ComputerBase Retests RX 7800 XT, RX 7600 With FSR 4.1, Finds Up to 9% Loss

Q: Could AMD's new ML-based FSR 4.1 secretly be a downgrade for budget 8GB graphics cards despite the stunning visual upgrades?

No. For most RX 7000 owners, FSR 4.1 is not a hidden downgrade, but it is a more complicated tradeoff on budget 8GB cards like the RX 7600. The evidence points to a clear pattern: FSR 4.1 delivers much better image quality than FSR 3.1 on RDNA 3, with cleaner reconstruction, fewer artifacts, and stronger motion stability. ComputerBase found that this comes at a real performance cost. The RX 7800 XT lost about 7% at 1440p, roughly 8% at 3440×1440, and nearly 10% at 4K. The RX 7600 lost about 9% at 1440p, and some games can show much steeper penalties, up to 18%. That matters more on 8GB cards because they have less headroom. ComputerBase specifically noted slightly higher VRAM use with FSR 4.1, making the RX 7600 more likely to hit its memory limit. When that happens, stutter or uneven frame times can become a bigger problem than the average FPS drop alone suggests. Even so, the broader testing does not support calling it a downgrade overall. Multiple reports found that FSR 4.1 Performance mode can look better than FSR 3.1 Quality mode while sometimes delivering similar or slightly better speed. That gives lower-end users another option: drop to a more aggressive FSR 4.1 mode and keep image quality ahead of the older upscaler. So the practical answer is this: on an 8GB card, FSR 4.1 is a conditional upgrade. It is excellent when VRAM pressure is under control, but in memory-heavy games it can become a less attractive choice than FSR 3.1.

3 articles · Updated · The FPS Review · Aug 9

ComputerBase reran its RX 7800 XT and RX 7600 benchmarks with AMD’s FSR 4.1 and found 1440p performance drops of 5%-9% versus earlier FSR 3.1 results.
The retest was needed because AMD shipped FSR 4.1 for RDNA 3 in June, making ComputerBase’s May test suite outdated and requiring corrected numbers for RX 7000 owners.
At 1440p, the RX 7800 XT lost 7% in raster and 5% in ray tracing, while the RX 7600 fell 9% and 7%; ComputerBase linked the bigger hit on the smaller card to higher VRAM use.
Despite the slower frame rates, the outlet still recommends FSR 4.1 as the default upscaler for RDNA 3 because image quality improves enough to outweigh the modest performance cost.