RTX5090 Hell Is Us Demo 4K Ultra Benchmark: DLSS Vs. Native Performance Guide

Hell Is Us demo on RTX 5090, performance breakdown showcasing 4K Ultra settings, DLSS optimizations, and fps metrics

Hardware by Katmin on Jun 06, 2025

Hell Is Us is an upcoming single-player, open-world action-adventure title built on Unreal Engine 5. The game's system requirements have sparked a significant amount of online debate, with suggestions pointing to an RTX 4090 for achieving a constant 4K 30 fps at Ultra settings.

We tested the RTX 5090 Founders Edition's graphical fidelity, performance indicators, and upscaling capabilities when paired with a top-tier CPU and RAM setup. All screenshots and measurements were taken using the latest GPU drivers available at the time of testing.

RTX5090, Hell Is Us Demo, 4K, Benchmark, DLSS, Native Performance, Guide, NoobFeed

System Specifications

For this testing session, the hardware included an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition, which was monitored via TechPowerUp's GPU-Z utility.

The processor was an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X 3D, paired with 32 GB of DDR5-6000 MHz dual-channel memory (CL30).

NVIDIA Reflex was enabled to reduce input latency, particularly at lower frame rates. All drivers were entirely up to date at the time of testing.

4K Ultra Performance (90 % Resolution Scale)

At a native 4K resolution with the Ultra preset (90 % 3D resolution scale), Hell Is Us pushes the RTX 5090 to its limits. The game initially crashes if you attempt to skip cutscenes, which are capped at 30 fps and require significant GPU power (peak usage around 450 watts during cutscenes).

Once past the cutscenes, the visuals look impressive, but you immediately notice substantial shadow pop-in and under-optimized vegetation textures. For example, the vegetation appears to lack proper texture detail when viewed up close.

Frame rates often dip into the high 40s and low 50s despite enabling NVIDIA Reflex. It quickly becomes apparent that pushing Unreal Engine 5 technologies, such as Lumen, Nanite, and real-time ray tracing, to their maximum settings results in steep performance penalties.

The average GPU power draw remains extremely high (over 450 W), and temperatures climb rapidly, making the testing environment uncomfortably hot. Although the GPU handles frame times without stutters, the sub-60 fps average at Ultra settings is disappointing for a card of this caliber.

RTX5090, Hell Is Us Demo, 4K, Benchmark, DLSS, Native Performance, Guide, NoobFeed

DLSS Quality versus Native Resolution

Switching to DLSS Quality mode at 4K Ultra makes a dramatic difference. A far smoother experience is offered by frame rates that range from the 40s to the 50s and subsequently to the 80s to 90s level. Visual fidelity is nearly identical to native 4K, particularly in still images or distant settings. The rock textures appear detailed, and noise reduction (compared to AMD's TSR) significantly improves image clarity around character legs and fine details.

You might think DLSS Quality would cap out at a modest performance boost, but it delivers a substantial uplift without noticeable artifacts. However, enabling Frame Generation (FG) in DLSS did not work correctly.

Even after restarting the game from a manual save, frame rates remained unchanged and occasionally dipped into the 50s. The FG toggle in the main menu either failed to produce any measurable benefit or was implemented poorly in this early-access build.

RTX5090, Hell Is Us Demo, 4K, Benchmark, DLSS, Native Performance, Guide, NoobFeed

DLAA and Resolution Scale at 4K

To test pure rasterization at 4K Ultra, DLAA (Deep Learning Anti-Aliasing) was enabled with a 100 % resolution scale. This resulted in frame rates around 56–59 fps in relatively bare environments—an improvement over TSR but still lower than desirable for a high-end card.

When re-applying DLSS Quality at 100 % resolution scale, performance again soared past 100 fps in less demanding scenes, confirming that upscaling remains essential for a fluid experience at 4K Ultra.

Visual comparisons between DLAA and DLSS Quality reveal that DLSS Quality preserves image sharpness while delivering significantly higher frame rates.

1440p Ultra Performance

Dropping the resolution to 1440p (still on the Ultra preset with DLAA) yields approximately 90–100 frames per second in open-area scenarios.

This performance is comparable to the RTX 5090's 4K performance when using DLSS Quality. At 1440p, there is no need for additional upscaling—native rendering alone provides a smooth, high-FPS experience.

Texture detail and shadows remain impressive, but the difference compared to DLSS at 4K is minimal unless you scrutinize outstanding elements, such as dust particles or distant geometry.

If you expect 200 fps out of this GPU at 1440p Ultra, prepare to be disappointed. Even at native 1440p, frame rates rarely exceed 100 frames per second in more populated or graphically complex scenes.

RTX5090, Hell Is Us Demo, 4K, Benchmark, DLSS, Native Performance, Guide, NoobFeed

1080p Ultra Performance

At 1080p resolution on Ultra settings (DLAA), the RTX 5090 achieves a frame rate of roughly 120+ fps in most areas. Combat sequences and particle effects can temporarily reduce performance to below the 144 fps target.

The game still looks perfect for 1080p, with detailed lighting, volumetric effects, and realistic water ripples.

Though an Unreal Engine 5 title, it doesn't exhibit the extreme softness you might expect at 1080p; image clarity remains high, and most players will find it visually pleasing without any upscaling.

If you aim for a 144 Hz high-refresh experience at 1080p, slight reductions in post-processing (e.g., turning off motion blur) will help maintain stable frame rates above 144 fps in less chaotic scenes.

4K High Settings Performance

Switching from Ultra to High settings at 4K (DLAA, 100% resolution scale) yields a more balanced outcome. In this configuration, frame rates typically range from 80 to 120 fps in most outdoor areas.

You still notice severe pop-in for grass and foliage at approximately three to five meters beyond the camera, but overall, shadow quality and lighting remain impressive. VRAM usage drops to roughly 8–8.5 GB, with an allocated amount, and actual usage hovers just under 7 GB.

This means an 8 GB card (or a 10 GB GPU, such as an RTX 3080) could run at High settings at 4K, albeit still requiring DLSS for smoother performance. Despite lower demands compared to Ultra, High settings on a 5090 still don't consistently break 100 fps.

To achieve high-refresh-rate performance, enabling DLSS Quality or future Frame Generation changes will be necessary. When Frame Generation becomes functional, pairing High settings with FG (2×) could push effective frame rates above 130 fps, delivering an actual high-refresh experience while maintaining robust graphical fidelity.

RTX5090, Hell Is Us Demo, 4K, Benchmark, DLSS, Native Performance, Guide, NoobFeed

DLSS versus TSR at High Settings

The default High preset utilizes AMD's TSR (Temporal Super Resolution) at a 70% resolution scale, but image quality suffers noticeably—everything appears softer and noisier. Frame rates may improve compared to DLAA, yet the upscaling artifacts become very apparent.

In contrast, DLSS Quality at High settings (approximately 67 % resolution scale) achieves higher frame rates while producing a cleaner, sharper image. Given these trade-offs, TSR offers a slight advantage—DLSS Quality on High settings both looks better and performs better on an NVIDIA GPU.

Key-Takeaways

Hell Is Us pushes Unreal Engine 5's real-time rendering features to their limits. On an RTX 5090 Founders Edition at 4K Ultra, native DLAA struggles to maintain smooth frame rates (dipping into the 40s–50s), while DLSS Quality is essential for playable performance (80–100 fps). At 1440p Ultra, native rendering yields 90–100 fps without upscaling, but 200 fps remains out of reach.

At 1080p Ultra, you can expect roughly 120 fps, with occasional dips during combat-heavy or densely populated scenes. Switching to High settings at 4K offers a reasonable compromise—around 80 fps native, with a drop in VRAM usage to under 8 GB, but still requiring DLSS for a high-refresh, tear-free experience.

TSR proves inferior to DLSS at every resolution tested, providing noisier, softer images and lower frame rates. Until the developers optimize further—or until DLSS Frame Generation becomes fully operational in the retail release—you will need to rely on DLSS Quality (or higher modes where applicable) for a smooth, visually rewarding experience on high-end NVIDIA hardware.

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