[SOLVED] Nvidia, and Screen Tearing

[tunatuna302]

I have a 144hz 1440p monitor, I have been having screen tearing when I dip below 144fps and that was the effect of not having g sync or anything like that avaliable. I heard that Nvidia is releasing G sync to current non g sync monitors in a driver update. My display is freesync. Am I finally going to be able to play 144hz with no screen tearing? Will the upgrade be avaliable for my monitor? Why don't I get screen tearing when I go above 144fps? I know that's good but why?

 

[tunatuna302]

any settings will be listed on the 2 link, anything else will be driver/monitor compatible issue.

also, I didn't see anything saying anything other than setting monitor technology to g sync compatible. Is there anything more than only that setting?

 

[tunatuna302]

I have a 144hz 1440p monitor, I have been having screen tearing when I dip below 144fps

Screen tearing doesn't happen because you dip below the monitor's refresh rate. Screen tearing happens all the time unless by coincidence your graphics card happens to finish drawing a frame exactly when the screen refreshes (which is almost never).

Normally the large (and variable) difference between framerate and refresh rate means the graphics card finishes drawing a frame at random points in the image. So the tear line will jump all over the screen making it hard to see. But as your frame rate approaches the refresh rate, the movement of the tear line gradually switches from jumping all over the screen to a slow crawl. That's because at 145 fps, the video card draws an addition 1/145th of a screen each time the monitor refreshes. So the tear line slowly advances down 1/145th of the screen each refresh (meaning it takes a little over 1 second for the tear line to travel down the entire screen). Same thing at 143 fps, except the tear line moves slowly up the screen.

So unless you have v-sync on, or have a G-sync or Freesync monitor, there will always be tearing. How visible it is will depend on how sensitive your eyes are to it, and how close the framerate and refresh rate are to a ratio of two integers. (The effect most pronounced at 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, etc, less so at 3:2, 5:2, 7:2, etc, even less at 4:3, 5:3, 7:3, 8:3, etc, and so on. It's actually the same thing that makes musical chords - the frequencies of the notes in a chord are integer ratios making them harmonize with each other.)

So if you're seeing a lot of tearing and your framerate is close to 144 fps, you can try dropping your monitor's refresh rate down to 120 Hz if it supports it. That should be enough of a difference to sufficiently randomize the location of the tear lines so it's less visible (5:6 ratio, meaning a tear line at exactly 144 fps will advance over 20% of the screen each refresh). Acoustic engineers do this sort of stuff all the time to reduce the noise profile of computer fans, prevent jet engines from shaking themselves apart, etc.

I have an agon ag241qx but it shows up as ag241qg4 on nvidia control panel. Why? and the ag241qg4 is on the list for compatible monitors. my default is set g sync on so Im 99 percent sure I should be able to play g sync on this monitor. why doesn't it work? there is still the same amount of stuttering even when it is turned on.

 

[boju]

Think those two monitors are the same. I looked around and have seen the question asked but no reply.

Anyway lets assume they are. Looks like Freesync is an automatic feature, no on/off switch. But there are other osd menu options to try.

Bit on these options here;
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/aoc-ag271qx-agon-27-inch-freesync-monitor,4860-2.html

Manual here; https://eu.aoc.com/en/gaming/products/ag271qx/support

Osd settings are
Game mode: fps
Low input lag: on (this option is greyed out when an amd card is detected for Freesync, try it anyway)
Overdrive: strong

Id imagine if a monitor auto detects Freesync that could be tricky.

---

Alternative unorthodox method

Limit fps to 143 and enable vsync.

 

[tunatuna302]

Think those two monitors are the same. I looked around and have seen the question asked but no reply.

Anyway lets assume they are. Looks like Freesync is an automatic feature, no on/off switch. But there are other osd menu options to try.

Bit on these options here;
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/aoc-ag271qx-agon-27-inch-freesync-monitor,4860-2.html

Manual here; https://eu.aoc.com/en/gaming/products/ag271qx/support

Osd settings are
Game mode: fps
Low input lag: on (this option is greyed out when an amd card is detected for Freesync, try it anyway)
Overdrive: strong

Id imagine if a monitor auto detects Freesync that could be tricky.

---

Alternative unorthodox method

Limit fps to 143 and enable vsync.

so FreeSync turns on auto when I enable G-Sync should I still do all of what you said?

 

[boju]

so FreeSync turns on auto when I enable G-Sync

Is that a question or you know Freesync is on? I'm not 100% sure how this works but if the monitor's OSD option 'Low input lag' isn't greyed out im not sure Freesync is on. Or it might not matter? I don't know, just says in the manual this option is greyed out when Freesync is on so i'd imagine dynamic sync range takes over.

should I still do all of what you said?

Won't hurt to try.

 

[tunatuna302]

so FreeSync turns on auto when I enable G-Sync

Is that a question or you know Freesync is on? I'm not 100% sure how this works but if the monitor's OSD option 'Low input lag' isn't greyed out im not sure Freesync is on. Or it might not matter? I don't know, just says in the manual this option is greyed out when Freesync is on so i'd imagine dynamic sync range takes over.

should I still do all of what you said?

Won't hurt to try.

I think im gonna ask nvidia support saying: which settings they tested the monitor on. will they be able to help?

 

[boju]

I don't think Nvidia would test individual monitors by adjusting osd options but can ask. I only suggested those to see if it helps.

They'll most likely explain how to enable Freesync in NvidiaCP the same way techspot explained in the link rgd1101 gave.

Enabling G-Sync on your FreeSync monitor section

https://www.techspot.com/article/1779-freesync-and-nvidia-geforce/

Enabling Freesync on Nvidia is still early days, hope support improves.

 

[TJ Hooker]

Are you using HDMI or Displayport?

 

[boju]

Good question. Hdmi isnt supported with this feature, only Displayport

Just assumed Displayport was used seeing they described monitor as 1440p 144Hz.

 

[tunatuna302]

Are you using HDMI or Displayport?

DP

 

[tunatuna302]

Good question. Hdmi isnt supported with this feature, only Displayport

Just assumed Displayport was used seeing they described monitor as 1440p 144Hz.

DP

 

[boju]

Replying to TJ would have been enough.

 

[tunatuna302]

Replying to TJ would have been enough.

is there anybody who tested this monitor with g sync? I searched but couldnt find anything

 

[boju]

Too early really. Maybe in time?

In the meantime try the settings i suggested to enhance your monitor and do try the unorthodox way of tricking vsync by capping fps rate to 143 while vsync works at the monitor's refresh rate of 144. I've tried this before and i found there was hardly any input lag and tearing should be minimal with vsync on.

 

[boju]

Games that don't have built in fps limiters, can use Msi Afterburner or Nvidia Inspector.

 

[tunatuna302]

Too early really. Maybe in time?

In the meantime try the settings i suggested to enhance your monitor and do try the unorthodox way of tricking vsync by capping fps rate to 143 while vsync works at the monitor's refresh rate of 144. I've tried this before and i found there was hardly any input lag and tearing should be minimal with vsync on.

Games that don't have built in fps limiters, can use Msi Afterburner or Nvidia Inspector.

are you telling me to turn on v sync?

 

[tunatuna302]

read this
https://techreport.com/news/34403/how-to-enable-freesync-on-the-geforce-417-71-drivers
or
https://www.techspot.com/article/1779-freesync-and-nvidia-geforce/

are there any specific 3d settings that I’m supposed to put?

 

[boju]

Yeah turn on vsync in NvidiaCP but limit fps to 143 first. Try it.

 

[tunatuna302]

Yeah turn on vsync in NvidiaCP but limit fps to 143 first. Try it.

should I use frame limiter v2 ?

 

[boju]

I haven't used that one but if it does the job then yeah, give it a shot.

 

[tunatuna302]

I haven't used that one but if it does the job then yeah, give it a shot.

this works in every game right?

 

[boju]

Using a program to limit fps should work for all games. Games that have built-in fps limiters you can also set im not sure, id say it should still work.

 

[boju]

The idea behind limiting fps just below the refresh rate atleast by 1 frame seems to behave like a phantom buffer when vsync is on. My experience is i didn't get vsync input lag and no tearing. But this was back when i was using 60Hz monitor.

 

[tunatuna302]

The idea behind limiting fps just below the refresh rate atleast by 1 frame seems to behave like a phantom buffer when vsync is on. My experience is i didn't get vsync input lag and no tearing. But this was back when i was using 60Hz monitor.

so btw if you didn't understand my problem, I get tearing at less than 144 fps

 

[tunatuna302]

The idea behind limiting fps just below the refresh rate atleast by 1 frame seems to behave like a phantom buffer when vsync is on. My experience is i didn't get vsync input lag and no tearing. But this was back when i was using 60Hz monitor.

still not working btw