FSR 3.1 vs DLSS showdown: How does AMD's latest upscaler version compare to Nvidia's finest for performance and image quality?

pcgamer.com:

When it comes to upscalers, there's little doubt that Nvidia's DLSS has become the go-to choice when compared to its nearest rivals—AMD's FSR and Intel's XeSS. Image quality comparisons have repeatedly shown that Nvidia's upscaling solution simply preserves detail better than the others, with less flickering, shimmering and graining—and often better performance to boot.

However, AMD has recently released FSR 3.1, a supposedly much improved version of its own upscaling tech. Unlike DLSS (and like previous versions of FSR) this latest release is still graphics card agnostic thanks to its compute-based approach to upscaling. 

While FSR 3 added its own version of Frame Generation, Fluid Motion Frames, the fundamental upscaling tech remained the same as 2.2, putting it on the backfoot compared to Nvidia. However, the release notes for FSR 3.1 promise much better temporal stability, less ghosting, and improved upscaling quality overall. Bold claims—and worth a spot of testing, we thought.

So, time for a head to head then. Can FSR's latest release bring it near to—or even surpass—DLSS and its excellent upscaling chops, and what does image quality look like in comparison? And which, crucially, is best for performance?

I've equipped my machine with an RTX 4070 to find out. Let's kick things off with Horizon Forbidden West. A graphically beautiful game, for sure, and one that's filled with lots of small flying insects, running water, and flowing hair. All things that traditionally give upscalers trouble. In fact, Horizon FW gives me a bit of a gift here: the very first opening section of the game puts you in a small area filled with all of the above. 

Very kind of it, I think you'll agree.

As such, I placed Aloy on an appropriate log to capture some of the fast moving beasties, before running a few laps to see how both upscalers handle some motion. The above footage shows the game running at maximum settings at 1440p with FSR 3.1 and DLSS 3.5 set to Quality, with motion blur