Article Number: DH3-019

Last Updated: November 8th, 2024

This article provides information about GPU scaling and available scaling modes with AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition.

Overview

Most modern games are designed for resolutions and aspect ratios that are natively supported by current display panels. For older games (and videos) created using fixed aspect ratio such as 5:4, the picture may not fill the entire screen area on wide aspect displays. With AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition GPU Scaling enabled, the GPU will upscale lower resolution content with a fixed aspect ratio different than that of the display for a better fit on screen.

GPU scaling is supported on DVI, HDMI™, or DisplayPort connections and displays set to their native resolution and refresh rate. For help configuring your display, refer to article: How to Adjust Display Brightness, Resolution, and Refresh Rate

The following modes are available when using GPU scaling:

  1. Preserve aspect ratio – Expand the current image to the full size of the monitor while maintaining the aspect ratio of the image size. For example, at a resolution of 1280x1024 (5:4 aspect ratio), the screen will have black bars on the left and right side.
  2. Full panel – Expand the current image to the full size of the monitor for non-native resolutions. For example, at a resolution of 1280x1024 (5:4 aspect ratio), the screen will stretch to fill the monitor.
  3. Center – Turn off image scaling and center the current image for non-native resolutions. Black bars may appear around the image. For example, setting a 24" monitor (native resolution of 1920x1200) at a resolution of 1680x1050 (16:10 aspect ratio) or lower will place a black border around the monitor.

Note: This scaling mode is not designed to fix the issue of black borders on HDTV. To resolve black borders on HDTV, refer to article: Resize an Image to Fit the Screen of an HDMI Display

Note: The steps outlined in this article are based on AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 23.9.1 (Full Install) and the screenshots used are for illustrative purposes only. Depending on your system configuration, some options and settings may not be available to you or exactly as shown in the examples provided.

GPU Scaling & Modes

To enable GPU scaling for selected scaling modes with AMD Software, follow these steps:

  1. From the Taskbar, click the Start button (Windows icon) and type AMD Software, select the app under best match.

  2. In AMD Software, enter "Display" into the search box (highlighted below), and click on the "Display Settings" result displayed. 
  1. Set GPU Scaling to Enabled and choose the desired Scaling Mode. Note: The screen will go blank momentarily, this is normal.
  1. Once GPU scaling is enabled, select the preferred scaling mode and the effects will be applied immediately.

Note: Integer Scaling is another form of display scaling used to achieve certain image effects in-game. To learn more, refer to article: Apply Integer Scaling Effects with AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition.

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