So when I got my hands on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, I was curious to see whether it would be able to handle games at 8K. Overall, the NVIDIA RTX 5090 is around 33% faster than the RTX 4090. So, is 8K gaming now possible with this new GPU and DLSS 4? Let’s find out.
For our 8K benchmarks, we used an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D with 32GB of DDR5 at 6000Mhz, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. We also used Windows 10 64-bit, and the GeForce 571.86 driver. Moreover, we’ve disabled the second CCD on our 7950X3D. Plus, we’re using the ASUS ROG SWIFT PG32UCDM monitor, which is a 32” 4K/240Hz/HDR monitor. We also used DSR 4X to get an 8K resolution on our monitor.
Now the big two questions some may have are a) does 8K work on a 4K PC monitor and b) are there any visual improvements? Let’s answer these questions.
With DSR, you CAN use an 8K resolution on a 4K PC monitor. This is nothing new really. It’s similar to how 1440p users can use 4K resolutions. All you have to do is enable DSR 4X on the NVIDIA Control Panel, and then select the new 8K resolution. Then, once you launch your game, you can use Borderless Fullscreen to game at 8K.
But are there any visual improvements? Well, believe it or not, DLSS Performance Mode at 8K can provide a better image quality than Native 4K with DLAA. Here are two examples. You can clearly see how much better 8K with DLSS Performance Super Resolution looks than Native 4K with DLAA. And again. We are comparing 4K with DLAA (which produces a better image than 4K with TAA). In a way, we put 8K at a disadvantage here. And despite that, it still looks better than 4K.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, 4K DLSS Performance (which reconstructs the image from 1080p) offers a better image quality than Native 1080p. And this is exactly what’s happening with 8K DLSS Performance.
Truth be told, you’ll need a really big screen to benefit from these visual improvements. On a 65” TV (like the LG CX), it’s easier to notice the visual improvements of 8K. On my 32” PC monitor, it was almost impossible to notice them. So, make sure to also keep that in mind.
So, we’ve established that 8K DLSS Performance can look better than Native 4K. But how about performance? Is the NVIDIA RTX 5090 able to run games at 8K?
In numerous non-RT and non-PT games, it’s possible to game at 8K even without Frame Generation. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth runs with 65-75FPS at 8K/Max Settings with DLSS Quality Mode. By dropping it to Performance Mode, you can get framerates between 75-95FPS. Tekken 8 also runs smoothly and without any issues at 8K. The Last of Us Part I could also run with 60FPS. Or how about A Plague Tale: Requiem? Without Ray Tracing, it ran with a minimum of 64FPS at 8K/Max Settings with DLSS Performance Mode (without Frame Generation).
But what about some ray-traced games? Without DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Gen, you can get to 60-70FPS in some of the most demanding games like Avatar and STALKER 2. Surprisingly enough, Avatar did not suffer from any input latency issues. I don’t know what Ubisoft has done, but the game felt really responsive at 8K with DLSS Performance Mode and Frame Gen X2. On the other hand, STALKER 2 had some noticeable latency issues. They were not game-breaking, but most of you will be able to spot them. I also tried Star Wars: Outlaws and Dragon Age: The Veilguard which have support for DLSS 4. Star Wars: Outlaws felt responsive and fully enjoyable at 8K with DLSS 4 Performance Mode and Multi-Frame Gen X4. DA: The Veilguard ran with over 120FPS at 8K with DLSS Quality Mode with Multi-Frame Gen X4. With DLSS Performance Mode, my framerates went up to 175FPS (something that also reduced the input latency). So, with the exception of STALKER 2, all of the above ray-traced games felt responsive at 8K.
For the ultimate 8K test, I’ve tried some path-traced games with DLSS 4. And, to my surprise, both Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 were playable. CP2077 was fully playable at 8K with DLSS 4 X4. The control movement/response was actually pretty great. In my opinion, this is one of the best examples of DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Gen X4. Alan Wake 2 had worse input latency and felt laggier at 8K. It wasn’t unplayable. However, I could easily notice the laggier mouse movement. Still, we’re talking about 8K gaming here. The fact we can even get “smooth” framerates at 8K in fully path-traced games is already an incredible feat.
In conclusion, 8K gaming is possible with the RTX 5090 and DLSS 4. It’s not something I recommend though unless you have a 60Hz 4K/8K monitor and you want to take advantage of the extra power of a high-end GPU. As for the input latency when gaming at 8K, this is something we can only judge per game. In the games I’ve tested, only STALKER 2 and Alan Wake 2 felt laggier. They weren’t unplayable. But, as I said, they were laggier. On the other hand, Avatar, which was running at lower framerates than STALKER 2, felt super responsive. So yeah, some games may feel worse than others at the exact same framerates.
As I’ve also showcased, there are visual benefits when gaming at 8K, even with DLSS Performance Mode. But, let’s be realistic here. I don’t recommend this to anyone. So, no. You shouldn’t get an RTX 5090 just so you can game at 8K. This was simply a fun experiment and nothing more!

John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved – and still does – the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the “The Evolution of PC graphics cards.”
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