TECH NEWS – AMD has upgraded its upscaling technology once again, but the improved visuals may come at the cost of lower performance.

AMD recently expanded FidelityFX with the 2.0 update, making it easier for developers to integrate FSR into their projects. With this update, teams can now take advantage of technologies such as FSR 4. On Twitter, @opinali tested the new version using the FFX SDK 2.0 and a Radeon RX 9070 XT, with results showing just how demanding this solution can be.

Without Frame Generation or v-sync, the RX 9070 XT managed 276 FPS using FSR 4.0.2. By comparison, the same GPU achieved 290 FPS with FSR 3.1.5. This demonstrates that newer versions do not always equal better performance. The user also highlighted that FSR 4 significantly increases upscaling time and raises GPU utilization by 37%, making it clear that FPS losses are part of the trade-off with AMD’s latest technology.

In the sample I can pick the FSR version. With FG off, vsync off:
9070 XT, FSR 3.1.5: 290fps
9070 XT, FSR 4.0.2: 276fps
RTX 5080, FSR 3.1.5: 356fps

Upscale time is FSR3.1=0.51ms, FSR4=0.70ms. FSR4 costs +37% GPU; still a small fraction of total frame even for this simple demo.🔚

— Osvaldo Pinali Doederlein (@opinali) August 23, 2025

The difference lies in how AMD handles image reconstruction between versions. FSR 3 relied on older AI engines and less optimized models, making it lighter on resources but less accurate. FSR 4, on the other hand, introduces AI-driven methods like motion vectors and temporal data, which provide sharper results but demand more from the GPU.

Interestingly, the FPS hit represents only a small fraction of the total rendering workload, meaning most gamers won’t notice the difference in practice. Those who prioritize graphics fidelity over frame rate will benefit from FSR 4, while competitive players may prefer to avoid such technologies altogether to ensure maximum responsiveness.

Source: WCCFTech