WORLDTECHCommunity Mod Runs AMD FSR 4.1.2 on Intel Arc Using XMX Cores
A community project has modded AMD's FSR 4.1.2 so it runs on Intel Arc GPUs by using the XMX cores built into those chips. According to TechPowerUp, the latest OptiScaler mod delivers performance almost matching Intel's own XeSS (SR).
What the mod does
OptiScaler is a community-driven project that aims to bring upscaling and frame generation to GPUs from different brands. Its purpose is to keep games playable when the title lacks the upscaling or frame-generation technology offered by the owner's GPU vendor. The community has now made AMD's FSR 4.1.2 work on Intel Arc graphics by tapping the Xe Math Extensions, the XMX cores Intel includes in its Arc chips.
Comparison with the existing FSR route
Current FSR implementations on Arc fall back to a DP4a path, which delivers a markedly smaller performance benefit, so the XMX approach departs from that route.
In a test reported by TechPowerUp, DarkerThanLpDark on Reddit ran FSR 4.1.2 Lite on an Arc B580 in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The modded upscaler logged 0.59 ms, against 0.58 ms for the game's native XeSS (SR) implementation. The same tester also compared it with FSR's standard DP4a implementation on Arc.
Background on the companies
Intel is a semiconductor and electrical company based in Santa Clara. AMD is an electrical and semiconductor company based in Sunnyvale, whose products include graphics processing units. The modded FSR is a community creation rather than an official release from either company, and the findings rest on a single outlet's report of one tester's results.
Open questions
- How consistent is the performance gap across other games and resolutions?
- Will the mod run reliably on Arc models other than the B580?