If you’ve recently built your first gaming PC or switched from Nvidia to AMD, you may have noticed the FSR option in the AMD Software app. This is short for FidelityFX Super Resolution, originally released in 2021 as an upscaling feature designed to simulate high-resolution output on devices that may not have the power to produce it. Unlike Nvidia’s DLSS, which only works on RTX series cards, FSR is open source, so it can theoretically run on any GPU. In fact, this feature will even come to PlayStation 5 at some point!
Since its release, FSR has been updated and enhanced with various machine learning based tools. Its latest iteration, dubbed Redstone, features frame generation (to artificially inflate your framerate), ray regeneration (to reduce noise when ray tracing is active), and radiance caching (to reduce the cost of computing real-time lighting).
So, do these features really make a difference? AMD’s benchmarks show that Frame Generation can boost 4K frame rates by at least 200% on popular games like “God of War: Ragnarok,” while “Cyberpunk 2077” shows an astonishing 470% improvement. The results aren’t always perfect (we’ll get to that shortly), but if you’re trying to get the most out of your graphics card without overclocking, FSR is worth a try.
Everything you need to know about using FSR
First of all, if your PC can already run games at ultra settings with a stable framerate, you don’t need FSR. This technology is intended to help people whose computers need a little help, such as if you’re struggling to get a smooth 60fps or want to game at a higher resolution than your system was designed for.
Plus, you can’t expect FSR to provide the exact level of performance you’d get from a super powerful PC. Its frame generation feature can create ghosting and visual artifacts, although these are less noticeable at higher frame rates because your eyes have less time to register anything weird. Some users have reported screen tearing and input lag. Even though FSR reduces the work your GPU has to do, it won’t improve performance if your CPU is the limiting factor. Finally, AMD cards often struggle with multi-monitor setups, especially at high refresh rates, so adding false frames can make stability or sync issues worse.
Enabling FSR is quick and easy, so there’s no harm in trying it. Lower your game’s resolution, open the graphics settings menu and select FSR if available. You can also enable FSR 4 in the AMD Software app, which will override a game’s FSR 3.1 support, allowing you to use the new features even if the game doesn’t officially support FSR 4 yet.
