Intel XeSS 1.3 SDK Released: New Presets & Scaling Factors To Boost Performance, Updated XMX & dp4A Models

Intel has recently released version 1.3 of its XeSS SDK, which includes additional presets and scaling factors for improved performance and updated models.

Experience Next-Level Graphics with Intel XeSS 1.3 SDK: Performance Boost and Enhanced Models

Similarly to the Arc GPUs, which have received significant performance improvements and bug fixes via driver updates, Intel has also released XeSS 1.3 SDK, updating its Super Sampling technology.

XeSS is continuously expanding its availability and can now be found in over 100 titles, with the list continuing to grow due to the SDK’s open nature. The updated software development kit strives to enhance performance through new presets and scaling factors, as well as improving image quality with the updated XMX and dp4A models compared to previous releases.

To demonstrate the improved performance capabilities of XeSS 1.3 SDK, Intel utilized a custom version of XeSS that incorporated the latest updates from version 1.3. This version was then used in gaming titles that do not currently have official XeSS 1.3 builds available. The performance benchmarks were conducted on an Intel Arc A750 GPU and an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU with Arc Xe iGPUs.

In this test, various titles were utilized, including Hitman 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, The Witcher 3: Next-Gen Update, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Diablo IV, and Ghostrunner 2. These titles were run on a combination of High and Ultra settings, with both Ray Tracing and Non-Ray Tracing scenarios. When compared to previous XeSS builds such as 1.1 and 1.2, the latest version, XeSS 1.3, exhibited an average increase of 10.11% on the Arc A750 GPU and 8.28% on the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU. In certain games

While performance is an important aspect of the Intel XeSS 1.3 SDK, it is not the only one. This software update also enhances visual quality. The XMX & dp4A models have been improved to provide more precise image reconstruction, superior anti-aliasing, reduced ghosting, and improved temporal stability.

Intel has featured a short excerpt from Like a Dragon: Ishin! as an illustration, demonstrating how the bamboo curtains display fewer artifacts. The use of XeSS 1.3 technology results in a noticeably smoother and sharper image, however, there is still potential for further improvement in image quality which we can anticipate in future iterations of the SDK.

Intel XeSS 1.3 SDK Released: New Presets & Scaling Factors To Boost Performance, Updated XMX & dp4A Models 2 — Image Source: Intel

Apart from the aforementioned updates, there are also additional quality presets for XeSS, namely Ultra Quality Plus, Ultra Performance, and Native Anti-Aliasing. The latter is comparable to NVIDIA’s DLAA and AMD’s FSR 3 Native mode. The Ultra Performance mode provides a 3x resolution factor, the Ultra Quality Plus mode offers a 1.3x resolution factor, and the native mode, as the name suggests, maintains the original resolution while incorporating XeSS anti-aliasing for enhanced image quality.

Preset	Resolution scaling in previous X^eSS versions	Resolution scaling in X^eSS 1.3
Native Anti-Aliasing	N/A	1.0x (Native resolution)
Ultra Quality Plus	N/A	1.3x
Ultra Quality	1.3x	1.5x
Quality	1.5x	1.7x
Balanced	1.7x	2.0x
Performance	2.0x	2.3x
Ultra Performance	N/A	3.0x

Currently, the Intel XeSS 1.3 SDK is accessible on GitHub. The blue team is collaborating with game developers to enhance and introduce new integration approaches, making it effortless for them to incorporate XeSS 1.3 SDK into their present and future projects. It is worth noting that Intel intends to release their own version of XeSS Frame Generation in the near future.