How it works

General integration

As with FSR 1, FSR 2 is open source, via the MIT license. Integration should be easy, via the intuitive, flexible API. FSR 2 requires three buffers (depth, color, and velocity) be provided at render resolution, with optional reactive mask and exposure required for the best possible quality.

Bonus tip: You’ll find an easier integration for FSR 2 technology into games that already have a temporal upscaling rendering path.

Where to integrate AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2 in a frame

Compared to FSR 1, FSR 2 is earlier in the frame pipeline.

• As it replaces TAA, any post processing that requires anti-aliased input will need to be post-upscale.
• Any post-processing effect that requires the depth buffer will need to be pre-upscale.

No machine learning?

Machine Learning (ML) is not a prerequisite to achieving good quality image upscaling. Often, ML-based real-time temporal upscalers use the model learned solely to decide how to combine previous history samples to generate the upscaled image: there is typically no actual generation of new features from recognizing shapes or objects in the scene. AMD engineers leveraged their world-class expertise to research, develop and optimize a set of advanced hand-coded algorithms that map such relationships from the source and its historical data to upscaled resolution.

The FidelityFX Super Resolution 2 analytical approach can provide advantages compared to ML solutions, such as more control to cater to a range of different scenarios, and a better ability to optimize. Above all, not requiring dedicated ML hardware means that more platforms can benefit, and more gamers will be able to experience FSR 2.

How long to integrate?

Integration time will vary from title to title.

FSR 2 quality modes

There are four different quality modes: Quality, Balanced, Performance, with Ultra Performance as an optional mode. These vary the amount of scaling to apply to the source image, depending on the quality/performance ratio desired. 

There’s also:

• Support for Dynamic Resolution Scaling, whereby source resolution is determined by a fixed performance budget to achieve a minimum frame rate.
• Optional configurable RCAS sharpening to help emphasize pixel detail.
  • We encourage developers to provide a sharpness slider to allow end users to set the sharpening amount according to their preferences.

* Optional

FSR 2 performance

AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2 is designed to boost framerates in supported games. As an advanced temporal upscaling solution, it will be more demanding on graphics cards than a spatial upscaling solution like FSR 1. Gaming experience may vary, depending on specific system specifications, the requirements of individual games that support FSR 2, and the target resolution. Nevertheless, gamers may be able to have a good upscaling experience on lower performing or older GPUs.

The table below lists the upper bound of performance overhead of FSR 2 in quality and performance modes for different classes of AMD GPUs and target resolutions.

Quality mode

• Includes auto-exposure, no sharpening.

< 1.3ms

< 1.9ms

< 2.4ms

< 0.6ms

< 0.8ms

< 1.1ms

< 0.3ms

< 0.5ms

< 0.6ms

Performance mode

• Includes auto-exposure, no sharpening.

< 1.1ms

< 1.6ms

< 2.0ms

< 0.5ms

< 0.7ms

< 0.9ms

< 0.3ms

< 0.4ms

< 0.5ms

Comparison images

The comparison image below (FSR 2.0) uses a 1280 x 600px 1:1 crop (zoom in if needed) of a 4K frame from the new Sponza scene from Intel®.

Note: All the embedded images shown below are JPEGs saved with minimal compression so this web page loads much faster. If you would like to view the original PNGs (including other quality modes) these are available under every image, along with links to other scenes not shown on this page. You can also download every image linked to below in this one big ZIP:

[All images ZIP ~340MB]

4K comparison

• Sharpening applied to FSR 2 image

• 4K all qualities from scene shown above [ZIP ~53MB]

• Scene 1 – Native [as above, PNG ~13MB]
• Scene 1 – Quality [as above, PNG ~13MB]
• Scene 1 – Balanced [PNG ~13MB]
• Scene 1 – Performance [PNG ~13MB]

1440p comparison

Our engineers have been working closely with engineers at Arkane Lyon to bring FSR 2 to DEATHLOOP™. We’re excited to bring you these lower resolution  comparison screenshots. You can read more about these images on a recent AMD blog.

The two sets of comparison images¹ below are 1280 x 600px 1:1 crops (zoom in if needed) of different resolution frames taken from a development build of DEATHLOOP. 

Please note: At low resolutions (under 720p), DEATHLOOP can sometimes not render certain small objects at far distances, such as the light bulbs shown in the 1080p comparison images. When targeting 1080p output, the FSR 2 internal render resolution is 1280 x 720 or below, which results in the missing objects shown here — this issue is therefore not related to FSR 2.

1080p comparison

Take a look at our latest video (September 2022) to see FSR 2.1 in action!