For some time now, the graphics card giants have been offering options to boost gaming performance. NVIDIA offers DLSS, while AMD offers FSR. AMD is following the trend set by NVIDIA, and FSR 3 now includes image generation. TechpowerUp was able to test the technology on Forspoken and gives us its opinion.
FSR 3: more worries!
Broadly speaking, compared with DLSS3, this new version of FSR with frame generation offers reduced memory consumption on the graphics card. Indeed, where DLSS3 Frame Generation increases VRAM consumption by 600 MB at 1080p, FSR3 consumes just 200 MB. In the worst-case scenario, in UHD, the figure is 500 MB, compared with 2 GB for NVIDIA’s technology… RTX 40s already don’t have much VRAM…
However, this is one of the few advantages of AMD’s technology. Our colleagues have complained about its sometimes chaotic implementation. When activating it, don’t forget to enable V-Sync and even set a personalized framerate limit. Limit framerates to two FPS below your screen frequency: 142 FPS for a 144 Hz monitor, for example. Otherwise, you run the risk of particularly pronounced tearing.
Quality-wise, once again, AMD’s FSR struggles, as action scenes are not always very pretty. To use Frame Generation for reds, you need to activate Super Resolution, whose rendering has not been improved. As a result, you’ll have to make do with pixelated, blurred images in motion. And if you remove Frame Generation, once again, you won’t reach the level of what NVIDIA offers.
Finally, as far as latency is concerned, of course, nothing can replace the comfort generated by a true framerate of 144 fps. However, the requirements of FSR 3 Frame Generation are higher than those of DLSS3 Frame Generation. AMD recommends a base framerate of 70 fps, as opposed to NVIDIA’s 60. So even with a framerate of up to 140 fps, latency will still be present. If the game looks fluid, it feels less so.
Nevertheless, one of the big advantages of AMD’s tech is that it can run on an NVIDIA card. TechpowerUp having played Forspoken with an RTX 3080. What’s more, for every resolution, performance is almost doubled!
