Nvidia just extended the life of RTX 40 cards. This feature will double FPS without an upgrade

Owners of Nvidia RTX 40 graphics cards have reason to rejoice. Nvidia has quietly released a developer driver that brings Smooth Motion technology to these older cards. This feature, previously exclusive to the latest RTX 50 series models, can, according to initial tests, up to double the frame rate in virtually every game – without the need to purchase new hardware.

AI-generated frames for smoother gaming

Smooth Motion is essentially Nvidia’s answer to the competing AMD Fluid Motion Frames technology. The principle is relatively simple – the technology uses artificial intelligence to create additional intermediate frames, which are then inserted between two standardly rendered frames. The result is a significantly smoother image, without the game needing to be specially adapted for this feature.

The difference in frames is truly significant:

This is a fundamental difference compared to technologies like DLSS, which require implementation directly into the game engine. Smooth Motion, on the other hand, works at the driver level, meaning you can activate it in virtually any game, including older titles with limited frame rates or without DLSS support.

Doubling FPS in practice

Users who have already tried the developer driver report impressive results. On Guru3D forums, for example, one RTX 4090 owner reported an increase in frame rate in World of Warcraft from 82 to 164 FPS. Similar jumps were observed in other games, such as Company of Heroes 3.

This technology is particularly interesting for older games that lack native DLSS support and also for competitive titles limited by CPU performance. In such cases, Smooth Motion can unlock a noticeably smoother gaming experience. While the quality of the generated intermediate frames, according to initial experience, does not reach the level of DLSS 3 Frame Generation, it is still a significant leap forward.

However, it should be added that any frame generation increases latency, and it is not yet entirely clear how significant this is in the case of Smooth Motion for the RTX 40xx series.

Currently for developers only, but that will change soon

The new GeForce driver 590.26 is currently only available as a preview version on Nvidia’s developer website. To activate Smooth Motion, you also need to download the Nvidia Profile Inspector tool from GitHub and have a developer account with Nvidia. It is clear that the company is still refining the technology before making it available in standard drivers.

For regular users, this means they will have to wait a bit longer for the official version. On the other hand, it’s a clear signal that the final version should be released in the coming weeks. With this step, Nvidia clearly indicates that it wants to extend the lifespan of RTX 40 series graphics cards, which is welcome (and unexpected!) news in an era of high hardware prices.

How to activate Smooth Motion (for the brave)

If you are a tech enthusiast and want to try out the technology now, you will need:

1. An Nvidia developer account – registration on their developer portal
2. Download and install GeForce driver 590.26 from the developer section
3. Nvidia Profile Inspector tool available on GitHub
4. After installation, use the tool to find the relevant game and activate Smooth Motion settings

However, remember that this is a developer version, which may not be stable in all cases. For regular users, we recommend waiting for the official release within standard GeForce drivers.

New life for the RTX 40 series

Making Smooth Motion technology available for RTX 40 series graphics cards is great news for everyone who has invested in these models in recent years. Nvidia effectively extends the lifespan of existing hardware and provides owners with the opportunity to significantly improve their gaming experience without the need for an upgrade.

In the context of still high graphics card prices, this step is logical and very beneficial for users. Getting potentially up to double the performance for free is an offer that cannot be refused. Once Smooth Motion is integrated into regular drivers, we will certainly see detailed tests and comparisons across various configurations and games.

Until then, it is at least certain that owners of Nvidia RTX 40 graphics cards have something to look forward to. And if you were considering upgrading to an RTX 50, it might be worth waiting a bit longer with that decision and first trying out what your current card can do with the new technology.

What do you think of the new Smooth Motion feature?

Source: PCWorld, Tom’s Hardware