AMD attacks: Radeon Software becomes AMD Software - RSR available - VSR up to 8K - FSR 2.0 is coming

This is an article from our content partner "PC Games Hardware". Here you can find the original article by author Raffael Vötter.

The AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 22.3.1 is here. The all-around happy package for Radeon users not only includes new features in 2022, but also an official name change: Radeon Software becomes AMD Software. The graphics card and processor specialists want to emphasize that the feature set has long since gone beyond graphics settings; for example, the vital signs of Ryzen CPUs can be monitored, and with AMD Link, a feature for harnessing the smartphone is also integrated. PCGH was able to preview AMD Software Adrenalin Edition 22.3.1 and reveals everything that is new.

AMD Software: Radeon Super Resolution

The most awaited feature since FidelityFX Super Resolution(PCGH review), is probably Radeon Super Resolution, RSR for short. In both cases, these are upscaling methods with the same goal: they are supposed to increase the Fps rates by saving pixels without making the picture unsightly. As we know from past analyses, this works more or less well depending on the game and content. This also applies to Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling(PCGH review), although this also performs temporal calculations and therefore has a greater impact - but DLSS only works on Geforce RTX graphics cards. Both FSR and DLSS have to be implemented by game developers. But what to do if this is not the case - i.e. for thousands of games? Only agnostic solutions help here, i.e.: the driver has to make sure that pixel saving happens smoothly and unnoticed by them. That's exactly what Radeon Super Resolution (RSR) does.

Don't let the name mislead you: Neither FSR nor RSR really do "Super Resolution" (aka Super Sampling), both methods save pixels to increase performance. A low resolution is always extrapolated to the native pixel amount of the connected monitor. The question why there is a need for another upscaling process when you can simply lower the resolution in games is obvious. It simply looks better. Modern liquid crystal displays only show an optimal, sharp image when played natively. If a different, usually lower resolution is set, quality is visibly lost. This problem can be avoided by feeding the monitor with suitable morsels: If the game or driver reduces the resolution internally and lets the monitor believe that the native resolution arrives, better quality is achieved. Such upscaling is always worse than the native resolution despite compensating measures (reconstruction on a spatial level), the goal is to relieve the graphics card and thus increase performance.

You can read all details about FidelityFX Super Resolution 1.0 in our comprehensive analysis. Radeon Super Resolution (RSR) is based on the same algorithm and aims to make the function accessible in all games. This works flawlessly in the PCGH practical test of AMD's Adrenalin 22.3.1 software. Activate Radeon Super Resolution under "Graphics" (not "Display"), the screen flickers briefly and RSR is ready to go. Now set a non-native resolution in a game of your choice, RSR latches on and takes over the output. This always includes an attempt to spatially reconstruct the lost pixels, as well as a re-sharpening via modified Contrast-Adaptive Sharpening (CAS). The intensity of this is not adjustable, so additional sharpening (whether CAS or another method) should be avoided in the games.

RSR achieves exactly what is to be expected in our samples: maximum compatibility and, within the limits of the possibilities, a good image. If FSR is available, however, it is always the better choice. The reason for this is the intentional implementation in the right place: RSR does not know what it is processing, and therefore also re-sharpen susceptible content such as film grain, color shifting, etc. FSR acts within the graphics pipeline before these effects are applied, and thus tends to have less flicker. Thus, RSR does its job as a fallback similar to Nvidia Image Sharpening (NIS) wonderfully, but nothing more is to be expected. Whether RSR, FSR or normal output looks best depends on the game and not least on your own monitor and taste. More on RSR and how to ensure it works in the embedded video.

Although the GCN GPUs (Graphics Core Next), which were introduced a good ten years ago, have received many new features over time, the AMD Software Adrenalin Edition 2022 only unfolds its full feature spectrum on modern RDNA chips. In other words: Those who don't own a Radeon RX 5000 or 6000 will regrettably go empty-handed with RSR. It is difficult to find technical reasons for this, because AMD emphasizes that RSR is based on FSR, which can even be run with ten-year-old graphics cards in appropriately equipped games.

AMD software: VSR now up to 8K

The second major innovation within AMD Software 22.3.1 is the improvement of the driver's own downsampling called Virtual Super Resolution (VSR). This is the counterpart to RSR: games are internally calculated with a higher resolution so that the final output images have a higher information content. This sledgehammer method is the easiest way to make games look prettier without developer intervention, but it is very inefficient. VSR has just been upgraded to include 5760×3240 (6K) and 7680×4320 (8K) resolutions - previously "only" 5120×2880 aka 5K was possible. Interestingly, AMD does not mention this upgrade in the release notes, nor in the accompanying material for testers. Enthusiasts should nevertheless rejoice that VSR is now similarly potent as Nvidia's just improved Dynamic Super Resolution (DSR) with Deep Learning addition (DL-DSR).

We can confirm the fantastic picture quality and flawless function based on first samples. Further practical tests are already on the agenda - you can look forward to Super Hi-Res benchmarks of new graphics cards, among other things! For the sake of completeness, you can find a small video below this text, recorded via Radeon Relive, which shows "VSR 8K" in action.

AMD Software: Outlook on FSR 2.0

So far, we have only talked about methods that spatially process images. However, many moving image problems can best be solved with the help of temporal countermeasures. AMD also knows this, so the current announcement is not surprising: FSR 2.0 is on the way. In contrast to FSR 1.0, which can already be found in about 50 games and which only works spatially, version 2.0 will bring a temporal approach as the main innovation. Nvidia's DLSS has followed this approach from the beginning, which has advantages and disadvantages. The more complex implementation in existing games is offset by greater power over quality.

Currently, FSR 2.0 is still in development or with cooperating game developers for testing. AMD presents FSR 2.0 on the basis of Deathloop from Arkane Lyon. The innovative first-person shooter already includes FSR 1.0 as well as DLSS 2.3 and is - also thanks to the rather weak Temporal-AA of the engine - an ideal guinea pig. Unsurprisingly, FSR 2.0 shows a very good quality on the screenshots provided by AMD. The Radeon makers emphasize that FSR 2.0, in contrast to DLSS and Intel's upcoming XeSS, does not have a machine learning dependency, meaning that no special cores like Nvidia's Tensor Cores are needed. It is currently unknown if upcoming Radeon GPUs like RDNA 3 will have them and if they can be used for FSR 2.0. FSR 2.0 is supposed to be presented in detail on March 23 at the Game Developers Conference 2022 (GDC). Until then, you can take a look at the AMD screenshots.

AMD Software 22.3.1: Benchmarks

What does Radeon Super Resolution cost compared to FSR and "normal" upscaling? We checked that on the basis of two samples. Far Cry 6 as well as Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy support FSR 1.0 and thus allow optimal comparability. The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Liquid Cooling(PCGH review) is the fastest AMD graphics card. We scaled various resolutions from Full HD to Ultra HD.

The new graphics card test system is used for the first time in these benchmarks. After the one and a half year AMD-Ryzen excursion, this one relies on Intel again: With a Core i9-12900K @ 5.2 GHz, the computers once again have the fastest gaming CPU. Helpful here is not only the potent Asus Z690 Maximus Apex, but also the fast DDR5-6400 memory from G.Skill.

Regardless of whether FSR or RSR, the upgrades via AMD's algorithm (reconstruction & sharpening) usually cost some performance - with an interesting scaling: The higher the target resolution, the lower the upgrade costs; in Ultra HD, RSR, FSR and "nothing" are equally fast in our samples. The difference compared to normal image output is not palpable anyway, but it is especially noteworthy for fps hunters.

AMD software: Further innovations

Besides the big features, there are also a few smaller improvements. For example, Radeon Image Sharpening (RIS) can now be used outside of games. If your videos and websites look too blurry, you can use RIS here as well. AMD Link has also been expanded, and you can now connect up to four devices to play multiplayer games locally - recently also with PCs that use Intel and Nvidia hardware.

Meanwhile, AMD has not promised performance miracles for a long time. According to its own statement, the manufacturer already took extensive measures years ago to ensure stability and performance directly at the launch of a new GPU architecture or new games. "Day-0 Drivers", i.e. official drivers directly at the launch of important games, is still the direction. Performance increases through global optimizations are at most to be expected for fundamentally new architectures, however, as every year, AMD emphasizes that the work over the course of the year will lead to accumulated performance increases in popular games.

AMD Software: Minimal Install & Driver only

Not new, but worth mentioning one more time is that you can choose how many features you need during driver installation. Since Radeon Software 21.4.1, you can choose between three modes: the "Full Install" default, "Minimal Install" and "Driver only". While the latter seems relatively pointless in the absence of powerful third-party tweak tools, the Minimal mode proved to be a useful addition - at least for users who just want to play games. If you install this variant, the unique selling points of AMD's software are missing, including the capture and streaming features as well as the tuning menu along with monitoring and overlay functions. However, all important settings around texture filtering, anti-lag, sharpening, Freesync and the like are completely on board. Our wish for the next AMD software update remains a "do it yourself" mode, which makes all options selectable and deselectable during the installation.

AMD Software: Conclusion

New year, familiar conclusion: AMD extends its lead on the software level with the latest AMD Software update. The Radeon driver has a feature for every imaginable wish, an answer for every problem. The main 2022 refresh, Radeon Super Resolution, is a helpful option to lighten the load on the graphics card, while the improvement of VSR will especially please enthusiasts. On the other hand, the fact that RSR only works with Radeon RX 5000 and newer (RDNA) despite the FSR code base is bitter for the numerous users of older Radeon graphics cards. If all that is too much for you, you can install the minimal setup of AMD's software and just start playing.