Adaptive Vsync + Frame capping: Experiencing either stuttering or tearing

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dchobaby

Weaksauce
Joined
Aug 16, 2016
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I'm pretty stumped with this one guys.

I recently picked up a Titan Pascal and can't achieve the buttery smooth 60 FPS @ 60 HZ experience I once had. In the past with Maxwell, I would use Afterburner to cap frames at 58 FPS, select Adaptive Vsync in NVCP, and that would be it.

Now, however, the same method (i.e. 58 FPS + Adaptive Vsync) results in screen tearing and stuttering. Upping the frame cap to 60 FPS completely eliminates 99.9% of the stuttering, but results in OCCASIONAL screen tearing. What would explain only occasional tearing if I'm pegged at the frame cap?


I've tried using in-game frame capping and vsync settings as well but it seems the only way to eliminate both screen tearing and stuttering is to use full-on vsync, which I don't like because of the input lag.

Enabling triple buffering and setting max pre-rendered frames to 1 does not help either, and just adds to input lag.

Does anyone have a clue on what's going on? I am running Windows 10 64 bit with the Anniversary Update, I've reformatted, used DDU on a new reformat, and have tried on both the 372.54 and 369.05 drivers to no avail. I'm experiencing this problem across multiple games.. DOOM, Witcher, GTA V..
 
Forget about V-sync with Pascal. Enable Fast Sync in the Manage 3D Options section of the NVCP globally and disable any framerate caps you have.
 
dchobaby said:
I'm pretty stumped with this one guys.

I recently picked up a Titan Pascal and can't achieve the buttery smooth 60 FPS @ 60 HZ experience I once had. In the past with Maxwell, I would use Afterburner to cap frames at 58 FPS, select Adaptive Vsync in NVCP, and that would be it.

Now, however, the same method (i.e. 58 FPS + Adaptive Vsync) results in screen tearing and stuttering. Upping the frame cap to 60 FPS completely eliminates 99.9% of the stuttering, but results in OCCASIONAL screen tearing. What would explain only occasional tearing if I'm pegged at the frame cap?


I've tried using in-game frame capping and vsync settings as well but it seems the only way to eliminate both screen tearing and stuttering is to use full-on vsync, which I don't like because of the input lag.

Enabling triple buffering and setting max pre-rendered frames to 1 does not help either, and just adds to input lag.

Does anyone have a clue on what's going on? I am running Windows 10 64 bit with the Anniversary Update, I've reformatted, used DDU on a new reformat, and have tried on both the 372.54 and 369.05 drivers to no avail. I'm experiencing this problem across multiple games.. DOOM, Witcher, GTA V..
Click to expand...

Man, to have a Titan Pascal and not have a G-sync monitor is a shame. Just get one and forget about any sync issues.
 
Armenius said:
Forget about V-sync with Pascal. Enable Fast Sync in the Manage 3D Options section of the NVCP globally and disable any framerate caps you have.
Click to expand...

Is there something fundamentally different about how Pascal handles v-sync compared to previous generations?

I've enabled fast vsync (.exe-specific) in NVCP and experienced stuttering, but will try the global option. Does fast vsync itself cap the frame rate? Just want to know what indicators I should be looking for to know that its working, other than glory.
 
Raendor said:
Man, to have a Titan Pascal and not have a G-sync monitor is a shame. Just get one and forget about any sync issues.
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I just got rid of my PG279Q for a Dell UP3017. Believe it or not, 1600P with max settings easily pegs GPU utilization to 100% in the Witcher. edit: even at 60 fps :D
 
dchobaby said:
Is there something fundamentally different about how Pascal handles v-sync compared to previous generations?

I've enabled fast vsync (.exe-specific) in NVCP and experienced stuttering, but will try the global option. Does fast vsync itself cap the frame rate? Just want to know what indicators I should be looking for to know that its working, other than glory.
Click to expand...
Fast Sync handles it basically the way DX12 does by default. The game still renders as fast as possible but the frames presented to your display are still capped by its refresh rate. The extra frames are basically discarded. V-sync itself still works the same as always.
 
I'm just poking fun. Sort of. I have a bunch of Dell IPS monitors and they are amazing screens, but for a dedicated gaming box I don't think I could go back to 60Hz or lose GSYNC.
 
Rizen said:
I'm just poking fun. Sort of. I have a bunch of Dell IPS monitors and they are amazing screens, but for a dedicated gaming box I don't think I could go back to 60Hz or lose GSYNC.
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:p i know. I actually had a PG279Q for over a year, but was spoiled by the U3014's colors prior to it. With the games I play, I'm okay with sacrificing bleeding edge speed for color - it's the first and fundamental layer of immersion for me.


NKD said:
for that much power. You owe yourself a gsync panel.
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1600P isn't too shabby with all the bells and whistles turned on!
 
Armenius said:
Fast Sync handles it basically the way DX12 does by default. The game still renders as fast as possible but the frames presented to your display are still capped by its refresh rate. The extra frames are basically discarded. V-sync itself still works the same as always.
Click to expand...

OK I tried uncapping frames and forcing global fast vsync in NVCP. FPS is well over the monitor refresh rate (i.e. 60 hz / 100 FPS+), but stuttering is very apparent. Pretty much feels the same as not using vsync with no frame capping, but without the tearing. I've read from other sources that this mode is intended for "very high" FPS situations (i.e. FPS is 2x refresh rate) which doesn't apply for me - basically I don't have enough frames to discard.

So then I tried global adaptive vsync (frames uncapped). Witcher and GTA would be pinged around 60 FPS and be super smooth, but BF4 and Cities XL would just pull as many frames as possible and stutter in the same way mentioned above. Strangely, after restarting windows, restoring settings and reapplying adaptive vsync in NVCP, BF4 and Cities XL would be pinged at 60 FPS too. Really weird behavior.

Is this smelling like a buggy driver and/or related to the W10 AU at all?
 
dchobaby said:
OK I tried uncapping frames and forcing global fast vsync in NVCP. FPS is well over the monitor refresh rate (i.e. 60 hz / 100 FPS+), but stuttering is very apparent. Pretty much feels the same as not using vsync with no frame capping, but without the tearing. I've read from other sources that this mode is intended for "very high" FPS situations (i.e. FPS is 2x refresh rate) which doesn't apply for me - basically I don't have enough frames to discard.

So then I tried global adaptive vsync (frames uncapped). Witcher and GTA would be pinged around 60 FPS and be super smooth, but BF4 and Cities XL would just pull as many frames as possible and stutter in the same way mentioned above. Strangely, after restarting windows, restoring settings and reapplying adaptive vsync in NVCP, BF4 and Cities XL would be pinged at 60 FPS too. Really weird behavior.

Is this smelling like a buggy driver and/or related to the W10 AU at all?
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Could be. I have heard of instances where W10 doesn't respect the settings in IHV control panels. The only thing I force is G-Sync and I haven't run into an instance yet where it doesn't work.
 
dchobaby said:
Is there something fundamentally different about how Pascal handles v-sync compared to previous generations?

I've enabled fast vsync (.exe-specific) in NVCP and experienced stuttering, but will try the global option. Does fast vsync itself cap the frame rate? Just want to know what indicators I should be looking for to know that its working, other than glory.
Click to expand...
Yes fast sync causes stutter if you're not getting extremely high frame rate so it's ridiculous for anyone to suggest using it for 60 Hertz. Even Nvidia seem to make that fairly clear that it can cause an issue if not getting those high frame rate which is what the whole reason it was designed to be used for. If someone can't see the little stuttering when using it then they have to be oblivious.
 
I've been using Adaptive Sync with a Titan XP and Win 10 AU and it works fine mostly (FRAPS shows solid 60FPS).

However, I have seen occasional screen-tearing and I haven't figured out why (maybe minor frame-rate dips I guess).
 
Switched to Fast Sync, and things are much better now. Not seeing any tearing at all (even below refresh rate). Looks really good.
 
Set FPS cap to 60, vsync enabled in NVIDIA control panel and pre-rendered frames to 1 and things will be very smooth.
 
I'll add after more tests with Fast Sync and Adaptive Sync, I've come to the conclusion that turning VSync On is the best option as long as you can hover around 60fps or above.
 
Nice that Fast Sync helped you. Personally I cap at refresh because I think it feels less smooth if the framerate isn't exactly refresh or double/triple of it.

How exactly would Adaptive Vsync and capping at 58fps work? Adaptive Vsync just shuts Vsync off under 60fps on a 60hz monitor, so you're basically not preventing tearing and just preventing Vsync from switching on?
 
Mokkat said:
Nice that Fast Sync helped you. Personally I cap at refresh because I think it feels less smooth if the framerate isn't exactly refresh or double/triple of it.

How exactly would Adaptive Vsync and capping at 58fps work? Adaptive Vsync just shuts Vsync off under 60fps on a 60hz monitor, so you're basically not preventing tearing and just preventing Vsync from switching on?
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Capping the framerate lower than refresh rate would only help if you're using G-Sync to either prevent hitting the point where V-Sync turns on or prevent the framerate going above the refresh rate at which point you get tearing again. In my experience thus far, G-Sync + Fast Sync with no frame caps provides the optimal solution if you have similar hardware.
 
dchobaby said:
I've read from other sources that this mode is intended for "very high" FPS situations (i.e. FPS is 2x refresh rate)
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I heard it was 3x the refresh rate.

Some comments here are stating that Pascal works better with it.. which doesn't make any sense.

I guess I'll try to test it and compare between framerate capping with vsync (which isn't an ideal solution in all games due to engine oddities) but I'd still rather take a capped vsync experience than let the GPU run at 100% and needlessly consume more power and produce more heat and noise, even if I do gain a slight amount of input latency (still far less than raw vsync).

But even then, finding a game to run at 3x the refresh rate is pretty much impossible unless it's older titles on the fastest cards at 60Hz.

Oh, and I'm also interested in how the hell adaptive vsync even works in the OP's scenario. Adaptive vsync was useless garbage when I tested it when it first came out. It either didn't work at all when capped, or just functioned the same as vsync but turned off when it dropped below the refresh rate (aka teared). Capped triple buffered vsync was still better.
 
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