144Hz + 60Hz Dual Monitor Bug/"Feature"

[desti1337]

Hi Guys/Lads,

I hope that i can provide some "serious" information for an long lasting Bug and help people to not be annoyed/sad after buying an 144Hz Monitor (while using a second 60Hz Monitor)

(@Mods: to be honest, i posted this as a comment in an another thread, but since it has a different Title it might not get found by interested Users. Please delete my comment if necessary)

 

3 Days ago i realised i have an annoying "issue".
Since Apex Legends is out and i noticed same weird FPS drops/issues, I tried to figure out what is wrong on my PC. (the Hz issues got nothing to do with my FPS drops  )

 

While searching I came around of some reddit posts dedicated to this 144hz/60hz issues and instant tried finding a solution for it.

 

For me, NOTHING helped to have different Hz on my screens (PG278QR 144hz and VS248H 60hz).

 

I feel like, this is something which needs to get WAY! more attention from Media/Users and in the End needs to be fixed by MS or nVidia asap!
There are several Threads on every Computer related Board and reddit, but after Months/Years there is NO Solution at all.

 

So here is what everybody can test!
Open TestUfo Website (google it for link) on your 144hz and wait for it to be synced to your 144hz Monitor. After its synced, open another Browser instance on your 60hz Screen and open the same Website. You will instant notice, that your 144hz Screen will drop FPS and therefore is downed to 60hz.

So whenever you will try watch Linus YT Videos on your 60hz screen and try gaming on your 144hz, it will automatically drop to 60hz.

 

Another good test is, open a game on your 144hz in "exclusive" Fullscreen (its the only "real" Solution to stop this bug while gaming) while running some sort of FPS overlay (like MSI+RTSS or fraps), enable VSYNC in the  (you must not play with vsync, its just for testing). You should get around 144 FPS if your PC is capable to do so.

Now open testufo again on your 60hz Screen -> your Game should still do 144 FPS if you open it.

Here is the clue, go from Fullscreen to Borderless Window or Windowed at all, and voila it drops to 60 FPS (mostly around 70 fps, cause the Monitor Sync Bug is not capable to properly drop your 144hz screen to 60hz)

 

That means, if you are not able to fix this Problem by lowering to 120hz or are lucky with 2 Monitors with DP (might fix it...) you are not able to make GOOD use of your Dual Monitor Setup, cause u are not able to instant move to your Second Screen while gaming. You always have to Alt-Tab what means the Fullscreen Game gets minimized (for me this is really annoying!) + if you watch a Video on your 60hz and wanna read or do anything else on your 144hz screen (no Fullscreen application) it gets always lowered to 60hz.

You might not notice it, but guess 75%+ of time your 144hz screen is lowered to 60hz.

 

I hope this gets some more attention and maybe Linus or his Staff can research this Stuff cause its simply plain stupid that MS OR Nvidia wont fix this Bug/Feature!

(Sorry for long Post and for "bad" english )

[Labeled]

So I'm not entirely sure what the issue really is.

I run with a ViewSonic VA2759-SMH 60hz overclocked to 75hz, and an ASUS VG248QE at 144Hz, I've never been stuck at 60Hz on my main monitor. Chrome will report as 72Hz in ufo test because of weirdness but the monitor itself is still at 144Hz when gaming and regular desktop use. I'm sensitive to framerates and notice everytime a driver or update has bumped me back down to 60Hz on my main monitor. I play every game in fullscreen though just because in the past windowed borderless used to give me weird issues.

 

Quote

if you watch a Video on your 60hz and wanna read or do anything else on your 144hz screen (no Fullscreen application) it gets always lowered to 60hz.

You might not notice it, but guess 75%+ of time your 144hz screen is lowered to 60hz.

I'll also clarify, if you don't have to manually reset back to 144Hz, the monitor it self IS NOT running at 60 or 72Hz, the application is being frame limited for some reason. If you have a modern smartphone with slow-mo features you can actually test this yourself. while UFO test is showing 60 or 72hz, the monitor is still at 144hz.

as far as I'm aware windows and other applications cannot just force your desktop refresh to something new, the bug is with the way windowed/ fullscreen windowed works. 

 

I'm on windows 10 with a 2080Ti, DP to 144 and HDMI to 75.

 

I'll also leave that if you change to launch options to apex to "+fps_max 0" you will not be frame limited in anyway, this might be away around your issue. Even with Vsync off apex will still cap you at what it is seeing as your refresh-rate is. with this launch option you will no longer be capped to that.

 

[desti1337]

@Labeled
What you say is True, but in my eyes it makes no difference to the fact, that the Applikations run at 60Hz (even if the Monitor itself is still running 144Hz). It is lowered to 60Hz (or whatever your second screen is running) via vsync and therefore you have no benefits of a 144Hz Monitor (my opinion).

 

To the Apex issue: I already use the fps_max 0 but makes no difference (Apex is limited from me via RTSS to 141FPS). Right now it looks like i got the Windows 10 "Standby List" Issue, so that my RAM gets completely full (could fix that with the "Intelligent Standby List Cleaner" Tool)

[maybethisnamewillwork]

Does this still happen if you go to NVIDIA Control Panel and then select to scale on GPU instead of Display? 

[desti1337]

6 minutes ago, maybethisnamewillwork said:

Does this still happen if you go to NVIDIA Control Panel and then select to scale on GPU instead of Display? 

I think i always have/had it set on GPU scaling, but will look it up later.

[Labeled]

5 hours ago, desti1337 said:

@Labeled
What you say is True, but in my eyes it makes no difference to the fact, that the Applikations run at 60Hz (even if the Monitor itself is still running 144Hz). It is lowered to 60Hz (or whatever your second screen is running) via vsync and therefore you have no benefits of a 144Hz Monitor (my opinion).

 

To the Apex issue: I already use the fps_max 0 but makes no difference (Apex is limited from me via RTSS to 141FPS). Right now it looks like i got the Windows 10 "Standby List" Issue, so that my RAM gets completely full (could fix that with the "Intelligent Standby List Cleaner" 

I always disable vsync.. is it just fps_max 0 or +fps_max 0? You do need the + in front of it.

 

I'm not entirely sure what the "standby list" issue you're referring to.

[desti1337]

@Labeled

Weird, i only know "+fps_max unlimited" as a Startparameter set in the Origin Launcher. Anyway, my FPS are uncapped if i want to

But this Thread should not be about Apex, its about this annoying Dual Monitor "Bug"

[Labeled]

21 hours ago, desti1337 said:

@Labeled

Weird, i only know "+fps_max unlimited" as a Startparameter set in the Origin Launcher. Anyway, my FPS are uncapped if i want to

But this Thread should not be about Apex, its about this annoying Dual Monitor "Bug"

I'm having a hard time even trying to reproduce this bug, UFOtest is opening in 144hz on either monitor even though 1 is at 75 not 144. I disable every vsync or framecap options I can so not even games are doing this.

 

Windows 10 1809 build 17763.316 with nvidia driver 419.17

75Hz is in HDMI and 144Hz is on DP

 

Any other ways I can try to reproduce this bug?

[Peskanova]

This bug is caused by windows desktop manager.  I've searched for  everything related to this issue, the only thing that last me to try (I cant) is to put the 60hz(secondary) monitor via displayport, and check if that solves as windows stated on a update that  is because gsync on main monitor + hdmi on second (I dont believe that).

https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/949367/geforce-drivers/144hz-60hz-stuttering-can-we-soon-get-a-fix-for-this-/3/

[Peskanova]

Possible solutions:

1st pick a 144hz secondary monitor (dont have the money now but it seems that works)
2nd (from reddit) If you don't mind using older drivers, you can use 391.35. That's what I've been stuck on, as anything newer introduces all the issues you've experienced.(I will try this tonight, since I've noticed that some nvidia updates fixed this and then another driver update crashed)
3rd Download nvidia inspector and set main monitor performance to single monitor performance (I think this will be promising and will try tonight).

Things that I've done that are useless:

lowering monitor to 120hz to be multiple, (even my secondary to 55hz and my main to 165hz didnt solve the issue)
Secondary monitor on the igpu.

Disabling vsync on nvcp

Specs

8600k + 1070, | dell s2417dg 1440p gsync @ 165hz  via dp + hp 1080p ips 60hz via hdmi

[Peskanova]

Anyone who can dig a little bit more of this issue? , Its here since 2012 or more, not yet fixed or "highlighted" , giving 144 + 60 hz setups are more and more common , this can be one hughe ore vein  @Crunchy Dragon sorry for bothering you , but since you are a moderator If can you aid us to find any guru on this forum with knowledge of this issue it would be awesome.

 I think someone with high knowledge of windows10 (or any OS like wendell from level1techs) could figure out this, there are few people talking with microsoft and nvidia but seems they are busy throwing the guilt to eachother.... Its known that bug happen when you have 2 different monitor frequency and try to run any hardware acelerated app(like youtube on any browser), windows desktop manager tells to the first screen that renders at secondary raters (60hz), This happen on win10 and 7 , but you can disable aero on 7 and that solves it but not on 10, and since intel 6gen , going back to win7 will put more problems than fixing  

Links: 

Updated Reddit thread on /monitors 
 

Up to date Nvidia forum thread

 

Reddit from 4 months ago on /windows10

[Crunchy Dragon]

What is your primary display set to in Windows? Which is display number 1?

 

I have a 75Hz display and a 60Hz display, due to some small difficulties, my 60Hz display is Display 1 and my 75Hz is Display 2. My 75Hz display is set as my main display in Windows, and I never have problems with it dropping to 60.

[Peskanova]

main display (1 on windows ) : 165 1440p  via 1070 dp
secondary : 60hz 1080p . now its via igpu hdmi

[desti1337]

@Peskanova Thx for your awesome Input ! Did you try the "nvidia Inspector" way? If yes, did it work ?
 

[Peskanova]

@desti1337 I think it worked!!!    @Labeled

downlod nvidia inspector and try , no need to explain much with this 2 images.

 

 

 

[Labeled]

Mine is Multi display performance mode, however I'm not getting this bug with a 2080Ti and 7700k latest Nvidia drivers and windows updates. So if this works to fix it, great. However it isn't what is causing it.

I'll also put out there that my display is not G-Sync or Free Sync. 

 

My power management is Prefer maximum performance, however.

[Attis]

On 3/9/2019 at 7:40 AM, Peskanova said:

@desti1337 I think it worked!!!    @Labeled

downlod nvidia inspector and try , no need to explain much with this 2 images.

 

 

 

didn't work for me

[CrisURace]

Any fix please? The nvidia inspector fix  didnt do anything. My refreshrate is at true 144 mouse cursor is smooth, but if an app doesn't have a true fullscreen mode it will be stuck at 60 fps instead of 144, the stupid thing is that is shows 144 fps. But i can clearly see and feel that is not the true fps. I can test easily if i disable the elgato signal and cloning , games run trully smooth...the "monitor" order is correct, i tried fiferent scalings.

Never seen such a stupid thing in my life! Running elgato hd 60 pro on my stream pc ruined my experience on the gaming pc.... Seems also that Very few games run on true fullscreen, so I get choppy nonsense  a lot. 

Please help!!! I dont trust that windows update works, it broke on of my editing program at an update, so I just blocked them since.... are you sure updating will fix this? Cant just nvidia frickin fix this nonsense??

Lol i just tried extending instead of cloning, and the issue is not there....this is so dumb..now i have to capture my games with obs preview...