Stuttering with different resolutions?

ItsAlpey

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My games runs smooth on my native 2560x1080 resolution, but when I play on 1920x1080 or anything lower I get a strange stutter every few seconds. Tried on multiple games so it isn't just one either it's a system issue I think.

- GTX 970 Asus strix (OC'd but tried stock speeds)
- i5 3570K
- 8GB RAM
- SSD (Running 3GB/s SATA)

Any help appreciated
 
Solution
So at higher resolution, the GPU is working harder, so it can't feed data as fast back too your i5. Apparently when you drop back to 1080p, your GPU isn't as under as much load as at higher resolution, so it's feeding data back back to your CPU faster than the cpu can handle, hence the stuttering.

Do you have vsync turned on? If not, turn that on to see if it helps. It should try to limit your GPU to only putting out 60 fps, which your CPU should handle. You can also try turning everything on 1080p up to max with all the AA and textures etc turned up as well. That should also put a heavier load on the GPU and balance things out.
Only thing I can think of is that it is somehow related to VSYNC but usually you get stutters when the FPS drops below the monitor refresh (i.e. VSYNC ON 60Hz panel, but FPS drops below 60FPS thus causing stuttering due to frame time differences).

Things to try:
1) drop game quality
2) VSYNC ON vs VSYNC OFF (if you think it's VSYNC then maybe force Adaptive VSYNC so if it drops below the target you get screen tear but not added stuttering)

3) change to GPU scaling (In NVidia Control Panel) + Aspect (or if that's the case change to MONITOR scaling with ASPECT set on the monitor itself to avoid stretching)
 

ItsAlpey

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The fps will be at a smooth 60+ and it will just stutter down to 10 or something, it's almost like HDD throttling or temp issues but both are fine.

Whenever I run VSYNC ON it causes input lag unfortunately.

My scaling is performed on 'Display' at the moment and set to 'Aspect ratio', should I change this? I like 1920x1080 to be stretched for gaming.


 
Are you running a lot of aa effects etc? It seems like when the 970 was released they had a debacle where that if the 4gb on the card, 512mb if that ram was slower than the other 3.5gb. if you are dropping resolution, it seems that would let you run higher as, etc on the game, which would fill up the ram buffer in your card. It could be you see the stutter when it goes past the first 3.5 gb of ram.

I'm not 100% sure, but it's just a theory. Try turning back some of those extra settings a bit and see if it stays at a more constant frame rate. You may not see it at higher resolution because the GPU may be struggling just to process everything and may not be using the whole buffer.
 

ItsAlpey

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Thanks for the reply,

I've tried 2560x1080 with Very Low/High settings and it runs smooth, and I've tried 1920x1080 with Very Low/High and I still get the stutter, it really doesn't make sense.

The native resolution is just smoother in general also, fps doesn't fluctuate as much either. It's odd that a lower res (giving me higher frames) makes it have so many stutters
 

ItsAlpey

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I can't OC my cpu unfortunately as I have a locked BIOS, the motherboard is from a prebuilt HP system.

I've monitored my cpu usage/temps and they seem fine too.

It doesn't make sense that it'd bottleneck at ANY lower res than native :(
 

ItsAlpey

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My GPU drivers are up to date, I don't know how to update my chipset drivers, maybe you can help with that :)

That's also a good thought, I'll try bumping ALL the settings up and see what happens.
 
For the chipset, go to the motherboard manufacturer's site, and find your board. Under the support section they should have drivers that relate to your board.

I experienced a cpu bottleneck once when I got a new graphics card but still had an old amd dual core chip. When I upgraded to a quad, it smoothed out. But did similar to yours. No matter what settings you turned down you got stuttering in games.
 

ItsAlpey

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It's a very odd issue with very little fixes online.

I've updated them now, I'll give it a few games and see how it goes.

Thanks for the help :)
 

ItsAlpey

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It looks like you were right, 1080p bottlenecks my cpu!? https://snag.gy/vQW9xR.jpg

1. Why doesn't it bottleneck 2560x1080 but it does 1920x1080?
2. Why's it so unstable?
3. I can't OC because of locked BIOS, how do I reduce it?
 
So at higher resolution, the GPU is working harder, so it can't feed data as fast back too your i5. Apparently when you drop back to 1080p, your GPU isn't as under as much load as at higher resolution, so it's feeding data back back to your CPU faster than the cpu can handle, hence the stuttering.

Do you have vsync turned on? If not, turn that on to see if it helps. It should try to limit your GPU to only putting out 60 fps, which your CPU should handle. You can also try turning everything on 1080p up to max with all the AA and textures etc turned up as well. That should also put a heavier load on the GPU and balance things out.
 
Solution


Uh, your explanation makes NO SENSE; a GPU doesn't "feed data back to your CPU" too fast causing stutter, and VSYNC has already been discussed.

I'll admit the PROBLEM itself makes no sense right now since there's no logical reason I'm aware of that you'd get more STUTTER with a higher FPS (and uncapped frame rate).

WHEN THERE IS LESS CODE (i.e. LOWER RESOLUTION) TO PROCESS EACH FRAME IS PROCESSED QUICKER. THAT IS IT. STUTTER SHOULD NEVER BE WORSE UNLESS SOME STRANGE SITUATION (MONITOR ISSUE?) IS HAPPENING.

Just FYI, but the way games should work is THIS (oversimplified):

1) Game data loads from HDD/SSD into system memory
2) CPU reads that data and performs two main types of calculations:
a) game data locally (including CPU physics) and
b) sends draw calls etc to GPU

3) the GPU processes what its told to do then creates a frame
4) frame is sent to the monitor

*If the CPU is too slow the GPU sits idle. If the GPU is too slow it sits idle but doesn't bottleneck anything else (except the monitor as in lower FPS).

STUTTERING happens for many reasons, but usually because:
a) VSYNC ON and you can't hit the FPS target (60FPS on 60Hz monitor), or
b) CPU overwhelmed (inefficient code and/or other program hogging CPU), or
c) GPU overwhelmed (inefficient code, or settings too high)
d) odd MONITOR issues (hence why I recommend to SCALE BY GPU + Scale by aspect)

I'm sure I've missed some, and frankly only the last point applies to this situation.

*Two points as I ponder this:
1) make sure to SCALE BY GPU (not monitor) + Aspect (will always send out 2560x1080 from GPU).. then on MONITOR just set to 1:1 scaling, and

2) Don't STRETCH games. Why? I'm guessing it's a performance issue, in which case just use the next lowest resolution which I'd guess is 2100x900.
 
I babbled on, but read my LAST TWO POINTS above, then tell me if GPU SCALING works or not. Most importantly I'll repeat:

NCP-> Adjust Desktop Size and Position->
a) Aspect ratio, and
b) GPU scaling

*If the MONITOR was the issue then stutter should not be different between resolutions (THIS type of stutter, not other stutters). With GPU scaling the GPU sends out the full MONITOR resolution always regardless of game setting. If 1024x768 it would still fit by scaling up via ASPECT to scale properly but also FIT to 2560x1080 before being sent to monitor.

MONITOR scaling means the GPU will send out whatever resolution you choose for the game (if FULLSCREEN) and the monitor will stretch it on the monitor scaler.
 

ItsAlpey

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Hey, thanks for the indepth reply.

1. VSYNC isn't issue as I get it with it off, and on even tho I'm pushing above 60fps.
2.I thought it could've been BIOS/SSD Firmware but neither helped.

The issue is I can't run a specific game at 2560x1080 at a comfortable 60fps+, but I can in 1920x1080 or even 1680x1050. So I opt for a lower res and I boost the settings more. Unfortunately I then get stutters every so often, which I don't get at my native 2560x1080. It really makes no sense to me.

I can't unfortunately set it to Aspect ratio - GPU as I end up with black bars at lower res, and the button on my monitor (stupid LG 1 rubbish button does everything) broke. So I can't stretch it ect.

From my understanding, (''will always send out 2560x1080 from GPU'') means my GPU will constantly be pushing native res while my monitor only shows my chosen res? Does that mean performance wouldn't differ even if I lowered the res?
 


Last part first:
The FPS would increase if you lower the resolution. The only difference is that the GPU scales the frame to fit 2560x1440 (regardless of resolution), rather than the MONITOR itself doing it.

If you have some strange MONITOR issue then that would fix it. If it does NOT fix it (GPU scaling + Aspect in NVidia CP) then it's a pretty baffling problem.

Lower resolution.. is there not a 21:9 ratio that is below 2560x1080?
i.e. 2100x900 ?
That would use less processing power but still keep the proper RATIO. That's a per-game setting though, and may not be an in-game option though some may work with an INI file.

Why not just game at 2560x1080 and adjust the game settings to maintain 60FPS most of the time (if 60Hz monitor)?

It's not much more demanding than 1920x1080. If you go to 2560x1440 you get 2/3rds the FPS, but it should be about 80% at 2560x1080 that you get at 1920x1080.

You can also drop the AA slightly as the resolution goes up. For example 8xMSAA down to 4xMSAA.

*Again, assuming 60Hz monitor (solution too if higher), I would:

a) run game, set VSYNC OFF then close the game
b) run FRAPS (or use Steam FPS counter)
c) tweak so FPS is 60FPS at least 90% of the time (shadows, AA, etc... whatever is the best balance visually)
NOTE: 2560x1080 may not be supported by game, or may need INI and/or FOV modification. (to change resolution and/or field of view... there are sites that tell you how)

d) NCP-> manage 3d settings-> .. add game-> Adaptive VSYNC-> save
e) test (should cap at 60FPS VSYNC ON so no screen tearing, but drops below 60FPS should show screen tearing because VSYNC gets disabled to avoid added stuttering).

*if high refresh (i.e. 144Hz) you can use the "HALF REFRESH" version of Adaptive VSYNC. It should synch to 72FPS.

 
It would also be good if you could borrow a different monitor, or even use the HDTV (in which case use the HDTV section and setup for 1080p@60Hz or whatever it's called). Would need an HDMI cable, and move PC or HDTV.

It still feels like a weird MONITOR issue because I just can't see how dropping ONLY the resolution can make things worse.

Anyway, try the GPU scaling option first as again the monitor always sees the 2560x1080 signal. If it's a weird SCALER issue (i.e. 1920x1080 scaled to 2560x1080 inside the monitor is wonky for some reason) then that would never happen as the monitor won't scale if the signal is already full resolution.
 
My games runs smooth on my native 2560x1080 resolution, but when I play on 1920x1080 or anything lower I get a strange stutter every few seconds. Tried on multiple games so it isn't just one either it's a system issue I think.

  • GTX 970 Asus strix (OC'd but tried stock speeds)
  • i5 3570K
  • 8GB RAM
  • SSD (Running 3GB/s SATA)
Any help appreciated

Honestly yes it can be some of the settings as others has mentioned. However its not always that simple. I have an 8700k with a 1080ti 144herts monitor with GSync and still was getting micro stutters in some games. It took me a long ass time doing tons of different troubleshooting methods to find what fixed the issue for me. First focused on temps and usages of my devices, drivers and settings etc... nothing fixed the issue. Until one day I stumbled on a fix by mistake.

The fix was for me was to override high DPI scaling behavior on the application that having the issues. I use to get micro stutters in Escape from Tarkov and in Company of Hero 2 along side some others games but not all. (appears newer games is less likely to have said issue)

Go into your game launcher .exe right click and go to properties and select "change high DPI settings" and turn on "override high DPI scaling behavior scaled performed by" and make sure application is selected.

I do want to note this is basically last resort. You firstly should be ruling out equipment, settings and drivers but if all else fails. Try this.

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