Before FSR 4, AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution worked by rendering frames at a lower resolution and then using open-source upscaling algorithms to produce a higher-resolution image when compared to native rendering.
That’s quite different from the hardware-driven Nvidia DLSS (which is exclusive to Nvidia’s RTX hardware). In contrast, just about any graphics card on the market can use FSR, even those made by Intel and Nvidia if you so choose, instead of utilizing XeSS and DLSS tech.
Depending on the game, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution can be anything from a mild boost to achieve 60fps to a sweeping shot in the arm that can double (even triple) the frame rates under the right circumstances. This is done through the different FSR modes that are available for supported games: Performance, Balanced, Quality, and Ultra Quality.
Performance prioritizes more frames over visual fidelity, Balanced is an even mix of both, Quality puts more of a focus on visuals over frames, and Ultra Quality tries to be as close to native as possible.
The different FSR modes will also utilize varying levels of sharpening, which is applied to the upscaled image to fix blurry, fuzzy, or jagged images. As FSR has developed over the years from its first version to FSR 3.1, the quality of the upscaling has improved massively, but it’s not always perfect.
Being open source and (primarily) relying on software to blow the image up to size can have its imperfections. In the battle of Nvidia DLSS vs AMD FSR, we sided primarily with the former, however, a lot has changed in the upscaling world since mid-2023.
That’s because FSR 4 is now AI-powered, utilizing machine learning much in the same way as Nvidia’s DLSS, and also doubles down with improved Frame Generation for higher frame rates than before. While the frame rates may be slightly lower than what you’ll see from FSR 3.1, the quality is an out-and-out improvement in terms of clarity, sharpness, and smoothness when compared to its predecessor.
However, FSR 4 is only supported by two graphics cards right now, the RX 9070 and the RX 9070 XT; adopters will enjoy superior performance compared to previous versions of FSR, but you may be disappointed if you’re running an older RX 6000 or RX 7000 line card.