Nvidia’s DLSS Multi Frame Generation technology is officially only available for the GeForce RTX 50 series. However, mod developers have managed to overcome this limitation and bring the technology to RTX 30 series graphics cards.

DLSS Multi Frame Generation support on the RTX 30 series has been made possible with a new project called DLSSG SM86. This development promises a valuable performance increase for users of cards with the Ampere architecture.

A new era for the Ampere architecture

The mod is noteworthy for using Nvidia’s own DLSSG runtime and models. Instead of resorting to a different technology like AMD FSR Frame Generation, the system provides a backend compatible with the SM86 architecture of the RTX 30 series.

The developer successfully tested 2X and 4X Multi Frame Generation modes on an RTX 3080 Ti. A Cyberpunk 2077 screenshot shared by another user using an RTX 3080 12 GB also confirms that the technology works on Ampere-based cards.

The working technique of the mod involves much more than a simple graphics card ID change. The system places a proxy next to the game’s executable file, redirecting requests to the DLSSG 310.1 runtime.

While Nvidia’s original models are preserved, a custom backend capable of running on the SM86 architecture of the RTX 30 series is implemented. This technical structure allows the technology to work stably on older architectures.

Performance tests and committee details

Nvidia’s removal of hardware-based Optical Flow dependency with DLSS 4 and its use of an AI-based model made this adaptation more technically feasible. This change was a critical step that paved the way for porting new DLSS technologies to older GPU architectures.

Test results show that the frame rate increase in games is quite remarkable. In Black Myth: Wukong, performance, which is approximately 50 FPS, reaches 80 FPS in 2X mode and 150 FPS in 4X mode.

In Cyberpunk 2077, performance of 35 FPS with path tracing enabled increases to 60 FPS with 2X and approximately 100 FPS with 4X. However, it should be noted that this FPS increase does not mean that the basic rendering performance has changed.

This difference becomes even more apparent, especially with DLSS 5. The fact that the mod can run Nvidia’s new technologies on the RTX 30 could start a new debate about why the company doesn’t officially support older graphics cards.

The installation process of the mode is quite easy and user-friendly. It is sufficient to copy the version.dll and dlssg_sm86.ini files downloaded from the relevant project to the location where the game’s .exe file is located.

After this process, options up to 4X in games with Multi Frame Generation support become active. Do you think Nvidia’s failure to officially bring this technology to older cards is a technical necessity or a marketing strategy?