The short answer
On an NVIDIA RTX card, use DLSS. It's generally the best-looking upscaler. On a Radeon RX 9000 card, use FSR 4. On anything else, including older Radeon and GTX cards, use FSR 3.1 or XeSS, whichever looks better in the game you're playing. On an Intel Arc card, XeSS runs on the card's own AI hardware and is usually the better choice.
Upscaling is one of the most effective ways to raise FPS, but only when the graphics card is the limit. If your PC is CPU-bound, it adds nothing. Frame generation is different again: it makes motion look smoother without making the game respond faster.
How upscaling works, and what the presets mean
An upscaler renders each frame at a lower internal resolution, then uses motion data from the game and previous frames to reconstruct a full-resolution image. DLSS, FSR 4 and XeSS on Arc cards use machine learning for the reconstruction. FSR 3.1 and older use a hand-tuned algorithm that runs on any modern GPU.
The presets set the internal resolution. DLSS and FSR use almost the same scale factors per axis, while XeSS names its presets similarly but its ratios have shifted between versions:
| Output | Quality (67%) | Balanced (58%) | Performance (50%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 1,280 × 720 | 1,114 × 626 | 960 × 540 |
| 1440p | 1,707 × 960 | 1,485 × 835 | 1,280 × 720 |
| 4K | 2,560 × 1,440 | 2,227 × 1,253 | 1,920 × 1,080 |
Quality mode renders only about 44% of the pixels, and Performance mode 25%, yet the frame rate doesn't rise in proportion. Some of each frame's work doesn't depend on resolution, and the upscaler itself takes time to run. In our model, Quality raises the graphics card's frame-rate limit by about 40% and Performance by about 85%.
Output resolution matters for image quality. At 4K, Quality mode starts from a 1440p image and usually looks very close to native. At 1080p, Quality starts from 720p, so there's much less detail to work with and the softness is easier to see. As a rule: Quality at 1080p, Quality or Balanced at 1440p, and Performance is often fine at 4K.
What upscaling is worth, and why it can't fix a CPU bottleneck
Here are the same four presets on four builds, from fully GPU-bound to fully CPU-bound, as estimated by the bottleneck calculator:
| Preset | Ryzen 7 7800X3D + RTX 5070 4K, AAA | Ryzen 7 7800X3D + RTX 5070 4K, ray tracing | Ryzen 5 5600 + RTX 4060 1080p, AAA | Ryzen 5 3600 + RTX 5070 Ti 1080p, AAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native (off) | 61 GPU 65% | 35 GPU 77% | 75 GPU 28% | 80 CPU 55% |
| Quality | 86 +40% GPU 51% | 50 +44% GPU 67% | 97 +29% Balanced | 80 ±0% CPU 68% |
| Balanced | 98 +60% GPU 44% | 57 +64% GPU 62% | 102 +36% CPU 13% | 80 ±0% CPU 72% |
| Performance | 113 +84% GPU 36% | 66 +90% GPU 56% | 105 +39% CPU 25% | 80 ±0% CPU 76% |
GPU-bound at 4K: the RTX 5070 gains 40% at Quality and 84% at Performance. With ray tracing on, it goes from 35 FPS native to 66 at Performance. That's what upscaling is for.
Borderline: the Ryzen 5 5600 with an RTX 4060 at 1080p starts GPU-limited, but from Balanced on it's limited by the processor instead, and Performance adds only 2% over Balanced. Upscaling only helps until the CPU becomes the limit.
CPU-bound: the Ryzen 5 3600 with an RTX 5070 Ti stays at about 80 FPS whatever the preset. Upscaling raises the card's limit from 177 to 328 FPS, but the processor can only prepare about 80 frames per second, so the extra capacity goes unused. The bottleneck grows from 55% to 76%.
If you're CPU-bound, do the opposite. Turn upscaling off, or use DLAA, FSR Native AA or XeSS Native AA, which apply the same reconstruction at full resolution for a cleaner image. You lose few or no frames, because the graphics card had capacity to spare. For real CPU fixes, see our guide on fixing a CPU bottleneck.
Which graphics cards support DLSS, FSR and XeSS
| Graphics cards | DLSS upscaling | DLSS Frame Gen | Multi Frame Gen | FSR 4 | FSR 3.1 | XeSS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 50 e.g. RTX 5070 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes (DP4a) |
| GeForce RTX 40 e.g. RTX 4060 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes (DP4a) |
| GeForce RTX 20 and 30 e.g. RTX 3060 12GB | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes (DP4a) |
| GeForce GTX 16 e.g. GTX 1660 Super | No | No | No | No | Upscaling only | Yes (DP4a) |
| Radeon RX 9000 e.g. RX 9070 XT | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes (DP4a) |
| Radeon RX 6000 and 7000 e.g. RX 7800 XT | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes (DP4a) |
| Intel Arc A and B series e.g. Arc B580 | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes (XMX) |
- DLSS needs an NVIDIA RTX card, because it runs on the Tensor cores. Every RTX generation gets the upscaler. DLSS Frame Generation needs RTX 40 or newer, and DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation, which generates several frames for each rendered one, is limited to RTX 50 cards.
- FSR 4 is AMD's machine-learning upscaler, built for the RDNA 4 architecture in the Radeon RX 9000 series. Older Radeon cards use FSR 3.1.
- FSR 3.1 is open and vendor-neutral. Its upscaling runs on practically any modern graphics card, including NVIDIA and Intel ones, and its frame generation works on most recent cards too.
- XeSS runs on any recent GPU. On Intel Arc it uses the cards' XMX AI units, which gives better image quality and speed. On other cards it falls back to a slower DP4a path.
Support also depends on the game: each one has to include the technique, and many offer two or all three. Choosing a card partly on upscaler support is reasonable. Our comparisons of the RTX 5070 Ti vs RX 9070 XT, RX 9070 vs RTX 5070 and RTX 5060 vs Arc B580 cover the raw performance side.
Image quality: how they compare
Image quality varies from game to game and version to version, so treat this as a general picture rather than a ranking that holds everywhere:
- DLSS is broadly regarded as the most consistent, especially since the transformer-based model introduced with DLSS 4. Fine detail and motion hold up well even in Performance mode at 4K. The NVIDIA App can switch many games to a newer DLSS model.
- FSR 4 is a large step up from FSR 3.1 and is generally considered close to DLSS, though only in games that support it and only on RX 9000 cards.
- FSR 3.1 works everywhere but shows more shimmering on fine detail such as foliage and fences, and more ghosting behind moving objects, particularly at 1080p and in Performance mode.
- XeSS on Arc cards is generally competitive with the better upscalers. The DP4a version on other cards looks softer and gives a smaller FPS boost.
If a game offers several upscalers, try each at the same preset in a scene with foliage and fast movement. Your own eyes are the best judge.
Frame generation: smoother motion, not lower latency
Frame generation creates extra frames between the ones the game actually renders. DLSS Frame Generation and FSR Frame Generation insert one frame per rendered frame (2x). DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation on RTX 50 cards launched with 3x and 4x modes. Because generated frames need no work from the processor, frame generation is the one GPU feature that raises the displayed frame rate of a CPU-bound game.
There are two catches. First, the game still responds at the base frame rate, the frames it actually renders, and frame generation holds back a frame to interpolate between, which adds some latency on top. Second, generated frames are guesses, and the lower the base frame rate, the bigger the gap between real frames and the more visible the mistakes.
| Base FPS | Base frame time | 2x output, up to | 4x output, up to | How it plays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 33.3 ms | 60 | 120 | Looks smoother, still feels like 30 FPS. Artifacts are easy to spot. Avoid. |
| 45 | 22.2 ms | 90 | 180 | Usable in slow games with a controller. Mouse aiming feels heavy. |
| 60 | 16.7 ms | 120 | 240 | The usual recommended minimum. Feels close to normal in single-player games. |
| 90 | 11.1 ms | 180 | 360 | Ideal. Little visible artifacting, and latency stays low. |
This is the reason for the common advice to reach about 60 FPS before turning frame generation on. It also tells you when multi frame generation makes sense: 4x from a base of 60 produces up to 240 FPS, which only a 240 Hz or faster monitor can show. On a 144 Hz screen, 2x is usually enough.
For the CPU-bound Ryzen 5 3600 + RTX 5070 Ti above, with a base of about 80 FPS, 2x frame generation could put up to 160 frames on screen. It will look much smoother but still respond like 80 FPS. That's a good trade in a single-player game and a bad one in a competitive shooter.
Reflex, Anti-Lag and keeping latency in check
NVIDIA Reflex cuts input latency by stopping the processor from queuing frames ahead of the graphics card. It helps most when the GPU is the limit, which is exactly when the queue builds up. Games with DLSS Frame Generation include Reflex and turn it on with frame generation, which recovers much of the added delay.
AMD Anti-Lag 2 does the same job on Radeon cards in games that build it in, and is the recommended companion to FSR Frame Generation. The older driver-level Anti-Lag works more broadly but less effectively. Intel offers its own low-latency mode alongside XeSS in supported games.
Turn these on in any competitive game that offers them, with or without frame generation. They cost nothing in frame rate. To decide what frame rate you actually need, see our guide to good frame rates, and for the other settings that help, our guide on increasing FPS.
Frequently asked questions
Is DLSS better than FSR?
DLSS generally gives better image quality than FSR 3.1, with less shimmering and ghosting, but it only runs on NVIDIA RTX cards. FSR 4 on Radeon RX 9000 cards closes most of the gap. FSR 3.1 runs on almost any graphics card, which makes it the fallback for everyone else.
Can I use DLSS on an AMD graphics card?
No. DLSS runs on NVIDIA's Tensor cores and needs a GeForce RTX card. On AMD cards, use FSR, or XeSS, which also runs on Radeon and GeForce cards through its DP4a fallback.
Does DLSS or FSR fix a CPU bottleneck?
No. Upscaling lowers the graphics card's workload, and a CPU-bound game isn't waiting on the graphics card. In our example, a Ryzen 5 3600 with an RTX 5070 Ti at 1080p stays at about 80 FPS with upscaling off or on Performance. Frame generation can raise the displayed frame rate, but the game still responds at the base frame rate.
Does frame generation add input lag?
Yes, a little. The game has to hold back a rendered frame to generate the one in between, and it still responds at the base frame rate. NVIDIA Reflex or AMD Anti-Lag 2 recover much of the delay. It's best used from a base of about 60 FPS and avoided in competitive shooters.
Which GPUs support DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation?
Only GeForce RTX 50 series cards. RTX 40 cards support standard DLSS Frame Generation, which inserts one frame per rendered frame, and every RTX card from the 20 series on supports DLSS upscaling.
Should I use Quality, Balanced or Performance?
Use Quality at 1080p, Quality or Balanced at 1440p, and Balanced or Performance at 4K, where the upscaler has more pixels to work with. Lower presets give more FPS but a softer, less stable image, especially at lower output resolutions.