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DLSS Multi Frame Generation
Next, we give a few examples of the sort of frame rates – and latency numbers – you can expect when using Multi Frame Generation (MFG) with the RTX 5070. This isn't going to be as complete an analysis as per our RTX 5090 review, so please do check out that content if you are interested.
Just like the RTX 5070 Ti, we've included both 1440p and 4K MFG data for the RTX 5070. Technically the 5070 will produce decent-sounding frame rates when using MFG 4X at 4K, but as the base frame rate is so slow, latency sky rockets – hitting 135ms in Alan Wake 2.
When tested at 1440p using Super Resolution Balanced mode, this is a much more manageable 89ms, though do remember that MFG will always increase latency when compared with only using Super Resolution.
Likewise in Cyberpunk, using MFG 4X on the 5070 at 4K resulted in latency of just under 80ms, due to our base frame rate being just 32fps. At 1440p, the base frame rate is instead 50fps, so overall latency caps out at 55.7ms when using MFG 4X at that resolution.
Of course, some games are much easier to run anyway, so using MFG at 4K isn't a problem in Hogwarts Legacy – the base frame rate is already 100fps, and this increased to 234fps with MFG 4X. Latency still went up, from 25.6ms to 38.9ms, but that's much more manageable than what we saw in Alan Wake or Cyberpunk.
Performance versus RTX 4090
I also want to explore Nvidia's claim that the RTX 5070 offers ‘RTX 4090 performance'. That's certainly not been true in our raster and ray tracing tests, but is it true when using MFG?
The short answer is no. In Alan Wake 2, for instance, the RTX 4090 delivers 145fps on average at 1440p, with latency at 41.3ms. The RTX 5070 may get close enough in terms of frame rate when using MFG 4X, hitting 131fps, but latency is over twice that of the RTX 4090 – and that is a key part of ‘performance', so no – performance does not match the 4090, and that's not even mentioning the image quality comparison, as the 5070 will be displaying twice as many AI-generated frames!
In Cyberpunk 2077, the 5070 does at least produce slightly higher frame rates in its MFG 4X mode, compared to standard frame gen on the 4090. However, latency is still higher – by 41% at 1440p, and that results in a noticeably different feel, and you cannot say that ‘performance' of the two GPUs is equivalent.
In fact, at 4K, the 5070's latency when using MFG 4X is almost double that of the RTX 4090, so clearly this claim is not holding water.
It's more of the same in Hogwarts Legacy. Yes, the 5070 can get a frame rate that's in the ballpark of the RTX 4090, but it will always have higher latency than the RTX 4090 as its base frame rate is that much lower. At 4K, for instance, the frame rates between the two are very similar – comparing MFG 4X to original Frame Gen on the 4090, at least – but latency is 59% higher on the RTX 5070.
I also recommend watching the video review where we delve into this subject even further, as we highlight how performance of the RTX 5070 can also tank in certain scenarios when the 12GB VRAM buffer is exceeded – as we saw in Indiana Jones, Ratchet and Clank and Spider-Man 2. We also highlight in games that only support the original Frame Gen, and not MFG, the RTX 5070 has no hope of catching the RTX 4090, so claiming equivalent performance really is a nonsense.
