Skip to main content

AMD’S FSR uses the same technology as Nvidia’s old sharpening filter

AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution is an image upscaling algorithm made to improve gaming performance. It was meant to be the company’s response to Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology. While AMD FSR was supposed to be entirely new, digging through the source code showed that it is, in fact, based on the same technology as Nvidia’s old sharpening filter.

AMD previously claimed that the algorithm used in FSR was built entirely in-house, but @VideoCardz on Twitter found that to be untrue. A deeper look into the source code revealed that FidelityFX Super Resolution was based on the Lanczos resampling algorithm which has been around for several decades. What’s perhaps more interesting is the fact that it is also in use by Nvidia.

Fideltiy FX Super Sampling quality comparisons.
AMD makes big claims about FSR, but even if they don’t play out, the fact anyone can use it is more important. Image used with permission by copyright holder

The same algorithm that AMD made use of in the creation of FSR is utilized by Nvidia for its upscaling and sharpening filter. It was released with Nvidia drivers several years ago. As such, it’s been available to Nvidia users within the GeForce control panel for quite some time. However, AMD has obviously done much more legwork than to simply reuse Lanczos resampling.

When AMD FSR was announced, there was a lot of hope for AMD fans who wanted to utilize the same technology that Nvidia has already been providing for some time. FidelityFX Super Resolution was said to offer up to twice the performance in 4K gaming with ray tracing enabled. It comes with adjustments that make it run faster and prevent the halo effect from appearing during sharpening. All in all, it stands a chance at becoming a real competitor to Nvidia’s DLSS, although AMD will not be optimizing it for the users of the best graphics cards by Nvidia.

While FSR is still new, AMD’s open-source approach has already started picking up pace. The technology has already been adopted by close to 30 games as well as Unreal Engine and Unity Engine. The technology is supposed to be applied to 3D rendered content, meaning it’s only meant to be visible in games. If used properly, it can turn a 1080p title into 1440p as long as it’s supported. However, when used on flat elements such as the game UI, it can make the text difficult to read or blurry.

An AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT graphics card placed in front of a black background.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The main benefit of this technology lies in its accessibility. While Nvidia users can only benefit from DLSS if they have an RTX graphics card, AMD’s FSR is meant to work on any GPU. According to the Steam Hardware Survey, only 17.6% of all PCs have an RTX-based graphics card. This is where AMD pulls ahead, allowing FidelityFX SR to be used on each and every GPU out there.

Although it turns out that FSR is not quite the 100% made-from-scratch technology that AMD claimed it to be, it presents a solid option for Radeon card users. Previously excluded by Nvidia’s RTX-only DLSS, owners of AMD GPUs can now benefit from this image upscaling technology too. All that remains now is to hope that the technology will continue to spread across different brands and game studios.

Editors' Recommendations

Monica J. White
Monica is a UK-based freelance writer and self-proclaimed geek. A firm believer in the "PC building is just like expensive…
5 ways Nvidia graphics cards still beat AMD
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU.

The never-ending debate of AMD versus Nvidia has never been more of a close call than it is right now. With both manufacturers putting out some of the best graphics cards on the market, it's hard to decide whether Team Red or Team Green is superior right now. It's all about choosing what's important to you and weighing it against what else is on the table.

Regardless of personal preference, there are a few things that Nvidia still does better, and that's despite the fact that AMD has caught up a lot in recent years. Here are some of the reasons why Nvidia still maintains a commanding lead over AMD in many ways.
Performance

Read more
Nvidia’s RTX 4070 is seeing big price cuts in response to AMD
RTX 4070 logo on a graphics card.

It seems Nvidia is feeling some pressure from AMD. The popular RTX 4070 is now readily available for $50 below its list price of $600, likely in response to AMD's recently released RX 7800 XT.

You can find models in stock at various retailers like Newegg and Amazon, as first spotted by Wccftech. The shift comes just days after AMD released its $500 RX 7800 XT, which beats the RTX 4070 in a head-to-head matchup. Ahead of this launch, prices on Nvidia's RTX 4060 Ti 16GB also dropped, bringing the card from $500 down to $450.

Read more
Nvidia gave AMD’s RX 7800 XT a free win
AMD RX 7800 XT graphics card on an orange background.

AMD's new RX 7800 XT and RX 7700 XT are solid GPUs; let's not get that twisted. However, they certainly aren't great, with the RX 7700 XT coming in $50 more expensive than it should be, and the RX 7800 XT occasionally being beaten by last-gen's RX 6800 XT. Sounds like a disaster.

So, why did I recommend the cards so highly in my RX 7800 XT and RX 7700 XT review? That largely comes down to Nvidia, and the "tierflation" we've seen over this generation (thanks u/Convextlc97 for the pointed description). It seems gamers agree, too, with the RX 7800 XT sold out nearly everywhere.
'Tierflation' at its finest

Read more