Normal G-Sync behavior?

[WrongwayFeldman]

Just got my first real gaming monitor(MSI 274-QRF-QD) and I've been experimenting with G-Sync. I set everything up according to the guide and I noticed the monitor OSD will display a very erratic refresh rate when G-Sync is active. The gameplay does not have tearing, but the motion feels like it's not consistent. There are little slow downs and speed ups, but not complete stutters.

I included a video to show what I am talking about. I just recorded it with my phone because it was the only way I could figure out how to record the monitor OSD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpYEOVTMY5Y

The monitor does not have a G-Sync module so it's listed as G-Sync compatible. I've tried two different display port cables and got the same behavior.

Just was curious if this was normal.

[jorimt]

Just was curious if this was normal.

It's normal.

The monitor OSD's refresh rate meter is an approximation of the average framerate/real-time VRR refresh rate and may also include readings of LFC multiples, so it should not be relied on for accuracy where actual average framerate is concerned (especially on FreeSync monitors in G-SYNC Compatible mode; native G-SYNC monitor refresh rate meters are slightly steadier and usually don't include LFC multiple in their readouts).

It's only really reliable for determining whether G-SYNC is currently active; fluctuating, active, static, not active. Use system-side meters (Afterburner/RTSS, etc) for accurate average FPS readouts instead.

[WrongwayFeldman]

Just was curious if this was normal.

It's normal.

Sweet! a reply from the man himself. I have noticed that the inconsistent motion I see is worse in games where my PC can produce FPS consistently above my refresh rate. I have the FPS cap 3 below max refresh as well as V Sync on in NVCP. In those cases, am I just better off going to uncapped frames and turning on fast sync?

[jorimt]

Sweet! a reply from the man himself. I have noticed that the inconsistent motion I see is worse in games where my PC can produce FPS consistently above my refresh rate. I have the FPS cap 3 below max refresh as well as V Sync on in NVCP. In those cases, am I just better off going to uncapped frames and turning on fast sync?

Fast Sync is inferior to G-SYNC in every way:
https://blurbusters.com/gsync/gsync101- ... ettings/8/

That said, it should be kept in mind that syncing methods eliminate tearing, not stutter, and while G-SYNC eliminates tearing (when properly configured), as well as prevents sync-induced latency and stutter, it does nothing to reduce system-side stutter. It will depict that as is.

What you are referring to as "inconsistent motion" may simply be frametime fluctuations and spikes originating from the system/game engine, which G-SYNC can do nothing about.

Try using an external limiter like Nvidia Max Frame Rate or RTSS instead of an in-game limiter in problem games, if you haven't already, as they typically have steadier frametime performance than in-game limiters (albeit with a slight increase in latency to achieve said consistency).

Additionally, you can attempt to limit the framerate to your system's 99% achievable average per game, which will 1) make everything feel more consistent due to a fixed average framerate, and 2) if said limit keeps the GPU usage from maxing, it will reduce render queue latency by preventing pre-rendered frames from piling up whenever the CPU has to wait for the GPU.

If any notable inconsistency remains after that, it's typically due to the limitations of the given system and/or game engine (leaning heavily toward the latter; engines and their implementation per game can be the biggest influence/factor/impact on performance, be it frametime, framerate, and/or latency-related, sometimes regardless of system specs, within reason of course).

[WrongwayFeldman]

Thanks for the input! Interesting to learn about how all this background stuff is handled and how it should be managed. I'll give these things a try.