Lossless Scaling: A Performance Boost for Older GPUs

Gamers seeking to revitalize older PCs have a new option: Lossless Scaling. This third-party program, available on Steam, offers a surprisingly effective way to improve performance without expensive hardware upgrades. By utilizing AI-powered upscaling and frame generation, Lossless Scaling brings features similar to NVIDIA’s DLSS and AMD’s FSR to a wider range of graphics cards.

The Challenge of Aging Hardware

As games become more demanding, older GPUs struggle to maintain playable frame rates. The Surface Laptop 4, particularly the Ryzen variant, exemplifies this challenge. Even with 16GB of RAM and a Radeon Vega integrated GPU, achieving smooth gameplay in modern titles can be difficult, even at lower resolutions like 2256×1504. While switching to Linux can improve performance for office tasks, some games still run better on Windows, despite improvements in compatibility layers like Proton.

How Lossless Scaling Works

Traditionally, technologies like NVIDIA’s DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) and AMD’s FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) rely on dedicated hardware within the graphics card to efficiently upscale games from a lower resolution to a higher one. Lossless Scaling circumvents this requirement by performing similar AI workloads on any GPU manufactured within the last decade, albeit with reduced efficiency. It offers both upscaling and a frame generation feature, LSFG (Lossless Scaling Frame Generation), which operates on principles similar to NVIDIA’s frame generation technology.

Who Can Benefit?

Unlike DLSS and FSR, Lossless Scaling isn’t limited to specific GPU brands. Even older cards like a GTX 1070 or integrated GPUs can benefit. The key is whether the game is GPU-limited. If the GPU is the bottleneck, Lossless Scaling can significantly improve performance. However, if the CPU is the limiting factor, enabling frame generation can introduce input lag and worsen the gaming experience.

Setting Up Lossless Scaling

After purchasing and installing Lossless Scaling through Steam, users create profiles for each game. The program offers various upscaling options, including FSR, LS1, xBR and Integer Scaling. The developer recommends xBR and Integer Scaling for pixel art games, while an “anime upscaler” is optimized for anime-style visuals. Experimentation is encouraged to identify the best visual quality for each game.

Users with multiple GPUs or monitors may need to adjust additional settings to ensure proper functionality, but the defaults typically suffice for laptop configurations.

Performance Results

In testing with Skyrim, running at a native resolution of 1440×900 and upscaling to the laptop’s screen resolution of 2256×1504, Lossless Scaling maintained the same frame rate (20-35 FPS, occasionally reaching 40 FPS) with a minor quality reduction. This allowed the game to be played at a higher resolution without sacrificing performance. While frame generation didn’t provide a noticeable benefit in Skyrim, it can be effective in other titles.

Is Lossless Scaling Worth It?

Lossless Scaling isn’t a magic bullet, but it can make struggling games playable without requiring a costly hardware upgrade. It’s a worthwhile investment for gamers looking to extend the life of their older PCs and enjoy a smoother gaming experience.