AMD FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) is a suite of upscaling and frame generation technologies that make it easy to increase your frame rate in supported games. Unlike Nvidia DLSS, FSR works across all graphics cards brands, including AMD Radeon, Nvidia GeForce, and Intel Arc cards, and even works on older models snubbed by Nvidia, such as the GTX 10 and 16 series.
Originally released back in June 2021, AMD FSR has quickly expanded with the launch of FSR 2, FSR 3, and the most recent addition of FSR 4 that launched alongside the new AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and other RDNA 4 GPUs. Like DLSS, it started off as an upscaling technique, to boost fps by rendering a game at a lower resolution then stretching that image to fit your monitor’s resolution, but has since added frame generation too. This boosts frame rate by adding AI-generated frames in between conventionally-generated frames.
FSR support has steadily grown to become widely used in many of the best PC games. It still isn’t quite as well supported or refined as Nvidia DLSS but there’s little reason not to turn it on if you’re looking to increase your gaming PC‘s performance.
What is AMD FSR 1?
FSR 1 is the first version of FSR upscaling that uses a spatial upscaling algorithm to increase game frame rates by rendering the 3D portion of a game at a lower resolution and then upscaling it to a higher resolution (the HUD and other 2D overlays are rendered at full resolution).
Unlike FSR 2 and DLSS, FSR 1 doesn’t look at previous frame data to enhance its upscaling but just stretches each isolated image, using techniques such as edge-detection to help determine how best to stretch the image. For this reason it’s known as a spatial upscaler rather than a temporal (time-based) upscaler.
Because FSR 1 doesn’t have previous-frame comparison, its image quality is far lower than FSR 2 or DLSS 2, with less detail retained and more visual anomalies introduced. In particular, not only is the upscaling better with temporal upscalers but they also help to smooth out flickering details (such as leaves on trees) or jagged edges (such as the edge of a building against a blue sky). FSR 1 can’t help with these areas, and can in some ways it can make them look worse, as the flickering parts of the image are exaggerated.
A key advantage of FSR 1, though, is that it’s very easy to implement, and its non-temporal upscaling means it doesn’t suffer from ghosting or loss of detail during fast motion, unlike DLSS 2 and FSR 2. This makes it’s relatively safe to use even in fast-paced games such as competitive first-person shooters.
FSR 1 can look good at 4K resolutions using Ultra Quality and Quality modes, as well as looking okay at 2,560 x 1,440 using Ultra Quality modes. However, its quality drops quickly at lower resolutions and quality settings.
What is AMD FSR 2?
FSR 2 is a temporal upscaling algorithm that increases game frame rates by rendering the 3D portion of a game at a lower resolution, then upscaling it to a higher resolution, using information from previously rendered frames to inform its upscaling algorithm.
FSR 2 takes the just-rendered, low-resolution frame from a game and compares it to the previously rendered frame, to help inform the upscaling algorithm of how best to fill in the extra pixels. It also uses other data from the game, such as movement vectors, to help further inform the algorithm. It’s a direct rival to Nvidia DLSS 2 and a different technique to FSR 1.
FSR 2 provides much better overall image quality than FSR 1, as the upscaling algorithm has much more data with which to work. However, its image quality typically isn’t quite as good as DLSS 2.
The main downside to FSR 2 is that, like DLSS 2, it can suffer from ghosting, or other weird visual anomalies, if the player view is moving quickly. That’s because fast movement can mean previous frames look too different from the current frame to usefully inform the upscaling algorithm. As such, we don’t generally recommend using FSR 2 (or DLSS 2) in fast-paced games, such as competitive first-person shooters and racing games.
FSR 2 works well at 4K using the Quality and Balanced modes, and is passable using the Performance mode. At 2,560 x 1,440, the Quality and Balanced modes are ok to use. FSR 2 can also look okay at 1080p using the Quality mode, but generally the initial render resolution for 1080p upscaling is too low for any upscaler to look all that good.
What is AMD FSR 3?
FSR 3 is a frame generation technique used to help increase the frame rate of games by inserting new AI-generated frames in between each normal frame.
Instead of being an upscaling algorithm, FSR 3 is a frame generation algorithm. So, instead of increasing frame rates by making it easier for your graphics card to initially render each 3D frame of a game, with frame generation the algorithm instead renders each frame normally (although upscaling can be combined with frame generation too), and then adds other “pretend” frames in between the normally rendered frames. The result is a smoother-looking game with potentially huge gains in the perceived frame rate – up to nearly double.
While inserting completely new frames sounds more than a little bit like cheating, in our tests we’ve found the end result to be quite compelling. There’s a noticeable increase in smoothness that while it doesn’t truly rival the snappy feel of “real” rendered frames, it can be more pleasing to the eye.
Crucially, like with DLSS 3 frame generation, FSR 3 frame generation is only something we recommend using if you’re already starting with a reasonably fast frame rate. That’s because those generated frames aren’t tied to the most recent input from you to the game but only the last input the algorithm got for a “real” rendered frame.
So, effectively, while the frame rate might nearly double, the feel of movement in the game still reflects the real rendered frame rate. What’s more, frame generation actually slightly reduces your initial initial frame rate (because frame generation requires some GPU power of its own) so, again, you need a bit of head room in your starting frame rate for a good experience.
As such, for slower-paced, more cinematic games (especially if you’re using a controller rather than a mouse), we recommend aiming for a starting frame rate of around 60fps to get a frame generation frame rate of 100-120fps with a reasonably smooth input feel. Much below this and movement feels weird.
Meanwhile, if you’re playing a game with slightly faster movement and you’re using a mouse, we recommend getting an initial frame rate of 100fps or more before enabling frame generation. As for any competitive shooters and other very fast games, we don’t recommend frame gen at all.
What is AMD FSR 3.1?
AMD FSR 3.1 was a general update to the existing FSR 3 suite that included improvements to image quality in upscaling and frame generation, along with performance boosts too. It also introduced a Native AA mode to rival Nvidia’s DLAA mode. This essentially takes advantage of the anti-aliasing (edge smoothing) ability of FSR upscaling but applies it to the game running at a native resolution without any upscaling.
What is AMD FSR 4?
FSR 4 is the latest addition to the company’s upscaling and frame generation suite that looks to improve performance and image quality in both upscaling and frame generation.
As we discovered in our AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT review, FSR 4 is a huge leap forward in image quality for FSR. Previously, FSR 3 upscaling and frame generation were noticeably not as good as the latest DLSS modes. However, the overhauled changes in DLSS 4 produce far better image quality with only a slight drop in peak performance. As we conclude in that review, images are “sharper and more clearly defined on FSR 4 than FSR 3.”
It’s still early days for FSR 4 with only a couple of games supporting the new mode, but it looks set to really pull AMD back into parity (or close to) with Nvidia when it comes to AI-enhanced upscaling and frame generation.
However, Nvidia just introduced multi frame generation with its DLSS 4 update – along with a boost to image quality by using a new transformer AI model – and AMD doesn’t yet have an answer to this.
What graphics cards support AMD FSR?
AMD FSR is compatible with the vast majority of AMD Radeon, Intel Arc, and Nvidia GeForce graphics cards. However, FSR 4 is now exclusive to the company’s latest RX 9000 series GPUs, as the algorithm takes advantage of the latest AI cores on those GPUs.
What games support AMD FSR?
The number of games that support AMD FSR has grown exponentially since the release of the upscaling technology, to the point that it’s been adopted ten times faster than Nvidia DLSS. This may have been due to the ease of which developers can integrate FSR into their videogames, with AMD releasing plugins for the Unity and Unreal game engines.
AMD maintains a comprehensive list of FSR-supported games on its website, breaking down the list into which games support FSR 1, FSR 2, and FSR 3. Just follow this link to check the list.
AMD FSR vs Nvidia DLSS: What’s the difference?
With DLSS and FSR both expanding from their original remit of being an upscaling algorithm to both now including frame generation techniques, and DLSS even including ray reconstruction tech for improving ray traced image quality, comparing them is getting tricky. That’s doubly true given each subsequent generation has introduced both new features such as frame gen as well as improvements to existing tech – i.e. FSR 3.1 improves both upscaling and frame gen.
However, the short version is that FSR 1 offers decidedly poor image quality compared to all the other techniques, though it’s still worth using if it’s the only option available or if you’re playing a competitive, fast-paced game.
FSR 2 and DLSS 2 upscaling are roughly similar in how they work and their resultant image quality but DLSS 2 has a distinct advantage in image quality. Both are far better than FSR 1 but DLSS 2 is just sharper and retains more detail than FSR 2.
It’s a similar story with FSR 3 frame generation vs DLSS 3 frame generation. DLSS 3 is just better, especially since Nvidia updated its AI algorithm to a new transformer model.
FSR 4 brings AMD much more in line with Nvidia for overall upscaling and frame generation image quality, with both technologies also delivering similar frame rate boosts. However, the ace up Nvidia’s sleeve right now is DLSS 4 multi frame generation tech that can triple or even quadruple frame rates. It’s a limited technique but can work well in some instances and AMD doesn’t currently have an answer to it.
For more on DLSS, check out our DLSS guide that explains every aspect of Nvidia’s rival tech. Meanwhile, be sure to check out our best graphics card guide to see which cards recommend for any given price point right now, regardless of whether you’ll get FSR or DLSS tech with your purchase.
