The recently released Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered has become an unexpected benchmark for testing the limits of even the most powerful graphics cards on the market. Built on Unreal Engine 5 with advanced ray-tracing capabilities, this remake of the 2006 classic is pushing Nvidia's flagship RTX 5090 to its limits, revealing both the impressive capabilities and current limitations of modern gaming hardware.
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| Scene from "Oblivion Remastered" illustrating the advanced graphics pushing the RTX 5090 to its limits |
RTX 5090 Performance Challenges
Despite being the most powerful consumer GPU available in 2025, the RTX 5090 struggles to maintain 60 frames per second at native 4K resolution with all settings maxed out in Oblivion Remastered. Testing reveals the card running at 99% load while barely managing 50-60 fps in open-world areas outside the Imperial City. This performance bottleneck comes as a surprise considering the original Oblivion was released nearly two decades ago, though the Unreal Engine 5 remake features significantly enhanced graphics and lighting effects.
DLSS and Frame Generation Becoming Necessary
To achieve comfortable frame rates at high resolutions, even RTX 5090 owners are finding themselves relying on Nvidia's upscaling and frame generation technologies. With DLSS enabled and Frame Generation active, users can push performance from around 50-60 fps to well beyond 100 fps. This highlights a growing trend in PC gaming where these AI-assisted technologies are becoming less optional and more essential components for achieving optimal performance, even with flagship hardware.
8K Gaming Reality Check
When attempting to run Oblivion Remastered at 8K resolution (7680 x 4320), the limitations become even more apparent. At native 8K with Ultra settings and no upscaling assistance, the RTX 5090 manages only 21 fps, creating a sluggish gaming experience. Enabling DLSS in Balanced mode improves this to 47 fps, while Performance mode pushes it to around 59 fps—though with more noticeable visual artifacts. This demonstrates that while 8K gaming is technically possible with current hardware, it remains impractical without significant help from AI upscaling.
Multi Frame Generation: The RTX 5090's Secret Weapon
The RTX 5090's exclusive Multi Frame Generation (MFG) technology, which can generate up to three additional frames for every rendered frame, proves to be a game-changer. When enabled through the Nvidia app, MFG can boost Oblivion Remastered's performance at 8K to an impressive 117 fps average. Similarly, at 4K resolution, enabling 4x Multi Frame Generation can push frame rates to between 170-200 fps. This technology represents the current cutting edge of Nvidia's approach to high-resolution gaming performance.
Visual Artifacts and Trade-offs
While upscaling and frame generation technologies offer substantial performance benefits, they don't come without costs. Users report various visual artifacts when using these features, particularly at 8K resolution. These include ghosting around moving objects, reflection issues with screen space reflections, and other minor visual glitches that become more pronounced as more aggressive upscaling is applied. These imperfections are especially noticeable on larger displays where the high resolution magnifies any visual inconsistencies.
The Future of PC Gaming Requirements
Oblivion Remastered serves as an interesting case study for where PC gaming is heading. Even with the most powerful consumer GPU available, players are finding themselves unable to run new releases at maximum settings without assistance from AI upscaling and frame generation technologies. This raises questions about future game optimization and whether developers are beginning to design games with the assumption that these technologies will be used, rather than optimizing for native resolution performance.
Practical Gaming Solutions
For most gamers, the practical solution remains gaming at 4K resolution rather than pushing to 8K. At 4K, the RTX 5090 can deliver a much more consistent experience without being as reliant on upscaling technologies. Indoor environments in Oblivion Remastered see significantly better performance, with frame rates exceeding 200 fps with 4x MFG enabled. As with most PC games, users can also fine-tune individual settings rather than using the blanket Ultra preset to find the optimal balance between visual quality and performance.