There’s been a bit of a back-and-forth between Borderlands fans and Gearbox Software, with CEO Randy Pitchford being the voice of the latter. Simply put, Borderlands 4 isn’t an easy game to run on older hardware, especially due to its reliance on the latest AI-powered upscaling and frame generation techniques. Don’t even bother trying on a Steam Deck without GeForce Now.

Native benchmarks show that even the RTX 5090, the current best (most powerful) graphics card on the market, can’t handle 60 FPS maxed out at 4K. Statistics like this show how important features like DLSS have become for managing high FPS with high fidelity at the same time. The same goes for FSR and XeSS from AMD and Intel, respectively.

RTX 5090 runs Borderlands 4 at around 45 FPS native when maxed out

Thanks to extensive testing performed by TechPowerUp, with 30+ GPUs (you can check out the full results here), we can see how well Borderlands 4 holds up in a range of resolutions, with and without help from upscaling. Despite a shift in the usage of the latest AI technology, gamers still like to focus on raw, native performance; that’s what we’ve been accustomed to for a long time.

According to the results, the RTX 5090 averages 45.4 FPS on max settings in native 4K. The 1% low result is 37 FPS. The flagship 50 series card is joined by the former flagship RTX 4090 as the only two that manage above 60 FPS in the same scenario at 1440p.

However, as you can see from the upscaling results below, DLSS makes a world of difference – particularly frame generation. On top of that, we don’t expect many people to be playing on the highest ‘Badass’ graphics settings. Lowering then will make a noticeable difference without compromising the visuals too much.

Borderlands 4 native 4K benchmarks (top 10), source: TechPowerUp

Borderlands 4 upscaling 4K benchmarks (RTX 5090), source: TechPowerUp

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Randy Pitchford’s comments on performance

A large thread on X discusses the performance of Borderlands 4, expectations, and the tools PC gamers have to ensure they can enjoy a smooth performance. Pitchford says, “We have provided many tools to help you make those trade offs,” and he’s not wrong. The CEO also says the team is doing “significant work on PC performance,” noting they are “not stopping”. He also claims the game is already well optimized, at least as far as resource management and minimizing wasteful cycles.

Surveys suggest PC gamers think devs rely on tools like frame gen too much, but as the technology gets better, we can only expect it to be the industry standard, particularly for AAA games. Unreal Engine 5 performance has been a hot topic lately, especially with demanding features like Lumen real-time global illumination equaling forced ray tracing, though it’s at least not hardware-level for Borderlands 4 like we saw with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, or DOOM: The Dark Ages.

In any case, Pitchford says gamers should use DLSS rather than shunning it. We suspect the main problem lies with the frame generation aspect, rather than upscaling alone, mainly due to the introduction of input lag. Borderlands 4 does support Nvidia Reflex to help soften that blow. Now we just have to wait for Reflex 2 to make it even smoother.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.