AMD’s latest upscaling technology, FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 4, has been tested against its predecessor FSR 3.

According to new FidelityFX SDK 2.0 benchmarks, FSR 4 delivers slightly lower performance, showing a 5% drop in frame rates compared to FSR 3.

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FidelityFX SDK 2.0 Test Results

Tech enthusiast Osvaldo Pinali shared results using the Radeon RX 9070 XT.

FSR 3.1.5 achieved 290 fps, while FSR 4.0.2 dropped to 276 fps under the same conditions.

Although the difference is small, it highlights the increased GPU load of FSR 4.

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Higher GPU Usage Due to AI Integration

The tests showed that FSR 4 consumes around 37% more GPU resources.

This is attributed to its machine learning (ML) and AI-based upscaling methods, which demand more hardware power but provide stronger image quality.

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Visual Quality Over Raw Performance

While FSR 4 is slightly weaker in performance, its visual improvements are considered significant.

Though it still lags behind Nvidia’s DLSS 4, FSR 4 already surpasses DLSS 3 in terms of super-resolution quality.

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Impact on RDNA 4 and Weaker GPUs

For high-end GPUs, the 5% frame rate difference is unlikely to matter.

However, on weaker RDNA 4 models or in demanding games with lower average frame rates, this drop could have a more noticeable effect.

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Possible Expansion Beyond RDNA 4

Currently, FSR 4 is exclusive to AMD’s RDNA 4 GPUs.

If AMD succeeds in backporting the technology to older GPUs, it could become a more competitive alternative to Nvidia’s DLSS 4 across a wider range of devices, including handheld gaming PCs.