RHI DLSS 5 Guide: Setup, Cost Scaler and Safety

What is RHI?

A free manager for ReShade, HDR mods and DLSS files that can install DLSS 5 in one click. RHI (ReShade HDR Installer) is a Windows tool by RankFTW, licensed under GPL-3.0 and published at github.com/RankFTW/RHI. It finds your games across Steam, Epic Games, GOG, Xbox / Game Pass, EA App, Ubisoft Connect, Battle.net, Rockstar and itch.io, and manages ReShade, RenoDX HDR mods, frame limiters, OptiScaler and DLSS versions for each game.

For DLSS 5 its README lists three methods:

The NR Cost Scaler wraps nvngx_dlssnr.dll to run the neural pass at reduced cost, 75% by default. Like the copies other community tools use, the nvngx_dlssnr.dll it installs comes from pre-release builds rather than an NVIDIA download. What that file is.

How do I install DLSS 5 with RHI?

1. Download RHI-Setup.exe from the Releases page, then check its SHA-256. The 2.8.6 installer is about 44 MB; earlier ones were about 25 MB.
2. Install the .NET 8 Desktop Runtime if Windows asks for it. Since 2.8.6 the installer also adds Windows App Runtime 2.5.1 when it is missing. RHI needs Windows 10 or 11, and DLSS 5 needs an NVIDIA RTX card.
3. Select the game, choose DLSS5 Feeder (or one of the alternatives above), and switch on the NR Cost Scaler first if you want it.
4. Start the game and open the ReShade panel (Home by default). The DLSS5 Feeder method installs ReShade add-ons, so it appears under Add-ons.

Some driver features need RHI’s admin mode: ReBAR, Smooth Motion, Low Latency Ultra, Vulkan ReShade, driver profile export or import and, since 2.8.6, DLDSR control. Use it in single-player games only: online games with anti-cheat can ban you for injected mods (game-by-game risk).

Is RHI safe?

The official build is open source and checkable, but expect antivirus warnings.

• Source: only the RankFTW/RHI Releases page. The README’s download link uses the project’s former name, RenoDXChecker, and leads to the same releases.
• What it downloads: RHI fetches the latest stable and nightly builds of its components and a manifest from GitHub on every launch. Its developer says the DLLs come from the projects’ own GitHub pages and that many of them are unsigned (issue #125). Without a GitHub sign-in these downloads share a limit of 60 requests per hour, and installs fail without a clear error once it runs out, so the 2.8.6 notes recommend signing in under Settings → GitHub API (5,000 requests per hour).
• Antivirus reports:
  • Windows Defender flagged the 2.8.2 installer as Trojan:Win32/Bearfoos.A!ml, which the developer called a false positive (#121).
  • An open report describes an antivirus deleting RTXMFG.dll from RHI’s rtx40 folder (#85).
  • Another open report describes a dgVoodoo2 archive flagged as Trojan:Win32/Kepavll!rfn (#89).
• Our advice: the developer suggests adding the RHI folder to Defender’s exceptions. We don’t recommend excluding whole folders. Check the installer’s hash, and allow a single detected file only once you know where it came from (how to judge an alert).
• Protection built in: RHI warns before overwriting files from other tools (DXVK, Special K, ENB) and backs up original DLLs.

How do I undo it?

RHI backs up the original DLLs and restores them per game. Restore a game before you install another DLSS 5 tool into it.

RHI or DLSS 5 Swapper?

Choose RHI if you already use ReShade or RenoDX HDR mods and want fine control over DLSS versions, frame limiters and NVIDIA driver profiles. Choose DLSS 5 Swapper for a DLSS 5-first app with an in-game overlay and per-game restore. The full tool comparison also covers DLSS 5 Manager, DLSS 5 Autopilot and DLSS5oneclick, and the status page shows each tool’s latest version.