Recently, we came across a tool called OptiScaler that essentially enables FSR 4 in unsupported titles, as long as the game supports DLSS 2 (or newer) or Intel’s XeSS. This FSR 4 mod was created in response to the limited early support for FSR 4-supported titles, as games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Black Myth: Wukong, which are notoriously known for their poor FSR implementation, were nowhere to be found on the list.

Now that the tool is getting into the hands of gamers and tech enthusiasts, we’re starting to see it in action on the latest 9000 series GPUs. Since FSR 4 is currently exclusive to the RX 9070 XT and 9070, this mod also requires you to have the latest RDNA 4 GPUs. That said, the results come from tech YouTuber Ancient Gameplays, who tested OptiScaler in various AAA titles to compare the official in-game implementation of FSR 3.1 against a modded FSR 4.

Image stability with FSR 4 mod is much better than FSR 3.1

The first game in line was Cyberpunk 2077, but since the game doesn’t support FSR 3.1, Ancient Gameplays had to use OptiScaler to force that as well. And while the results were much better than using the in-game supported FSR 3, there were still noticeable issues with pixelation and heavy shimmering, even with FSR 3.1. However, with the FSR 4 mod, the results were miles ahead. Image stability was far better, with no ghosting, pixelation, or shimmering, and even FPS saw a solid 20+ average boost.

Another title where pixelation and shimmering issues were noticeable was Silent Hill 2, where using FSR 3.1 didn’t have much of an impact on overall image stability. On the other hand, using FSR 4 completely eliminated the weird shimmering issue on the window, but only when the in-game setting was set to DLSS. Now, selecting DLSS means the game is rendering with NVIDIA’s pipeline, which OptiScaler then converts to FSR 4, allowing for better image stability and fewer visual artifacts compared to using FSR directly.

No more upscaling compromises with AMD

That said, this is just a modded implementation of FSR 4, which means that if we're seeing such good results here, properly supported titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man series should deliver even better image quality. The tests above show that using this modded FSR 4, even at performance settings, provides far better visuals than FSR 3.1 or below at quality settings.

With such strong upscaling performance and raw capabilities, it's no surprise that even retailers with relatively healthy stock are running out of these GPUs, and hopefully, AMD can replenish stock soon. Be sure to keep an eye on our RX 9070 & RX 9070 XT stock tracker.

About the Author

Hassam Nasir

Hassam boasts over seven years of professional experience as a dedicated PC hardware reviewer and writer.