Certain games feel like they're stuttering/low fps even with high fps in windowed borderless mode.

[OwenLLOYD]

Relevant Specs?:
R5 1600 @3.7ghz
GTX 1060 6GB
Corsair 16GB DDR4 @3200mhz
iiyama Black Hawk 1920x1080 @75hz
A secondary monitor 1920x1080 @60hz

Games run smooth and fine when in fullscreen mode however a lot of games I play such as Rocket League don't like to be tabbed out when in fullscreen and often crash when doing so.

The problem:
Playing in windowed borderless causes all of my games to feel like they're running at somewhere around 30fps rather than 75fps. They don't feel smooth at all. The problem used to be caused by having something like a youtube video playing on my second monitor, and simply not having a youtube video playing on the second monitor meant that I could play games in windowed borderless at a smooth 75fps just fine. Now even with nothing open on the second monitor, the game feels like its at 30fps.

I've got almost no experience with higher refresh rate monitors so all help is appreciated.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Can you show screenshot from MSI afterburner hardware monitoring window, when under gaming load?
(graphs important: FPS, cpu usage/temp, gpu usage/temp, memory usage, ram usage, pagefile usage)

Spoiler

MSI afterburner hardware monitoring window looks like this:

 

[Rogue Leader]

Are either of your monitors gsync?

If so and gsync is on, it will lock the framerate to the desktop fps (which is 30).

Also make sure to set your display to the highest refresh rate in Nvidia control panel.

 

[OwenLLOYD]

Are either of your monitors gsync?

If so and gsync is on, it will lock the framerate to the desktop fps (which is 30).

Also make sure to set your display to the highest refresh rate in Nvidia control panel.

Monitor has AMD freesync. Refresh rate was already set to 75hz in the Nvidia control panel.

 

[Rogue Leader]

Are either of your monitors gsync?

If so and gsync is on, it will lock the framerate to the desktop fps (which is 30).

Also make sure to set your display to the highest refresh rate in Nvidia control panel.

Monitor has AMD freesync. Refresh rate was already set to 75hz in the Nvidia control panel.

Ok freesync won't do anything (make sure its off in the monitors controls anyway). In game graphical settings do you have vsync on?

 

[OwenLLOYD]

Can you show screenshot from MSI afterburner hardware monitoring window, when under gaming load?
(graphs important: FPS, cpu usage/temp, gpu usage/temp, memory usage, ram usage, pagefile usage)

Spoiler

MSI afterburner hardware monitoring window looks like this:

MSI_Screenshot_1
MSI_Screenshot_2

 

[OwenLLOYD]

Are either of your monitors gsync?

If so and gsync is on, it will lock the framerate to the desktop fps (which is 30).

Also make sure to set your display to the highest refresh rate in Nvidia control panel.

Monitor has AMD freesync. Refresh rate was already set to 75hz in the Nvidia control panel.

Ok freesync won't do anything (make sure its off in the monitors controls anyway). In game graphical settings do you have vsync on?

V-sync is not on. Turning it on doesn't seem to make any difference either. This also locks the fps to 60.

 

[toshibitsu]

Freesync is specifically designed for AMD based graphics cards(or really, any cards that want to support that format). However, it is not compatible with Nvidia cards. Nvidia uses their own proprietary "gsync".
Also, make sure you are using either an HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 1.4 cable(DisplayPort preferred). If you are using an out-dated cable, it could potentially cause some mild 'lag'.

 

[Rogue Leader]

V-sync is not on. Turning it on doesn't seem to make any difference either. This also locks the fps to 60.

vsync locks the fps to the refresh rate of the monitor, in some cases if you have the desktop and game shown since the desktop runs at 30fps it can lock to 30, especially if the desktop is set as the primary monitor. Thats another thing you can try is to ensure the monitor the game is on is set to primary.

Freesync is specifically designed for AMD based graphics cards(or really, any cards that want to support that format). However, it is not compatible with Nvidia cards. Nvidia uses their own proprietary "gsync".
Also, make sure you are using either an HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 1.4 cable(DisplayPort preferred). If you are using an out-dated cable, it could potentially cause some mild 'lag'.

Yeah thats not true at all. First off many older cables support the newer standard, secondly there is not nor has there ever been lag introduced by lower HDMI or displayport cables. What you do lose is if you have a cable that somehow can't handle the resolution then it won't allow it. For example if you have an old cable that won't handle HDMI 2.0 then you can't run 4k/60fps, only 4k/30. In his case hes running at 1080p so this is not the problem.

 

[OwenLLOYD]

Freesync is specifically designed for AMD based graphics cards(or really, any cards that want to support that format). However, it is not compatible with Nvidia cards. Nvidia uses their own proprietary "gsync".
Also, make sure you are using either an HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 1.4 cable(DisplayPort preferred). If you are using an out-dated cable, it could potentially cause some mild 'lag'.

I'm currently using a DP 1.2 cable. However the problem only happens when running games in windowed borderless. Fullscreen works perfectly fine apart from tabbing out. Could the DP 1.2 cable still cause this kind of issue?

 

[Rogue Leader]

Freesync is specifically designed for AMD based graphics cards(or really, any cards that want to support that format). However, it is not compatible with Nvidia cards. Nvidia uses their own proprietary "gsync".
Also, make sure you are using either an HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 1.4 cable(DisplayPort preferred). If you are using an out-dated cable, it could potentially cause some mild 'lag'.

I'm currently using a DP 1.2 cable. However the problem only happens when running games in windowed borderless. Fullscreen works perfectly fine apart from tabbing out. Could the DP 1.2 cable still cause this kind of issue?

No, his info is completely wrong on that.

 

[SkyNetRising]

MSI_Screenshot_1
MSI_Screenshot_2

Didn't see FPS and cpu usage/temp in those screenshots.

 

[OwenLLOYD]

vsync locks the fps to the refresh rate of the monitor, in some cases if you have the desktop and game shown since the desktop runs at 30fps it can lock to 30, especially if the desktop is set as the primary monitor. Thats another thing you can try is to ensure the monitor the game is on is set to primary.

My primary monitor (75hz one) is set as my main display in both the Nvidia control panel and the windows display properties.

 

[OwenLLOYD]

MSI_Screenshot_1
MSI_Screenshot_2

Didn't see FPS and cpu usage/temp in those screenshots.

Screen3
Screen4
Screen5

Couldn't see any fps read out on msi but ingame its 180-200fps

 

[Rogue Leader]

vsync locks the fps to the refresh rate of the monitor, in some cases if you have the desktop and game shown since the desktop runs at 30fps it can lock to 30, especially if the desktop is set as the primary monitor. Thats another thing you can try is to ensure the monitor the game is on is set to primary.

My primary monitor (75hz one) is set as my main display in both the Nvidia control panel and the windows display properties.

Ok I know you said how it feels but have you measured the fps in the window?

I did some research on the Nvidia drivers because this problem sounded familiar to me and it may be a driver issue. Have you updated them recently? Any chance you can roll back.

Have you tried also clicking on something else outside the game taking it out of focus, and then returning to the game? Does that fix it?

 

[OwenLLOYD]

vsync locks the fps to the refresh rate of the monitor, in some cases if you have the desktop and game shown since the desktop runs at 30fps it can lock to 30, especially if the desktop is set as the primary monitor. Thats another thing you can try is to ensure the monitor the game is on is set to primary.

My primary monitor (75hz one) is set as my main display in both the Nvidia control panel and the windows display properties.

Ok I know you said how it feels but have you measured the fps in the window?

I did some research on the Nvidia drivers because this problem sounded familiar to me and it may be a driver issue. Have you updated them recently? Any chance you can roll back.

Have you tried also clicking on something else outside the game taking it out of focus, and then returning to the game? Does that fix it?

Ok I know you said how it feels but have you measured the fps in the window?

I've enabled the fps counter in the steam overlay and it stays at around 180-200fps

I did some research on the Nvidia drivers because this problem sounded familiar to me and it may be a driver issue. Have you updated them recently? Any chance you can roll back.

I updated the drivers yesterday and the problem was the same before then as well.

Have you tried also clicking on something else outside the game taking it out of focus, and then returning to the game? Does that fix it?

This didn't fix it.

 

[Rogue Leader]

I did some research on the Nvidia drivers because this problem sounded familiar to me and it may be a driver issue. Have you updated them recently? Any chance you can roll back.

I updated the drivers yesterday and the problem was the same before then as well.

Ok but I'm saying can you try an older version of the drivers, maybe this happened after a driver update, and an older driver version will fix it (this has fixed this issue in the past).

 

[toshibitsu]

So cable versions have no effect on 1080p then? That's cool then.

I had been using an HDMI 2.0 cable on my LG 43" 4K TV and it seemed to handle just fine. When I got my LG 55" OLED 4K TV, I then started noticing weird 'lag'(but only slightly). It was enough that it bothered me & I ended up getting an HDMI 2.1 cable. Since then the problem went away.

 

[OwenLLOYD]

I did some research on the Nvidia drivers because this problem sounded familiar to me and it may be a driver issue. Have you updated them recently? Any chance you can roll back.

I updated the drivers yesterday and the problem was the same before then as well.

Ok but I'm saying can you try an older version of the drivers, maybe this happened after a driver update, and an older driver version will fix it (this has fixed this issue in the past).

I'll give it a go. how far back would be a reasonable time to go to?

 

[SkyNetRising]

Screen3
Screen4
Screen5
Couldn't see any fps read out on msi but ingame its 180-200fps

Everything looks good there.

You get FPS graph, if RivaTuner statistics server is installed together with MSI afterburner. If you chose not to install RivaTuner statistics, then you don't get FPS graph.

 

[Rogue Leader]

So cable versions have no effect on 1080p then? That's cool then.

I had been using an HDMI 2.0 cable on my LG 43" 4K TV and it seemed to handle just fine. When I got my LG 55" OLED 4K TV, I then started noticing weird 'lag'(but only slightly). It was enough that it bothered me & I ended up getting an HDMI 2.1 cable. Since then the problem went away.

It was likely you just had a bad cable.

I'll give it a go. how far back would be a reasonable time to go to?

Try to figure out when you noticed this change, and then get a driver from before that time. If it still happens, its worth even pushing back a few more months. I'm not sure if you're someone whom updates immediately when new drivers are out or not.

 

[OwenLLOYD]

Try to figure out when you noticed this change, and then get a driver from before that time. If it still happens, its worth even pushing back a few more months. I'm not sure if you're someone whom updates immediately when new drivers are out or not.

March 27 driver didn't fix it. Trying Jan 8 now...

 

[OwenLLOYD]

Try to figure out when you noticed this change, and then get a driver from before that time. If it still happens, its worth even pushing back a few more months. I'm not sure if you're someone whom updates immediately when new drivers are out or not.

March 27 driver didn't fix it. Trying Jan 8 now...

Neither of those worked. Issue only happened fairly recently after I bought the new monitor.

 

[Rogue Leader]

Try to figure out when you noticed this change, and then get a driver from before that time. If it still happens, its worth even pushing back a few more months. I'm not sure if you're someone whom updates immediately when new drivers are out or not.

March 27 driver didn't fix it. Trying Jan 8 now...

Ok, if that still doesn't fix it we can work from there. One thing also is some monitor OSD's when you are changing settings will tell you what refresh rate and resolution they are running at. Can you check and see if the monitor says that when you have the issue?

 

[OwenLLOYD]

Try to figure out when you noticed this change, and then get a driver from before that time. If it still happens, its worth even pushing back a few more months. I'm not sure if you're someone whom updates immediately when new drivers are out or not.

March 27 driver didn't fix it. Trying Jan 8 now...

Ok, if that still doesn't fix it we can work from there. One thing also is some monitor OSD's when you are changing settings will tell you what refresh rate and resolution they are running at. Can you check and see if the monitor says that when you have the issue?

In-game in windowed borderless. FPS counter was showing 191 at the time however still feels closer to 30fps.