WHO NEEDS NEW GPUs?
2022 is the year where you don’t need new HARDWARE for better gaming performance.
There are two things we are confident about seeing in 2022. The first is that the silicon shortage will continue well into the end of the year, making graphics cards still the most sought after, most expensive part of any gaming PC build.
That’s rather depressing, and I’m sorry to have to kick off the year confirming the ongoing technical torpor of PC gaming hardware. But the second thing we’re confident about seeing is far more positive, and means that maybe we shouldn’t care about chasing that ephemeral upgrade and love the rig we’re with.
Because there are some things happening in 2022 that mean you’re likely in line for higher frame rates and improved gaming fidelity from your existing gaming PC without having to change a single chip. A little software update here, a patch there, and you could soon be enjoying better gaming performance for free.
That probably sounds like so much snake oil so far, but if you look back at the recent trends in graphics you can see where 2022 is heading. Sure, we’ve been talking about the most powerful graphics cards being released over the last couple of years that make the best of the last gen seem laggardly by comparison, but it’s the accompanying rise in upscaling software that has arguably been the most impressive improvement of all.
CHIP SHAPE
Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) kicked it all off, using AI and the latent power of its GPU’s Tensor Cores to make upscaled, lower resolution images look sometimes even better than at the equivalent native res. The green team has continued improving on the GeForce RTX-only technology, but AMD has not been slacking with its own FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) coming, not just to Radeon cards, but to all GPUs. It’s not quite as high fidelity, but it will get you great performance without the necessarily muddy visuals of a standard low res game setting.
It still needs to be added on a per-game basis, however, but launching early this year is Radeon Super Resolution (RSR), a feature baked into an upcoming AMD driver release that will deliver all the performance benefits of FSR to “nearly every game you own”.
Turn it on in the driver software, lower the resolution in-game, and AMD’s smart upscaling will take care of the rest. Though we’ve no idea how it compares to FSR in terms of fidelity, surely lower, but unlike FSR it is only compatible with the last two RDNA generations of AMD graphics cards, so there might be some other magic going on in there.
However it shakes out you’re looking at a free performance
upgrade for your RX 5000-series, or newer, GPU with just a driver update.
Nvidia already has its own Image Sharpening feature that works in a similar way, but is also this year introducing Deep Learning Dynamic Super Resolution (DLDSS) for those happy with their performance, but want higher image quality. It’s a downscaler which will take higher res inputs and drop them down to a lower resolution for a sharper, more detailed final result without a performance penalty. Think of it like getting your own remastered version of pretty much any game you apply it to.
CARDS ON THE TABLE
Intel’s also getting in on the graphics card game this year, too, and is going to add its own upscaling tech to the party as well. Xe Super Sampling (XeSS) will come in two flavours; one will be hardware agnostic – but will still need dev implementation – while the other will use the AI smarts of its new Alchemist GPUs to deliver DLSS-a-like speed and fidelity improvements.
However good, or not, Intel’s first gaming graphics cards turn out to be, we’re still going to end up in a position this year where whatever GPU is humming away inside your gaming rig, you’ll have your pick of three different upscaling technologies all promising to deliver better performance in the games you already own.
It’s not just the hardware manufacturers looking to improve gaming performance on existing hardware – or maybe looking for some sort of absolution for their combined GPU crisis responsibilities. With Epic’s Unreal Engine 5 we’re going to be treated with Temporal Super Resolution, an engine-based upscaler, and rumour has it that Microsoft is working on something similar for its consoles, which may end up hitting PC, too.
2022 may just be the year where you don’t need to upgrade your graphics card. Luckily.
NVIDIA’S DEEP LEARNING SUPER SAMPLING KICKED IT ALL OFF