Nvidia DLSS vs. AMD FSR Performance Compared: Have Reddit Users Exposed Steve?

A number of weeks in the past we did a horrible factor. A horrible, biased, and admittedly unforgivable factor. A minimum of that is what Steve was advised by well-informed people over on Reddit… we benchmarked the RTX 4070 Ti utilizing FSR, in 6 of the 50 video games we examined. That is proper, we used FSR. Although really one recreation enabled FSR by default, so we guess we will solely be straight blamed for that horrible factor we did in 5 of the 50 video games examined, however that is no excuse.

Sarcasm apart, what we thought was an affordable and truthful method to tackling a difficulty, kicked off a violent controversy that escalated to abused ranges over on Reddit with numerous customers claiming issues they merely have little or no information of. However the excellent news is, we will now set them straight, which we’re certain will not assist to keep away from this kind of factor sooner or later, however it is going to present the remainder of avid gamers with some helpful benchmark knowledge.

A little bit of again story first. Once we not too long ago in contrast the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti and Radeon RX 7900 XT face to face in 50 video games, we determined to incorporate a number of ray tracing-enabled outcomes, as video games utilizing the added results have continued to achieve floor and turn out to be an vital facet of GPU efficiency. Regardless of that reality that each time we ballot your curiosity in ray tracing, the information usually comes again trying very bleak for the expertise – looks as if most of you continue to do not discover the visible improve important sufficient to warrant the large efficiency hit, however that is a separate matter.

In our check, there have been a couple of video games like Cyberpunk 2077 which are literally a great displaying for ray tracing, and on this particular instance we noticed body charges dip properly under 30 fps on the RTX 4070 Ti at 4K, however with upscaling we might stand up over 40 fps. Since are usually not anticipating anybody to recreation at 17 fps, we felt the upscaling knowledge can be extra helpful, even when it isn’t actually displaying 4K efficiency.

For a greater illustration of picture high quality comparisons, take a look at the HUB video under:

The subsequent choice we confronted was: which upscaling expertise to make use of? The choices included testing GeForce RTX GPUs with DLSS and every little thing else with FSR, or to maintain it as apples-to-apples as doable, so check every little thing utilizing FSR.

Given we’re attempting to precisely examine frames per second efficiency, we all the time prefer to maintain the testing as comparable as doable. Actually, our predominant concern was to not present AMD with a possible efficiency benefit. We all know that DLSS is the superior upscaling expertise, usually offering higher picture high quality, and we additionally know that by way of FPS efficiency GeForce GPUs are likely to carry out a lot the identical utilizing DLSS and FSR.

In different phrases, we did not wish to run checks on any recreation the place FSR seemed noticeably worse than DLSS, whereas additionally offering better body charge efficiency to the Radeon GPU. So, with a view to keep away from all these potential points, we felt testing each GPUs with the identical open-source upscaling expertise was the best choice.

After the RTX 4070 Ti vs Radeon 7900 XT shootout went stay, we noticed many feedback complaining about how biased the check was as we did not use DLSS, regardless of mentioning within the article that by way of picture high quality DLSS is superior to FSR, and the rationale that we used FSR for benchmarking to maintain the comparability as apples to apples as doable.

On the HUB group, I made a group put up, addressing a few of the misconceptions across the matter and ran a ballot. Fortunately, nearly all of viewers agreed with our choice, besides the outcomes had been pretty break up. This group put up then led to a number of Twitter threads, basically calling us out for utilizing FSR on GeForce GPUs. It was troubling to see low effort posts with no proof or any actual info getting upvoted, whereas these explaining either side of the story had been closely downvoted.

The first argument (or reasonably, assumption) from those that opposed our alternative to make use of FSR believed that DLSS is one thing Nvidia’s accelerating utilizing their Tensor cores and due to this fact DLSS shall be quicker than FSR on GeForce RTX GPUs. Thoughts you, there is not any proof to help this past Nvidia’s personal advertising and marketing materials. A fast search on YouTube for stuff like “RTX 3080 FSR vs DLSS” or every other standard GeForce GPU, and you will find loads of content material evaluating varied video games with the 2 upscaling strategies, displaying nearly equivalent body charges.

We’ve got, after all, achieved our personal in-house testing. With no precise proof to help complainers’ claims, we did what we all the time do, and bought benchmarking. So let’s go check out that…

Benchmarks

Here is a have a look at DLSS high quality mode vs. FSR high quality mode in Useless House. Please observe we have solely used the respective ‘high quality’ modes for all our testing. As you possibly can see on this instance, there is not any body charge efficiency distinction between the 2 upscaling strategies, the RTX 4070 Ti delivered 141 fps utilizing both expertise at 1440p and 76 fps at 4K.

As for scaling, at 4K the Radeon 7900 XT noticed a forty five% improve when utilizing FSR, whereas the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti noticed a considerably extra substantial 73% improve.

It is the identical story in Name of Obligation: Fashionable Warfare II and this knowledge may be simply verified by anybody with a Radeon and GeForce GPU as we’re utilizing the built-in benchmark.

The RTX 4070 Ti offered the identical consequence utilizing FSR and DLSS at each examined resolutions.

As for scaling, the 4070 Ti noticed a 38% improve when utilizing FSR at 1440p and the 7900 XT a 34% improve. Then at 4K each the 4070 Ti and 7900 XT noticed a 39% improve.

Subsequent we now have The Witcher 3, the place the RTX 4070 Ti was 2% to 4% quicker when utilizing FSR against DLSS. Not precisely a big distinction, however on this instance FSR was quicker than DLSS.

The Radeon 7900 XT noticed a 49% improve when utilizing FSR at 1440p and 74% at 4K, whereas the 4070 Ti noticed a 49% improve at 1440p after which 69% at 4K, so a barely bigger uplift for the Radeon GPU at 4K.

Dying Mild 2 Keep Human was examined utilizing the prime quality ray tracing mannequin as this allows DX12.

Right here the RTX 4070 Ti noticed the very same degree of efficiency utilizing both FSR or DLSS. Scaling was additionally barely higher for the Radeon GPU at each examined resolutions.

Hogwarts Legacy additionally noticed the identical degree of efficiency for the 4070 Ti utilizing both FSR or DLSS with not more than a 2% efficiency discrepancy.

Hitman 3 additionally noticed no change in efficiency when utilizing both upscaling methodology with the RTX 4070 Ti, each delivered 71 fps at 1440p after which 38-39 fps at 4K.

The efficiency uplift when utilizing FSR was additionally comparable for each GPUs.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide runs barely higher when utilizing DLSS, the RTX 4070 Ti was 4% quicker at 1440p and a couple of% quicker at 4K. No massive margins, however that is the primary recreation the place DLSS is repeatedly a couple of frames quicker than FSR.

We additionally discovered DLSS to be a couple of frames quicker in Dying Stranding, although on this case we’re speaking a few 1-3% distinction in efficiency, which we do not discover statistically important.

The F1 22 outcomes are stunning, right here FSR was 11% quicker than DLSS for the RTX 4070 Ti at 1440p and 14% quicker at 4K, and these outcomes had been recorded utilizing the built-in benchmark with the extremely prime quality preset, and primarily based on a 3-run common.

On this instance, testing the 4070 Ti utilizing DLSS would place it at an obstacle on a benchmark graph. That stated, whereas we did check F1 22 with ray tracing enabled in our massive face to face benchmark, we did not use upscaling of any kind because the body charges had been already fairly excessive, a minimum of at 1440p.

Forza Horizon 5 has a really typical set of benchmark outcomes for us. Briefly, FSR and DLSS offered equivalent body charges. Oddly although, FSR appears damaged on the Radeon 7900 XT on this title, as we noticed no efficiency uplift when utilizing it. Forza Horizon 5 has confirmed to be a really poor title for RDNA 3, which we suspect is said to a driver subject.

Shifting on to Spider-Man Remastered, we now have one more instance the place FSR and DLSS offered equivalent outcomes at each examined resolutions.

Atomic Coronary heart, like F1 22, did see the 4070 Ti performing higher with FSR against DLSS, on this recreation we’re a 4% uplift at 1440p and a extra substantial 8% improve at 4K.

The RTX 4070 Ti would have solely matched the 7900 XT if we had examined and in contrast utilizing DLSS, however in our graphs it was proven to be 7% quicker when utilizing the identical upscaling methodology.

Final up we now have Cyberpunk 2077, which we examined twice: one with RT disabled after which with the RT preset. First, utilizing the usual extremely preset we discover no distinction between FSR and DLSS with the 4070 Ti, efficiency is mainly equivalent.

With RT enabled we discover the identical: FSR and DLSS end in the identical degree of efficiency for the 4070 Ti. So from a efficiency standpoint, it does not matter which upscaling methodology you employ, the body charges would be the similar, although we extremely suggest GeForce customers go for DLSS because it usually supplies higher picture high quality.

What We Realized

Properly, that was a number of drama and false accusations over nothing now wasn’t it? Typically talking, FSR and DLSS ship an analogous efficiency enhance for GeForce GPUs, although we did discover a couple of video games the place FSR was notably quicker, which is vital to notice for benchmark functions. If we had examined the Radeon with FSR and the GeForce with DLSS and put that in the identical graph, the Nvidia GPU would have been at an obstacle.

Let’s be as clear as we will utilizing the English language: we’re not at all suggesting that FSR is healthier than DLSS in these video games the place body charges had been larger. Quite the opposite, the picture high quality of DLSS is nearly assured to be superior, due to this fact GeForce homeowners would wish to use Nvidia’s proprietary upscaling expertise. However for the aim of a benchmark comparability, we wished to offer you apples to apples knowledge, and we expect we have now confirmed that we did simply that.

Some should still wish to argue, “if I will purchase an RTX 4070 Ti, I will use DLSS, so FSR benchmarks are utterly pointless for me,” and we noticed loads of individuals making that argument. However as different customers identified, evaluation shops equivalent to ourselves are relative efficiency, which is why we regularly check the best way we do.

Should you suppose we’re attempting to please everybody right here, we’re not, that is an inconceivable purpose, reasonably we’re attempting to do what’s proper. We all know if we do not use any upscaling individuals will nonetheless scream AMD shill, as a result of DLSS is healthier than FSR, and they’re going to have satisfied themselves we’re attempting to fake DLSS does not exist, regardless of discussing it and testing over the previous months and years.

We’re damned if we use DLSS for GeForce and FSR for Radeon, as FSR usually does not look pretty much as good and will present AMD with a efficiency benefit, and as we have simply discovered. In the meantime we’re damned if we attempt to make an apples to apples comparability through the use of the identical upscaling method for all GPUs, as we present in our current 4070 Ti vs 7900 XT content material.

Finally, after cautious consideration, we have come to the conclusion that for large head-to-head GPU benchmarks we can’t use upscaling in any respect, one thing many others additionally steered. Once more, this does not resolve the difficulty, individuals will nonetheless cry biased, as a result of their very own private biases imply you are both with them or in opposition to them in supporting the company they love (?), but it surely does resolve an apparent subject for us, we’re really testing on the decision we declare to be testing.

Testing at 4K with DLSS or FSR is not really testing at 4K, and if we’ll declare to be benchmarking at 1440p and 4K, we should always actually be certain that we’re rendering at these resolutions. So there, downside solved. As for product opinions, like a day-one evaluation of the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, we are going to nonetheless embrace DLSS benchmarks there, for the particular part of the evaluation that appears at upscaling.

It might be good if we might have higher discussions about this kind of stuff, simply because somebody has a unique opinion doesn’t suggest they’re immediately morally corrupt, they simply have a unique opinion, they may even be unsuitable, however screaming shill is not going to assist resolve the issue, and it definitely does not strengthen your place. It is also good to have some supporting proof, as a result of replying on advertising and marketing materials from a beloved company is not an ideal technique both. Anyway, meals for thought, and that is the place we’ll finish this one.