Stuttering from different monitor refresh rates.

[SuperCookie78]

CPU: Intel 4690k

GPU: Zotac GTX 1080 Amp! Edition

RAM: Axvier DDR3 8GB 1600MHz x2

PSu: Thermaltake 650W

OS: Windows 10 latest build

GPU Drivers:436.15

 

What Happens:

1. Run Game

2. play video/ or open streamlabs on second monitor

3. game stutters while having more than enough fps

I have two different monitors, one is a 1080p 75Hz and the other 900p 60Hz. Any time i try to play a game on my 75Hz while in 75Hz and there is a gpu load on the other monitor the game starts to stutter. I have seen it on other older threats but i can't find a solution. I have tried v-sync and that doesn't work. I have also overclocked my 60Hz to a 75Hz. there is still some shutter but not as much. I have also tried putting my 900p monitor on my igpu and i get the same results. I get a lost of stuttering when the 900p is at 60hz and some stuttering with the 900p is at 75hz. The 900p monitor used DVI and the 1080 uses hdmi.

 

 

[GhomerGhamer]

have you monitored what your GPU is doing in something like Afterburner or Precision X? watching the graphs on there may help diagnose this, because you can see power drops, clock speed changes, heat, etc. those programs are worth much more than just fan control and overclocking! they are great system monitors.

[SuperCookie78]

1 minute ago, GhomerGhamer said:

have you monitored what your GPU is doing in something like Afterburner or Precision X? watching the graphs on there may help diagnose this, because you can see power drops, clock speed changes, heat, etc. those programs are worth much more than just fan control and overclocking! they are great system monitors.

clocks are fine so are temps, fans. they seem normal. 

[GhomerGhamer]

see if you are reaching a power limit on the card. jayz was doing a video on that last year, i forget which off hand, but his card was hitting power limit and stuttering.

[SuperCookie78]

I have done the same thing with just one monitor. the power isn't the issue

[Kc7vwc]

Gamers Nexus did video on this & the problem is FRAME PACING. You're still getting high frames per second, but within that second, the frames aren't spaced evenly. 

Unfortunately, this is a known issue with Windows & there's no 100% fix - except for removing other monitors or getting another panel that's the exact same. 

For this reason I have sworn off multi-monitor setups if any of them are above 60Hz.

Microsoft is trying to publish a fix, but there's no word on the timing of it.

Sadly I've personally experienced this on both AMD & Nvidia. 

And see you said, adding other GPUs doesn't help either. 

[SuperCookie78]

8 hours ago, Kc7vwc said:

Gamers Nexus did video on this & the problem is FRAME PACING. You're still getting high frames per second, but within that second, the frames aren't spaced evenly. 

Unfortunately, this is a known issue with Windows & there's no 100% fix - except for removing other monitors or getting another panel that's the exact same. 

For this reason I have sworn off multi-monitor setups if any of them are above 60Hz.

Microsoft is trying to publish a fix, but there's no word on the timing of it.

Sadly I've personally experienced this on both AMD & Nvidia. 

And see you said, adding other GPUs doesn't help either. 

then why do i get stuttering even when i overclock the 60Hz panel to 75Hz

[Mick Naughty]

Never had an issue with this. 
Only stutter I get it trying to use a cpu like that with a card like that. Even more so trying to stream or record. 
 

If you put the other monitor on the igpu it’s clear it has nothing to do with the refresh rate. 

[Kc7vwc]

2 hours ago, SuperCookie78 said:

then why do i get stuttering even when i overclock the 60Hz panel to 75Hz

That I'm not sure of.  Every bit of research I've done has suggested this only happens with "mixed refresh rates" so I would have assumed matching rates wouldn't...
Closest I ever got to matching refresh's was down-clocking my 144Hz panel to 120Hz, hoping the 'common denominator' with a 60Hz panel would help, but it didn't. I never tried going all the way down to 60Hz on both of them though. After testing with various GPUs, for me it was simply easier to use a single high-refresh panel. All my stream monitoring and media consumption is done on my mobile sitting next to the monitor. 

 

@Mick Naughty - it's an issue with Windows, not the hardware. When I tested this with my previous system, I used combinations of R9 390, GTX 1050 Ti, along with the 4690K's iGPU. All of them produced this stuttering, regardless of which GPU was driving which monitor. Displayport, DVI & HDMI all were affected. But, as OP said, it's only when there's a 'load' going to the other monitor - usually video. 

 

So, I think I found the video I had seen before. Steve calls it Frame Times (i thought it was frame pacing). Just now I only watched the first 5min or so of this video, so I don't know if they discussed Window's problem in it or not, but it does describe the root issue here with FPS versus Frame Times. And they do address right away that this micro-stuttering with Frame Times is perceptible. 

 

[Mick Naughty]

32 minutes ago, Kc7vwc said:

 

@Mick Naughty - it's an issue with Windows, not the hardware. When I tested this with my previous system, I used combinations of R9 390, GTX 1050 Ti, along with the 4690K's iGPU. All of them produced this stuttering, regardless of which GPU was driving which monitor. Displayport, DVI & HDMI all were affected. But, as OP said, it's only when there's a 'load' going to the other monitor - usually video. 

So the simple fix is to not create a load on the other monitor. Seems easy enough. Shouldn’t be doing that anyway if gaming. And can run both monitors at 60hz if Windows is the cause and being different refresh rates. Zero gain using a 75 hz monitor anyway. 

[Beloit911]

16 hours ago, SuperCookie78 said:

CPU: Intel 4690k

GPU: Zotac GTX 1080 Amp! Edition

RAM: Axvier DDR3 8GB 1600MHz x2

PSu: Thermaltake 650W

OS: Windows 10 latest build

GPU Drivers:436.15

 

What Happens:

1. Run Game

2. play video/ or open streamlabs on second monitor

3. game stutters while having more than enough fps

I have two different monitors, one is a 1080p 75Hz and the other 900p 60Hz. Any time i try to play a game on my 75Hz while in 75Hz and there is a gpu load on the other monitor the game starts to stutter. I have seen it on other older threats but i can't find a solution. I have tried v-sync and that doesn't work. I have also overclocked my 60Hz to a 75Hz. there is still some shutter but not as much. I have also tried putting my 900p monitor on my igpu and i get the same results. I get a lost of stuttering when the 900p is at 60hz and some stuttering with the 900p is at 75hz. The 900p monitor used DVI and the 1080 uses hdmi.

 

 

Odd I seem to do OK other than the occasional YouTube image studdering when trying to watch on an "out of focus" window. This is with 4 different monitors with different refreshes and different resolutions on a single 1080ti.

[Kc7vwc]

1 hour ago, Mick Naughty said:

So the simple fix is to not create a load on the other monitor. Seems easy enough. Shouldn’t be doing that anyway if gaming. And can run both monitors at 60hz if Windows is the cause and being different refresh rates. Zero gain using a 75 hz monitor anyway. 

What's the point of another panel if you can't use it fully!? You missed the part where he's using OBS/SLOBS on the other panel to watch streaming information. Almost every streamer who's not using a dual-pc setup does. This is only an issue for those of us using, or have used, multiple high-refresh panels, so it might still be a niche problem. But it is a legit problem because there is a benefit to it. 75Hz might not specifically be a desired refresh when better tech is available; but if it's the best his panel can do then by all means he should be able to use it. 
That's kinda the whole point of PC gaming - we can do it all & most of it all at once. 

[Midnitewolf]

10 minutes ago, Kc7vwc said:

What's the point of another panel if you can't use it fully!? You missed the part where he's using OBS/SLOBS on the other panel to watch streaming information. Almost every streamer who's not using a dual-pc setup does. This is only an issue for those of us using, or have used, multiple high-refresh panels, so it might still be a niche problem. But it is a legit problem because there is a benefit to it. 75Hz might not specifically be a desired refresh when better tech is available; but if it's the best his panel can do then by all means he should be able to use it. 
That's kinda the whole point of PC gaming - we can do it all & most of it all at once. 

Sometimes you do just run into a tech limitation and there is no way around it.  I have a Freesync Monitor and a Vega 56 GPU and in over 2 years of use, can't take advantage of the Freesync technology because no matter what I do, I get screen flicker when gaming.  I have tried just about every solution I could find and still I have flicker.  Eventually I just said screw it and disabled Freesync.  I honestly don't know if the OP has run into a tech limitation or not but you do have to sometimes just consider that it exists.

[Mick Naughty]

20 minutes ago, Kc7vwc said:

What's the point of another panel if you can't use it fully!? You missed the part where he's using OBS/SLOBS on the other panel to watch streaming information. Almost every streamer who's not using a dual-pc setup does. This is only an issue for those of us using, or have used, multiple high-refresh panels, so it might still be a niche problem. But it is a legit problem because there is a benefit to it. 75Hz might not specifically be a desired refresh when better tech is available; but if it's the best his panel can do then by all means he should be able to use it. 
That's kinda the whole point of PC gaming - we can do it all & most of it all at once. 

You don’t need demanding info on the other monitor. Unless you wonna watch yourself. The preview can be turned off. You can watch your own channel to see the chat. Any other info needed isn’t demanded. Which there isn’t anything else to watch aside from system info. 
I do all the same stuff and don’t have any issues what so ever from a frame rate difference. So I didn’t miss any points. 
 

So I’ll say now what people say when I have issues they don’t; It’s a problem with your rig. 

[SuperCookie78]

4 hours ago, Kc7vwc said:

That I'm not sure of.  Every bit of research I've done has suggested this only happens with "mixed refresh rates" so I would have assumed matching rates wouldn't...
Closest I ever got to matching refresh's was down-clocking my 144Hz panel to 120Hz, hoping the 'common denominator' with a 60Hz panel would help, but it didn't. I never tried going all the way down to 60Hz on both of them though. After testing with various GPUs, for me it was simply easier to use a single high-refresh panel. All my stream monitoring and media consumption is done on my mobile sitting next to the monitor. 

 

@Mick Naughty - it's an issue with Windows, not the hardware. When I tested this with my previous system, I used combinations of R9 390, GTX 1050 Ti, along with the 4690K's iGPU. All of them produced this stuttering, regardless of which GPU was driving which monitor. Displayport, DVI & HDMI all were affected. But, as OP said, it's only when there's a 'load' going to the other monitor - usually video. 

 

So, I think I found the video I had seen before. Steve calls it Frame Times (i thought it was frame pacing). Just now I only watched the first 5min or so of this video, so I don't know if they discussed Window's problem in it or not, but it does describe the root issue here with FPS versus Frame Times. And they do address right away that this micro-stuttering with Frame Times is perceptible. 

 

So when i run my 75Hz panel at 75Hz windows sees 74Hz but nVidia control sees 75. When i tried putting it at 76Hz it read 76Hz on both windows and nVidia. I don't think windows likes odd numbers for refresh rates. Right know they are both at 60Hz until i find a solution. I hope microsoft can fix this as it seems to be an issue for a long time. 

[Kc7vwc]

Just now, SuperCookie78 said:

So when i run my 75Hz panel at 75Hz windows sees 74Hz but nVidia control sees 75. When i tried putting it at 76Hz it read 76Hz on both windows and nVidia. I don't think windows likes odd numbers for refresh rates. Right know they are both at 60Hz until i find a solution. I hope microsoft can fix this as it seems to be an issue for a long time.

My Radeon software always showed 59Hz & 119Hz, so mine was backwards from yours. Haven't checked with my Nvidia cards. 

 

Did setting them both to 60Hz help at all, or is there still stuttering?

[SuperCookie78]

3 minutes ago, Kc7vwc said:

My Radeon software always showed 59Hz & 119Hz, so mine was backwards from yours. Haven't checked with my Nvidia cards. 

 

Did setting them both to 60Hz help at all, or is there still stuttering?

I can't tell. i think there is but i haven't tested it enough to know. I'll test it with csgo tonight but rn i got physics hw.

[Kc7vwc]

1 hour ago, Mick Naughty said:

You don’t need demanding info on the other monitor. Unless you wonna watch yourself. The preview can be turned off. You can watch your own channel to see the chat. Any other info needed isn’t demanded. Which there isn’t anything else to watch aside from system info. 
I do all the same stuff and don’t have any issues what so ever from a frame rate difference. So I didn’t miss any points. 
 

So I’ll say now what people say when I have issues they don’t; It’s a problem with your rig. 

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-performance/windows-locks-hz-to-all-monitors-if-animations/8be79839-ee5e-43fb-84f1-7e6b4a8dfad6?rtAction=1485934158802

Microsoft acknowledged this, plus a simple search will reveal it going back several years. I've had personal experience will this issue so I attempted to help & bring more information to the topic. 

And just because you don't 'need' the extra info doesn't mean everyone else has to thrown it out as well. 

OP, best of luck. Everyone else knows more than I. 

[Mr Snugglebottom]

On 1/16/2020 at 8:35 PM, Mick Naughty said:

You don’t need demanding info on the other monitor. Unless you wonna watch yourself. The preview can be turned off. You can watch your own channel to see the chat. Any other info needed isn’t demanded. Which there isn’t anything else to watch aside from system info. 
I do all the same stuff and don’t have any issues what so ever from a frame rate difference. So I didn’t miss any points. 
 

So I’ll say now what people say when I have issues they don’t; It’s a problem with your rig. 

I disagree I too have this problem where i have a high refresh rate main monitor and a 60hz secondary monitor and i have the exact same problem, it stutters and feels bad if there are any animations on the low refresh rate monitor. Also, saying stuff like you don't need to watch yourself is dumb, yes yes you do, You need to watch your own stream all the time to keep tabs on all sorts of different things. Like: i want to watch chat on my second monitor, I want to be able to keep track of what the viewer can see and if the stream is running smoothly, i want to keep track of bit rate, i want to keep track of twitch alerts, i want to keep track of the audio mixer.... etc etc etc etc 

 

But let's say for the sake of argument that i don't need to see myself so i disable the preview, just the chat moving and bits being posted in the chat on the other screen causes stutters, the bars in the audio mixer moving cases stutter etc. Literally any animation at all causes stutter. 

[Mick Naughty]

1 hour ago, Mr Snugglebottom said:

I disagree I too have this problem where i have a high refresh rate main monitor and a 60hz secondary monitor and i have the exact same problem, it stutters and feels bad if there are any animations on the low refresh rate monitor. Also, saying stuff like you don't need to watch yourself is dumb, yes yes you do, You need to watch your own stream all the time to keep tabs on all sorts of different things. Like: i want to watch chat on my second monitor, I want to be able to keep track of what the viewer can see and if the stream is running smoothly, i want to keep track of bit rate, i want to keep track of twitch alerts, i want to keep track of the audio mixer.... etc etc etc etc 

 

But let's say for the sake of argument that i don't need to see myself so i disable the preview, just the chat moving and bits being posted in the chat on the other screen causes stutters, the bars in the audio mixer moving cases stutter etc. Literally any animation at all causes stutter. 

So you didnt read what I said. If you have a shitty rigs, its quite clear that you shouldnt be watching anything or streaming if you care what the viewer sees. I clearly said to watch the actual stream, that way you can see all that  compared to having obs up and previewing. I do the same thing but not on the same rig as that wouldnt be very smart given the scenario and hardware. Quite clear that its a hardware issue from this point as the op clearly says its not as bad with lower fps or vsync. 

 

Again, I dont have this issue using a 240 and a 60 together or with a 120 or a 144. Everything works as it should unless its an issue with the cpu being far too weak for the task, which my streaming pc is.