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To reduce VRAM use with NVIDIA DLSS, first try a more aggressive DLSS Super Resolution mode, such as Performance instead of Quality, if your game offers it. This lowers the input resolution used to reconstruct the image, but it does not guarantee a particular VRAM saving. If your game supports NVIDIA’s newer Frame Generation model, enabling or selecting that model is a separate option: NVIDIA reports memory savings for it, including one game-specific example. Which controls you can use depends on the game and its update level.
Start by identifying which DLSS control you can change
DLSS Super Resolution and DLSS Frame Generation are different features, so their settings and memory claims should not be treated as interchangeable. Super Resolution reconstructs a higher-resolution output from a lower-resolution input. Frame Generation uses an AI model to generate additional frames. A Super Resolution mode’s input-resolution percentage is not a measurement of how much VRAM the game will use.
NVIDIA says DLSS support is normally enabled in the game’s settings, and that available settings depend on the game engine and update level. Start with the game’s own graphics menu; if the title offers per-game DLSS overrides, check its settings in the NVIDIA App as well. There is no universal menu path or set of options that applies to every game. See NVIDIA’s DLSS, Smooth Motion and Reflex driver installation guide for its note about game-specific support.
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- Look for a setting named DLSS Super Resolution, DLSS mode, or a similar upscaling control. The available labels vary by title.
- Check separately for a Frame Generation setting. It may be absent or offer different choices depending on the game and its update level.
- If the game has no relevant setting, check whether the NVIDIA App offers an override for that title. Do not assume an override is available or supported in every game.
Why lower input resolution can help, but is not a VRAM guarantee
Super Resolution changes the resolution of the image the game renders before reconstruction. A lower input generally reduces the rendering workload, which is why Performance and Ultra Performance are relevant settings to test when the system is under pressure. However, the published DLSS percentages describe the input image, not a promise that the game will allocate or release the same percentage of video memory.
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VRAM use also reflects the game’s other graphics choices and its engine behavior. Texture data, render targets, effects, and the current scene can all be handled differently from one title to another. The material NVIDIA publishes for these modes gives input-resolution ratios, while its explicit memory figures concern a Frame Generation model comparison. Consequently, changing Super Resolution is a practical experiment rather than a calculation: you must check the result in the title and workload that cause the problem.
A graphics menu may show a memory estimate, an overlay may show allocated memory, or the game may only reveal a symptom such as stutter or a warning. Treat whichever reading you have as a comparison tool. Keep the scene, output resolution, and other settings the same so that a change in the number is not simply the result of loading a different area of the game.
Choose a Super Resolution mode to test
NVIDIA’s published figures describe the input resolution relative to the output resolution—not VRAM savings. For example, a 67% input resolution means the game renders the Super Resolution input at 67% of the output resolution in each dimension; it does not mean the game uses 67% as much memory. NVIDIA also describes custom scaling between 33% and 100% for supported NVIDIA App overrides.
| Option | NVIDIA-published input resolution | Practical consideration |
|---|---|---|
| DLSS Super Resolution Quality | 67% | A higher input resolution than Performance or Ultra Performance; start here if image clarity matters more than trying the most aggressive scaling. |
| DLSS Super Resolution Performance | 50% | A lower input resolution than Quality; a reasonable next mode to test if memory pressure remains and the game offers it. |
| DLSS Super Resolution Ultra Performance | 33% | The lowest of these listed input-resolution modes; check the image carefully, since a lower input resolution can make the result look softer. |
| DLAA | 100% | NVIDIA gives this as a comparison point: unlike the lower Super Resolution input resolutions, DLAA uses 100% input resolution. |
| Custom NVIDIA App scaling override | 33%–100%, where supported | Allows a custom input scale within the stated range; availability depends on the title and override support. |
The percentages and custom-scaling range come from NVIDIA’s 2025 NVIDIA App update announcement. They are scaling ratios, not predicted memory reductions. A lower mode is therefore something to test in your own game, not a guaranteed way to free a specific amount of VRAM.
Quality is the least aggressive Super Resolution option listed here, because its input is 67% rather than 50% or 33%. Performance is the straightforward next trial when Quality leaves too much pressure. Ultra Performance uses the lowest listed input and can produce a visibly softer result, particularly when the output resolution is high or the scene contains fine detail. DLAA is not a memory-saving Super Resolution mode: NVIDIA’s comparison places it at 100% input resolution. Use it only when you specifically want its image treatment and have enough capacity for the workload.
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If the NVIDIA App exposes a custom override for your title, values between 33% and 100% let you make a smaller step than the named presets. A value closer to 100% favors clarity; a value closer to 33% is more aggressive. The override is conditional, however. Its presence does not mean every game accepts every value or that the game will show a predictable VRAM change.
Test changes one at a time
- Note the current setup. Record the game, output resolution, current DLSS Super Resolution mode, and whether Frame Generation is enabled. If the game reports memory use, note that figure too. This gives you a baseline for comparison.
- Reproduce the pressure. Use the same demanding level, save point, benchmark, or repeatable scene that normally causes the warning or hitch. A quiet menu or a different level cannot tell you whether the setting helped the original problem.
- Change only Super Resolution first. In the game’s graphics settings, move one step toward a lower input resolution—for example, Quality to Performance—if that option is available. If the game supports an NVIDIA App override and you choose to use it, change that control instead of changing several DLSS settings at once.
- Apply the setting completely. Some titles require an apply button, a return to the main menu, or a restart before a graphics change is active. Follow the title’s own prompt, then verify that the selected mode remains visible when you reopen the menu.
- Apply the same workload. Use the same output resolution and comparable in-game scene or workload as before. Check whether the game’s reported memory use changes, if it provides a figure, and inspect image clarity at your normal viewing distance.
- Record both outcomes. Write down the mode, any visible memory reading, and what you saw: softness, shimmering, lost detail, stutter, or no noticeable change. A lower number is not automatically a better result if the image is unacceptable.
- Decide whether to keep the change. If the image is too soft, move back toward a higher input resolution. If memory use did not change meaningfully, the mode has not demonstrated a VRAM benefit in that title and setup; do not infer a saving from the input-resolution percentage alone.
- Test Frame Generation separately. If the game supports it, evaluate its Frame Generation option or supported model override after the Super Resolution comparison. Keeping the tests separate makes it easier to tell which change affected the result.
There is no universally optimal DLSS mode established for every game, GPU, output resolution, or workload. The useful choice is the one that meets your image-quality needs and produces a measurable improvement in your own setup, if any.
What NVIDIA’s Frame Generation memory figures mean
NVIDIA’s 2025 DLSS 4 announcement says its new Frame Generation AI model uses 30% less VRAM than its prior Frame Generation model. NVIDIA also reports a 400 MB reduction in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide at 4K with maximum settings using DLSS Frame Generation. These are NVIDIA’s vendor-reported results, not independent measurements or a promise that another game, setting, or GPU will show the same reduction. The 400 MB result is one specific example, not a general allowance.
The claim concerns the newer Frame Generation model compared with its predecessor. It is not a claim that choosing Performance rather than Quality in Super Resolution will save 30% of VRAM. NVIDIA’s announcement also says the new model is 40% faster and needs to run once per rendered frame to generate multiple frames; those model characteristics do not establish a further VRAM saving for your particular game.
Read the figures in context in NVIDIA’s DLSS 4 announcement. Whether the newer model or an override is selectable for you depends on title support and available settings. A game may expose Frame Generation without exposing a model selector, or it may require a particular update before the newer model can be used. The absence of a selector is therefore a compatibility limitation, not evidence that the setting is malfunctioning.
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Keep the two comparisons distinct when documenting results. “Quality versus Performance” describes Super Resolution input scaling. “Previous versus new Frame Generation model” describes NVIDIA’s published memory comparison. Combining both changes in one pass prevents you from knowing which feature produced a visual or memory difference.
When an NVIDIA App override is useful
The NVIDIA App announcement describes custom DLSS scaling from 33% to 100% for supported overrides. This can be useful when the named presets are too far apart: instead of accepting the full jump from Quality’s 67% to Performance’s 50%, a supported title may let you choose an intermediate value. It can also let you test a more aggressive value without changing unrelated graphics options in the game.
- Open the NVIDIA App and look for the individual game rather than assuming a global setting applies everywhere.
- Confirm that the title appears to support a DLSS override and that the override is enabled for that game.
- Change one scale value, launch the title, and verify in the game that DLSS is still active.
- Use the same scene and output resolution as your baseline, then record the visual and memory result.
- Remove or raise the override if the game becomes too soft, unstable, or fails to apply the intended mode.
These steps are conditional because support depends on the game, its engine, and its update level. The NVIDIA App cannot create a compatible control where the title does not expose the required DLSS support.
If the change does not reduce reported VRAM
- Confirm which feature you changed. A Super Resolution input-scale change and a Frame Generation model change are not the same test. The published 30% and 400 MB claims concern Frame Generation, not Super Resolution mode selection.
- Check that the setting actually applied. Reopen the game’s graphics menu or the NVIDIA App’s per-title settings, where applicable, and verify the selected option. Games differ in which DLSS controls and overrides they support.
- Compare like with like. Keep the game, output resolution, and settings consistent when comparing a memory reading. If the scene or workload changes, the comparison cannot isolate the DLSS setting’s effect.
- Allow for title-specific behavior. NVIDIA’s guide says DLSS support and settings depend on the game engine and update level. A menu may omit a mode, rename it, or expose a different combination of Super Resolution and Frame Generation controls.
- Prioritize the visible result as well as the number. If a more aggressive mode makes the image unacceptably soft, choose a higher input resolution even if the lower mode appeared to help memory use.
- Do not treat a scaling ratio as a memory meter. NVIDIA’s published percentages specify Super Resolution input resolution. They do not quantify how many megabytes a particular game will release.
- Do not combine several changes prematurely. Altering textures, output resolution, Super Resolution, and Frame Generation simultaneously may change the result, but it leaves you unable to identify the useful adjustment.
- Recheck after a game update. Because support depends on update level, a patch can add, remove, or change available DLSS controls. Reconfirm the active option instead of assuming an old override still applies.
Image-quality trade-offs to inspect
Compare more than a static menu screenshot. Look at fine geometry, text, distant detail, motion, and scenes that previously caused pressure. Lower input resolution can make the reconstructed image look softer; NVIDIA’s published information does not establish a universal threshold at which that trade-off is acceptable. Your normal viewing distance and output resolution matter to your judgment, so use the display and settings you actually play with.
If Performance is acceptable but Ultra Performance is not, keep Performance even if the latter uses a lower input ratio. If neither produces a meaningful change in your memory reading, return to the clearer mode and investigate only the controls your title actually provides. DLSS is a set of per-game options, not a single switch with identical behavior across all engines.
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How to choose a setting
If you want a simple starting point, use the game’s existing DLSS mode as your baseline, then test Performance if available. Keep it only if the image remains acceptable and your own memory reading or symptoms improve. Try Ultra Performance or a custom lower input scale only if the title supports it and you are willing to trade further image clarity for a more aggressive scaling setting. If Frame Generation is available, assess it separately; its published memory claims apply to NVIDIA’s newer model and specific comparisons, not to every DLSS configuration.
For a careful comparison, keep a short record: game and patch level, GPU, output resolution, Super Resolution mode or custom percentage, Frame Generation state and model if exposed, scene used, and the memory reading. This makes it easier to return to a known-good configuration after experimenting and prevents a title-specific result from being mistaken for a universal DLSS rule.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Common mistakes to avoid
- Confusing input resolution with allocated VRAM. 50% input does not mean 50% memory use, and 33% does not promise a particular number of megabytes freed.
- Calling every DLSS control “upscaling.” Super Resolution reconstructs from a lower input; Frame Generation creates additional frames. Their controls and published memory claims differ.
- Assuming every game has Ultra Performance. NVIDIA explicitly ties available settings to the engine and update level. Use only the modes the title or supported NVIDIA App override presents.
- Quoting the Darktide result as a universal benchmark. The 400 MB figure is for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide at 4K, maximum settings, in NVIDIA’s report.
- Changing several variables at once. One-at-a-time testing is slower but tells you whether the DLSS change itself helped.
- Keeping a blurry setting for a theoretical saving. The practical goal is an acceptable image and a measurable improvement, not the lowest possible input percentage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does DLSS Quality use less VRAM than native rendering?
DLSS Quality uses a 67% input resolution, but NVIDIA does not publish that percentage as a guaranteed VRAM saving. Measure the result in the same game, scene, output resolution, and settings.
Which DLSS mode should I try first for VRAM pressure?
If Quality is active and the game offers it, test Performance at NVIDIA’s published 50% input resolution. Move to Ultra Performance at 33% only if the title supports it and the softer image is acceptable.
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No. The 50% figure describes Super Resolution input resolution. It is not a measurement of memory allocated or released by a particular game.
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What is the difference between DLSS Super Resolution and Frame Generation?
Super Resolution reconstructs the output from a lower-resolution input. Frame Generation creates additional frames. Test them separately because NVIDIA’s published 30% and 400 MB memory figures concern a Frame Generation model comparison, not Super Resolution presets.
What does NVIDIA’s 30% VRAM claim refer to?
NVIDIA says its newer Frame Generation AI model uses 30% less VRAM than its prior Frame Generation model. It is a vendor claim, not a universal result for every game or GPU.
Is the 400 MB saving guaranteed in every game?
No. NVIDIA reports 400 MB less memory in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide at 4K, maximum settings, using DLSS Frame Generation. That title-specific result is not a general allowance.
Can I choose a DLSS percentage between the presets?
Where a supported NVIDIA App override is available, NVIDIA describes custom scaling from 33% to 100%. Availability and behavior depend on the game, engine, and update level.
Why is my VRAM reading unchanged after lowering DLSS?
The percentage is not a memory meter, and the title may handle allocations differently. Verify that the setting applied, compare the same workload, and keep Super Resolution and Frame Generation tests separate.
Should I buy a different GPU to reduce VRAM use with DLSS?
No purchase is required for this software-setting test. A GPU with more VRAM increases capacity but does not reduce the game’s VRAM use, and no specific product is established as necessary here.
The Bottom Line
Use the game’s DLSS menu first, test Performance before Ultra Performance, and measure the same workload after each change. Treat 67%, 50%, 33%, and 33%–100% custom scaling as input-resolution figures—not guaranteed VRAM savings. Evaluate Frame Generation separately: NVIDIA reports 30% less VRAM for its newer model and a 400 MB Darktide example, but those are vendor- and title-specific results.
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