NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 4K Cyberpunk 2077 DLSS and Frame Generation Analysis

Detailed 4K benchmarking outlines framerate changes from standard presets to advanced ray tracing and path tracing modes

Hardware by Naheyan Tahmin on Dec 02, 2025

The 4K test begins with the 5080 paired with the 7800X3D. The run starts at low settings and increases until upscaling becomes necessary.

At 4K, the performance starts at 115 fps with no upscaling, no frame generation, and no additional features enabled. The Reflex with boost is activated before continuing to the medium settings.

NVIDIA, GeForce RTX 5080, 4K Cyberpunk 2077, DLSS and Frame Generation Analysis, NoobFeed

Medium and High Presets at Native 4K

On medium at 4K, performance lands around 90fps to 100fps with no upscaling. At 4K quality, DLSS remains visually acceptable due to the full HD base resolution, so details do not get lost like they would at 1440p or 1080p. Moving to high settings shows performance around 84fps to 81fps, with dips to around 73fps in heavy areas and quick recovery back to around 80fps.

Ultra Preset Before Upscaling

Ultra at native 4K drops to around 57 fps on lighter stretches and 60 fps in better areas, indicating that upscaling is needed to keep performance above 60 fps. With quality DLSS enabled, performance returns to the upper 70s and lower 80s. Movement through heavy areas dips into the 70s but remains stable.

Ray Tracing Local Shadows and Medium Ray Tracing

Ray-traced local shadows introduce minimal performance loss and remain above 60fps in heavy areas. The shadows add more contrast to the image. Moving to medium ray tracing adds sun shadows and other features, requiring upscaling to maintain performance. Balanced DLSS keeps it in the mid-60s to low-70s. At 4K, aggressive upscaling still maintains image clarity due to the high base resolution.

Ultra and Psycho Ray Tracing

Ray tracing on Ultra with reflections enabled and balanced DLSS holds at or above 60 fps. This becomes an ideal point to consider frame generation if preferred. Psycho lighting is then added, reaching the highest non-path-traced lighting level. Balanced DLSS continues to hold performance around 60fps, making it suitable for frame generation.

Path Tracing Performance

Path tracing significantly reduces performance. Balanced DLSS runs in the 40s, but the PCL remains responsive due to Reflex plus boost. The experience is playable at around 50 fps with a PCL of 43ms. Performance with DLSS does not reach 60 fps, but gameplay remains usable. Frame generation is introduced to improve performance while maintaining responsiveness.

NVIDIA, GeForce RTX 5080, 4K Cyberpunk 2077, DLSS and Frame Generation Analysis, NoobFeed

Frame Generation with Ultra Ray Tracing and Psycho Lighting

With frame generation enabled at 2x and psycho lighting active, performance reaches around 90 fps with a PCL of around 55ms. Balanced DLSS lowers PCL into the 40ms range. Performance DLSS continues to improve responsiveness while maintaining acceptable image quality at 4K.

Path Tracing with Frame Generation at 4K

Path tracing with high-quality DLSS and 2x frame generation stays under 60 fps, with a PCL around 71ms. On a controller, this remains usable. Balanced DLSS increases performance into the 70s with a PCL around 58ms. Performance DLSS further reduces PCL to around 50ms. VRAM allocation moves around 14.3GB with usage near 10.9GB.

Final Thoughts

At 4x frame generation, performance exceeds 120 frames per second, and PCL drops to about 78 milliseconds. This is still fine for playing with a controller. With a PCL of about 62ms and a frame rate of about 135fps, balanced DLSS is a good choice. Performance with DLSS at 4x is around 160 frames per second, while PCL is close to the low 60ms range, still being responsive.

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