NVIDIA's new and impressive DLSS 5 3D-Guided Neural Rendering is now available in a single title, NBA 2K27, and unofficially in every PC game thanks to modders. As discussed in our deep dive into DLSS 5, beyond a hefty FPS cost, enabling the technology also pushes GPUs to their power limit. And on high-end cards like the GeForce RTX 5090, a sustained 100% power draw at 575W with spikes for gaming is a genuine cause for concern after multiple ongoing reports of overheating and cables and connectors melting that date back to the GeForce RTX 40 Series.
Korean outlet QuasarZone has decided to test this side of DLSS 5 on Founders Edition models of the GeForce RTX 5080 and GeForce RTX 5090. The outlet tested it by playing a modded Cyberpunk 2077 with DLSS 5 on both GPUs. For the GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition, average power draw rose from 298W to 350W, while the GeForce RTX 5090's average power draw rose from 509W to 575W.
This reinforces our analysis from testing the official DLSS 5 release in NBA 2K27, but with a thermal camera, QuasarZone found that with DLSS 5 on the GeForce RTX 5090, the hottest temperatures don't come from the GPU or memory, but from the 16-pin connector. Capturing temperatures on both sides of the connector, the outlet reaches a maximum of 91.7 degrees Celsius, up from 80.9 degrees with DLSS 5 turned off.
And not only that, but when using the NVIDIA PCAT tool, they found that the peak power draw on the GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition hit 646.7W with DLSS 5 turned on, up from 571.7W without DLSS 5. A similar situation occurs with the GeForce RTX 5080, where peak power measurements exceed 415W.
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How much frame-rate performance does DLSS 5 trade for its visual effects in modded Cyberpunk 2077 on the GeForce RTX 5080 and RTX 5090?
How does DLSS 5 power consumption on the GeForce RTX 5090 compare between Cyberpunk 2077 and NBA 2K27?
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In its tests, QuasarZone also measured a relatively even per-pin power distribution on the 16-pin connector when using similar settings on an ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090. With one of the six pins hitting 8.51A, this is still within the PCI-SIG rating (maximum 9.2A per pin). Ultimately, this DLSS 5 test confirms that, in its current state, using the technology on GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics cards pushes them to 100% load at peak power draw, increasing the risk of power delivery or 16-pin connector issues on a high-end card like the RTX 5090.
