DSR stands for Dynamic Super Resolution, it enables you to support higher resolutions in your PC. In this tutorial I am not just going to show you how to enable it but also talks about some common issues and their solutions. Let’s get started!
How to enable DSR?
First make sure you have Nvidia GPU. DSR is exclusive to Nvidia. It doesn’t work with AMD or Intel graphic processors.
Open Nvidia Control Panel, if you don’t have Nvidia Control Panel for some reason, just install it from your OEM companion app (like Lenovo Vantage: F9 then System Update) or directly from the Store, or just update your Windows.
From Nvidia Control Panel, open Manage 3D Settings. On settings, scroll down till you see DSR Factors, select the resolution and you are good to go. For 1440px, choose 1.78x DL. Please be mind that it utilizes your GPU so higher resolutions will definitely affect your performance.
Now open any video game you like to play and change its resolution.
Easy right? Yes. That’s all you need to do.
However, it’s not as bell and whistle as it may sounds. Specially for a laptop. I have faced couple of issues enabling it. So, I am going to list those troubleshoot for your ease.
Troubleshooting
The first issue I faced is that DSR simply didn’t work. I follow the same procedure as above, but that didn’t enable 2560x1440p resolution for me, neither in Windows, nor in a game. Let’s look at these issues and troubleshoot them.
#1 DSR Not Working in Windows 11 Gaming Laptop
If you are using a Gaming laptop with integrated and discrete graphics then your default configuration must be on Optimus; means your system may use Nvidia when higher processing is needed otherwise keep the integrated in use. Optimus must be your default setting, but for enabling DSR you have to force Nvidia as your default.
In order to force it, open Nvidia Control Panel again. Navigate to Manage Display Mode and choose Nvidia GPU only.
Doing this, you will get the audible notification first and then a popup will ask you to confirm your choice. Click Yes on it and your Nvidia GPU will be used for all your graphic needs.
You will also see Nvidia related menus on your Nvidia Control Panel sidebar. This is one of the confirmations. The other one is in your Display Settings.
In order to change Windows 11 resolution, click on the “2” window (rectangle) and your resolution scale setting will appear, just a scroll down a little to find it.
#2 DSR is working on Windows 11 but not on Games
It is possible that DSR may not work on your game even after enabling it from your setting. By not working, I mean it doesn’t show selected resolution.
You can fix it by simple choosing “Borderless Windows” in your video game. Doing this will allows you to change your default resolution to the higher one. But it is pretty rare, especially in modern games. I was having this issue in Bandai Namco’s game: Scarlet Nexus and Tales of Arise.
#3 Visual Glitches, Flicker or Ghosting after enabling DSR
If you are facing any visual glitches after enabling DSR, make sure you have updated Nvidia Graphic Driver installed. Do this from your Nvidia App directly, other than relying on OEM app, or downloading the graphic driver from the internet.
I have the latest driver installed but was still having “ghosting issue” in any game I tried. I tried changing visual settings: turning V-Sync ON and OFF, disabling Anti-Aliasing, adjusting DSR smoothness, but nothing worked out for me. Until I decided to turn G-Sync off, yes G-Sync was causing this issue; most likely because my laptop display doesn’t support G-Sync.
How to Enable or Disable G-Sync
Go to the same Settings tab in Nvidia Control Panel from where you have enabled DSR; from Monitor Technology select Fixed Refresh to disable G-Sync or vice-versa.
You can also configure other settings from the same tab to troubleshoot any other visual glitch. If nothing works out for you and you couldn’t define your issue to google or generative AIs, try restarting your system or reinstalling your graphic drivers.
Done with the gaming? Switch your display drivers to Optimus.
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