RSR, FSR, FMF, and DLSS Declassified

In the ever-evolving landscape of gaming technology, several innovations have emerged to enhance our gaming experience, making games look better without demanding more from our hardware.

Among these, Radeon Super Resolution (RSR), FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), Fluid Motion Frames (FMF), and Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) stand out.

This blog aims to demystify these technologies, breaking down their functionalities, differences, and the pros and cons of each.

Upscaling Technologies

Radeon Super Resolution (RSR)

RSR is AMD's non-AI based upscaling technology integrated into the driver.

It works by taking each frame at a lower resolution and upscaling it to a higher resolution.

This can be applied to any game running in fullscreen mode at a resolution lower than your screen's.

To activate RSR, simply set your game to fullscreen and adjust the game's resolution to be lower than your operating system's resolution.

RSR will then upscale the game's resolution to match your screen's.

FidelityFX Super Resolution 1 & 2 (FSR 1 & 2)

FSR, also from AMD, is a non-AI upscaler that needs to be integrated into games by developers.

It uses additional information from the game to upscale a lower resolution image to a higher one more intelligently than RSR, typically resulting in better image quality.

However, it requires game integration to function.

To use FSR, you just need to enable it in the game's settings, with no external adjustments necessary.

Deep Learning Super Sampling 1 & 2 (DLSS 1 & 2)

Nvidia's answer to upscaling is DLSS, an AI-based technology that also requires integration into games.

It uses AI models, rather than handcrafted algorithms, to upscale images, relying on similar game information as FSR for intelligent upscaling.

DLSS is exclusive to Nvidia GPUs and offers superior upscaling quality but at the cost of hardware exclusivity.

Frame Generation

Fluid Motion Frames (FMF)

FMF is AMD's driver-level, non-AI frame generation technology.

It works by creating a transitional frame between two existing frames, aiming to produce smoother gameplay.

FMF is compatible with any DirectX 11+ game, but it has specific requirements, such as running the game in fullscreen mode without overlays and with VSync turned off.

DLSS 3 Frame Gen

Nvidia's DLSS 3 Frame Gen is an AI-based frame generation technology similar to FSR 3 but exclusive to Nvidia's 40-series GPUs.

It provides high-quality frame generation by leveraging Nvidia's AI technology, though it shares the same hardware exclusivity limitation as DLSS upscaling.

Frame generators are generally more effective at higher frame rates (60 FPS+), as they can reduce input lag and improve overall image quality.

However, all frame generation technologies introduce some level of input lag because they require two completed frames to generate a third.

This lag is more pronounced at lower FPS due to the longer display time of each frame.