AMD’s New FSR Redstone Upscaling And The RDNA 3 Problem
AMD’s latest generation of AI enhanced upscaling tech, often referred to as FSR 4 or FSR Redstone, is shaping up to be a big deal for PC gamers. It promises sharper visuals and better performance by using machine learning to intelligently scale lower resolution frames up to your monitor’s resolution.
The catch is that, right now, AMD is only officially targeting its newest RDNA 4 graphics cards such as the Radeon RX 9700 XT. Owners of perfectly capable RDNA 3 GPUs like the Radeon RX 7800 XT are being left out, which has understandably annoyed a lot of PC gamers.
To make things even spicier, the community has already shown that parts of this new upscaling tech can run on RDNA 3 with some hacks. These experiments work with mixed results, but they prove that the hardware is not completely incapable. That naturally raises the question: why will AMD not just flip the switch and enable FSR Redstone on older cards?
Why AMD Is Holding Back Official RDNA 3 Support
In a recent interview with PC World, Andrej Zdravkovic, Senior Vice President at AMD and the executive in charge of driver features like FSR, explained the company’s hesitation. Official support is not just about “can it run” but “does it run well and consistently for most gamers.”
There are real hardware differences between RDNA 3 and RDNA 4. The newer generation includes stronger machine learning acceleration units specifically designed to handle AI workloads like advanced upscaling. RDNA 3 can run similar code, but it does not have the same level of dedicated hardware, so performance and quality can dip more noticeably.
So while upscaling may technically work on RDNA 3, AMD worries about:
- Inconsistent frame rates from game to game or even scene to scene
- Visual artifacts or unstable image quality on some titles
- Support headaches if many users complain about “FSR Redstone being bad” when the real issue is the older GPU
- Damage to the overall perception of AMD’s upscaling if the experience looks half baked on a big installed base of RDNA 3 users
From AMD’s perspective, if they officially stamp “supported” on a feature, they are also promising a certain minimum quality level. If they cannot reliably hit that across all RDNA 3 models and a wide variety of games, they would rather keep the feature locked to hardware that can guarantee a better experience.
That might be cold comfort if you bought a recent Radeon card and were hoping to ride the FSR wave for a while, but it explains why the company is treading carefully.
Is A Beta FSR Redstone For RDNA 3 Possible?
The most interesting part of the interview came when Zdravkovic was asked directly if AMD might release a beta version of FSR Redstone for RDNA 3 users who are willing to experiment and accept the limitations.
His answer was not a hard no. In his words, a beta version is “currently not in the plan” but he added that they “may want to think about something like that and provide that to people who want to play with that.” The real challenge, he said, is how to clearly define what that kind of beta support means.
That wording leaves the door slightly open. It suggests AMD is at least aware that there is a group of enthusiasts who are happy to trade polish for early access, as long as things are clearly labeled as experimental.
On the community side, modders and tinkerers are already pushing in this direction. When AMD accidentally released source code for the FSR 4 SDK earlier, people quickly dove in and found hints that support for older cards might be possible. Some custom implementations have managed to run the new tech on RDNA 3, though performance and quality are not guaranteed.
In an ideal world, AMD would take that community energy and add its own engineering muscle to create a semi official “use at your own risk” path. That could mean:
- A toggle in the Radeon driver for experimental FSR Redstone support on RDNA 3
- Clear warnings about possible lower performance and glitches
- No traditional customer support for issues related to that beta mode
That approach could give enthusiasts what they want while protecting the reputation of the final, fully supported feature set.
What This Means For PC Gamers Right Now
For the moment, AMD is not committing to anything more than polite interest in the idea of RDNA 3 support for FSR Redstone. The official line is that it is not planned, but it is also not completely off the table.
If you own an RDNA 3 GPU today, the takeaway is simple:
- Do not expect full, polished FSR Redstone support any time soon
- Watch for future driver updates and interviews where AMD might revisit this stance
- Keep an eye on the modding scene if you like experimenting and are comfortable with unstable results
For those looking to buy a new graphics card mainly to tap into the latest AI upscaling, the safest bet is still AMD’s newest RDNA 4 lineup, where Redstone is a core part of the feature story.
Upscaling has become one of the most important technologies in PC gaming, letting mid range hardware push higher resolutions and smoother frame rates without brute forcing everything at native resolution. That is why this question of which GPUs get the newest FSR tech matters so much.
For now, AMD is focused on delivering the best possible experience on its latest cards, but there is just enough of a hint that RDNA 3 might not be permanently left behind. Until AMD makes a firm call, RDNA 3 owners will be watching closely and hoping that “not in the plan” eventually turns into an experimental toggle in a future driver.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/graphics-cards/amd-leaves-the-door-open-to-an-official-beta-version-of-its-latest-ai-enhanced-fsr-upscaling-tech-for-older-rdna-3-gpus/
