Nvidia's second-generation Transformer model brings with it remarkable improvements to image quality and stability, supporting a wide range of hardware all the way from the 2018-released RTX 20-series GPUs to the cutting-edge Blackwell cards.

The catch, however, is that native support is still limited to a relatively small pool of titles. For everything else, you're at the mercy of developer roadmaps and patch cycles, not your GPU's actual capabilities. DLSS 4.5 has the potential to materially improve the gameplay experience in far more games than officially advertised, and the good news is, you don't have to wait for a patch to take advantage of it, in case you were itching to get your hands on it.

What you'll need before you begin

Two tools NVIDIA never really meant for casual users

To enable DLSS 4.5 on unsupported titles, you'll need to reach for a couple of community-developed power tools. These are Nvidia Profile Inspector (NVPI) and DLSS Swapper. While neither of these programs are front-runners for the UI beauty contest, they can offer you a kind of "under-the-hood" access that the standard Nvidia App hides from the average user.

The Nvidia Profile Inspector will help you manually override how your game handles DLSS, which essentially forces the software to run the desired version. Meanwhile, the DLSS Swapper helps you simply swap out a game's .dll file for the newer 4.5 Transformer model yourself.

This, by no means, is a "one-click" solution, and you'll likely have to get comfortable poking around game directories and driver menus. However, if you're still curious, it's a manageable, risk-free trade off that can yield some powerful results on your machine, provided you're ready to tinker.

How to force DLSS 4.5 in almost any title

Pick a preset, any preset

The first step is replacing your chosen game's existing DLSS version with the newer 4.5 Super Resolution library. For this, you can use the DLSS Swapper, which is an open-source utility that allows for manual selection and the injection of different DLSS versions.

As many games ship with outdated DLSS DLL files which are locked to older presets, this is an essential step. DLSS Swapper bypasses any limitations to the implementation by replacing the .dll files with a newer transformer-based build. This ensures compatibility with the latest model before you attempt any driver overrides.

Once installed, you just need to select your game, choose the latest DLSS 4.5 compatible library from the list, and apply the swap. The DLSS Swapper also backs up the existing DLL, so it can be reverted with a single click. It's also best to select your desired transformer preset in this step, the dropdown for which can be found under the DLSS Preset setting.

Then, when you have applied the swap, you've successfully laid the foundation for everything that follows in the Nvidia Profile Inspector.

Wrapping up with Nvidia Profile Inspector

Applying the driver-level preset override

With the correct .dll in place, the next step is to instruct the driver to use the new transformer preset. This is where you call upon the Nvidia Profile Inspector.

When you first launch the Nvidia Profile Inspector, the driver profile will default to _GLOBAL_DRIVER_PROFILE (Base Profile). This refers to the universal driver configuration applied across the entire system. While it is possible to force a DLSS preset through this profile, doing so means that the override will apply to every compatible title, and this sort of blanket modification can introduce unpredictable behavior in games that aren't tuned for the preset. For this reason, it's safer to search for the specific title you're modifying and apply the preset.

From here, the following toggles would enable DLSS 4.5 with the desired preset on the title:

1. DLSS - Enable DLL Override: On - DLSS overridden by latest installed (This should match your DLL version as indicated in the DLSS Swapper)
2. DLSS - Forced Model Preset Profile: Recommended
3. DLSS - Forced Preset Letter: Preset M (Or Preset L for Ultra Performance Mode)

When the settings have been toggled successfully, you can launch your title and verify that the preset is active. The most convenient way to confirm this is by launching the Nvidia overlay with Alt + Z on Windows and navigating to the DLSS indicators. In the test, model preset M ran successfully on Death Stranding.

Is forcing DLSS 4.5 on older titles worth it?

It almost always comes down to your preference. If you're looking to run the presets on a game that has native DLSS 4.5 support on the roadmap, waiting for the official implementation is the cleanest route, but for the games that are stuck on older DLSS builds, the improvement can be noticeable and enhance your in-game experience, especially if you find yourself using the performance and ultra-performance presets a lot. Preset M, in particular, has garnered critical acclaim for reducing ghosting, artefacting and temporal instability, and it remains a noteworthy improvement to DLSS 4.0. If you're sensitive to image clarity and graphical fidelity, find yourself complaining about DLSS often, and are feeling particularly adventurous, it can be fun to experiment with.