Last March, AMD introduced FSR 2.0, an image resizing technology that, as the name suggests, is an update to the current FSR 1.0. At that time, we already told you some of his most important keys and we saw a graphical comparison which pitted the two technologies against each other with native resolution.

Overall, we could conclude from this comparison that FSR 2.0 is indeed well above FSR 1.0 and seems to have reached such a good level that there is nothing to envy about native resolution. top quality mode. Still, I think it’s recommended. that we keep expectations in check, and that we will wait for more realistic tests and on the move before drawing any conclusions.

Although the article we published at the time was very complete, in the end we left some things in our “virtual” inkwell so as not to saturate the article too much. Some of the issues that remain in the air are quite important, which is why I wanted to share with you this new article, in which we will look at everything you need to know about FSR 2.0 accept the question and answer model. If you have any questions after reading them, you can leave them in the comments and we will help you solve them.

What is FSR 2.0 and how does it work?

Yippee image upscaling technology which is able to generate images at a higher resolution than what it uses as input. For example, you can generate a 1080p image from 720p samples. Unlike FSR 1.0, it is not limited to spatial work, but rather it also contains temporary elements. This means that it takes into account the elements present in the images before the one we want to generate, which helps to improve the final result.

To further improve the end result, this technology also applies edge smoothing, which reduces the effect of “aliasing” or “saw teeth” which is usually caused by a reduction in the total number of pixels in the scene. In the first pictures we saw, FSR 2.0 does a good job and it is clear that the combination of temporary and special elements greatly affects this.

What modes can FSR 2.0 use?

AMD has confirmed that FSR 2.0 will have a total of four different modesbut these will be different from what we saw in FSR 1.0 because the ultra quality mode has been canceled. These are the available modes and their most important keys:

• Quality mode: provides image quality equal to or better than native, while maintaining 67% of the target resolution pixels. For example, to reach 4K, it starts at 2.56 x 1,440 pixels, and to reach 1080p, it starts at 1,280 x 720 pixels.
• Balanced mode: creates a balance between image quality and increased performance. It may not reach the level of the native image. It reproduces 59% of the total pixels of the target resolution, so to reach 4K it starts at 2,259 x 1,270 pixels and has a base of 1,129 x 635 pixels to reach 1080p.
• Power mode: this mode prioritizes performance and, according to AMD, achieves “native” picture quality. It retains 50% of the pixels of the target resolution, so it starts at 1,920 x 1,080 pixels to reach 4K and starts at 960 x 540 pixels to reach 1080p.
• Ultra powerful mode: it is a mode designed to offer the highest possible performance, while maintaining the image quality of the “native representative”. It retains only 33% of the pixels of the target resolution, so it’s clear that this will only be a good idea if we want to play in 4K. To scale to this resolution, start at 1,280 x 720 pixels.

Which graphics cards will support FSR 2.0?

Initially, it seems that all those that are with FSR 1.0. However, AMD did list of recommended models depending on the resolution we want to use. This recommendation has the explanation that FSR 2.0 has a slight impact on performance, as it is ultimately a scaling algorithm that must be implemented and used, and its use on lower-power GPUs could have implications.

Here are the recommendations AMD has made:

• 1080p: Radeon RX 590, RX 6500 XT or GeForce GTX 1070-GTX 16.
• 1440p: Radeon RX Vega 56, Radeon RX 5600 or GeForce GTX 1080, RTX 2060 or better.
• 4K: Radeon RX 5700, RX 6700 XT or GeForce RTX 2070, RTX 3070 or better.

Which games will be compatible with FSR 2.0?

We don’t have a definitive list yet, but AMD has confirmed this technology will be very easy to apply in those games that are already compatible with NVIDIA DLSS, as well as in those that are based on Unreal Engine 4 or Unreal Engine 5 graphics engines, thanks to the available plugin. Overall, we can be sure that a large number of titles will use FSR 2.0

We will share with you in the coming months list of compatible games which will be updated over time, but only when it is really necessary, ie when a considerable number of available titles are collected. It is important that you do not confuse it with AMD RSR, as this scaling is present at the driver level, while FSR 2.0 must be integrated directly into the games.

Will I need dedicated hardware to enjoy FSR 2.0?

No, AMD has maintained the same approach we have seen with FSR 1.0 technology, which means FSR 2.0 does not use any kind of dedicated hardware which NVIDIA DLSS does because, as our regular readers know, this image recovery and upscaling technology relies on tensor cores.

You can use FSR 2.0 on any compatible graphics card, although keep in mind that AMD has warned that if we have a model that is below the recommended, the results may vary, meaning they may not be as optimal as you. It’s a bit of an ambiguous statement, but I think he’s serious the increase in performance may not be so great.

What will be the difference between FSR 2.0, DLSS and XeSS?

The main difference is that DLSS and XeSS they use artificial intelligence. In the case of NVIDIA, this is why it runs through tensor cores, while in the case of Intel, XeSS will have two modes, one accelerated in hardware and the other in software, which will be compatible with many cards. , which puts it at the level of more direct competition with FSR 2.0.

We still don’t know how FSR 2.0 actually works against DLSS and XeSS, but theoretically the use of artificial intelligence should provide a clear advantage to NVIDIA and Intel in performance and image quality. FSR 2.0 would have the advantage over DLSS in that it is cross-platform and does not require dedicated hardware, but in this sense it will compete directly with Intel XeSS, which will also not require specific hardware, as we have already said.

What performance improvements can I expect?

I still can’t give you the exact number, but I can give you information to help you as a reference:

• The higher the graphics load, the greater the performance you will achieve with FSR 2.0. This means that lowering the resolution from 1080p to 4K will increase performance more than 720p to 1080p.
• At the same time, the lower the base pixel, the greater the performance improvement. This means that you get a higher performance increase with a balanced mode than with a lower mode.

Keep in mind, however, that when you move at very low resolutions, you don’t just have to see an increase in performance, but it can end up negative, that is, we could lose performance. This is because we are getting to a level where GPU usage will drop and the CPU will eventually become a bottleneck, either due to a lack of power or due to the game’s own limitations. For example, it doesn’t make sense to use ultra performance mode with 1080p resolution, but with 4K it does.