G-Sync never hits the framerate target

[Glazarus]

I'm trying to hit the framerate target of my G-Sync ultrawide screen at 120 fps with my RTX 2080ti. However, it always stays at an average 117-118 FPS.

When G-Sync is enabled and I'm doing "normal stuff" in Windows 10, it is stuck at 120 fps as it should. Moving windows and programs around has no tearing and it works as it should.

 

However, when I start a game, primarily Rainbow Six Siege, the framerate hits one or two frames under the intended target. Processor and GPU never hit maximum so there's no throttling as I can see. I've tried both having all settings unlimited for framerate in the Nvidia panel, in-game and in the GPU Tweak II software. Tried them capping individually at 120 and all at 120. No change. I've tried all possible combination of settings between the Nvidia panel, GPU tweak II and in-game, no change. 

 

I've even tried lowering the resolution and graphics to low with sub-HD resolution and the framerate is still one or two frames under 120 even then. I've tried lowering the max framerate to 100 fps and the same happens with one or two frames lower at 98 fps. 

 

This issue is so irritating because it makes no sense whatsoever. I get perfect G-sync in Windows, but in game it is constistantly variable at one or two frames under target, no matter the target framerate, graphics settings, choice of game, nvidia settings, GPU overclock or not, CPU overclock or not. Etc.

 

I'm beginning to believe that there's some software interfering with GPU rendering that screws up the G-Sync method. Oh, did I mention that because of these one or two frames under the target, the screen tears badly in-game as well, rendering G-Sync irrelevant. 

 

I've tried everything I could find online about G-Sync issues and I've yet to figure this thing out. I'm moderately knowledgeable with these things so I'm trying to find the real odd ball reasons for this problem.

[porina]

31 minutes ago, Glazarus said:

Oh, did I mention that because of these one or two frames under the target, the screen tears badly in-game as well, rendering G-Sync irrelevant. 

That's the biggest clue there. If you see tearing below the monitor refresh rate, you're NOT using G-sync. Your settings are messed up somewhere. Start with the basics, does the driver settings report that G-sync is enabled with your monitor? Also the whole point of G-sync is that you don't need to hit any particular refresh rate. Why the obsession with 120? 

 

Also what is your monitor? From an old thread I see an Asus X34P mentioned. It appears to have a native 100 Hz refresh rate with a 120 Hz overclock. I don't have experience with G-sync on overclocked displays, but I think that is an area you need to look into. Does it work properly with the overclock removed?

[Glazarus]

3 minutes ago, porina said:

does the driver settings report that G-sync is enabled with your monitor?

Yes, I even got the monitor's own FPS overlay showing the framerate and the lower than target framerate.

 

3 minutes ago, porina said:

Also the whole point of G-sync is that you don't need to hit any particular refresh rate. Why the obsession with 120?

As mentioned, it doesn't matter which target I aim for, I can put the FPS target to anything and the actual framerate is always one or two frames below that target. I could render the resolution at 480p, all settings on low, aim for a 30 fps target and the G-Sync would end up at 28-29 fps. GPU or CPU load does not affect this issue. 

 

6 minutes ago, porina said:

From an old thread I see an Asus X34P mentioned. It appears to have a native 100 Hz refresh rate with a 120 Hz overclock. I don't have experience with G-sync on overclocked displays, but I think that is an area you need to look into. Does it work properly with the overclock removed?

Yes, I've tried the native mode for this display, no change as it doesn't matter which target I aim for. If I turn of overclock for the monitor and hit anywhere under 100 fps or 100 fps specifically, it's always one or two frames under the intended target. 

 

Tearing can also occur when using G-Sync if the GPU renders frames differently from the G-Sync target. Check Battle(non)sense's youtube channel about this specifically. 

 

The important key issue here is that whatever setting I change, both with locked framerates, graphics settings, resolution etc. nothing change the fact that it's consistently one or two frames under the intended framerate target. That this is consistent, irrelevant to changes, is the mystery here. If I can render a game at the monitor's native resolution at 100 fps and I enable G-Sync and cap the fps at 50 fps, the GPU and CPU will definitely be able to render way above the intended target and not be bottlenecked buy anything, but it still renders at 48-49 fps and screws up the G-sync sync. 

[porina]

5 minutes ago, Glazarus said:

As mentioned, it doesn't matter which target I aim for, I can put the FPS target to anything and the actual framerate is always one or two frames below that target. I could render the resolution at 480p, all settings on low, aim for a 30 fps target and the G-Sync would end up at 28-29 fps. GPU or CPU load does not affect this issue. 

What is this target? I also use a G-sync monitor with nvidia GPU. I've never had to set anything other than optionally enable G-sync for windowed. I think you're over-thinking something here.

 

5 minutes ago, Glazarus said:

Tearing can also occur when using G-Sync if the GPU renders frames differently from the G-Sync target. Check Battle(non)sense's youtube channel about this specifically. 

Can you be more specific? The short version is that if the game rendering rate is below the monitors maximum refresh rate, you should NOT get tearing when G-sync is working. I don't know how it handles the case where the game fps exceeds the monitor refresh but I use either in game or driver limits to prevent that happening anyway. Specifically, I do not want the game fps to reach monitor refresh rate.

[Glazarus]

6 minutes ago, porina said:

What is this target? I also use a G-sync monitor with nvidia GPU. I've never had to set anything other than optionally enable G-sync for windowed. I think you're over-thinking something here.

If you cap the fps you lower the load for your GPU so that it can maintain a more consistent FPS target. However, it doesn't matter, if I don't cap the one-two frames lower problem is still there. So it does not change anything about the issue.

 

As mentioned, I've tried all possible optimization tips that I could find about G-Sync, nothing helps. Not ignoring the tips, not using the tips.

 

8 minutes ago, porina said:

Can you be more specific?

I recommend Battle(non)sense if you need more specific info. 

The key issue here though is that it doesn't matter which target fps value I play at, the monitor can handle 120 fps, my system can handle 120 fps easily but if I play at 100 fps with G-sync I still get tearing and a 98 fps value on all indicators (in-game, GPU tweak indicator and the screen's own indicator). 

 

This is the issue here. If I lower graphics to a fraction of what the system can handle, lower the fps cap for my monitor to way lower than what it can handle, enable G-sync, it works in Windows, but in-game, any game, the fps is one to two frames lower than the target value. Always.  

 

[porina]

19 minutes ago, Glazarus said:

I recommend Battle(non)sense if you need more specific info. 

I am aware of the channel, but I'm not wading through it in the vague hopes of finding what specifically you are referring to.

 

As it is I don't think I'm able to help further. I don't know what you're doing, it doesn't make sense to me, and in my eyes unnecessary. Maybe someone else can help.

[Master Disaster]

So to be clear you're saying the issue is that the display will always render 1 - 2 fps lower than what you lock it to?

 

The question is why are you trying to lock your FPS at all? Find out your displays G Sync range and adjust your resolution and in game setting to hit that range then leave it alone.

 

31 minutes ago, porina said:

I don't know what you're doing, it doesn't make sense to me, and in my eyes unnecessary.

Very much this. I don't understand why you're trying to lock the FPS at all?

 

Also I should add that G Sync does require you to enable V Sync in most games for it to do anything. The reason why it probably isn't working is because you have V Sync disabled.

 

To clairfy, thats G Sync & V Sync On in NVCP then G Sync Off in game though I believe these days most people prefer to run G Sync & Fast Sync On in NVCP then V Sync off in game

[Glazarus]

7 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

Find out your displays G Sync range and adjust your resolution and in game setting to hit that range then leave it alone.

As mentioned, it will always be one to two frames below the cap, regardless of lowering graphics settings. I can put Rainbow Six Siege to its lowest settings, lowest resolution or render resolution, making my system able to pull hundreds of frames over my monitor display and it will still be one or two frames under the monitor chosen framerate. Lowering the framerate will just set a new framerate for which it renders one or two frames below.

 

Graphics settings are irrelevant to the issue. And Rainbow Six Siege always has a framerate target in its options so I need to set that. There is no other option. And setting a target FPS value in GPU tweak II is so that the GPU doesn't render irrelevant frames. 

 

7 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

Also I should add that G Sync does require you to enable V Sync in most games for it to do anything. The reason why it probably isn't working is because you have V Sync disabled.

Isn't this a myth that Battle(non)sense debunked? I read this everywhere but he has tests showing how this just enables V-sync and you get no benefit to latency over using V-sync without G-sync. 

[Master Disaster]

3 minutes ago, Glazarus said:

As mentioned, it will always be one to two frames below the cap, regardless of lowering graphics settings. I can put Rainbow Six Siege to its lowest settings, lowest resolution or render resolution, making my system able to pull hundreds of frames over my monitor display and it will still be one or two frames under the monitor chosen framerate. Lowering the framerate will just set a new framerate for which it renders one or two frames below.

 

Graphics settings are irrelevant to the issue. And Rainbow Six Siege always has a framerate target in its options so I need to set that. There is no other option. And setting a target FPS value in GPU tweak II is so that the GPU doesn't render irrelevant frames.

I'm confused, what chosen framerate? The display doesn't choose a framerate at all, the GPU sends out frames and the monitor draws them as required.

 

6 minutes ago, Glazarus said:

Isn't this a myth that Battle(non)sense debunked? I read this everywhere but he has tests showing how this just enables V-sync and you get no benefit to latency over using V-sync without G-sync. 

Nope, Nvidia themselves say its the case. G Sync does not fix tearing, you need V Sync or Fast Sync tuned on for that.

[Glazarus]

2 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

I'm confused, what chosen framerate?

In-game - (this case Rainbow Six Siege) you have to chose a refresh rate. Here I have it chosen according to my display refresh rate. 
120 hz in Rainbow Six Siege settings and 120 hz on my monitor and Nvidia settings. 

GPU Tweak II - FPS target is set to 120 fps. I've also tried as Battle(non)sense describe, putting this to lower at 117 fps, which doesn't help at all. 

 

In Nvidias control panel - Max 120 fps setting. 

 

I have tried these three in all possible combinations; all set to 120 fps, one each, different values towards each other, higher values on GPU tweak and Nvidia than in Rainbow etc. 

Nothing works or change in-game. Only stable G-Sync framerate is in windows just doing desktop stuff. 120 fps locked, synced and looks nice. In game it tears or stutters and is terrible however I change these settings and however I change them in relation to which Hz I've set the monitor to. 

 

8 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

Nope, Nvidia themselves say its the case. G Sync does not fix tearing, you need V Sync or Fast Sync tuned on for that.

Where does Nvidia say this? G-Sync works by locking the monitor HZ to the framerate of the GPU, but it only does so under the maximum HZ of the monitor. Going above will produce tearing, so you need to lock the FPS to a maximum in order for the GPU to not produce frames above the refresh rate of the monitor. But V-Sync is a software based version of this that produce lag, it is the entire purpose of G-Sync to create a sync that doesn't rely on V-Sync. So you should never have V-Sync or Fast sync enabled while using G-Sync, you should set a maximum framerate that match the maximum refresh rate your monitor is running. 

https://beebom.com/how-setup-configure-nvidia-gsync/

 

I don't understand where the idea that V-sync should be turned on comes from? 

 

 

 

[Glazarus]