Modern games are demanding. DLSS, FSR, and XeSS are the answer that the three main GPU vendors have given to that problem: render fewer pixels, then use software to reconstruct a near-native-quality image. This often results in noticeable performance gains with a modest impact on image quality.
What upscaling actually does
Your GPU normally renders every pixel at the resolution you display. At 4K that is over 8 million pixels per frame. Upscaling breaks that loop:
- The game renders at a lower internal resolution (e.g. 1080p).
- The upscaler reconstructs a higher-resolution image (e.g. 4K).
- The image is output to your display.
The internal resolution is called the render resolution. The output resolution stays at whatever your monitor is set to. Each technology has named presets (Quality, Balanced, Performance, and Ultra Performance) that map to specific render-resolution percentages.
Lower preset = smaller render resolution = more FPS gained, but more image quality lost. Quality tends to offer the best balance of sharpness and performance gain; Performance is useful when you need more headroom on a weaker GPU.
DLSS: NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling
Made by: NVIDIA
GPU requirement: GeForce RTX 20-series or newer (Turing architecture and up)
API: Proprietary; game must explicitly support it
DLSS uses a neural network trained on thousands of high-resolution game frames. The network runs on dedicated Tensor Cores built into RTX GPUs. Because of that dedicated hardware, DLSS adds relatively little GPU overhead compared to running at full native resolution, while often delivers the best image quality of the three technologies at equivalent presets.
DLSS versions
| Version | Key improvement |
|---|---|
| DLSS 2 | Temporal accumulation; stable, widely supported |
| DLSS 3 (RTX 40-series+) | Adds Frame Generation: synthesizes whole frames between rendered frames for even higher FPS |
| DLSS 3.5 | Adds Ray Reconstruction: replaces denoising in ray-traced scenes |
| DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation (RTX 50-series) | Generates up to three additional frames per rendered frame on RTX 50-series (Blackwell) GPUs |
| DLSS 4.5 | 2nd-gen transformer Super Resolution model for all RTX GPUs; 6X Multi Frame Generation (up to five additional generated frames per rendered frame, on supported RTX 50-series titles) and Dynamic Multi Frame Generation (auto-adjusts multiplier to reach your target frame rate) on RTX 50-series |
Who should use DLSS
If you have an RTX GPU and the game supports it, DLSS is the default choice. Image quality at the Quality preset is typically very close to native image quality in many cases at normal viewing distances.
Enable DLSS Frame Generation (RTX 40/50 only) alongside DLSS upscaling for the largest possible FPS jump. Both settings appear separately in-game.
FSR: AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution
Made by: AMD
GPU requirement: Any GPU from any vendor (AMD, NVIDIA, Intel, even integrated graphics)
API: Open-source; game must support FSR, but implementation is free for developers
FSR is the most widely available upscaler because it runs on every GPU, including older hardware that DLSS and XeSS do not support.
FSR versions
| Version | How it works |
|---|---|
| FSR 1 | Spatial only; sharpens the current frame with no temporal information. Fast but prone to aliasing. |
| FSR 2 | Temporal; uses motion vectors from previous frames, close in quality to DLSS 2. No dedicated hardware needed. |
| FSR 3 | Adds Frame Generation (works on any GPU, unlike DLSS 3 Frame Gen). Also bundles FSR 2-level upscaling. |
| FSR 4 | Machine-learning model primarily targeting RDNA 4 (RX 9000-series) GPUs, where it delivers the best quality. Support on other hardware varies by implementation. |
Who should use FSR
Use FSR if:
- Your GPU does not support DLSS or XeSS, or
- The game supports FSR but not DLSS/XeSS, or
- You want Frame Generation and do not own an RTX 40/50 GPU.
FSR 2 and 3 are solid. FSR 1 is noticeably lower quality than the alternatives; only use it if no newer version is available in that game.
FSR 1 is a spatial filter, not a temporal reconstructor. At Performance or Ultra Performance presets it will look significantly softer and aliased compared to DLSS 2 or FSR 2 at the same preset.
XeSS: Intel Xe Super Sampling
Made by: Intel
GPU requirement: Any GPU (XMX acceleration on Intel Arc; DP4a acceleration on other hardware)
API: Open-source; game must explicitly support it
XeSS combines ideas from both DLSS and FSR. On Intel Arc GPUs it uses dedicated XMX matrix engine units for a sharp, high-quality result. On NVIDIA and AMD hardware it falls back to a DP4a path that is competitive with FSR 2 in quality.
XeSS versions
| Version | Notes |
|---|---|
| XeSS 1.x | Initial release; good quality on Arc, acceptable on other GPUs |
| XeSS 2 | Improved Super Resolution quality on all supported GPUs; adds Frame Generation and Low Latency, with support broadened to compatible non-Intel GPUs in newer SDK releases (Arc still the primary hardware path) |
Who should use XeSS
XeSS is the natural choice for Intel Arc GPU owners. On NVIDIA or AMD hardware it is a reasonable alternative when FSR is not available, but FSR 2/3 and DLSS are generally preferred if those options exist.
Side-by-side comparison
| DLSS | FSR | XeSS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vendor | NVIDIA | AMD (open) | Intel (open) |
| Hardware required | RTX 20-series+ only | Any GPU | Any GPU (best on Arc) |
| Image quality | Excellent | Good (FSR 2/3/4) / Poor (FSR 1) | Good to Excellent |
| Frame Generation | RTX 40-series+ (DLSS 3+) | Any GPU (FSR 3+) | Arc GPU (XeSS 2) |
| Game support | Wide (AAA focus) | Widest (open SDK) | Growing |
| Performance cost | Low (Tensor Core-accelerated) | Low (compute shaders) | Low (XMX or DP4a) |
Which should you use?
You have an NVIDIA RTX GPU: Use DLSS whenever the game offers it. If the game only offers FSR or XeSS, use those instead.
You have an AMD Radeon GPU: Use FSR (prefer FSR 2, 3, or 4 over FSR 1). If the game only offers XeSS, it will run on your GPU via the DP4a path.
You have an Intel Arc GPU: Use XeSS for the best quality. FSR is a good fallback.
You have an older or integrated GPU: FSR is your only option among these three. FSR 2 works on most modern GPUs that support compute shaders, though support on very old or integrated hardware may vary.
When multiple technologies are available in the same game, try each at the Quality preset and compare. Differences vary by game engine. Some games implement one upscaler better than the others.
How to enable upscaling in a game
Settings names and locations differ between games, but the flow is the same:
- 1
Open the game's Settings or Options menu, then go to Graphics or Display.
- 2
Look for a setting labelled Upscaling, Super Resolution, Anti-Aliasing, or similar. Select DLSS, FSR, or XeSS.
- 3
Choose a Quality preset. Start with Quality for the best balance of image clarity and FPS gain.
- 4
If available, enable Frame Generation as a separate toggle for an additional FPS boost.
- 5
Apply the settings, then check your frame rate and image quality in-game. Adjust the preset up or down as needed.
Some games require you to disable native anti-aliasing (TAA or MSAA) before the upscaling option becomes available. The upscaler replaces TAA; you do not need both.
Getting the most out of upscaling
- Resolution matters more at higher display resolutions. Upscaling from 1440p to 4K produces cleaner results than upscaling from 720p to 1080p. The reconstructed image has more source detail to work with.
- Sharpen if the image looks soft. Most implementations include an in-game sharpness slider. A value of 30-50% is a common starting point.
- Upscaling does not help if you are CPU-limited. If your CPU is the bottleneck, adding upscaling will not increase FPS. Use a frame-time graph or a tool like MSI Afterburner to check whether your GPU or CPU is the limit.
- Keep your GPU drivers and software current. NVIDIA can deliver updated DLSS Super Resolution model presets via the NVIDIA app without requiring a game patch. Keeping your drivers and GPU software up to date ensures you get the latest improvements.
