Gamers' demands for smooth gaming experiences have only increased over time, whether they're looking for a competitive edge or an immersive, detailed world to lose themselves in. New upscaling technologies help gamers’ get every frame possible from their PCs, from high-end desktops to lightweight handhelds.
With the launch of the 3DMark Intel XeSS feature test in October 2022, 3DMark was one of the first pieces of software to showcase the benefits of XeSS AI upscaling. Alongside many feature tests for other upscaling and graphics API technologies, the XeSS feature test helps make 3DMark one of the best places for gamers to test what the latest gaming technologies can do.
Today, we’re excited to announce support for Intel’s latest version of XeSS. XeSS 1.3 aims to deliver notable improvements in performance and image quality.
The Intel XeSS feature test, and the XeSS 1.3.1 update were developed with input from Intel to ensure a best-practice implementation of XeSS.
With the release of this update, you can choose to run the XeSS feature test, and the XeSS feature test frame inspector using XeSS 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3.1.
All XeSS quality modes are supported, with the following resolution scalings.
| XeSS Quality Mode | Resolution Scaling in XeSS 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 |
Resolution scaling in XeSS 1.3.1 |
| Native | N/A |
1.0× |
| Ultra Quality Plus |
N/A |
1.3× |
| Ultra Quality |
1.3× |
1.5× |
| Quality |
1.5× |
1.7× |
| Balanced |
1.7× |
2.0× |
| Performance |
2.0× |
2.3× |
| Ultra Performance |
N/A |
3.0× |
- Intel gaming access blog
XeSS 1.3 brought new quality settings for gamers, with the resolution scaling for each mode adjusted to reflect new improvements to image quality. Using the XeSS Feature Test Frame Inspector tool, you can export individual frames for comparison between different quality modes and XeSS versions.
About Intel Xess
XeSS (Xe Super Sampling) is an Intel graphics technology that uses AI-enhanced upscaling to improve performance while maintaining high image fidelity. XeSS renders each frame at a lower resolution to boost performance and then uses AI upscaling to generate frames at the target output resolution.
Find out more about XeSS on Intel's website.
Available now
The Intel XeSS feature test 1.3.1 update is a free update to the 3DMark Intel XeSS feature test.
To run the Intel XeSS feature test, you must have a GPU that supports Intel XeSS and Microsoft DirectX Raytracing Tier 1.1. XeSS compatible GPUs include Intel Arc GPUs, as well as AMD Radeon and NVIDIA GeForce GPUs with Shader Model 6.4 support. You also need Windows 11 or Windows 10 64-bit, version 20H2 or newer.
3DMark is available from Steam, the Epic Games Store, or directly from UL.
3DMark for Enterprise.
The Intel XeSS feature test 1.3.1 update is available now for 3DMark for Enterprise (previously 3DMark Professional Edition) customers with a valid annual license. Customers with an older, perpetual Professional Edition license will need to purchase an annual license to unlock the Intel XeSS feature test.
