NVIDIA’s latest innovation, DLSS 4.5, has emerged as the preferred upscaling technology in a recent blind taste test, surpassing both native resolution and AMD’s FSR upscaling in several popular games.
Native vs NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 vs AMD FSR Upscaling: Insights from a Blind Test by Computerbase
Conducted by Computerbase, this blind test involved the participation of over 1, 000 gamers, who were tasked with evaluating image quality across multiple gaming setups. The test featured a range of titles, including Anno 117, Arc Raiders, Cyberpunk 2077, Horizon Forbidden West, Satisfactory, and The Last of Us Part II.
For the comparisons, each game was set to 4K resolution. To evaluate native resolution, Temporal Anti-Aliasing (TAA) was applied, which can often render blurry visuals, yet is frequently the sole anti-aliasing option available. In contrast, both DLSS 4.5 and AMD FSR (4) employed the “Quality”preset. The more advanced DLAA preset, which resembles native resolution anti-aliasing rather than true upscaling, was intentionally avoided to ensure a fair comparison.
Results of the Blind Test
The findings clearly favor NVIDIA’s DLSS 4.5, with 48.2% of respondents—equating to 3, 249 users—opting for it due to its superior image quality. In comparison, native resolution was chosen by 24% (1, 619 users), whereas only 15% (1, 013 users) preferred AMD’s FSR Upscaling, and 12.8% (866 users) observed no discernible difference among the options.
| Best Image Quality (Number of Votes) | Total Votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native | Nvidia DLSS 4.5 | AMD FSR Upscaling AI | Equivalent | |
| Year 117 | 282 (22.8%) | 621 (50.1%) | 204 (16.5%) | 132 (10.7%) |
| ARC Raiders | 328 (27.3%) | 570 (47.4%) | 166 (13.8%) | 138 (11.5%) |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 372 (32.4%) | 394 (34.4%) | 122 (10.6%) | 259 (22.6%) |
| Horizon Forbidden West | 208 (19.4%) | 604 (56.3%) | 125 (11.7%) | 135 (12.6%) |
| Satisfactory | 155 (15.1%) | 627 (60.9%) | 128 (12.4%) | 119 (11.6%) |
| The Last of Us Part II | 274 (25.9%) | 433 (40.9%) | 268 (25.3%) | 83 (7.8%) |
| Overall Results | ||||
| Totals | 1, 619 | 3, 249 | 1, 013 | 866 |
| Percentage | 24.0% | 48.2% | 15.0% | 12.8% |
This blind test provides compelling insights into the capability of upscaling technologies when compared to traditional native image quality. Many skeptics of these innovations often subconsciously prefer the experience provided by upscaling when unaware of its application. Awareness can lead to biased opinions against the technology, overshadowing its true potential, as has been observed in various scenarios.
As graphics performance continues to evolve, DLSS 4.5 represents NVIDIA’s cutting-edge upscaling solution, while AMD’s FSR 4 has remained competitive in the market. Both technologies exhibit unique strengths and weaknesses, particularly in motion where upscaling algorithms constantly develop, with frame generation now reaching up to 6x performance. The advancements made by both companies highlight the immense progress in upscaling techniques over previous generations.
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