Undervolting an RTX 4090 Cuts Power Draw With DLSS 5 Without Losing Performance, Redditor Finds

Reports of 12V-2x6 power connectors melting on high-draw NVIDIA GPUs have raised concerns that the issue may be worsened by power spikes caused by NVIDIA's DLSS 5. In response, a Redditor going by u/om_the_best (also referenced as u/om_the_best_) tested whether undervolting a GPU could reduce power consumption without hurting DLSS 5 performance, using a GeForce RTX 4090.

The RTX 4090 typically runs in a 1.00-1.10V voltage range and carries a 450W default TDP, according to Wccftech. In the test, the card was undervolted to 925 mV with a 2,595 MHz base clock via MSI Afterburner, though both outlets note individual GPU units may vary in how much undervolt they can sustain.

Testing in Hogwarts Legacy showed the undervolt reduced power draw across multiple DLSS 5 and multi-frame-generation (MFG) configurations while frame rates stayed essentially the same. With DLSS 5 off and MFG 4X on, power dropped from 386W to 311W (355 vs. 360 FPS). With DLSS 5 and MFG 4X on, power dropped from 435W to 388W, a 47W reduction, with frame rates unchanged at 175 FPS. With DLSS 5 on and MFG off, power dropped from 426W to 387W (51 to 52 FPS).

Wccftech also reported similar results in Cyberpunk 2077, where the card's power draw dropped from 420W to 386W with DLSS 5 enabled while performance remained identical. Wccftech described the overall reduction as up to an 11% cut in power consumption.

Wccftech noted that benchmarks have shown both the RTX 5090 Founders Edition and RTX 5090 Lightning Z pulling significantly more power when DLSS 5 is enabled, raising questions about whether a single 12V-2x6 connector is sufficient for a flagship card like the RTX 5090. Both outlets suggest undervolting could serve as a simple safeguard against connector overheating, with Wccftech adding that it can also help lower temperatures and noise levels. TechPowerUp noted that judging any image-quality impact from the undervolt is difficult based on the limited screenshots shared in the original post, but found no evidence of major changes to DLSS 5 output.

Correction — 2026-09-11: Clarified that the source reports a Redditor’s results; it does not provide a step-by-step guide or independent confirmation.