AMD explains why it needs time to add support for FSR 4.1 on RDNA 2, aka Radeon RX 6000 GPUs, and what are the current challenges it is facing.
AMD Says RDNA 3 Uses Different FSR 4.1 Model Than RDNA 4, But the End Result is On Par With the Latter
There are reasons behind delayed support for FSR 4.0/4.1 on the older Radeon cards, which is why AMD took its time to bring the new upscaling technology on previous-gen cards. AMD has faced a lot of criticism for not bringing FSR 4.0/4.1 on RDNA 3 and RDNA 2 GPUs, despite the fact that the INT8 DLL files existed for adding the new upscaler, which has proven to work flawlessly through workarounds and various third-party tools.
Nearly a year after FSR 4.0's launch alongside the RDNA 4 GPUs, AMD finally came out announcing FSR 4.1 support for older graphics cards such as the RDNA 3 and RDNA 2 families. While RDNA 3 will get FSR 4.1 support in the next month, AMD explains why it is taking more time for FSR 4.1 to release for RDNA 2 GPUs. As far as the models are concerned, AMD confirmed to Techpowerup that the company is using a different model of FSR 4.1 than on RDNA 4 GPUs. However, the difference will be negligible as the final result will be on par with FSR 4.1 working on RDNA 4 GPUs.
The reason for using a different model of FSR 4.1 on RDNA 3 is the absence of FP8 (8-bit floating-point) support. RDNA 3 only supports INT8 (8-bit Integer data type), and it's necessary to requantize the model so it runs efficiently with the INT8 data type instead of FP8. Simply converting FP8 values to INT8 can cause artifacts, which is why conversion is necessary.
As for RDNA 2, the microarchitecture lacks AI accelerates to support FSR 4.1 upscaling and relies totally on the Stream Processors. This is why AMD needs time for optimizations to ensure FSR 4.1 can run efficiently on RDNA 2 while consuming fewer shader cycles, which is currently a major challenge. At the time of writing, the FSR 4.1 support is scheduled to arrive on RDNA 2, aka Radeon RX 6000 GPUs, in early 2027.
News Source: Tech Power Up
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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