AMD has pulled FSR 4.1 forward to the Radeon RX 6000 series, and that matters if you own a 2020 or 2021 graphics card. Nvidia insists the RTX 5090 is still in production, even if almost nobody can find one. Cyberpunk 2077 gets DLSS 4.5, and Intel keeps improving Arc drivers.

FSR 4.1 Arrives on Radeon RX 6000, from the 6900 Down to the 6400

On October 20, AMD released Adrenalin 26.10.1 with FSR 4.1 for the whole RX 6000 family, from the RX 6900 down to the RX 6400. The original target was early 2027, so it lands months ahead of schedule. Support also extends to Ryzen AI 9 and Ryzen AI Max laptop chips, and AMD says Xbox Series X and S will follow, with no date (VideoCardz, PC Gamer).

This matters because FSR 4 was an AI upscaler reserved for recent cards, leaving the RX 6000 with the older, softer FSR. Now a five-year-old card can reconstruct the image far better. Keep expectations in check: a better upscaler improves sharpness at a lower internal resolution, but it won’t turn an RX 6600 into an RX 7700 XT. We haven’t seen independent tests of the FPS cost on these cards either, since they lack the AI hardware of the RX 9000. On Ryzen Z2 handhelds the driver comes from the manufacturer, so don’t expect it tomorrow.

What it means for your next purchase: if you own an RX 6000, don’t replace it this winter for performance alone; test FSR 4.1 in your games first. If you’re eyeing a used RX 6000, it’s a more defensible buy today; read what to check before buying a used GPU. And to pick the right mode, see DLSS, FSR and XeSS explained.

Nvidia Says the RTX 5090 Isn’t Discontinued, but Stock Is Still Scarce

Last time we covered the RTX 5090 vanishing from Nvidia Marketplace and Micro Center. This fortnight Nvidia answered: Jeff Fisher, who runs GeForce, said at the RTX Spark event in Taipei that the card hasn’t reached end of life and that production and shipments to partners continue. He also admitted supply is constrained (HotHardware, Guru3D).

He didn’t say how many units are shipping or when it will improve. Outlets such as Notebookcheck and TweakTown tie the rumors to reports that Nvidia stopped allocating GB202 chips to partners and is prioritizing RTX Pro cards, but Nvidia hasn’t confirmed that (TweakTown). Resale prices remain far above the official $1,999: several outlets cite listings of $8,500 and up.

What it means for your next purchase: “not discontinued” and “available” are different things. If you need a 5090 for work, don’t count on paying the official price. For gaming, most people are better served by a step down: see best GPU for 1440p and best GPU for your budget.

Cyberpunk 2077 Gets DLSS 4.5 With Dynamic Frame Generation Up to 6x

According to Nvidia, the October 22 Cyberpunk 2077 update moves Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction and Multi Frame Generation to DLSS 4.5’s second-generation models and adds dynamic multi frame generation, up to 6x on RTX 50 cards. It arrives alongside a new Game Ready driver for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 and Gears of War: E-Day (Nvidia).

Multiplying frames isn’t the same as performing better. That “6x” creates in-between images, and latency doesn’t drop with them, as our upscaling guide explains. It’s useful if you already have a 60 FPS base and a high-refresh monitor, and a bad idea for competitive play. The improvement figures come from Nvidia, and we haven’t seen independent measurements yet.

What it means for your next purchase: DLSS 4.5 is a point in Nvidia’s favor in the current generation, but it doesn’t justify overpaying. If you’re torn between brands, read Nvidia vs AMD.

Intel Improves Arc With a Driver Claiming Up to 31% More in Resident Evil Requiem

In mid-October Intel released Arc driver 32.0.101.9150 WHQL, with support for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 and Planet Zoo 2. Intel claims up to 31% higher average FPS in Resident Evil Requiem at 1080p medium, measured on Core Ultra Series 2 integrated graphics (TechPowerUp, PC Gamer).

That’s the best case in one game on one chip. In other titles Intel cites gains between 6% and 18%. These are Intel’s numbers, without independent testing, and integrated gains don’t mean a discrete Arc card performs the same. The good news is Arc drivers keep improving; the bad news is that compatibility is still patchier than the competition’s.

What it means for your next purchase: if you already have a laptop or PC with Intel graphics, install the driver. If you’re buying a GPU, this doesn’t change the usual advice: compare price and support before driver promises.

What to Do With All This

• You own an RX 6000: update to Adrenalin 26.10.1, test FSR 4.1 and only then decide whether you really need a new card.
• You want an RTX 5090: don’t expect a sane price soon; consider the tier below.
• You play Cyberpunk: turn on DLSS 4.5, but use frame generation only if you already have a solid FPS base.
• Intel integrated graphics: install the new driver and compare before and after, since Intel’s gains are maximums, not averages.

Sources

Note: the FPS gains for DLSS 4.5 and the Intel driver are manufacturer claims; Nvidia hasn’t given RTX 5090 production numbers; the date for FSR 4.1 on Xbox is not confirmed.

• VideoCardz (October 20) — AMD releases FSR 4.1 for Radeon RX 6000
• PC Gamer — FSR 4.1 ships early for RX 6000
• TechPowerUp — AMD announces FSR 4.1 for RX 6000, APUs and Xbox
• HotHardware — Nvidia speaks out on the RTX 5090
• Guru3D — Nvidia says RTX 5090 production is continuing
• TweakTown — Nvidia confirms the RTX 5090 has not been discontinued
• Nvidia — GeForce news (DLSS 4.5 in Cyberpunk 2077 and Game Ready driver)
• TechPowerUp — Intel Arc 101.9150 WHQL drivers
• PC Gamer — Intel Arc driver and Resident Evil Requiem

Missed the last edition? Here’s the October 17 recap, with the RTX Spark reviews and the RTX 5090 vanishing from stores. And for the latest, the October 31 recap, with the RTX 5080 closing in on $2,000.