Nvidia's DLSS 5 technology has officially launched in NBA 2K27, but early testing indicates a substantial performance cost, even on powerful gaming PCs. In benchmarks conducted on an RTX 5080 equipped rig, the new AI image-enhancing technology was observed to reduce frame rates by as much as 73% in certain scenarios.
Nvidia had previously estimated a 50-60% performance hit, but initial findings suggest the impact can be even more significant. A high-end PC featuring an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, an RTX 5080, and 32GB of DDR5 RAM, capable of running NBA 2K27 with ease, experienced average frame rate drops of up to 73% when DLSS 5 was enabled under demanding settings. This included Ultra presets with ray tracing at both 1440p and 4K resolutions.
At 1440p, with Ultra settings and ray tracing, the native frame rate averaged 230 FPS. Enabling DLSS 5 reduced this to an average of 93 FPS, a 137-frame difference. The 1% low frame rate also dropped considerably, from 93 FPS to 37 FPS. When Quality upscaling and 2x frame generation were combined with DLSS 5, the average frame rate settled at 168 FPS, a decrease from 363 FPS without DLSS 5.
The performance impact becomes even more pronounced at 4K. With Ultra settings and ray tracing, the RTX 5080 delivered an average of 183 FPS natively. Activating DLSS 5 brought this down to 49 FPS, a 73% reduction in average frames. While 49 FPS is still playable, it represents a significant drop from the game's potential performance without the AI enhancement. When upscaling and 2x frame generation were used in conjunction with DLSS 5 at 4K, the average frame rate reached 92 FPS, compared to 255 FPS with upscaling and frame generation alone but without DLSS 5.
Despite the performance penalty, DLSS 5 can produce visually impressive results in NBA 2K27. Close-up shots of player models showcase enhanced realism, with more lifelike skin textures, improved shadowing, and finer details in clothing. The technology appears to add a level of polish that can make characters appear more vibrant and detailed, especially in paused moments like replays or photo mode.
However, the visual improvements come at a significant cost to performance. The review suggests that a considerable frame rate headroom is necessary before enabling DLSS 5, or that developers may need to rely heavily on upscaling and frame generation to compensate. The game's fast-paced nature means that any dip in frame rate can negatively impact the player experience. For this reason, the reviewer suggests that turning off DLSS 5 might be preferable for maintaining smooth gameplay.
The implementation in NBA 2K27 is described as relatively light-touch, suggesting that the game was well-optimized to begin with. Yet, the substantial performance drain raises questions about the technology's readiness for current hardware. The article posits that DLSS 5 might be more suited for the next generation of graphics cards, as current high-end GPUs, even those costing over $1,500, struggle to maintain high frame rates when the feature is enabled. The true test will likely be in more demanding titles, where the performance impact could be even more severe.