Nvidia cheats with laptop GPUs, benefiting everyone | ENBLE
Nvidia cheats with laptop GPUs, benefiting everyone | ENBLE
Nvidia’s Cheating is Making Low-End Gaming Laptops More Powerful
Image source: Jacob Roach / DigitalTrends
Nvidia, the renowned technology company, has come under scrutiny for its alleged cheating in the field of computer graphics. However, this “cheating” is making low-end gaming laptops more powerful than ever before. It’s a controversial tactic that I couldn’t be more thrilled about.
In the recent Microsoft Surface event, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 was unveiled. This laptop caught the attention of many gamers due to its stunning visuals while running the popular game, Cyberpunk 2077. Witnessing the consistent framerates and detailed graphics, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was being streamed from the cloud. Surprisingly, a Microsoft representative confirmed that the impressive performance was from the local machine, powered by Nvidia’s RTX 4060 GPU.
Two years ago, when Microsoft introduced the original Surface Laptop Studio, the idea of gaming on this type of laptop seemed far-fetched. At that time, even having a dedicated GPU was a rarity. My article then speculated on the viability of gaming with the RTX 3050 Ti, a seemingly underpowered GPU. Little did I know that Nvidia’s advancements would revolutionize the gaming capabilities of low-end laptops.
Fast forward to today, and the difference is staggering. The original Surface Laptop Studio struggled to run games smoothly, often requiring compromised graphics settings. However, its successor, the Surface Laptop Studio 2, effortlessly handles Cyberpunk 2077 on high settings with smooth framerates. The reason behind this leap in performance is Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology.
Image source: Microsoft
DLSS has evolved from being initially disastrous to becoming the standard in upscaling technology. Now, with DLSS Frame Generation and Ray Reconstruction through DLSS 3.5, Nvidia’s RTX 40-series laptops, including the Surface Laptop Studio 2, benefit immensely. These features enhance the gaming experience, especially for low-end graphics cards.
DLSS Frame Generation is a game-changer, inserting frames between each rendered frame in supported games like Cyberpunk 2077. This effectively doubles the frame rate, making gameplay smoother and more enjoyable. When combined with DLSS Super Resolution, weak graphics cards can deceive users into thinking they are using more powerful hardware than they are. It’s a clever shortcut in the rendering pipeline that relies on AI technology rather than raw computing power.
While DLSS 3.5 is not without its flaws, it offers enormous advantages for laptops, which are not easily upgradable like desktop PCs. As the hardware naturally ages and new demanding games are released, DLSS Frame Generation ensures that these laptops can handle future titles that may exceed the raw hardware capabilities.
I’ve noticed an increasing trend of low-end gaming laptops and creator-focused machines equipped with Nvidia’s RTX 4050 or RTX 4060 GPUs. Originally designed to accelerate professional tasks, these GPUs now offer playable frame rates in even the most demanding games, thanks to DLSS Frame Generation. It’s a form of “cheating” by Nvidia, but it’s empowering laptops that would otherwise not be suitable for gaming.
In conclusion, Nvidia’s cheating with DLSS Frame Generation has revolutionized low-end gaming laptops, providing a significant boost in performance. Although some may view this shortcut as controversial, it has undeniably made gaming more accessible and enjoyable for a wider range of laptop users. With Nvidia leading the charge in AI-powered upscaling and frame generation, the future of gaming on low-end laptops looks brighter than ever before.
