Intel's XeSS 1.3 SDK has been released with a host of new presets, faster performance and improved image quality

HardwareGraphics CardsIntel’s XeSS 1.3 SDK has been released with a host of new presets, faster performance and improved image qualityWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Intel)

A still from a short clip showing the difference in image quality using Intel XeSS 1.3, with a samurai walking past a bamboo wall

Intel’s XeSS upscaler might not quite have the developer support of something like Nvidia’s DLSS, but it’s proven itself quite a competent performer. Now the most recent Intel XeSS 1.3 SDK has been released, and Intel has been keen to show off some significant performance improvements and improved visual quality to boot.

Themost recent updateadds several new quality presets, including Ultra Quality Plus, Ultra Performance and Native Anti-Aliasing, the last of which being an equivalent to Nvidia’s DLAA or AMD’s FSR 3 Native setting (viaWccftech). Ultra Quality Plus, meanwhile, is a 1.3x resolution scaling setting, replacing Ultra Quality, which is now moved further down the list to a 1.5x resolution scale.

Ultra Performance is said to be a three times resolution factor mode for, you guessed it, the best performance. However, in order to keep image quality to a maximum, the new SDK makes use of updated AI models that Intel says delivers more detailed reconstruction, better anti-aliasing, less ghosting, and more temporal stability.

While it’s not clear which exact preset is being compared to previous versions, the footage shows much less flickering and visual artifacts in the new version, compared to the “before” comparison.

Image1of2(Image credit: Intel)(Image credit: Intel)

Image1of2

(Image credit: Intel)(Image credit: Intel)

(Image credit: Intel)

A graph showing performance figures for the Intel Arc A750 GPU running XeSS 1.3

(Image credit: Intel)

A graph showing comparative performance figures for XeSS 1.3 running on an Intel Core UItra 7 155H iGPU

While the performance figures tend to show an improvement of around five to seven fps in most games tested, of note is the improvement to Diablo 4 with the ray tracing settings enabled. I happened to test the new settings for myself recently, and found thaton average it tended to halve the performanceof the game in comparison to ray tracing disabled, so demonstrating a significant 20 fps gain compared to the previous version of XeSS under such demanding conditions is impressive if these figures prove to be accurate.

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For a more complete breakdown of what you might expect in a demanding title when running through the different quality presets, a comparison in Cyberpunk 2077 was shown at 1440p high settings, again with ray tracing enabled.

(Image credit: Intel)

A bar chart showing different quality presets enabled using Intel XeSS 1.3 in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p resolution, high settings, ray tracing enabled

Ultra Performance mode appears to offer a six fps gain over the quality setting in XeSS 1.3, but it’s in comparison to the previous version of XeSS where the difference really seems to be being made.

Your next upgrade(Image credit: Future)Best CPU for gaming: The top chips from Intel and AMD.Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game ahead of the rest.

Your next upgrade

(Image credit: Future)Best CPU for gaming: The top chips from Intel and AMD.Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game ahead of the rest.

(Image credit: Future)

Nvidia RTX 4070 and RTX 3080 Founders Edition graphics cards

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A whole 11 fps gain over the previous lowest XeSS setting is pretty significant, although whether those image quality improvements make it comparable in terms of fidelity, we’ll have to see for ourselves.

Still, I’ll take any upscaling improvements I can get, particularly from a solution that can run on any modern GPU. The SDK is currently available onGitHub, and Intel says it’ll be working with game developers to makes it easier to integrate into games currently in production, so hopefully we’ll get a chance to run it for ourselves soon and see what sort of performance and image quality the new update can bring to the table.

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