DLSS 3 & RTX 40 Series: Unlocking Gaming Potential with Entry-Level CPUs

Since the inception of the RTX 40 series, DLSS 3 has been a prominent feature touted by NVIDIA – and rightfully so, according to our assessments, as it indeed proves to be quite useful. As the functionality relies entirely on the optical flow accelerators within the Ada Lovelace GPU for frame interpolation, it bears little relation to CPU performance. Thus, one wonders what might transpire when pairing a mid-to-high-end graphics card with an entry-level CPU.

According to Tom’s Hardware, YouTube creator RandomGaminginHD recently conducted a test, assembling a platform with an Intel Pentium Gold G7400 CPU and the newly released RTX 4070 GPU. Although a Pentium Gold processor, the G7400 is still based on the Alder Lake architecture, featuring a 2 P-Core configuration without E-Cores, a turbo frequency of 3.70GHz, and a base power consumption of 46W.

RandomGaminginHD tested multiple games at a 1440p resolution. For those without DLSS 3 support, outcomes were twofold: some performed adequately, like “Red Dead Redemption 2,” with an average frame rate of 64 FPS and a 1% low of 35 FPS, while others fared poorly, such as “Kingdom Come Deliverance,” with an average frame rate of 45 FPS and a dismal 1% low of 10 FPS.

In contrast, games with DLSS 3 support saw far better results. “Cyberpunk 2077” achieved an average frame rate of 70 FPS and a 1% low of 30 FPS, while “Marvel’s Spider-Man” had an average frame rate of 84 FPS and a 1% low of 29 FPS. However, there were exceptions, such as “The Witcher 3,” which, despite enabling DLSS 3, still exhibited a lackluster 1% low of a mere 3 FPS.

Although DLSS 3 can indeed enhance frame rates, not all games support this feature; therefore, a balanced configuration is advisable for gamers when assembling their systems.