AMD’s CES announcement about RDNA 4 was quite unusual, with Team Red sharing details about the new graphics card generation in bits and pieces after the main reveal. Recently, independent tests carried out by Hardware Unboxed on YouTube (you can view the full video below) have largely validated many of AMD’s touted performance and quality enhancements.
Impressive Performance Observed
The Hardware Unboxed crew managed to get a glimpse of how AMD’s FSR 4 compares to FSR 3.1 during the CES 2025 event, using demo systems that showcased Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart on the latest Radeon RX 9070 GPUs. Their findings indicated a noticeable boost in upscaling quality, featuring sharper edges, improved antialiasing, and a reduction in overall visual artefacts.
Visual Enhancements in 4K Mode
In addition to visual enhancements, these upgrades were particularly evident in 4K Performance mode, which has not been FSR’s strong suit in earlier assessments. The most obvious improvement is seen in small, fast-moving details, such as particles, where FSR 3.1 has difficulty with edges, resulting in pixelation and unclear details. The fur on Ratchet also shows a significant upgrade, with FSR 4 offering much finer hair texture compared to FSR 3.1, even though some smoothing is still present.
Clarity in Distant Elements
Elements that are further away, like guard rails in the crowd stands shown in the footage, are rendered much more distinctly with FSR 4 in contrast to FSR 3.1. Enhancements are clear in reflections, transparent surfaces, and holographic effects, which exhibit less detail distortion when utilizing FSR 4.
One of the major updates in FSR 4 is that the upscaling technology now employs machine learning, akin to Nvidia’s DLSS, which has traditionally been seen as superior to AMD’s offering. If AMD’s FSR 4 can deliver the improved quality suggested by Hardware Unboxed, it may revolutionize the upcoming gaming handhelds equipped with RDNA 3.5 iGPUs—assuming AMD permits FSR 4 to function on those iGPUs, as it is currently restricted to RDNA 4.
Limited Testing Scope
It is worth noting that this evaluation was conducted on just one game and a singular scene, which means it might not fully represent overall performance. Nevertheless, it’s quite remarkable to witness AMD making such significant progress in AI-enhanced upscaling. The Radeon RX 9070 XT and other GPUs in the 9070 series are anticipated to launch sometime in Q1 2025.
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