. In Quality mode, you stay faithful to the game’s native rendering. But it’s also the most demanding: the AI will prioritize image quality over FPS frequency. Best used if you’re playing in 4K or optimized 1080p.
Then there’s Performance mode, which embodies the basic promise of generative technology: this time, priority is given to frame rate rather than resolution. This is even more true for Ultra mode, which completely ignores rendering resolutions. Finally, to split the difference, there’s Balanced mode, which tries to find the best resolution-to-frequency ratio.
Which graphics card should you choose for gaming?
Ray tracing, DLSS 4, or FSR 3: all of that is great, but you need a GPU with solid shoulders. If you want to activate all the lighting effects, gain FPS, and play in ultra, you have no choice. You need a recent graphics card. The ball is in your court: the green giant NVidia with its GeForce RTX 5000 series, or the shadow rival AMD with its latest Radeon RX 9000. The real question to ask yourself is not who is the best, but rather who does what better and for what budget.
GeForce RTX 5000 Series VS Radeon RX 9000 Series: Which to Choose?
Let’s not beat around the bush: GeForce RTXs handle ray tracing much better, but Radeon RXs deliver value for money. Everyone has their style depending on their budget. NVIDIA, with its GeForce RTX, remains the big boss of ray tracing, and by far. The light is cleaner, the shadows finer, the effects more realistic and more stable. And with DLSS 4, it’s crystal clear. But the Radeon RXs, especially the 9000 series, haven’t said their last word. They hold up super well in 1440p, even with FSR 3 enabled.
In some games, they even outperform the RTX 5070 Ti, a great feat. And price-wise, they win hands down. Basically, if you want the ultimate visual experience and you can afford it, go with NVIDIA. But if you want a good graphics card with max FPS and decent ray tracing without selling a kidney, AMD saves the day.
Is the future already here with the RTX 5000 and Radeon RX 9000?
The new GeForce RTX 5000 and AMD Radeon RX 9000 have left us all speechless. NVIDIA has pushed hard with its RTX 5080 and 5090. AI works in real time to improve each frame session after session. It’s smooth, it’s clean, it’s almost too good to be true. At AMD, ray tracing is improving, and frequencies are exploding.
These cards have barely been released, and we’re already asking ourselves the question: what will the next graphics cards be capable of? What is certain is that everything is based on deep learning artificial intelligence and muscular scaling. The future is now and in real time.
