How to fix screen tearing ?

[Deleted member 1804690]

Hello everyone :O I have a really annoying problem. So I bought a really really cheap computer. The computers specs are

Processor: Intel Core 2 QUAD CPU Q6600 2.40 ghz
RAM: 4 GB
64 bit operating system
Graphics: ATI radeon HD 4600 Series
And really really old monitor around 5 years old

So the problem is i bought alot of games of steam and i was really exited to play them. But when i played most of the time i got really bad screen tearing. I turned down my graphics (video settings)
but the problem was still there.

I turned on V-Sync and it helped a little bit but i still got really bad screen tearing. I messed around with different settings in catalyst control center but no success. The only game i played without screen tearing was League of legends.

I thought that my graphics card or processor were bad but now i recently bought and downloaded counter strike global offensive. I heard that you can play that game on a potato. So i tried it and it happened again D: Im sick and tired of this screen tearing because i have good pc requirements for that game and i still have screen tearing. I tried and followed many tutorials on youtube but nothing worked. Please guys help me out im desperate

 

[TysonY2]

Screen tearing can happen when your GPU is out performing your monitor. What refresh rate is your monitor? What is your average fps? Are you sure you aren't mixing up screen tearing and artifacting?

 

[bystander]

Screen tearing happens when the GPU and monitor are not synced up, no matter what your FPS are. There are 3 ways to sync them, V-sync, G-sync and Freesync. If you are still getting screen tearing with V-sync, the problem is not screen tearing. Either the monitor, cable or GPU is bad. I've seen this from bad cables, so I'd start there, after doing a fresh driver install.

G-sync and Freesync are not options with an Intel iGP. Those work with Nvidia and AMD respectively.

 

[bystander]

Screen tearing can happen when your GPU is out performing your monitor. What refresh rate is your monitor? What is your average fps? Are you sure you aren't mixing up screen tearing and artifacting?

Tearing happens any time V-sync, G-sync or Freesync is not used. It has NOTHING to do with your GPU outperforming your monitor. Nothing at all. It may be true that some people don't notice it at lower FPS, but it is still there.

 

[TysonY2]

Isn't it when the GPU and monitor aren't synced? The GPU is displaying at an fps to extreme for the monitor to properly keep up with? Frames double up on eachother one way or another and end up "tearing" and image. I was under the impression CPU didn't account for screen tearing as it isn't handling the display with an external gpu...


edit- for example: Running upwards of 100fps on a 60 Hz monitor. Granted, this isn't the OP's case, but I'm under the impression this is the standard cause for screen tearing. G-sync/Freesync then matches your monitors refresh rate with whatever your gpu is kicking out. V-sync caps your gpu's fps output to whatever your monitors refresh rate is.

 

[bystander]

Isn't it when the GPU and monitor aren't synced? The GPU is displaying at an fps to extreme for the monitor to properly keep up with? Frames double up on eachother one way or another and end up "tearing" and image. I was under the impression CPU didn't account for screen tearing as it isn't handling the display with an external gpu...

They aren't synced when V-sync isn't on (or G-sync/Freesync). Here is a break down of how it works for games (video feed has its own methods).

Your monitor refreshes its image every 16.7ms on a 60hz monitor. The time may change depending on the refresh rate, but it is a consistent time. The image it displays, is the image in the front buffer. This process of refreshing the image takes time, most of the 1/60th of a second in fact.

At the same time, the GPU is creating frames. It has no idea when the refreshes are taking place, so it just creates them in a back buffer, and when it is done, it sends it to the front buffer. Since it has no idea when the refresh is taking place, this will usually take place in the middle of the monitor refreshing its image. When this happens, the monitor continues on the same refresh it was on, but now a new image is being displayed from here on. This results in a tear.

V-sync forces the GPU to wait for vertical blanking mode, so when it changes the front buffer image, the monitor is not in the middle of updating an image. But without that requirement, the GPU is updating the front buffer when ever it wants, paying no mind to the monitor's refresh schedule, resulting in tearing. This happens regardless of your FPS.

 

[TysonY2]

So is the cpu in control of managing the sync of the gpu and monitor prior to v-sync? Where does the cpu and gpu having to be synced up come into the equation?

 

[bystander]

So is the cpu in control of managing the sync of the gpu and monitor prior to v-sync? Where does the cpu and gpu having to be synced up come into the equation?

The CPU isn't really part of the equation. The CPU just sends the GPU instructions on how to create a frame. From there, the GPU creates a frame and sends it to the front buffer, where the monitor is updating its image from. The CPU may help facilitate some communication (not sure on that), but it really isn't part of the tearing equation.

 

[Deleted member 1804690]

Screen tearing happens when the GPU and CPU are not synced up, no matter what your FPS are. There are 3 ways to sync them, V-sync, G-sync and Freesync. If you are still getting screen tearing with V-sync, the problem is not screen tearing. Either the monitor, cable or GPU is bad. I've seen this from bad cables, so I'd start there, after doing a fresh driver install.

G-sync and Freesync are not options with an Intel iGP. Those work with Nvidia and AMD respectively.

Hey man thanks for your fast answer. I have basically around 30 fps when im playing the game but when i go in area of effect like smoke or something like that it drops to 15-20 fps... What cable are you talking about though. The cable that is connecting my monitor to computer ? I thought that my computer was the problem or that i had a virus soo i formated windows like 3x times and it still happens.

 

[TysonY2]

In your first post you mentioned the GPU and CPU not being synced up, I suppose that is what through me off..

 

[bystander]

Yes, that was the cable I'm talking about. It may be worth trying a different connection, if one is available. i.e. if you are using HDMI, try a DVI cable.

 

[bystander]

In your first post you mentioned the GPU and CPU not being synced up, I suppose that is what through me off..

Sorry, I meant monitor, not CPU.

 

[Deleted member 1804690]

Yes, that was the cable I'm talking about. It may be worth trying a different connection, if one is available. i.e. if you are using HDMI, try a DVI cable.

Wait can screen tearing happen if i have bad connection. I will give you some information about it if it will help.
I have 13 ping, 6.50 download speed (mbps), 1 upload speed (mbps)
And i think im using DVI cable. The cable looks something like this http://bryankollar.com/shopping/images/dvi%20monitor.jpg

 

[TysonY2]

No, your internet speed does not play a factor is screen tearing haha. I think he meant a connection between your monitor and your gpu. Yes, it looks like your using a DVI cable. As said before as well, try a clean driver install if you haven't already.

 

[Deleted member 1804690]

No, your internet speed does not play a factor is screen tearing haha. I think he meant a connection between your monitor and your gpu. Yes, it looks like your using a DVI cable. As said before as well, try a clean driver install if you haven't already.

Oh xD Im not good at this kind of stuff how do i find out connection between the monitor and GPU ? And yes i did. I formated windows 7 and I installed every single driver with Driver booster 2

 

[bystander]

No, your internet speed does not play a factor is screen tearing haha. I think he meant a connection between your monitor and your gpu. Yes, it looks like your using a DVI cable. As said before as well, try a clean driver install if you haven't already.

Oh xD Im not good at this kind of stuff how do i find out connection between the monitor and GPU ? And yes i did. I formated windows 7 and I installed every single driver with Driver booster 2

You may have a pin bent on that DVI cable. If you have another cable around, you may want to try that one.

 

[TysonY2]

I'm not familiar with that software, so I can't account for its reliability. It could possible it could have installed and outdated or even wrong driver. It could help to specifically uninstall your gpu's drivers and reisntall the latest version from amd. Just food for thought, it may not solve your problem, but it would cross it off the list of possibilities. Cross out the easy-n-cheap solutions first DVI cable, then drivers, and so on.

 

[Deleted member 1804690]

I'm not familiar with that software, so I can't account for its reliability. It could possible it could have installed and outdated or even wrong driver. It could help to specifically uninstall your gpu's drivers and reisntall the latest version from amd. Just food for thought, it may not solve your problem, but it would cross it off the list of possibilities. Cross out the easy-n-cheap solutions first DVI cable, then drivers, and so on.

Ok im going to go reinstall my drivers for graphics card and processor Thank you so much for the help though. I will be back in about 10 min. I hope you will be still here at that time xD

 

[TysonY2]

As Bystander said, be sure to check your DVI cable as well.

 

[Deleted member 1804690]

As Bystander said, be sure to check your DVI cable as well.

I got a little problem im not sure which driver do i need to download and install for my processor so i used intel driver update utility. And i clicked on Auto detect and it found nothing. I think all my drivers are up to date :O But i dont know how to download drivers manually though

 

[TysonY2]

Your card is AMD based, so the drivers you are after are located here: http://support.amd.com/en-us/download

Youtube how to install amd drivers, im sure there are many results. Id write it out myself, but I'm afraid I'm short on time at the moment. Hope this helps!