AMD FSR 4 Redstone Frame Generation Unofficially Enabled on RDNA 3 GPUs

AMD’s latest FSR 4 Redstone Frame Generation technology has generated significant interest among PC gaming enthusiasts, thanks to its improvements in perceived smoothness and image quality. However, the official release of FSR 4 Redstone comes with a notable limitation: it is exclusive to AMD’s RDNA 4 architecture, specifically the Radeon RX 9000-series graphics cards. This decision has left many owners of previous-generation AMD GPUs, particularly those with RDNA 3 hardware, feeling left out.

Community Workaround Brings FSR 4 Redstone to RDNA 3

Despite AMD’s official restrictions, a resourceful member of the gaming community has managed to get FSR 4 Redstone Frame Generation running on an RDNA 3 GPU. The breakthrough was shared on Reddit, where the user detailed a method that leverages OptiScaler and an FP8 workaround—an approach previously used to enable FSR 4 Super Resolution on unsupported hardware.

This workaround is currently limited to Linux systems and requires Valve’s Proton compatibility layer. The user successfully tested the method on an AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT, demonstrating that it is possible to activate FSR 4 Redstone Frame Generation outside of its intended hardware ecosystem.

Performance and Latency Observations

Initial testing indicates that while FSR 4 Redstone Frame Generation is functional on RDNA 3, it introduces higher latency compared to the previous FSR 3.1.6 implementation. Specifically, the workaround adds approximately 0.14 milliseconds of latency per generated frame, which is about double the 0.07 milliseconds observed with FSR 3.1.6. The Reddit user did not provide detailed comparisons regarding performance or image quality, but the increased latency is a notable trade-off for those seeking to use the latest frame generation technology on older hardware.

Implications for AMD’s Product Segmentation

This development has sparked discussion within the gaming community about AMD’s approach to product segmentation. By restricting FSR 4 Redstone to RDNA 4 GPUs, AMD appears to be using software features to differentiate its latest hardware from previous generations. This strategy has drawn criticism from some users, who argue that the technology is technically capable of running on RDNA 3 cards, as demonstrated by the community workaround.

How the Workaround Works

The process for enabling FSR 4 Redstone Frame Generation on RDNA 3 involves several technical steps, including:

  • Using ProtonPlus to obtain the latest build of Proton-EM.
  • Replacing vkd3d-proton DLLs with versions that include the FSR Redstone fix.
  • Configuring the system to emulate Windows 11 via Winecfg.
  • Ensuring the presence of SDK 2.1 files and using the Int8 Upscaler DLL.
  • Setting the environment variable DXIL_SPIRV_CONFIG="wmma_rdna3_workaround" for the game.
  • Installing the latest build of OptiScaler (version 0.9-pre7 at the time of writing).
  • Enabling FSR4Update in the OptiScaler configuration and selecting the appropriate frame generation output.

Once these steps are completed, users can launch their game and activate frame generation through OptiScaler, with the option to select FSR 4.0.0 as the frame generation version.

Conclusion

The ability to run FSR 4 Redstone Frame Generation on RDNA 3 GPUs highlights both the flexibility of open-source tools in the Linux gaming ecosystem and the technical capabilities of AMD’s previous-generation hardware. While the workaround is not officially supported and comes with increased latency, it demonstrates the potential for broader compatibility—should AMD choose to enable it in the future.