F1 2019 - Nvidia DLSS VS AMD FidelityFX

It's time for a VS match: Radeon VS Geforce

Introduction



Update - Codemasters has confirmed to us that Patch 1.07 for F1 2019 shipped with an incomplete integration of Nvidia's DLSS technology, which explains the graphical issues which we have experienced within the game.



F1 2019's DLSS support was released prematurely, and Codemasters has confirmed that a corrected implementation of the feature will be added to the game in an upcoming patch. We plan to look into F1 2019's updated DLSS support when it is officially added to the game.



Our original Analysis follows.



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F1 2019 has become the first game to support both Nvidia's DLSS and AMD's FidelityFX technologies, which means that we have a grudge match on our hands. You can't activate both at once, which means that PC gamers have a choice to make between the two.



Nvidia's DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) tech is designed to help push gaming into a high-resolution future. Pushing more and more pixels is a difficult task, but Nvidia thinks that the powers of AI can address this issue. With DLSS Nvidia upscales lower resolution images to deliver both boosted performance and high-resolution image detail. DLSS only works on Nvidia graphics cards with Tensor cores, which in the consumer space is only available on the RTX series.



Radeon's FidelityFX is an entirely different beast, and in F1 2019, it can be used in two ways. First, it can be used as a sharpening tool, utilising a smart algorithm to sharpen images to deliver high fidelity frames in an intelligent manner. AMD's algorithm is contrast-aware, allowing FidelityFX to sharpen images in areas where sharpening artefacts won't present themselves. This allows FidelityFX creating higher quality frames with seemingly no downsides.



FidelityFX is an open-source AMD creation which is designed to function on all graphics cards.









FidelityFX is used in two ways in F1 2019, as an upscaling technique and as a sharpening technique. We have explained the sharpening feature above, but the upscaling feature is designed to offer higher levels of image quality than using a non-native screen resolution and relying on your monitor's scalar hardware.



To put things simply, a lower res image is stretched to fill a larger resolution pixel count and FidelityFX works to make the image look a little better than a standard resolution stretch. It's a simple feature, but it could be useful if gamers want to claw back some performance.



Contents



- Nvidia DLSS: The worst implementation to date

- FidelityFX: Sharpening and Upscaling

- 1440p Benchmarks

- 4K Benchmarks

- Conclusion









GPU drivers

When testing F1: 2019, we opted to use the newest drivers from both the Radeon and Geforce camps. These drivers are AMD's Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 19.7.5 driver as well as Nvidia's Geforce 431.60 driver.





Testing Methodology

To test both DLSS and FidelityFX we used out standard game test systems with Nvidia's RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition and RTX 2060 Founders alongside AMD's Radeon RX Vega 56.



Game Test Rig

Intel i7 6850K @4.0 GHz

ASUS X99 Strix

Corsair Vengeance LP 4x8GB DDR4 3200MHz

Corsair HX1200i

Corsair H110i GT

Windows 10 x64 "May 2019 Update







Keyboard & Mouse

To control this setup, we will be using Corsair Strafe RGB keyboard with Cherry MX Silent keys alongside a Corsair M65 RGB mouse, matching the general theme of this RGB illuminated system.

Cherry MX Silent Keys are ideal for gaming, coming with similar characteristics as Cherry MX Red keys, but with quieter operation. This comparative silence will help keep players immersed in their games, without the distracting clicks that are present in other Cherry key switches.

1 - It's time for a VS match: Radeon VS Geforce 2 - Nvidia DLSS - The worst implementation to date? 3 - FidelityFX: Two Types - Sharpening and Upscaling 4 - 1440p Performance - Benchmark Results 5 - 4K Performance - Benchmark Results 6 - Conclusion «Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next»

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