I totally understand why many people think it makes the most sense to run DLSS on a 4K monitor. At native 4K, even if you have a flagship card like the RTX 5090, you’re almost always tied to the GPU, so DLSS is a great way to avoid the performance tax that comes with max settings and ray tracing. But here’s the thing. Most people aren’t using flagship cards, so they’re GPU-bound even at 1440p, especially on newer AAA titles.
From experience, I have an RTX 4090 and am still tied to the GPU when playing AAA releases on my 1440p ultrawide monitor. I was avoiding DLSS At 1440p because I couldn’t deal with the softer looking image. However, with the second generation transformer model of DLSS 4.5, I can safely say that the image reconstruction has improved so much that I struggle to see any difference unless I compare it side-by-side with native. Of course, 4K still benefits the most from DLSS, but I don’t think 1440p gamers should avoid it either.
DLSS 4.5’s Preset L changed my mind
A more demanding initial setup, but so worth it at 1440p
DLSS 4.5 was introduced Two new model presets in Nvidia app’s DLSS Override setting: Preset L and Preset M. Nvidia recommends Preset M for Performance mode and Preset L for Ultra Performance mode. But if you use Quality mode, it’s still compatible with Preset K, which uses DLSS 4’s first-generation transformer model. I prefer Quality because I want my native resolution to be higher than 720p, and although the image looks better after manually switching to Preset M in the Nvidia software, the end result is an overly sharp look that I’m not a fan of.
On the other hand, Preset L is more demanding on the GPU, so I know my FPS increase won’t be as high as if I was using Preset M or K. But I’m gaming at 1440p on a 4090, so there’s enough lag that I’d prefer a slight advantage in quality. This preset gives me exactly that. The image looks noticeably cleaner in motion without the oversharpened look that bothered me with preset M. The leaves are more stable and shine isn’t a problem unless I’m actively looking for it. I’ve even tried Preset L with Balanced mode and really struggled to see a difference compared to native 1440p. So I think Preset L is perfect for 1440p. You still get a meaningful FPS boost, but without losing as much quality in action.
At 1440p, you’re chasing triple-digit framerates
DLSS 4.5 at 1440p helps you hit those numbers without frame drops
Now that you know Preset L is the best looking option I’ve tested for DLSS 4.5 at 1440p, the next question is whether the performance trade-offs are actually worth it. For me, yes, because I love playing AAA games on the Alienware AW3423DW ultrawide for a cinematic feel. And I can tell you this for sure The RTX 4090 struggles in some titles as Assassin’s Creed: Shadows and Black Myth: Wukong. I average around 60-70FPS at native 1440p, but with Pre-L on Balanced, I can actually play them at around 100FPS, which is still a solid improvement considering the image looks almost identical.
However, you don’t have to stick to Preset L. This is what I prefer because I don’t want to compromise the image quality. But if you prefer to chase higher FPS, I’d say Preset M or K makes more sense. Either way, my point is that even at 1440p, as long as you know you’re tied to your GPU, you can get a smoother experience no matter what GPU you have. Of course, you can always enable framerate generation to get higher numbers, but if your base framerate isn’t decent, the game won’t be as responsive as the number you see on the screen.
4K gives DLSS a higher base render resolution
But Preset L of DLSS 4.5 proved to be excellent at lower render resolutions
Also, there’s a reason why DLSS makes more sense in 4K games are GPU bound. The higher the output resolution, the higher the base render resolution will be in all modes. This gives DLSS more pixel data to work with for image reconstruction, so DLSS Performance mode in 4K can still look good even though it renders the game internally at 1080p. Although the base render resolution for Performance mode at 1440p will be 720p, it’s not a great starting point.
However, Nvidia Ultra Performance recommends Preset L for 4K upscaling, which means it’s ideal for a base render resolution of 720p. In theory, if a preset is better suited for lower render resolutions, it should produce better results when given more data to reconstruct, right? Therefore, I prefer this preset to the Balanced and Quality modes, since the native resolutions on a 1440p monitor are 835p and 960p respectively. Yes, Preset M looks almost as good and may outperform L in some scenarios, but I prefer a natural looking image to an over-sharpened image.
Upscaling to 1440p is no longer a compromise
A few years ago I would have recommended against DLSS at 1440p unless you really wanted those extra frames, as this loss of sharpness compared to native rendering was hard to ignore. But after spending time with DLSS 4.5, especially Preset L, I don’t think you’re compromising anything in terms of quality, at least in the Balanced and Quality modes. If anything, you don’t get the FPS boost you would with Preset K or M, but I believe that’s a tradeoff many of you will happily make for a cleaner, more stable image.
