G-Sync on the desktop

[aMunster]

Is there a way to run G-Sync globally, such as on the desktop? I can't seem to get it to activate with Runescape. The game is directx based and can be run in fullscreen, but G-Sync doesn't want to activate.

Also, both ULMB and G-Sync look great.

[Chief Blur Buster]

Is there a way to run G-Sync globally, such as on the desktop? I can't seem to get it to activate with Runescape. The game is directx based and can be run in fullscreen, but G-Sync doesn't want to activate.
Also, both ULMB and G-Sync look great.

Some games just don't want to run in true full screen mode.
There are some workarounds -- to try and trick a game to run in full screen mode -- but they are very game specific.
We'd LOVE to hear tips on how to force games to run G-SYNC.

Can you do me a favour and try contacting the Runescape people, and ask them about this? We'd love to hear back.

Also, both ULMB and G-Sync look great.

Excellent! Please do talk about which games gives you your favourite G-SYNC improvements. Was it Crysis 3 at Ultra details? Or perhaps it was eliminating tearing/stutters in Counterstrike without adding input lag? Or was it super buttery smooth in Quake Live at exactly 125fps with zero zero tearing? Do tell all.

And yes, do tell about the games that G-SYNC doesn't work in (e.g. Runescape).

[nimbulan]

Some games just don't want to run in true full screen mode.
There are some workarounds -- to try and trick a game to run in full screen mode -- but they are very game specific.
We'd LOVE to hear tips on how to force games to run G-SYNC.

I've been concerned about this as well. I know I have games that use borderless windowed mode when you tell them to use fullscreen but I can't recall which ones at the moment. It can be annoying if you have a PC where games generally run worse in windowed mode, as is often the case for me.

[aMunster]

I haven't had much time to test the monitor with multiple games.

ULMB feels better than software 2d Lightboost. This could be a placebo. At a minimum it's easier to use. One button toggle is convenient! I've started to use 250fps in Quake Live - It looks like the sound bugs I mentioned do not affect your ability to hear enemies, only your own footsteps (only half play).

I tested G-Sync in the following games: Borderlands 2, Team Fortress 2, Runescape.

I can now max out Borderlands 2 with no regard to maintaining a certain framerate. I capped the game at 120 so that the fps is always less than 144. I kept waiting for hiccups. It's like having a mental tic that no longer appears - you notice the absence. I kept thinking "this is smooth" every few seconds because it wasn't interrupted by the stuttering I'd come to expect. Subconsciously, prior to G-Sync I was happy when the game wasn't stuttering and slightly distracted when it was. With G-Sync on, there's no distraction, but I kept expecting it! Removing subconscious frustration is hard to describe. The game plays better and I visually enjoy it more.

In Team Fortress 2 I play with minimal graphics settings despite having a strong computer. The game is CPU limited. My primary motivation for maintaining a solid high framerate was consistent mouse acceleration. In the Source engine, mouse acceleration is framerate dependent. The acceleration value I calculated assumes I keep a solid 132 fps. This is poor programming that affects very few people - outside of Quake, mouse acceleration is seldom used. The G-Sync effect was less pronounced for me in TF2, but still a welcome addition. There was no tearing to speak of and I did not notice when the framerate dropped. Again, less visual distractions let me focus more on the game.

As I said above, G-Sync does not work in Runescape since it does not run in true fullscreen mode. I made a post on the game forums but don't expect a useful response. The game's developers have a longstanding reputation of not communicating much about anything, let alone esoteric tech details. To their credit, they have improved community interaction in recent years. Runescape is capped at 50fps and one action per 600ms game tick. In practice the slowness of the game is compounded by the stuttering and net lag, making it both disgustingly laggy and something I've completely tuned out as a longtime player. I'm disappointed G-Sync doesn't work here, because I wanted to see how well it handled sub-30 fps situations, the low cutoff point. I expected to see a large improvement, since the game stutters nonstop.

Also, Shadowplay doesn't work in Runescape because it doesn't get recognized as a DirectX based game, despite running in DirectX mode (we're given the option of software rendering, OpenGL or DirectX).

If there's a way to enable G-Sync globally for the desktop, let me know. A similar global Shadowplay tweak would be nice, too.

[Chief Blur Buster]

Good stuff to hear -- thanks!

I suspect you can fps_max at 140 quite easily without problems. I just need to do more tests to find out what frame rate cap the latency disappears at, since it seems to require at more than 1-2fps below the cap.

For Runescape; I wonder if there's a hack somewhere on the Net, that makes a full screen Direct3D borderless game app, be forced to run in full screen mode. This utility, if it exists, is now suddenly MUCH more useful in today's G-SYNC era. (I'm trying to google for one; but keep failing to find one -- maybe someone needs to program one up!)

[aMunster]

An arbitrary Direct3D game app with your choice of executable inside it would work great.

I read that Source games should be run at a multiple of 66, the server tick rate.

[nimbulan]

An arbitrary Direct3D game app with your choice of executable inside it would work great.

I read that Source games should be run at a multiple of 66, the server tick rate.

It depends on the game. CSGO servers run at either 64 or 128 ticks and CSS often runs at 100 (I can't remember what the default setting is for that game.)

[RealNC]

It depends on the game. CSGO servers run at either 64 or 128 ticks

Actually they run anywhere between 64 and 128. Official servers are 64, community servers are usually 101 or 128.

[nimbulan]

It depends on the game. CSGO servers run at either 64 or 128 ticks

Actually they run anywhere between 64 and 128. Official servers are 64, community servers are usually 101 or 128.

I can't say I've seen a 101 tick server yet, though I don't play it a whole lot. My friends and I usually get frustrated by the hit detection problems pretty fast and put it down for a week or two.