Gsync + Borderless + Frame cap issues

[jorimt]

@jorimt, Yeah I am using Windows 10 1709, but I have the feature that includes fullscreen optimizations completely removed.

Most games some sort of tweaking with nvidia profile or rtss to work well, but g-sync borderless has worked generally well for me prior to 390.77. Driver version 390.65 works great, but everything after that has been pretty bad.

For example, HotS I use 141 fps cap with v2 limiter in 390.65 and it is very smooth. With 390.77+ it is terrible - gets a bit better using the default instead of v2 limiter but still not as good as 390.65.

I see. Perhaps then in your specific case, it could actually be Nvidia's framerate limiter that is changing its behavior in the latest drivers, and not G-SYNC's borderless/windowed mode?

FYI, when I tested Nvidia's FPS limiter with G-SYNC (https://www.blurbusters.com/gsync/gsync ... ttings/11/), they weren't very compatible, and there was considerably more lag at the same FPS limit when compared to RTSS.

Have you attempted the same configuration in those games but with RTSS instead, and if so, is it any better?

If you have, and G-SYNC borderless/windowed mode is still acting up, then yes, it is probably related to the driver. I don't personally use the mode enough to tell a difference from driver to driver, and if the game doesn't have it's own limiter (or the in-game limiter has poor frame pacing), I only use RTSS.

[Chief Blur Buster]

I, myself, feel like an Angry Monkey at my PC when the OS bugs start monkeying with what looked good before.

One moment, window VRR looked good, and then an OS + driver upgrade later, windowed VRR stops looking good. And I can't remember what the heck I did.

Full screen is dandy though.

[jorimt]

Yes, it's probably exacerbated by the fact that G-SYNC borderless/windowed mode must bypass/rejigger/exploit the Window DWM to do its work. So I assume any change at the OS level (e.g. Windows updates) that affects that aspect can cause enough of a discrepancy to create these nagging issues.

There's also probably a lag between when something like this changes at the OS level, and when the Nvidia driver team finally gets enough reports from users and/or finds it themselves before the problem is diagnosed and the fix is made. Knowing what I do, I'm surprised the mode works at all, honestly.

Obviously exclusive fullscreen (sans the often random effect of the fullscreen optimizations option) will thankfully never have this issue, but it's still unfortunate for multitaskers (and others) that prefer and/or must have borderless G-SYNC mode.

[RealNC]

I only updated Windows 10 to 1709 today. Basically, a dialog appeared shortly after logging in that said I have to update, "or else." (They were going to completely disable Windows update for systems not running 1709.)

After I had to give in to Microsoft's blackmail and did the update, I now too get a "hiccup" effect every second or so with windowed mode gsync. Was working perfectly fine before with the bad version of Windows. The good version of Windows broke it. I'm interested to see how many other improvements Microsoft will implement in future updates.