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Running PC games at 30Hz
- Thread starter IcyBlueStrawberry
- Start date
IcyBlueStrawberry
Member
Hmm....
If you haven't already restarted then I would do that, if you have then I dunno lol.
VisceralBowl
Member
I have. I guess my monitor just does not like it.
Dick Justice
Banned
30 fps on PC definitely feels jittery to me, compared with console games running at 30 on the exact same display. Max Payne 3's pre-rendered cutscenes, for instance, look pretty bad on PC compared to console because of this jittery movement.
Hm, thanks for the write up, I wanted to try it with WD on Ultra, since I can't keep 60 obviously haha. I can set 30Hz in advanced display settings and the game, however when I do that my screen goes black and says "Out of range 33.7 kHz/30Hz". I'm connected via DVI-D. Any ideas while I try to find my HDMI cable? 50Hz works fine.
VisceralBowl
Member
Trying the Nvidia method again, my monitor gives me an error message now that says: "Input not supported, please use 1920x1080@60hz"
I'm a framerate guy, but this could be useful if I decide to play the new Assassin's Creed game (ubi pls), so thanks.
Really? It shouldn't be a problem for prerendered stuff. Otherwise 24~30fps videos would look like crap on PC compared to PS3, for example, but they don't.
Maybe they're just encoded differently on PC or the fact that you were just playing at 60fps impacted your peception of the 30fps cutscene?
Really? It shouldn't be a problem for prerendered stuff. Otherwise 24~30fps videos would look like crap on PC compared to PS3, for example, but they don't.
Maybe they're just encoded differently on PC or the fact that you were just playing at 60fps impacted your peception of the 30fps cutscene?
LicenceToK1ll
Member
My monitor is not liking this, its showing a black screen and saying unsupported refreshrate 
(Dell U2312HM). I think i will try the 1080p24 mode on my HDTV for a ''Cinematic experience''
(Dell U2312HM). I think i will try the 1080p24 mode on my HDTV for a ''Cinematic experience''VisceralBowl
Member
My monitor is not liking this, its showing a black screen and saying unsupported refreshrate
I am using a Dell Monitor also. Wonder if they just don't work with this.
Dick Justice
Banned
I don't know if it's a matter of perception, because going back to GTA V on PS3, even that game doesn't feel as stuttery as a PC game for me running at 30 FPS or less. It feels sluggish at times, sure, but very rarely jittery. I thought it might be due to mouse movement, but I still get this experience when using a controller with a PC game that has severe framedrops.
molnizzle
Member
The custom resolution thing has never worked for me. I play all of my PC games at 30fps, but I use the standard 60hz 1080p resolution.
1. Use NVidia Inspector to set a frame rate cap of 31fps
2. Use NVidia Inspector to set VSync to Adaptive at "1/2 refresh rate"
3. Play yo games at 30fps
Some games do better with a 30fps or 29fps cap, but for most games 31fps is the best. I always try that first and see if I get screen tearing or stutter. If I do, then I try again at 30 and/or 29.
Works really well for me.
1. Use NVidia Inspector to set a frame rate cap of 31fps
2. Use NVidia Inspector to set VSync to Adaptive at "1/2 refresh rate"
3. Play yo games at 30fps
Some games do better with a 30fps or 29fps cap, but for most games 31fps is the best. I always try that first and see if I get screen tearing or stutter. If I do, then I try again at 30 and/or 29.
Works really well for me.
Liquid_Bike
Member
I thought I was the only one who was bothered by this. PC games at 30fps/60Hz feel choppy with constant stutters. But on consoles 30fps doesn't bother me at all.
molnizzle
Member
They can, just takes some custom settings like I stated above.
Never use in-game VSync, always force adaptive 1/2 through Inspector. That coupled with a 31/30/29 fps cap should do the trick.
Which cap you need depends on the individual game and also your display.
Dick Justice
Banned
The problem is the framerate jumping all over the place. It gets annoying fast, so for a lot of people, a locked framerate would be preferable.
Objectively Bad Opinion
Member
Some games have schizophrenic performance. It can get pretty unbearable.
molnizzle
Member
Because nothing is worse than the judder you get from varying frame rates on a 60hz display. Smoothness of motion jumps all over the place since some frames are being rendered more than others. I legitimately don't understand how so many PC gamers play like that.
If a game can't maintain 60fps and you're playing on a 60hz display do yourself a favor and cap at 30fps.
That is correct, the reason that some people think console games look smoother at lower framerates is not due to the refresh rate the TV or monitor is being made to run at by the system (A TV doing frame interpolation can make it look smoother, but it adds ton of input lag and should be avoided at all costs) and it is not due to some magical motion blur that the PC does not have.
It is simply because controller sticks move smoothly on an axis (and mice do not).
Judder is the worst thing ever. I need it locked at whatever my refresh rate is. If I can't push 120hz, I'll happily lower my refresh rate, but I'll never let it judder (as long as I have the option to do so).
^ This guy gets it.
On my last computer, I couldn't get triple buffering forced on Unreal Engine 3 games for whatever reason. When playing Arkham City, I had the option of dealing with a shitload of tearing that was deterimental to my experience, playing with the game using the shitty ingame double buffered vsync which would constantly make my framerate jump between 30 and 60 that was detrimental to my experience, or locking the game down to 30, which was not detrimental to my experience.
Especially in open world games where framerate might heavily vary during certain parts, this can be really beneficial.
NinjaCatfish
Member
I really like this thread. There are a few games where it allows you to lock to 30fps and I appreciate that option. When you don't have the power to maintain 60fps, sometimes I'd prefer to keep all the nice effects on and lock it to a consistent 30fps rather than turn down effects or have it going anywhere between 40 and 60 all the time.
brain_stew
Member
Wrong. Its a frame pacing issue as Dark10x said. A proper 30fps cap should deliver a steady stream of frames 33ms apart but most caps, especially those found ingame, generally don't do this. I've found MSI Afterburner to be the best solution, coupled with 1/2 refresh rate vsync.
I do not recommend the solution in the OP. As someone using a plasma, outputting at 30hz, would strobe enough to give you a seizure.
I always did think games at 30 FPS tend to seem less smooth compared to console games at 30 FPS. It might have something to do with using mouse though (as someone previously mentioned), but I haven't had as much trouble when running something like Skyrim at 30 FPS (with triple buffering).
Exactly. It's not simply a matter of "using a mouse" when, in fact, I'm mostly using a controller anyways. If you slowly rotate the camera using a controller it becomes insanely obvious that something is interfering with the frame consistency.
geordiemp
Member
Please be gentle with me as not really a PC guy...Does HDMI have a role to play in the handshaking between platform and display ?
As a console guy I like 60 FPS in some games BUT never understood the PC gamers stronger requirements, especially for slower playing games like say Skyrim etc which are not exactly twitch games.
As a console guy I like 60 FPS in some games BUT never understood the PC gamers stronger requirements, especially for slower playing games like say Skyrim etc which are not exactly twitch games.
geordiemp
Member
So how do consoles handle a Plasma ? Surely the smoother look would only work on LCD / LED.
Sorry if question is daft just trying to get my head around this interesting subject.
I mostly game on a plasma (both PC and consoles) and would never dream of using any sort of LCD display as a primary gaming monitor. Aside from the motion resolution issues, but the main improvement is simply black levels. LCDs have to fake contrast and monitors tend to be worse than LCD TVs in that regard. IPS is just about the worst thing for black levels at this point.
Light boost does solve motion resolution issues on LCDs but it is limited to the PC and only with games that can operate smoothly at 120 fps. It's another band-aid rather than a genuine shift in technology.
Gaming on a good plasma makes a world of difference in just about every aspect.
LCDs have their place, of course. They are great for web browsing and other PC related work.
GameAddict411
Member
i never experience any stuttering or screen tearing(v-sync disabled) on 120Hz monitor even when a game dips below 30 FPS.
Cannon Goose
Member
I'd like to try this 31fps business, but there's no 31fps option in my Nvidia Inspector:
FunkyLounge
Member
I'd like to try this 31fps business, but there's no 31fps option in my Nvidia Inspector:
You can type any number you want in there.
Cannon Goose
Member
Haha, I don't know why I didn't think to try that! Thanks, that actually seems to work quite well.
Edit: Wait, actually it doesn't. The frame rate cap settings just resets to "Off" when I click the apply button.
abracadaver
Member
Consoles games look smoother at 30fps because of the lower resolution. Don't believe it ? Just test for yourself.
You're confusing hertz with frames per second. He's saying setting your display to refresh at 30Hz would be rather uncomfortable on the eyes for most people. I agree with him. You need 60Hz and a frame-rate cap to ~30 (depending on the game), together with v-sync set to half refresh rate.
That's just not true. Frame interpolation is a thing only introduced in somewhat modern LCD panels (and occasionally in certain plasmas). It has absolutely nothing to do with this issue.
Canis lupus
Member
Yeah thats the reason pc gamers detest 30fps, a game at pc 30fps and console 30fps, under similar conditions(locked), will feel different. A console game at 30fps is smoother. It's hard to explain the smoothness of locked 30fps to someone who can't get it on pc.
This isn't some fantasy
You guys realize that the displayed or reported frame rate only gives you half the story as to a given game's performance right?
What matters is the timing of those frames. You get 30 frames displayed in a span of one second, but that doesn't tell you how the frames are distributed IN that second.
To achieve a super smooth locked frame rate kook, your timing HAS to be such that frame are distributed evenly in that frame at the correct timing. So for 30fps, you want a 33ms frame time. Or time to render the frame.
Next step is to have your display refresh be a multiple of that target frame rate so as to avoid judder due to pull down methods.
If you guys are actually reading this post, I highly recommend checking this link out for more information:
http://techreport.com/review/21516/inside-the-second-a-new-look-at-game-benchmarking
And this jerky issue the OP is referring to has little to do with just being 30fps, as this same issue can persist even at 60 or 120fps.
Also, for those with displays that can actually display a 30hz refresh, DO NOT DO THIS.
You will be exposing yourself to potentially getting a really bad headache or migraine.
What matters is the timing of those frames. You get 30 frames displayed in a span of one second, but that doesn't tell you how the frames are distributed IN that second.
To achieve a super smooth locked frame rate kook, your timing HAS to be such that frame are distributed evenly in that frame at the correct timing. So for 30fps, you want a 33ms frame time. Or time to render the frame.
Next step is to have your display refresh be a multiple of that target frame rate so as to avoid judder due to pull down methods.
If you guys are actually reading this post, I highly recommend checking this link out for more information:
http://techreport.com/review/21516/inside-the-second-a-new-look-at-game-benchmarking
And this jerky issue the OP is referring to has little to do with just being 30fps, as this same issue can persist even at 60 or 120fps.
Also, for those with displays that can actually display a 30hz refresh, DO NOT DO THIS.
You will be exposing yourself to potentially getting a really bad headache or migraine.
Dictator93
Member
Yeah thats the reason pc gamers detest 30fps, a game at pc 30fps and console 30fps, under similar conditions(locked), will feel different. A console game at 30fps is smoother. It's hard to explain the smoothness of locked 30fps to someone who can't get it on pc.
This isn't some fantasy
Part of this feeling has nothing to do with hz fps syncing (which I ill admit is a real phenomenon for those who want to play at a flat 30fps), but rather that a mouse exaccerbates the effect of the input lag and how your brain interprets it.
Mouse is 1:1, a controller, definitely is not.
No it does not. The effect is observable using a gamepad on the PC.
FunkyLounge
Member
What would you recomment then for getting that 33ms on PC?
Dictator93
Member
I always thought the effect of deadzones reduced this?
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