FreeSync isn't working properly on my Gigabyte M28U
Posted: 17 Jan 2023, 02:50
Build: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/d7Vpv3
Issue: My M28U has FreeSync Premium Pro, but it doesn't seem to be working properly. I'm having microstuttering issues, and I thought FreeSync was supposed to make microstuttering unnoticeable. In games like Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege, DBD, Hades, Arkham Knight, Arkham Origins, and Neon White, my FPS infrequently drops by 1. I can clearly see a microstuttering effect here. Am I just misunderstanding how FreeSync works, or is there a problem with FreeSync here? I made sure to enable it in AMD Adrenalin and in my monitor's OSD. I also enabled my monitor's resolution display. I noticed that the resolution never seems to match up with my FPS. For example, I generally cap my FPS at 140 FPS; however, my monitor claims that it is displaying at 144 Hz. Shouldn't it be 140Hz? Additionally, if my FPS drops to, say, 70 FPS, my resolution generally drops to a completely different value like 90Hz.
Troubleshooting Steps: I tried to use another monitor. Unfortunately, the only other monitor I have is a 1080p 60 Hz TV without FreeSync. I could use my laptop, but that freezes up all the time. Thus, I wouldn't know if any issues are being caused by my PC or my laptop. Arkham Origins ran incredibly smoothly at 60 FPS with max settings other than resolution which was set to 1920x1080. There was no stuttering at all though I only tested it for like 10 minutes. It stayed at a consistent 60FPS and dropped by 1 FPS only one time. I set my other monitor to be 1080p and 60 Hz as well, and changed Arkham Origins' settings accordingly. I wasn't able to change the active signal resolution, but everything else was the same. On my M28U, it stuttered one time, but it was almost perfect. I don't know if this is significant enough to say that there's an issue with my M28U though. For both monitors, my FPS only drops when I open the menu, open graphics settings, during loading screens, and during the intro sequence. It surprisingly has not yet dropped when the game is saving though. I also tried a dual monitor setup. I thought this would make performance worse, but this had no effect. I forgot to change my game's resolution back to 4K, but changed my refresh rate back to 144 Hz. I capped the game at 140 FPS. I noticed that my stuttering issues were just as bad as they were at 4K. My FPS drops were even pretty much the same as they were at 4K. For example, in the open world city, my minimum FPS is 110 FPS at 4K and at 1080p. This seems odd. I also tried to plug an HDMI cable from the mobo to the monitor. As I expected, I just got a black screen.
I tried to use a HDMI 2.1 cable instead of a DP cable to connect my monitor to my PC. I used both of the HDMI ports on my monitor. I expected that this would make my performance worse, but it didn't change at all. I also bought an external sound card (https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External ... B00IRVQ0F8) which also didn't change anything. I changed my CPU from a 5700X to a 5800X. This didn't change anything.
I changed more BIOS settings such as my RAM and CPU settings. Some of these BIOS changes like my RAM changes made the problem worse. I removed my Wi-FI card entirely and played offline games. This had no effect on my performance, so it's apparently not an issue with my Wi-Fi card. I disabled Windows Defender exploit protection services for just the games I'm playing... I certainly don't want to disable these for everything. I disabled my firewalls and scans as well. I disabled about 50 Windows services as well which I'm sure will cause issues down the road. None of these changes affected my performance at all.
I'm going to be replacing my motherboard soon... that's certainly not ideal since I pretty much have to start my build from scratch, but I'm pretty sure it must be my mobo at this point since I've replaced my CPU, RAM, and SSD so far and removed my Wi-Fi card, internal sound card, and external sound card. I also tried to use my Wi-Fi card without Bluetooth. When I swapped out my SSD, I also tried to use my old SSD just for Windows and nothing else other than drivers, Windows settings, and such. Unfortunately, this did not fix anything. I've also removed all my peripherals except for my mouse and my wired keyboard. My mouse can switch between wireless and wired modes, and I put it in wired mode since I thought that might cause less interference. I think all of my fans are good since my temps max out at 75 degrees Celsius and my idle temps are about 30-40 degrees Celsius. My new SSD has high idle temps since it's typically 50 degrees C, but it maxes out at 65 degrees C. I'm currently using my mobo's heatsink; I'll try using the heatsink I got with my SSD next. At this point, the only things I can change are my PSU, my monitor, and my thermal paste. Some people reported that this issue was resolved after calling an electrician to change their outlets and fix dirty electricity, but that's not really feasible for me. I'll try to move my PC to a friend's house and see if it works better there. I may also try to buy another Wi-Fi card such as this one: https://www.amazon.com/EDUP-Bluetooth-A ... 9ST43?th=1
I will also try to change my RAM and SSD again and get RAM and a SSD that are compatible with both my CPU and my mobo and maybe other things if they're necessary. Unofficial sources claim that all four of my RAM and SSDs are compatible with my CPU and my mobo, but the official sources do not make this claim.
I've done a bunch of other fixes as well... there are too many to list here. I've done pretty much everything from [this link](https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... 5652a5d933). I've done even more than that too. And yet I'm still having issues...
Issue: My M28U has FreeSync Premium Pro, but it doesn't seem to be working properly. I'm having microstuttering issues, and I thought FreeSync was supposed to make microstuttering unnoticeable. In games like Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege, DBD, Hades, Arkham Knight, Arkham Origins, and Neon White, my FPS infrequently drops by 1. I can clearly see a microstuttering effect here. Am I just misunderstanding how FreeSync works, or is there a problem with FreeSync here? I made sure to enable it in AMD Adrenalin and in my monitor's OSD. I also enabled my monitor's resolution display. I noticed that the resolution never seems to match up with my FPS. For example, I generally cap my FPS at 140 FPS; however, my monitor claims that it is displaying at 144 Hz. Shouldn't it be 140Hz? Additionally, if my FPS drops to, say, 70 FPS, my resolution generally drops to a completely different value like 90Hz.
Troubleshooting Steps: I tried to use another monitor. Unfortunately, the only other monitor I have is a 1080p 60 Hz TV without FreeSync. I could use my laptop, but that freezes up all the time. Thus, I wouldn't know if any issues are being caused by my PC or my laptop. Arkham Origins ran incredibly smoothly at 60 FPS with max settings other than resolution which was set to 1920x1080. There was no stuttering at all though I only tested it for like 10 minutes. It stayed at a consistent 60FPS and dropped by 1 FPS only one time. I set my other monitor to be 1080p and 60 Hz as well, and changed Arkham Origins' settings accordingly. I wasn't able to change the active signal resolution, but everything else was the same. On my M28U, it stuttered one time, but it was almost perfect. I don't know if this is significant enough to say that there's an issue with my M28U though. For both monitors, my FPS only drops when I open the menu, open graphics settings, during loading screens, and during the intro sequence. It surprisingly has not yet dropped when the game is saving though. I also tried a dual monitor setup. I thought this would make performance worse, but this had no effect. I forgot to change my game's resolution back to 4K, but changed my refresh rate back to 144 Hz. I capped the game at 140 FPS. I noticed that my stuttering issues were just as bad as they were at 4K. My FPS drops were even pretty much the same as they were at 4K. For example, in the open world city, my minimum FPS is 110 FPS at 4K and at 1080p. This seems odd. I also tried to plug an HDMI cable from the mobo to the monitor. As I expected, I just got a black screen.
I tried to use a HDMI 2.1 cable instead of a DP cable to connect my monitor to my PC. I used both of the HDMI ports on my monitor. I expected that this would make my performance worse, but it didn't change at all. I also bought an external sound card (https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External ... B00IRVQ0F8) which also didn't change anything. I changed my CPU from a 5700X to a 5800X. This didn't change anything.
I changed more BIOS settings such as my RAM and CPU settings. Some of these BIOS changes like my RAM changes made the problem worse. I removed my Wi-FI card entirely and played offline games. This had no effect on my performance, so it's apparently not an issue with my Wi-Fi card. I disabled Windows Defender exploit protection services for just the games I'm playing... I certainly don't want to disable these for everything. I disabled my firewalls and scans as well. I disabled about 50 Windows services as well which I'm sure will cause issues down the road. None of these changes affected my performance at all.
I'm going to be replacing my motherboard soon... that's certainly not ideal since I pretty much have to start my build from scratch, but I'm pretty sure it must be my mobo at this point since I've replaced my CPU, RAM, and SSD so far and removed my Wi-Fi card, internal sound card, and external sound card. I also tried to use my Wi-Fi card without Bluetooth. When I swapped out my SSD, I also tried to use my old SSD just for Windows and nothing else other than drivers, Windows settings, and such. Unfortunately, this did not fix anything. I've also removed all my peripherals except for my mouse and my wired keyboard. My mouse can switch between wireless and wired modes, and I put it in wired mode since I thought that might cause less interference. I think all of my fans are good since my temps max out at 75 degrees Celsius and my idle temps are about 30-40 degrees Celsius. My new SSD has high idle temps since it's typically 50 degrees C, but it maxes out at 65 degrees C. I'm currently using my mobo's heatsink; I'll try using the heatsink I got with my SSD next. At this point, the only things I can change are my PSU, my monitor, and my thermal paste. Some people reported that this issue was resolved after calling an electrician to change their outlets and fix dirty electricity, but that's not really feasible for me. I'll try to move my PC to a friend's house and see if it works better there. I may also try to buy another Wi-Fi card such as this one: https://www.amazon.com/EDUP-Bluetooth-A ... 9ST43?th=1
I will also try to change my RAM and SSD again and get RAM and a SSD that are compatible with both my CPU and my mobo and maybe other things if they're necessary. Unofficial sources claim that all four of my RAM and SSDs are compatible with my CPU and my mobo, but the official sources do not make this claim.
I've done a bunch of other fixes as well... there are too many to list here. I've done pretty much everything from [this link](https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... 5652a5d933). I've done even more than that too. And yet I'm still having issues...