- Nvidia has detailed some intelligent new RTX Neural Shaders tech
- This consists of Neural Texture Compression to suit extra textures into VRAM
- It helps make sense of why Nvidia selected leaner video RAM loadouts with some RTX 5000 GPUs
Nvidia simply unveiled its new RTX 5000 GPUs over at CES 2025, however alongside that revelation got here a extra under-the-radar – however nonetheless essential – announcement about new tech to assist pace up the gaming efficiency of those graphics playing cards.
Specifically RTX Neural Shaders, which Nvidia describes as “small neural networks” (AI) that are being launched to the programmable shaders on its next-gen GPUs. (A shader merely refers to a small GPU program that runs on a graphics card, not restricted to facilitating shading or lighting results in a sport – however that’s the unique derivation of the identify).
Nvidia explains in a weblog put up: “RTX Neural Shaders SDK permits builders to coach their sport information and shader code on an RTX AI PC and speed up their neural representations and mannequin weights with Nvidia Tensor Cores at runtime.”
RTX Neural Shaders really powers a trio of recent applied sciences, however the secret weapon for the new RTX 5000 GPUs so far as VRAM is worried – and there was loads of concern in regards to the quantity of on-board video reminiscence being relatively shaky – is RTX Neural Texture Compression.
As a way to get extra out of the accessible VRAM, RTX Neural Texture Compression makes use of compression (clearly sufficient) to suit extra sport textures into the RAM on the graphics card.
Right here’s the important thing boast from Nvidia: “The neurally compressed textures save as much as 7x extra VRAM or system reminiscence than conventional block compressed textures on the similar visible high quality.”
In addition to this texture compression wizardry, Nvidia can be bringing in RTX Neural Supplies. Group Inexperienced notes that this makes use of AI to “compress complicated shader code sometimes reserved for offline supplies and constructed with a number of layers equivalent to porcelain and silk.” The declare is 5x quicker materials processing which makes it “doable to render film-quality belongings at game-ready body charges.”
Lastly, the third piece of the puzzle right here is RTX Neural Radiance Cache which is a technique of utilizing AI to enhance ray tracing efficiency (particularly it offers avid gamers “higher path traced oblique lighting and efficiency”).
Evaluation: Hair at the moment, RTX Hair tomorrow (and far more moreover)
As ever, take any press announcement with a great deal of warning, however the talked about efficiency enhance with the feel compression trick for RTX 5000 graphics playing cards is probably big.
When the 12GB loadout of video RAM for the RTX 5070, and 16GB configuration for the RTX 5080, have been aired through the rumor mill a while again, in addition to the stinging sense of disappointment that Nvidia was ‘as soon as once more skimping on VRAM,’ there was an undercurrent of hypothesis that the RTX 5000 collection may include some particular sauce to higher match textures into the accessible reminiscence on the next-gen graphics playing cards.
And that’s precisely what has occurred, that means that whereas 12GB feels like a meager allocation for the RTX 5070, it’ll go quite a bit additional due to RTX Neural Texture Compression. The catch, in fact, is that sport builders should use the know-how – and 12GB nonetheless seems to be slightly shaky by way of future-proofing, for me anyway.
We’ll additionally want to check the efficiency of this AI-driven texture compression and evaluate the outcomes to Nvidia’s lofty claims, too – but it surely sounds very promising certainly. And naturally it does assist make sense of Nvidia’s VRAM selections, too.
All this comes together with a bunch of different recent tips for the RTX 5000 technology, together with RTX Neural Faces and the RTX Character Rendering SDK for improved face, hair and pores and skin graphics. Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle is getting an replace delivering RTX Hair (sure, that’s actually its identify) which makes use of “Linear-Swept Sphere rendering [to run] quicker, with improved picture high quality, while utilizing much less VRAM” in comparison with previous hair rendering strategies. (Try the ends in the above picture).
That sport can even be one of many many titles to profit from DLSS 4, which is, in fact, a key piece of the software program facet for RTX 5000 GPUs. It consists of DLSS Multi Body Era (MFG) to additional drive body charges greater by inserting extra synthetic frames in comparison with DLSS 3 Body Era. (Additionally be aware that Nvidia is bringing in Reflex 2 for extra enter lag discount – of as much as a claimed 75% now – to go alongside MFG and mitigate any added latency therein).
Nvidia additionally advised us that there will likely be 75 video games and apps supporting DLSS 4’s MFG functionality when its Blackwell graphics playing cards are launched on the finish of January (the RTX 5090 and 5080 to start with), a hefty preliminary serving to for patrons of the brand new GPUs (RTX 5070 fashions are to observe in February).
It’s value noting that RTX 4000 homeowners additionally get one thing right here within the type of enhanced DLSS body technology with boosted efficiency and lowered reminiscence utilization – however this isn’t MFG, which is unique to the brand new Blackwell GPUs.
Through Neowin
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