GUIDE · DLSS PRESETS · CHECKED ON DLSS SDK 310.9
DLSS presets explained, and which one to use on your GPU
DLSS presets are the model versions the driver can run: A to F are the older CNN models, J and K the first transformer models (DLSS 4), and L and M the second-generation transformer models (DLSS 4.5). Newer models look sharper and more stable but cost more GPU time, which matters most on RTX 20 and 30 cards. NVIDIA's own cost table is below; set the letter with DLSS - Forced Preset Letter in NPI or the model preset in the NVIDIA App.
Every DLSS preset at a glance
NVIDIA’s own cost column is for an RTX 4070 Ti at 1440p output, in milliseconds per frame, from NVIDIA’s command-line test in Performance mode. It is a relative cost, not an in-game result. OFFICIAL · NVIDIA DLSS SR guide, 310.6.0
| Preset | Model | GPUs | Cost (ms) | Recommended use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A to D | CNN, removed from the SDK. NPI value 0x00000001 to 0x00000004 | RTX 20 and newer | no data | Do not use. NVIDIA removed A to D. |
| E | CNN. NPI value 0x00000005 | RTX 20 and newer | 0.45E and F share a row | Cheapest model. F is deprecated by NVIDIA. |
| J | Transformer, generation 1. NPI value 0x0000000A | RTX 20 and newer | 0.91J and K share a row | Close to K. NVIDIA recommends K over J. |
| K | Transformer, generation 1. NPI value 0x0000000B | RTX 20 and newer | 0.91J and K share a row | NVIDIA's default for DLAA, Quality and Balanced. |
| L | Transformer, generation 2. NPI value 0x0000000C | Best on RTX 40 and newer | 1.46 | NVIDIA's default for Ultra Performance. Sharpest and the most expensive. |
| M | Transformer, generation 2. NPI value 0x0000000D | Best on RTX 40 and newer | 1.18 | NVIDIA's default for Performance. |
| G, H, I, N | Unused or reserved. NPI values 0x00000007 to 0x00000009 and 0x0000000E | – | no data | No model. Never force these. |
Cost cells: five steps from light (cheapest) to dark (most expensive); every cell shows its number.
The NPI values come from NPI’s data. CODE · NPI 2994194 Presets A to D and E and F have a different status in the SDK history: A to D were removed and E and F deprecated. OFFICIAL · NVIDIA DLSS SR guide
Find your preset
Choose your GPU family and goal. The planner applies NVIDIA’s documented defaults and adjusts them with the reviews cited below. Nothing is uploaded.
Recommendation
Preset M, Quality or Balanced
Reviewers recommend M up to Performance mode, and on RTX 40 and 50 its extra cost over K is small.
REPORTED · ComputerBase · RTX 4080 SuperREPORTED · PC Games Hardware · RTX 20-50
NVIDIA's cost on a GPU like yours
OFFICIAL · NVIDIA DLSS SDK 310.6.0
On RTX 4070 Ti at 2560x1440 NVIDIA lists 1.18 ms for preset M against 0.91 ms for preset K, a difference of +0.27 ms per frame. NVIDIA also lists about 204 MB of video memory for this preset.
NVIDIA's own timings in Performance mode from a command-line test, not in-game measurements. RTX 4070 Ti is the nearest GPU NVIDIA lists for RTX 40 series.
Exact NPI rows
- DLSS Super Resolution - Enable DLL Override
0x10E41E01=0x00000001(On - DLSS-SR overridden by latest installed)
Turn the DLL override on - DLSS Super Resolution - Forced Preset Letter
0x10E41DF3=0x0000000D(Preset M (Transformer Gen 2))
Force preset M
Open NPI, type the game in the profile box, search dlss, set the rows, click Apply Changes and restart the game. Check the result with the DLSS indicator.
The NVIDIA App can overwrite these values. Set them after the App, and recheck after App updates.
What changed between DLSS 4 and DLSS 4.5
DLSS 4 introduced the transformer model (presets J and K). DLSS 4.5 added the second generation (L and M). NVIDIA says M gives image gains like L at a cost closer to K, and describes L as the sharpest and most stable. OFFICIAL · NVIDIA DLSS SR guide ComputerBase found DLSS 4.5 fixed several DLSS 4 problems (water, shimmering shadows, stability) and roughly halved disocclusion artefacts, though distant vegetation became softer. REPORTED · ComputerBase · 9 Jan 2026 PC Games Hardware called it the cleanest, most stable upsampling it had tested, and recommended M up to Performance mode and L for Ultra Performance. REPORTED · PC Games Hardware · 2 Feb 2026 We have no image comparisons of our own: we have no NVIDIA GPU to capture them.
What each preset costs on your GPU
NVIDIA’s own table shows how the gap changes with the GPU. On an RTX 3060 at 4K, preset M costs about 2.2 times what K does; on an RTX 5090 the gap is a fraction of a millisecond.
NVIDIA's DLSS Super Resolution cost by preset and GPU, 4K output
The newer presets cost far more on older GPUs: preset L is 13.81 ms on an RTX 3060 against 5.05 ms for K, but only 1.37 ms against 0.87 ms for K on an RTX 5090.
Execution time per frame in ms (lower is better), Performance mode, 4K output
Show the data
| Item | ms | Setup |
|---|---|---|
| RTX 2080 Ti · preset K | 3.50 | NVIDIA SDK table, 4K output, Performance mode |
| RTX 2080 Ti · preset M | 7.51 | NVIDIA SDK table, 4K output, Performance mode |
| RTX 2080 Ti · preset L | 10.60 | NVIDIA SDK table, 4K output, Performance mode |
| RTX 3060 · preset K | 5.05 | NVIDIA SDK table, 4K output, Performance mode |
| RTX 3060 · preset M | 11.10 | NVIDIA SDK table, 4K output, Performance mode |
| RTX 3060 · preset L | 13.81 | NVIDIA SDK table, 4K output, Performance mode |
| RTX 4080 · preset K | 1.49 | NVIDIA SDK table, 4K output, Performance mode |
| RTX 4080 · preset M | 2.08 | NVIDIA SDK table, 4K output, Performance mode |
| RTX 4080 · preset L | 2.51 | NVIDIA SDK table, 4K output, Performance mode |
| RTX 5090 · preset K | 0.87 | NVIDIA SDK table, 4K output, Performance mode |
| RTX 5090 · preset M | 1.05 | NVIDIA SDK table, 4K output, Performance mode |
| RTX 5090 · preset L | 1.37 | NVIDIA SDK table, 4K output, Performance mode |
Independent reviewers measured the same switch inside games. Each result below is a separate source with its own setup; they are not averaged.
| Publisher | GPUs | Result | Setup |
|---|---|---|---|
| ComputerBase (9 Jan 2026) | RTX 4080 Super, RTX 5070 Ti | 4 to 5 percent fewer FPS with M than K | 4K, DLSS Performance, 6 games |
| ComputerBase (9 Jan 2026) | RTX 3090 Ti, RTX 2080 Ti | About 12 percent fewer FPS, up to 16 percent in one game | Same test |
| TechSpot (Jan 2026, not verified by us) | RTX 3090; RTX 5070 Ti | RTX 3090: about 17 percent (Performance) and 25 percent (Balanced) slower than DLSS 4; RTX 5070 Ti: 2 to 4 percent | 1440p |
| PC Games Hardware (2 Feb 2026) | RTX 2080 Ti, 3080, 4060 Ti 16GB | DLSS 4.5 at DLAA costs 28, 26 and 16 percent against the old model | F1 25 |
| GameGPU (2 Jul 2026) | RTX 4070 Ti | K, L and M within about 5 to 7 percent of each other; L slowest | Alan Wake 2, 1440p |
Image quality side by side
We cannot capture game frames, so there are no comparison sliders here. The published verdicts are above, and the indicator page shows how to check which preset runs in your own game so that you can judge the image yourself. A good test is a scene with thin foliage and a moving object, at the DLSS mode you actually use.
Ray Reconstruction presets
Ray Reconstruction has its own letter set. NVIDIA removed presets A to C, and the valid presets are Default, D, E and F, where D and E are transformer generation 1 and F is generation 2. OFFICIAL · NVIDIA DLSS RR guide Ray reconstruction is much heavier than super resolution, and heaviest on RTX 20 and 30. OFFICIAL · NVIDIA DLSS RR guide The safe choice is Use recommended preset. The override rows are explained on the DLSS override page, and a path-traced example is on the Cyberpunk 2077 page.
Frame Generation presets
NPI’s frame generation rows offer Preset A (Default Preset), B (UI Focus), C (Performance Focus), and D to F, and a Use recommended preset value. CODE · NPI 2994194 The frame generation page covers them: frame generation and multi frame generation.
How to change the preset
- In NPI: two rows, DLSS - Enable DLL Override and DLSS - Forced Preset Letter; the steps are on the DLSS override page.
- In the NVIDIA App: the model preset choice on the Graphics pages. Its Recommended option maps M to Performance, L to Ultra Performance and K to other modes, according to NVIDIA. OFFICIAL · NVIDIA GeForce News · 14 Jan 2026
- In the game: some games expose the preset themselves.
Why your preset doesn’t change
If the indicator still shows an old preset, the usual causes are a game that was not restarted, an exe that is not in the profile, the NVIDIA App rewriting the value, or a game that blocks overrides. The troubleshooting table is on the DLSS override page, and NPI vs the NVIDIA App explains the App.
Flight simulators, often played in VR, are a common reason to force a preset: see the flight sim page.
Questions people ask
Is preset K DLSS 4?
Presets J and K are the first-generation transformer models that arrived with DLSS 4. L and M are the second-generation transformer models that arrived with DLSS 4.5. NVIDIA recommends K over J.
Is preset M better than K?
Reviewers judged DLSS 4.5 the cleaner image, and on RTX 40 and 50 it costs about 4 to 5 percent more than K at 4K Performance. On RTX 30 and 20 the same switch cost about 12 percent, so K can be the better choice there.
Which DLSS preset is best for an RTX 3060?
Preset K for Quality, Balanced and DLAA. NVIDIA's table lists M at about 2.2 times the cost of K on an RTX 3060 at 4K. Try M only if you have frames to spare.
What are presets N and O?
NPI lists letters up to N. G to I are unused or reserved, and N has no model attached in our sources. Do not force a letter that no model uses.
Does Use recommended preset pick the newest model?
It lets NVIDIA's mapping decide. NVIDIA's consumer guidance says the App's Recommended option maps M to Performance, L to Ultra Performance and K to the other modes.
Sources
- NVIDIA DLSS SR Programming Guide github.com · accessed 8 Nov 2026 · official
- NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution available now nvidia.com · accessed 8 Nov 2026 · official
- ComputerBase computerbase.de · accessed 8 Nov 2026 · reported
- PC Games Hardware pcgameshardware.de · accessed 8 Nov 2026 · reported
- GameGPU gamegpu.com · accessed 8 Nov 2026 · reported