Cyberpunk 2077: DLSS vs. FSR Comparison

[maxus24]

Cyberpunk 2077 recently received a big patch with game-quality improvements, and has been updated to support AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR). In this mini-review, we take a look and compare the image quality and performance offered by DLSS and FSR.

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[human_error]

I've been looking forward to this comparison - interesting how much better the DLSS implementation is in terms of retaining and showing smaller details (the heating element lines in the car window and details in the glass on the car lights being particularly obvious). It really sounds like AMD & game developers need to add a user configurable slider for sharpening as well.

One thing that does seem odd is the difference in shadow quality at 4k native vs 4k DLSS or FSR - seems to be a lot more diffuse in the native vs the very crisp lines in the DLSS/FSR renders? I appreciate the light source shifted slightly but it certainly looks different. Same with shadows on the plants to the side - not visible in the DLSS/FSR render but there for native?

 

[phanbuey]

I am not sure sharpening control is going to be enough to fix the FSR IQ here.

Also the DLSS Performance looks better and has 52 FPS vs the 30FPS of FSR Ultra Quality @4K. This game shows the biggest difference so far between the two IMO.

 

[Punkenjoy]

I tested yesterday at 4K using various settings. I don't have DLSS on my main rig (radeon 6800). My main interested was to test it to see if it was better than the old image upscaler used in the game
And it is, i recall at 80% image scale i was unsatisfied with how the image looked. i had to put it to at least 90% or more or most of the time, without it.

Now, with FSR Ultra Quality, i could say it's very close in real life (not screenshoot peeping side by side) that it become very usable. lower mode are more obvious indeed. Quality is usable and bellow that is just if you must use it.

So i am still glad that even if it's not up to par than DLSS, it's still a big leap from the image upscaler the previous version had.

 

[lightofhonor]

I tested yesterday at 4K using various settings. I don't have DLSS on my main rig (radeon 6800). My main interested was to test it to see if it was better than the old image upscaler used in the game
And it is, i recall at 80% image scale i was unsatisfied with how the image looked. i had to put it to at least 90% or more or most of the time, without it.

Now, with FSR Ultra Quality, i could say it's very close in real life (not screenshoot peeping side by side) that it become very usable. lower mode are more obvious indeed. Quality is usable and bellow that is just if you must use it.

So i am still glad that even if it's not up to par than DLSS, it's still a big leap from the image upscaler the previous version had.

I think that's the point with FSR that comparing it to DLSS misses.

FSR, at it's best, can replicate the experience of Native gaming. DLSS, at it's best, can improve visuals past native resolutions. I don't think people with the option for DLSS should choose FSR for most games, but if you can't use DLSS and need more performance then test out FSR.

 

[RH92]

There is a massive difference in reflections on the rear windshield and tail lights in favor of DLSS , penumbra transition is much smoother and shadow location seems to be more accurate . Last but not least text and vegetation detail in the background are just on another league .

Peoples need to stop entertaining the misleading idea that FSR is a viable alternative to DLSS because it is not , it get's severly trashed by DLSS ( especially after 2.0 update ) , reason why AMD needs urgently to bring an apropriate solution instead of trying to deceive their customers with marketing , let's all hope they will be ready for next gen GPUs .

 

[Makaveli]

There is a massive difference in reflections on the rear windshield and tail lights in favor of DLSS , penumbra transition is much smoother and shadow location seems to be more accurate . Last but not least text and vegetation detail in the background are just on another league .

Peoples need to stop entertaining the misleading idea that FSR is a viable alternative to DLSS because it is not , it get's severly trashed by DLSS ( especially after 2.0 update ) , reason why AMD needs urgently to bring an apropriate solution instead of trying to deceive their customers with marketing , let's all hope they will be ready for next gen GPUs .

People also need realize they are comparing FSR 1.0 to DLSS that is in like 2nd generation. FSR should improve when given more time so I expect DLSS to look better.

 

[mb194dc]

Checking the difference at 4k on my 558M1RY/00 at various settings, pretty certain if I was playing the game I wouldn't notice the difference between them. The main thing I noticed is the lack of rear window heating lines in FSR.

Shouldn't the scene be done on AMD graphics hardware for FSR too though and that also compared?

 

[GoldenX]

Checking the difference at 4k on my 558M1RY/00 at various settings, pretty certain if I was playing the game I wouldn't notice the difference between them. The main thing I noticed is the lack of rear window heating lines in FSR.

Shouldn't the scene be done on AMD graphics hardware for FSR too though and that also compared?

FSR is post-processing, it will look the same on any GPU, even Intel's.

 

[Makaveli]

FSR is post-processing, it will look the same on any GPU, even Intel's.

Will be interesting to see all 3 solutions tested when Intel releases their gpu's.

 

[ZentiX]

Looks like DLSS does a better job than FSR.

 

[mama]

There is a massive difference in reflections on the rear windshield and tail lights in favor of DLSS , penumbra transition is much smoother and shadow location seems to be more accurate . Last but not least text and vegetation detail in the background are just on another league .

Peoples need to stop entertaining the misleading idea that FSR is a viable alternative to DLSS because it is not , it get's severly trashed by DLSS ( especially after 2.0 update ) , reason why AMD needs urgently to bring an apropriate solution instead of trying to deceive their customers with marketing , let's all hope they will be ready for next gen GPUs .

Not everyone can use DLSS. That's the point. FSR helps.

 

[Minus Infinity]

I wonder if AMD will eventually cave and offer a AI upscaling technique. Intel will soon have XeSS leaving AMD out in the cold with its clearly inferior FSR approach. Surely if they include NN accelerators in RDNA3 they could offer a DL upscaling too. Probably not going to happen until RDNA4 at the earliest by which time Nvidia will be on DLSS 4.x and Intel will be on second gen XeSS. I can't believe they took so long to get FSR out given it's not that good.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

There is a massive 43gb 1.5 patch for this now

 

[wolf]

People also need realize they are comparing FSR 1.0 to DLSS that is in like 2nd generation.

Sure for the tech savvy it's interesting to note and perhaps ponder, but for the vast majority that doesn't matter to them whatsoever, both solutions will be compared as they exist today. Nvidia didn't get a pass on DLSS 1.0 being super average, and AMD doesn't get a pass on IQ either. I remember DLSS 1.0 being absolutely ridiculed because a downscale+CAS could give better results.

Naturally I am excited for any future FSR version and what it could improve, as well as XeSS.

 

[Verpal]

It cannot be denied that FSR got ran over DLSS, its... not even close.
However, FSR is open and available to everyone, I sincerely hope AMD continue to improve on it, though I do doubt how much more improvement can we put into pure spatial up-scaling.
Anyway, if I had to guess, AMD will hop onto the AI upscaling train sooner or later, lets hope they won't forget large chunk of gamer out there doesn't have tensor cores, and adopt an approach akin to XESS.

 

[hippityhoppity]

AMD needs AI. Badly...

 

[Zubasa]

I think that's the point with FSR that comparing it to DLSS misses.

FSR, at it's best, can replicate the experience of Native gaming. DLSS, at it's best, can improve visuals past native resolutions. I don't think people with the option for DLSS should choose FSR for most games, but if you can't use DLSS and need more performance then test out FSR.

To put it properly, since DLSS replaces TAA, it can undo the damage that crappy TAA has done to the native image.
FSR cannot do that.

It cannot be denied that FSR got ran over DLSS, its... not even close.
However, FSR is open and available to everyone, I sincerely hope AMD continue to improve on it, though I do doubt how much more improvement can we put into pure spatial up-scaling.
Anyway, if I had to guess, AMD will hop onto the AI upscaling train sooner or later, lets hope they won't forget large chunk of gamer out there doesn't have tensor cores, and adopt an approach akin to XESS.

I wouldn't be surprised that CDPR will release a patch later to fix FSR just like Horizon Zero Dawn did.
The artifacting in this game is way more than usual. Even DLSS needed a few iterations to get right in CP2077.

 

[konga]

Been using DLSS at 1440p with a sharpening value of 0.20, and after taking several of my own comparison shots (vs native) and closely examining them, I've given up trying to find any visual downgrades with DLSS. It's either identical or a slight improvement when the DLSS Quality setting is enabled. The implementation in 1.5 is very impressive now.

edit: Actually scratch that, I found one instance where a moiré pattern appeared in DLSS but not in native. But I didn't notice while playing.

 

[Zubasa]

Been using DLSS at 1440p with a sharpening value of 0.20, and after taking several of my own comparison shots (vs native) and closely examining them, I've given up trying to find any visual downgrades with DLSS. It's either identical or a slight improvement when the DLSS Quality setting is enabled. The implementation in 1.5 is very impressive now.

edit: Actually scratch that, I found one instance where a moiré pattern appeared in DLSS but not in native. But I didn't notice while playing.

Also the flickering on shop signs is still there even in the latest version, it happens a lot when you look at it at an angle.

 

[Sybaris_Caesar]

I've been looking forward to this comparison - interesting how much better the DLSS implementation is in terms of retaining and showing smaller details (the heating element lines in the car window and details in the glass on the car lights being particularly obvious). It really sounds like AMD & game developers need to add a user configurable slider for sharpening as well.

One thing that does seem odd is the difference in shadow quality at 4k native vs 4k DLSS or FSR - seems to be a lot more diffuse in the native vs the very crisp lines in the DLSS/FSR renders? I appreciate the light source shifted slightly but it certainly looks different. Same with shadows on the plants to the side - not visible in the DLSS/FSR render but there for native?

I'm confused here. If you compare between DLSS and FSR exclusively it may look like DLSS retains more detail. The windshield defroster is the prime example in this comparison. But I think DLSS is highlighting miniscule details too much. Defrosters irl aren't so thick that they obscure vision. Hell, even 4K Native doesn't have such thick defroster lines.

One thing Native trounces over both DLSS and FSR is soft shadow. DLSS has overly sharp shadow. Actually DLSS Quality is overly sharp compared to FSR Ultra Quality. Distant palm trees, distant shadows (look at the shadow of small trees? near Watson Whore signboards), the lines on the buildings etc.

I don't know if I'm seeing it wrong or something but no joke I actually prefer FSR over DLSS in this comparison. DLSS Quality looks like turning anti-aliasing turned off.

P.s. After watching the video it does look like FSR has more simmering/flickering on distant lines. Well looks like you can't have everything I guess.

 

[Athlonite]

I tried both FSR Ultra Quality and non FSR and couldn't see a difference but with it on I got a small fps increase in both Avg and Min fps so there's that I spose

 

[DemonicRyzen666]

I'm confused here. If you compare between DLSS and FSR exclusively it may look like DLSS retains more detail. The windshield defroster is the prime example in this comparison. But I think DLSS is highlighting miniscule details too much. Defrosters irl aren't so thick that they obscure vision. Hell, even 4K Native doesn't have such thick defroster lines.

One thing Native trounces over both DLSS and FSR is soft shadow. DLSS has overly sharp shadow. Actually DLSS Quality is overly sharp compared to FSR Ultra Quality. Distant palm trees, distant shadows (look at the shadow of small trees? near Watson Whore signboards), the lines on the buildings etc.

I don't know if I'm seeing it wrong or something but no joke I actually prefer FSR over DLSS in this comparison. DLSS Quality looks like turning anti-aliasing turned off.

There is too much light blooming in DLSS for me vs Native. anyways in that 1440 picture in native the light in the building is there but in DLSS quality it disappeared. But id doesn't disappear on 1080P of 4K DLSS quality

 

[oxrufiioxo]

Not really a fan of either implementation in this game. To my eyes even DLSS Balanced looks much better than FSR ultra quality in person on a large 4k display.... That being said there are other implementations of both tech that are superior to the implementation in this game.

 

[Sybaris_Caesar]

There is too much light blooming in DLSS for me vs Native. anyways in that 1440 picture in native the light in the building is there but in DLSS quality it disappeared. But id doesn't disappear on 1080P of 4K DLSS quality

The lights inside office looking tower right? I think it's a random instance or sth idk. 4K FSR Quality (a step below Ultra Quality) doesn't have it either. While the floor below does. But all the other quality settings contain light in that floor.