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Windows & Linux / Proton · Version 3.1.0 · HelixSR Freeware License

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HelixSR

NVIDIA's DLSS Model E upscaler and AMD's FSR 4 network for GPUs that don't have them, focused on older GPUs.

HelixSR runs NVIDIA's DLSS Model E network as standard Direct3D 12 compute shaders, without NVIDIA Tensor Cores, an NVIDIA driver, CUDA, or ROCm. It behaves like DLSS: every quality mode from native (DLAA) to Ultra Performance, dynamic resolution. It comes as two upscalers:

• HLX DLSS: the DLSS Model E network, as HelixSR Scaler's DLSS upscaler (DirectX 12, and DirectX 11 and Vulkan games through HelixSR Scaler).
• HLX FSR 4: AMD's FSR 4 network on HelixSR's own fast pipeline, as an upscaler of its own in HelixSR Scaler's list, or as a drop-in for games with FSR 3.1.

[!IMPORTANT] HelixSR is focused on older graphics cards, especially AMD RDNA 1 / RDNA 2 and the other older GPUs listed in GPUs. The goal is to help gamers get more from the hardware they already own. RDNA 3 and newer GPUs may work, but they are not the focus of the project.

[!NOTE] HelixSR 3.x has no frame generation of its own. AMD FSR and Intel XeSS frame generation can be picked in HelixSR Scaler's menu. HelixSR 2.0.0's experimental DLSS frame generation is still on the releases page.

HelixSR is an independent, unofficial project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NVIDIA or AMD.

Version 3.1.0, available on Linux (Proton) and Windows. See GPUs for compatibility and current testing status. Developed and tested on the AMD BC-250 (gfx1013, Linux, Mesa RADV); other GPUs and Windows are not tested by us.

New in 3.1.0

• HLX FSR 4 is an upscaler of its own in HelixSR Scaler's list, next to AMD's FSR. On GPUs that have AMD's FSR 4, AMD's FSR 4 is listed again with its FSR 4 preset and model choices.
• HLX FSR 4 is faster on AMD GPUs (a new prepass and post pass, the same picture bit for bit) and picks its INT8 path first on GTX 16.
• HLX DLSS in Vulkan games through HelixSR Scaler, as in DirectX 11 games.
• GTX 10 (Pascal) on Windows: HLX DLSS's faster conversions are back.
• The setup lists only games (editors and tools from Windows' installed apps are no longer offered), and Enter skips a game: type s or f for the games you want.
• Games with anti-cheat are treated like any other game.
• HelixSR Desktop 1.3.0 has a speed test: it times HLX FSR 4 and HLX DLSS on your GPU and checks the picture. Send the results in an issue: it helps make HelixSR faster on your GPU.

Install: HelixSR Desktop (recommended)

Download HelixSR Desktop from the latest release (Windows: the .exe installer; Linux / Steam Deck: the .AppImage or .deb) and run it. It sets HelixSR up on your PC once (a few minutes) and then installs it into your games with one button each:

• HelixSR Scaler for most games: HLX DLSS through the game's own DLSS, FSR or XeSS option, with HLX FSR 4 in its list and an in-game menu (Insert).
• FSR drop-in for games with FSR 3.1 (under Advanced): only the game's FSR file is replaced with HLX FSR 4 (see below).

It also updates and removes HelixSR per game, shows each game's log for bug reports, puts back everything it replaced, and has a speed test (top bar).

Install: setup scripts (without the app)

1. Download HelixSR-3.1.0.zip and extract it into a folder you keep (for example C:\HelixSR or your home folder).
2. Close your games and run the setup in that folder:
   • Windows: double-click helixsr-setup.bat
   • Linux / Steam Deck: ./helixsr-setup.sh (in a terminal, or double-click and choose Run in terminal)
3. The first time, it asks before each download and builds everything on your PC: the upscaling network from NVIDIA's DLSS DLL (downloaded from NVIDIA), and HLX FSR 4's shaders from AMD's FSR 4 driver file (an installed AMD driver's copy on Windows, else read out of AMD's driver package, about 420 MB, nothing is installed). This takes a few minutes.
4. It lists your games (Steam, Epic, GOG, Xbox, Heroic, Lutris), numbered, with what each has (DLSS, FSR 3.1, XeSS) and what is installed. Type a game's number (or drag a game's folder into the window), then Enter to install it the recommended way, or s = HelixSR Scaler (pick DLSS in the game), f = FSR drop-in (games with FSR 3.1: pick AMD FSR in the game), r = remove. Pick as many games as you like; Enter on its own when done.
5. Start the game. Insert opens HelixSR Scaler's menu (upscaler: HLX DLSS, HLX FSR 4, AMD FSR, XeSS; HelixSR's settings).

A game that is not listed: run ./helixsr-setup.sh /path/to/game, or drop the game's folder onto helixsr-setup.bat (Enter installs a game you name).

Update: run the setup of the new version and pick the games that have HelixSR (marked in the list): Enter updates, s / f switches the way, r removes it. The app and the setup install the same way, so each can update or remove what the other installed.

Install by hand

Run the setup once first (steps 1 to 3 above; at the game list press Enter on its own). The ZIP's DLLs only hold HelixSR's code: the setup builds the network into HelixSR\helixsr.dll and HLX FSR 4's shaders into helixsr-scaler\OptiScaler\amd_fidelityfx_upscaler_dx12.dll (and HLX-FSR4\). Copied straight out of the ZIP they have nothing to run, and HLX FSR 4 is then not offered at all.

One game at a time with a script (it finds the HelixSR you set up and does the copying below for you):

• Linux / Steam Deck: run ./setup_linux.sh in the helixsr-scaler folder. It lists your games with DLSS, FSR or XeSS: type a game's number, or drag a game's folder into the window. To remove it, run HelixSR-Scaler-remove.sh in the game's folder.
• Windows: download the HelixSR Scaler ZIP from the HelixSR Scaler releases, extract it into the game's folder (next to its .exe) and run setup_windows.bat there. To remove it, run Remove_OptiScaler.bat in the game's folder.

Or copy the files yourself into the game's folder with its .exe (Unreal Engine games: Binaries\Win64):

1. From helixsr-scaler:
   • OptiScaler.dll, renamed to dxgi.dll (if the game already has a dxgi.dll, name it winmm.dll or version.dll instead)
   • OptiScaler.ini
   • the whole OptiScaler folder. It already holds HLX FSR 4 as amd_fidelityfx_upscaler_dx12.dll next to AMD's original as amd_fidelityfx_upscaler_dx12.amd.dll: keep both, don't replace either with another FSR DLL.
2. The whole HelixSR folder (helixsr.dll, helixsr.ini), next to dxgi.dll, not inside the OptiScaler folder.

Game\
  game.exe
  dxgi.dll            (OptiScaler.dll, renamed)
  OptiScaler.ini
  OptiScaler\         (HLX FSR 4 + AMD's FSR DLLs, XeSS, ...)
  HelixSR\            (helixsr.dll = HLX DLSS, helixsr.ini)

Pick DLSS in the game for HLX DLSS; pick HLX FSR 4 (or another upscaler) in HelixSR Scaler's menu (Insert). On Linux, dxgi.dll needs no launch option; with winmm.dll or version.dll add WINEDLLOVERRIDES="winmm=n,b" %command% (or version=n,b) to the game's launch options.

• HLX FSR 4 alone (games with FSR 3.1, without HelixSR Scaler): the fsr3-drop-in folder the setup makes holds HLX FSR 4 under both FSR 3.1 file names (its README.txt has the details).
• Frame generation needs more files: install it with the app or the setup.
• Remove: delete these files and folders again.
• Something does not work? OptiScaler.log and HelixSR\helixsr.log in the game folder say what happened; attach them to an issue.

Update

Your game settings are kept by every way of updating.

HelixSR Desktop: when a new HelixSR is out, the app shows Update HelixSR to x.y.z at the top. Press it (it downloads and builds the new version, a few minutes), then press Update on each game. A new HelixSR Desktop shows its own update button the same way.

Setup scripts: download the new ZIP, extract it (into a new folder, or over the old one) and run helixsr-setup.bat / ./helixsr-setup.sh again. Pick each game that has HelixSR (marked in the list) and press Enter.

By hand: run the new setup first, then copy the same files as in Install by hand over the old ones. Keep the game's OptiScaler.ini if you changed settings in it.

A release fixed under the same version (for example the fixed 3.1.0 of 2026-10-28; the release notes say so):

• Setup scripts or by hand: download the ZIP again and do the same as above. In the setup's list, pick your games and press Enter for each.
• HelixSR Desktop: the app only notices new version numbers, so do it once by hand. Install the new HelixSR Desktop from the latest release (same version, over the old one), then About > Versions: update, or go back to an older one > pick the HelixSR version you have > Download again. When it has built, press Repair on each game.

Settings

HelixSR's settings are under [HelixSR] in the game's OptiScaler.ini (HelixSR Scaler writes them to helixsr.ini next to HelixSR's DLL, in the game's HelixSR folder, when the game starts). Restart the game after changing them. The upscaler and sharpening are picked in HelixSR Scaler's menu (Insert).

• Int8: auto (8-bit math on GPUs with fast int8 dot products), on or off.
• WaveSize: auto, 64 or 32. Leave it on auto unless the picture is broken.
• With the FSR drop-in, HelixSR's helixsr.ini sits next to the game's FSR DLL.

Uninstall

Run helixsr-uninstall.bat (Windows) or ./helixsr-uninstall.sh (Linux), or remove HelixSR in HelixSR Desktop. Every file is put back as it was; at the end the uninstaller can also delete what the setup built and its downloads.

Troubleshooting

• Red border around the image, low resolution, shaking image: HelixSR's network is not running. helixsr.log (in the game's HelixSR folder) says why. Run the setup again.
• HLX FSR 4: with HelixSR Scaler it writes to OptiScaler.log next to the game's .exe; as the FSR drop-in, to HLX_FSR.log next to its DLL.
• The game no longer starts or crashes: remove HelixSR (app or uninstaller), or verify the game's files in Steam.
• Something else looks wrong: open an issue with helixsr.log.

GPUs

• AMD RDNA 1 and the BC-250: HLX DLSS and HLX FSR 4. The BC-250 is our test GPU.
• AMD RDNA 2 (RX 6000, Steam Deck, RDNA 2-based Ryzen graphics): HLX DLSS with 8-bit math (int8) where it helps, HLX FSR 4.
• AMD RDNA 3 and newer (including RX 7000 / 9000 and newer Ryzen graphics): may work, but are not the focus of the project. Compatibility, performance, and frame-generation quality are not guaranteed.
• Radeon Vega / Radeon VII, RX 400 / 500 (experimental): 64-lane shaders, chosen automatically. Not tested on real hardware: please open an issue with helixsr.log.
• NVIDIA GTX 10 / 16 series and Intel Arc (should work, not fully tested): GTX 10 uses 32-bit paths; GTX 16 uses HLX FSR 4's INT8 path. Please open an issue with helixsr.log and how it went, or the speed test's results.
• DirectX 11 and Vulkan games get upscaling through HelixSR Scaler.

How it works

This is NVIDIA's network running on different hardware, not a newly trained model. HelixSR answers the game exactly as DLSS would: DLSS's camera jitter, DLSS's render sizes per quality mode, the game's masks and exposure as DLSS uses them. Packed FP16 arithmetic makes the output close to, but not bit-identical with, NVIDIA's. HLX FSR 4 likewise runs AMD's FSR 4 network, built on your PC from AMD's driver file.

Performance

GPU time per frame on the BC-250 (HelixSR 3.1.0, Quality mode, the speed test's method):

Output	HLX DLSS	HLX FSR 4
1920x1080	1.04 ms	1.10 ms
2560x1440	1.60 ms	1.90 ms
3840x2160	3.40 ms	4.21 ms

On other GPUs: AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, Red Dead Redemption 2 (Windows): HLX DLSS, HLX FSR 4 and FSR 3.1.5 timed in the game, with zoomed side-by-side and slider comparisons.

Limitations

• No HelixSR frame generation in 3.x (AMD FSR and XeSS frame generation are in HelixSR Scaler's menu).
• Older GPUs are the project's focus. RDNA 3 and newer may work, but are not the project's development focus; see GPUs.

Community

Join our Discord for setup help, testing feedback, and release discussions.

For reproducible bugs, open a GitHub issue with your GPU, operating system, game, installation method, and helixsr.log. Include the HelixSR version you tested. Check logs for personal information before posting them publicly.

Support HelixSR

If HelixSR has helped you get more from your GPU, consider supporting its continued development, testing, and compatibility improvements. Contributions are optional and appreciated.

Support HelixSR via PayPal

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License and legal

HelixSR is free to use under the HelixSR Freeware License (LICENSE); its source code is not published. The license covers the HelixSR DLL, HLX FSR 4's DLL, their documentation and the setup scripts (helixsr-setup.*, helixsr-uninstall.* and the setup folder): you may use them free of charge and redistribute them only unmodified, complete as an official release and free of charge; you may read and run the setup scripts but not modify them (setup scripts published up to 1.8.1 keep their Apache 2.0 license). HelixSR contains a small amount of AMD FidelityFX material under the MIT license; see THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md and SOURCE.md.

DLSS and associated NVIDIA technologies are trademarks and intellectual property of NVIDIA Corporation. The HelixSR download contains none of NVIDIA's network weights or translated kernels: the setup downloads NVIDIA's DLSS DLL from NVIDIA's GitHub (under NVIDIA's license, after asking you) or uses a copy you already have, and builds the upscaling network on your PC. The resulting network remains NVIDIA's property and is not covered by HelixSR's license; do not redistribute the DLL the setup builds. The same goes for HLX FSR 4's shaders, which the setup builds from AMD's FSR 4 driver file.