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| An AMD AM5 CPU paired to a Radeon GPU |
For years, the debate has raged on: AMD vs. Nvidia. While AMD has made massive strides in raw rasterization performance, Team Green has maintained a comfortable lead in the "fluff" departments—specifically ray tracing and upscaling tech. But what if you could have the best of both worlds? Thanks to a dedicated group of modders, the gap is closing faster than ever.
While some purists argue that features like DLSS aren't necessary, the buzz surrounding Nvidia’s DLSS 5 Neural Rendering is undeniable. Even AMD GPU owners are curious to see what the hype is about, and recently, they’ve been given a way to test it out for themselves.
DLSS 5 on AMD GPUs: The Impossible Made Possible
Over the past month, multiple modders have been working overtime to crack the code and implement Nvidia’s exclusive features across modern GPUs. This isn't just for older RTX cards; the focus has shifted to AMD’s latest lineup. In the first week of September, a project known as DLSS-NR-on-AMD successfully implemented Nvidia’s DLSS 5 Neural Rendering on AMD hardware.
Currently, the project supports Radeon RX 9000 and RX 7000 series GPUs, but there’s a catch—it only works in DirectX12 games that support FSR.
Since this technology wasn't originally designed for AMD architecture, expecting flawless performance out of the gate would be unrealistic. The initial results have been somewhat subpar, but the developers behind the project remain undeterred. They are actively working on workarounds to optimize performance. In the meantime, their primary recommendation is to utilize frame generation to achieve a smoother, more playable experience.
Check out the project here: DLSS-NR-on-AMD on GitHub
Rapid Progress and Easy Installation
The pace of development is staggering. In a single day, developer Daniel Blanco launched DLSS-NR-on-AMD Alpha 0.4.2, which boasted a 15% performance boost over the previous 0.4.1 version. This was quickly followed by Alpha 0.4.3, which claims an astounding 20% improvement over its predecessor. With progress this fast, AMD users might soon be able to enjoy Neural Rendering without a major performance penalty.
However, the installation process was originally a headache. Players had to manually replace files in the game folder for every game they wanted to test, and updates meant repeating the process all over again.
To solve this, a GitHub user named "3zwr1" developed the AMDNR Launcher.
This handy application identifies any installed games on your PC, regardless of which store they were downloaded from (Steam, Epic, etc.). It allows users to install the DLSS-NR-on-AMD mod in just a few clicks. Better yet, it can handle mod updates and easily remove the mod if the user desires. The Launcher implements OptiScaler for ease of use, giving players options to toggle frame generation, Ray Regeneration, and even mix AMD and XeSS technologies.
Get the Launcher here: AMD-NR-OptiScaler on GitHub
A Word of Caution
It is important to remember that these are unofficial projects. Because they are effectively "hacks," they are prone to errors. While the community is making incredible progress, players should keep in mind that these projects do not promise a stable experience. However, for those willing to tinker, it’s a fascinating glimpse into a future where hardware boundaries are less rigid.