NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 beats AMD FSR 4 in blind test across 6 games

German tech outlet's blind test reveals Nvidia's superiority: DLSS 4.5 won every single game against AMD's FSR 4, capturing 48% of votes versus just 15%. Even beat native rendering in most cases across 6,747 participant votes.

Nvidia DLSS 4.5 has dominated AMD FSR 4 in a comprehensive blind image quality test by German outlet ComputerBase. The test, which covered six popular PC games, saw DLSS 4.5 secure 48.2% of all votes compared to FSR 4's modest 15% showing. Most significantly, DLSS 4.5 won in every single game tested.

How the test worked

ComputerBase conducted the blind test using identical gameplay footage across six games: Anno 117, ARC Raiders, Cyberpunk 2077, Horizon Forbidden West, Satisfactory, and The Last of Us Part II. All games ran at 4K resolution with upscaling set to 'Quality' mode for both DLSS and FSR technologies.

Participants voted for whichever rendering option they preferred based purely on image quality, without knowing which technology they were viewing. The three options were Nvidia DLSS 4.5, AMD FSR 4 (Redstone), and native rendering with TAA.

DLSS 4.5's clean sweep

The results show a decisive victory for Nvidia's upscaling technology. Satisfactory delivered DLSS 4.5's most dominant performance, capturing 60.9% of votes. Horizon Forbidden West followed closely with 56.3% for DLSS, while Anno 117 saw the technology claim 50.1% of the tally.

Even in the closest contest — Cyberpunk 2077 — DLSS 4.5 managed to edge out native rendering by securing 34.4% of votes versus native's 32.4%. FSR 4 never managed to win a single game, not even against native rendering. DLSS 4.5's capabilities extend beyond standard upscaling, with recent tests showing it can make even 240p content playable.

What the numbers mean

Across all 6,747 votes cast, the final tally paints a clear picture of current upscaling preferences. Native rendering still managed to beat FSR 4, securing 24% of total votes compared to AMD's 15% share. About 12.8% of participants couldn't distinguish between the different technologies.

The fact that nearly half of all participants preferred DLSS 4.5 over native rendering represents a significant milestone for upscaling technology. This suggests that for many PC gamers, proper AI upscaling now delivers superior image quality to traditional rendering methods.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which upscaling technology is better, DLSS 4.5 or FSR 4?

According to ComputerBase's blind test, Nvidia DLSS 4.5 significantly outperformed AMD FSR 4, winning 48.2% of votes compared to FSR 4's 15% across six games.

What games were included in the DLSS vs FSR blind test?

The test included Anno 117, ARC Raiders, Cyberpunk 2077, Horizon Forbidden West, Satisfactory, and The Last of Us Part II, all running at 4K resolution.