Edges Flickering/Shimmering in all games! Help!

[Jswen4]

Alright, here it goes. I have been pulling my hair out over this issue, so any help here would be MUCH appreciated.

The issue is: in all my games; minecraft, skyrim, L4D, Dishonored, NBA 2k, (even youtube videos of gameplay) the edges of textures (in the distance) flicker and sort of crawl as the camera moves. It happens more to thin textures like ropes, rails, fences, etc... especially if theres a light source. It is really distracting and was NEVER there before. Again, my computer was looking great and out of no where this issue arose.

I have tried the following:
1. I tested 4 different graphics cards both amd and nvidia all with the same issue.
2. No amount of AA or AF or TRAA helps. It does its job because up close textures look amazing but distant textures still shimmer badly.
3. I tried re-positioning the graphics card 4 or 5 times. And tried putting it in different slots.
4. I tried the latest version of the nvidia driver, using driver sweeper and have the same issue. I have also tried older versions of the driver as well.
5. I checked all my hardware, there's enough power getting to everything, my cpu is running cool and smooth, even my games run amazingly well except for this issue.
6. I have tried 3 different monitors and different dvi/avg cables. Still persists.
7. I have updated the BIOS to its latest version. No help.
8. I have messed around with every setting in the nvidia control panel. Especially things like negative LoD bias and what not. Still no help.

Nothing is OC at the moment.

I have honestly tried everything i can think of [strike]except re installing windows[/strike] and/or trying to figure out what piece of hardware might be causing this. If anyone can help me out it would be much much appreciated. Thanks.

UPDATE: Here is a video I made of what this problem looks like in skyrim. Its much worse in-game (watch in 720p): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlg4C0_3fUM

Edit: I re-installed windows and the problem is still there, so theres that crossed of the list.

Specs: Windows 7 Home Premium SP1
GTX 670 (Nvidia) x1
i5 2500-k Sandy Bridge @3.3 ghz
Acer 1600 x 900 lcd screen
8k MB of RAM

 

[PaulSZ]

I read a thread in Geforce forums saying that it might be a "hardware virus" could it really be like that? Do I have to buy a whole new PC ??
Link for the topic:
https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/831430/geforce-900-series/pixelated-shadows-texture-popins-gtx-960-970-980-ect-/1/

What is described on that post is different than what the OP posted about.

They are both speaking about shimmering edge flickering or aliasing ...

 

[bystander]

Not the post I read. He's talking about blur and pop in stuff.

 

[PaulSZ]

Alright sorry about that.
The weird thing is that I have the exact same Aliasing \ Edges flickering problem in both my Desktop and Laptop. WTH is going on ???

 

[bystander]

What is going on is that aliasing is a common problem with video games. Actually, aliasing is a problem with display technology. AA is just a way to disguise the problem.

Displays and GPU's generate digital images. Digital images inherently have aliasing.

 

[SvediZZ]

^ Yeah but the problem I have is that I get shitloads of flickering and aliasing no matter how high my AA setting is.

 

[bystander]

^ Yeah but the problem I have is that I get shitloads of flickering and aliasing no matter how high my AA setting is.

If it is like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlg4C0_3fUM
then you just have normal aliasing. As games get more realistic, and have more surfaces, AA techniques are having a harder time disguising aliasing.

Try down sampling. It helps in games which their offered AA techniques don't. You could try DSR or VSR as well, which is pretty much down sampling.

If you have a video, maybe you can show it. It is possible it is some other issue all together, but the video the OP posted is 100% normal.

 

[SvediZZ]

^ Yeah but the problem I have is that I get shitloads of flickering and aliasing no matter how high my AA setting is.

If it is like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlg4C0_3fUM





then you just have normal aliasing. As games get more realistic, and have more surfaces, AA techniques are having a harder time disguising aliasing.

Try down sampling. It helps in games which their offered
AA techniques don't. You could try DSR or VSR as well, which is pretty much down sampling.

If you have a video, maybe you can show it. It is possible it is some other issue all together, but the video the OP posted is 100% normal.

It is like that but I don't think it's normal as I didn't see it on my old 1600x900 monitor with low AA and now I see it everywhere. Btw I have a recorded vid of The Crew from when I didn't have the problem but when I watch it now it flickers like hell. Can't upload it though since it's 36GB big.

 

[SvediZZ]

Btw DSR is shitty as hell, it just makes the game look worse. I tried downsampling the traditional way by creating a custom resolution and it actually made quite the picture improvement compared to DSR.

 

[bystander]

Btw DSR is shitty as hell, it just makes the game look worse. I tried downsampling the traditional way by creating a custom resolution and it actually made quite the picture improvement compared to DSR.

DSR/VSR does down sampling of some sort, at least as far as Nvidia and AMD claim, but DSR also adds a smoothness option, which a lot of people dislike. Most say to lower from the default.

And that video I linked is exactly how everyone who plays Skyrim, sees it at the load screen. It is 100% normal.

You likely had a CRT with sharpness tuned in a way that it blurred things so you didn't notice it, or you are just imagining differences. It happens when people update their gear.

If it is not the same as the video I linked, then you have to show us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlg4C0_3fUM

 

[SvediZZ]

Btw DSR is shitty as hell, it just makes the game look worse. I tried downsampling the traditional way by creating a custom resolution and it actually made quite the picture improvement compared to DSR.

I will upload a portion of the video and I'll show you how it is. Not now though as I have to sleep.

DSR/VSR does down sampling of some sort, at least as far as Nvidia and AMD claim, but DSR also adds a smoothness option, which a lot of people dislike. Most say to lower from the default.

And that video I linked is exactly how everyone who plays Skyrim, sees it at the load screen. It is 100% normal.

You likely had a CRT with sharpness tuned in a way that it blurred things so you didn't notice it, or you are just imagining differences. It happens when people update their gear.

If it is not the same as the video I linked, then you have to show us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlg4C0_3fUM

 

[SvediZZ]

I couldn't reply properly, just look at the top of the quote i made.

 

[SvediZZ]

Btw DSR is shitty as hell, it just makes the game look worse. I tried downsampling the traditional way by creating a custom resolution and it actually made quite the picture improvement compared to DSR.

unfortunately Idk how to cut a video so I wont be able to show you how it is. But here's an example I can tell you about. Most thin objects with lines like wooden walls or fences flickers when you look at them from a distance. I know that's not normal, especially not with the 8x MSAA in-game setting.

DSR/VSR does down sampling of some sort, at least as far as Nvidia and AMD claim, but DSR also adds a smoothness option, which a lot of people dislike. Most say to lower from the default.

And that video I linked is exactly how everyone who plays Skyrim, sees it at the load screen. It is 100% normal.

You likely had a CRT with sharpness tuned in a way that it blurred things so you didn't notice it, or you are just imagining differences. It happens when people update their gear.

If it is not the same as the video I linked, then you have to show us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlg4C0_3fUM

 

[SvediZZ]

unfortunately Idk how to cut a video so I wont be able to show you how it is. But here's an example I can tell you about. Most thin objects with lines like wooden walls or fences flickers when you look at them from a distance. I know that's not normal, especially not with the 8x MSAA in-game setting.

 

[bystander]

unfortunately Idk how to cut a video so I wont be able to show you how it is. But here's an example I can tell you about. Most thin objects with lines like wooden walls or fences flickers when you look at them from a distance. I know that's not normal, especially not with the 8x MSAA in-game setting.

It can be, depending on whether or not MSAA is even applied to the type of item. MSAA does not apply to many things, which is why it seems more of a problem today than a few years ago. As games get more detailed, more and more items do not get fixed by MSAA.

SSAA is the only form of AA that tends to fix everything.

 

[SvediZZ]

unfortunately Idk how to cut a video so I wont be able to show you how it is. But here's an example I can tell you about. Most thin objects with lines like wooden walls or fences flickers when you look at them from a distance. I know that's not normal, especially not with the 8x MSAA in-game setting.

It can be, depending on whether or not MSAA is even applied to the type of item. MSAA does not apply to many things, which is why it seems more of a problem today than a few years ago. As
games get more detailed, more and more items do not get fixed by MSAA.

SSAA is the only form of AA
that tends to fix everything.

Well I used SSAA x2 + CMAA and still saw a bit of flickering on stairs and such from a far.

 

[SvediZZ]

Just tried playing some GTA 5 and it's horrible. No matter how high downsampling resolution I use or what AA option I use it flickers like hell.

 

[bystander]

Unless you can produce a video, all we can assume is the standard aliasing everyone in the other video sees, which is normal.

You can talk about how horrible it is all you like, as did everyone in the video posted before, but as everyone said in the link, they all get it. That is how gaming is.

And how did you go about applying SSAA? You do know that many games won't allow you to force it and with Nvidia control panel, there is only an option to try to use it with transparencies. That is not the same as applying SSAA to the whole screen.

 

[SvediZZ]

Here's an example video I made, unfortunately it's only at 360p atm but you'll be able to see soon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVb5YnU0kvk&feature=youtu.be

 

[SvediZZ]

Unless you can produce a video, all we can assume is the standard aliasing everyone in the other video sees, which is normal.

You can talk about how horrible it is all you like, as did everyone in the video posted before, but
as everyone said in the link, they all get it. That is how gaming is.

And how did you go about applying SSAA? You do know that many games won't allow you to force it and with Nvidia control panel, there is only an option to try to use it with transparencies. That is not the same as applying SSAA to the whole screen.

There's two options in-game for SSAA x2 and SSAA X2 + CMAA. Also it seems that you've never gamed at any resolution at 720p or higher because the flickering is NOT normal and I didn't even have it before.

 

[bystander]

I game at 1080p and 10 years ago, MSAA used to fix it very well. Since DX10 and DX11, new rendering methods have been used, which doesn't work well with MSAA, and these problems have gotten worse. Especially with console ports, which consoles don't even try to fix for the most part, so we get engines which don't fix it well. Add to an increased amount of detail and objects, so it happens in a lot more locations than in the past and it is a lot bigger issue than ever.

SSAA x2 should help, SSAA x4 should pretty much remove it. I'm not sure how SSAA x2 + CMAA would do.

 

[SvediZZ]

I game at 1080p and 10 years ago, MSAA used to fix it very well. Since DX10 and DX11, new rendering methods have been used, which doesn't work well with MSAA, and these problems have gotten worse. Especially with console ports, which consoles don't even try to fix for the most part, so we get engines which don't fix it well.

SSAA x2 should help, SSAA x4 should pretty much remove it. I'm not sure how SSAA x2 + CMAA would do.

I know there's a problem tho, just look at the video. I will buy a new monitor which is smaller and also an IPS. (Smaller monitor = smaller pixels)

 

[bystander]

I don't see anything unusual, but at 360p it would have been down sampled and alter the way it looks.

What size and resolution is your monitor now?

 

[bystander]

I know there's a problem tho, just look at the video. I will buy a new monitor which is smaller and also an IPS. (Smaller monitor = smaller pixels)

How do you know that this is a problem? It might help us if we knew.

 

[bystander]

This is a pretty good post about the problem: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2098015/poor-anti-aliasing-games-years-solution.html

Basically you have 2 options: 1) avoid the type of games where it is a problem (any 1st person view, or 3rd person view), or 2) learn to live with it.

 

[SvediZZ]

I don't see anything unusual, but at 360p it would have been down sampled and alter the way it looks.

What size and resolution is your monitor now?

Look at 1080p. My monitor is 24" which seems too big for 1080p.