How to reduce input lag on ALL monitors

[dsswoosh]

I've had a lot of decent people here give me some decent help and i have found something very useful so decided to share the information here.

It works too and is possible the best thing i have discovered on the internet.


By using the method described in the link, here is what is achieved -

- VSync turned on to eliminate screen tearing
- Input lag reduced almost completely zero
- Smoother rendering


http://mystrd.at/articles/v-sync-mouse-lag-how-to-fix-it/




tl:dr -

- Turn on vsync and triple buffering in your graphics card drivers / game settings
- Download this fps limiter - http://dxtory.com/v2-home-en.html
- Navigate to advanced, limit video fps to 59 (for 60hz monitors i havnt tried this on 120hz monitors)
- Enjoy


Maybe a lot of people know this. I did not. There is a full explanation as to why it works, with formulas etc etc.


All i can say is my PC gaming experience just got 200% better.

 

[PCM2]

This reduces the input lag penalty of enabling vsync. It does NOT reduce the native latency of the monitor which is there even if vsync is disabled. It doesn't alter how the monitor processes, just what the GPU processes so it isn't a magic bullet. The input lag penalty of Triple Buffered vsync varies between game titles and this could be worth looking at if you enjoy gaming with vysnc and have an issue with the additional input lag penalty.

 

[.Griff.]

Why would you turn on Vsync AND use an fps limiter set to the refresh rate of your monitor??!?

It makes no sense and merely sounds like a placebo to me.

 

[Nate Silvers]

Sounds like limiting the FPS to 61 in counter strike instead of enabling vsync.

 

[Rroff]

As above it won't reduce input latency to 0, limiting to 59fps will mean you have a minimum of 16.9ms input latency, it might reduce (but won't eliminate) the additional panel lag but for some panels i.e. quite a lot of dells you will still end up with a minimum input latency of around 33ms best case which is quite nasty.

If you have the latest nVidia drivers then nVidia inspector actually has pre-determined fps locking options for minimal input latency BUT I've found that a lot of games can actually have problems with this for some reason, I've frequently got games lockup entirely and stop responding when doing fps limit 59, vsync 60 for instance (which doesn't happen with just vsync on or fps limit but no vsync).


If you want minimal input latency and best image quality there is no compromise but to get a 120Hz gaming orientated panel, I promise you however smooth you think your getting with these tweaks will feel a lot less smooth once you've spent some time with a 120Hz panel properly setup

 

[dsswoosh]

Why would you turn on Vsync AND use an fps limiter set to the refresh rate of your monitor??!?

It makes no sense and merely sounds like a placebo to me.

Because -

Since most monitors today use the 60Hz refresh rate (eg. the image is redrawn 60 times per second), it is generally exactly 60 FPS that your game gets limited to when you use V-sync.....


However, due to the nature of how V-sync works with the framebuffer, the perceived image drawn by your screen is effectively in the past, which makes your controls feel laggy and unresponsive......





So how to do that?

Simply by using V-sync AND limiting FPS exactly 1 frame below the screen refresh (eg. 59 FPS for a 60Hz screen). This means that there won't be anything for the V-sync to buffer ahead, your controls will retain instant response and no VGA power will be wasted.

Tried and tested on my current monitor.

The difference is huge for me.


If you have input lag when you turn v-sync on (like i do), try it. If you dont have input lag, dont try it.


It works. Thats all i care about. And the difference is extremely noticeable

 

[skuko]

Because -





Tried and tested on my current monitor.

The difference is huge for me.


If you have input lag when you turn v-sync on (like i do), try it. If you dont have input lag, dont try it.


It works. Thats all i care about. And the difference is extremely noticeable

mind telling us which monitor you have?

 

[dsswoosh]

mind telling us which monitor you have?

p2370hd

 

[phill1978]

msi afterburner server tool box has fps limiter

it makes almost every game thats poorly coded but you can run well mostly run butter smooth

old games that almost run too fast 200-300fps also benefit huge amounts with no page tear which ive even seen on vsync before!

 

[dsswoosh]

msi afterburner server tool box has fps limiter

it makes almost every game thats poorly coded but you can run well mostly run butter smooth

old games that almost run too fast 200-300fps also benefit huge amounts with no page tear which ive even seen on vsync before!

Could you give a few instructions how to do this please.

I cant find any frame limiters with MSI.

I would rather do this with MSI afterburner than another piece of software.

 

[Dash RipRock]

Could you give a few instructions how to do this please.

I cant find any frame limiters with MSI.

I would rather do this with MSI afterburner than another piece of software.

Left click once on the plane icon with the 60 on it in your icon tray,rivatuner program will show on desktop.Left click once on the spanner icon near the top right.MSI on-screen display page will show ,then under the GENERAL tab at the bottom is the option FRAMERATE LIMITER PROPERTIES...merely type in the desired framerate i.e 59 or 119 for 60/120 hz monitors and bobs you uncle.

You can also task out of games and change this number to see how it changes the feel of the game your trying...assuming your game likes being tasked out of and doesnt crash like half the games out there

 

[V F]

This technique is horrible. Feels like playing etchasketch with BF3. Vsync off completely or it feels trippin.

 

[dsswoosh]

This technique is horrible. Feels like playing etchasketch with BF3. Vsync off completely or it feels trippin.

Why do i get the feeling you are playing with mouse acceleration.....

 

[Nate Silvers]

This is pointless, it's not reducing input lag at all. Vysnc is to do with the GPU not the screen, to sync 60 frames it has to discard any frames that go above 60fps and by doing that it skips mouse latency which causes the laggy feeling.

Your reticle in the game becomes trapped between a frame and a skipped frame, you can't see the reticle in the skipped frame so you have missed out on that input from the mouse being shown in the frame because it didn't get drawn, you didn't get to see it or feel it. If you turn Vsync off you see that extra frame (tearing) and the brain is a clever thing and uses that extra information to add to the fps you see/feel.

Which is why you don't notice it as much in outer field camera games.

"Triple buffering adds latency and jitter; it should be avoided." - John Carmack (Don't mess with The Man).

 

[dsswoosh]

This is pointless, it's not reducing input lag at all. Vysnc is to do with the GPU not the screen, to sync 60 frames it has to discard any frames that go above 60fps and by doing that it skips mouse latency which causes the laggy feeling.

Your reticle in the game becomes trapped between a frame and a skipped frame, you can't see the reticle in the skipped frame so you have missed out on that input from the mouse being shown in the frame because it didn't get drawn, you didn't get to see it or feel it. If you turn Vsync off you see that extra frame (tearing) and the brain is a clever thing and uses that extra information to add to the fps you see/feel.

Which is why you don't notice it as much in outer field camera games.

"Triple buffering adds latency and jitter; it should be avoided." - John Carmack (Don't mess with The Man).

Its not pointless and i'm afraid to say you are wrong.

Vsync causes extra input lag.

The extra input lag caused by vsync is eliminated when you limit your fps to 1 below the hz of your monitor.


This is particularly useful because most players will put up with screen tearing so they do not create vsync input lag.


By using this method, you are able to eliminate screen tearing AND vsync input lag.

You also save on computational power because the vsync buffer never has to flush unnecessary frames AND as a result your PC as a whole stays cooler.



Even if the best expert replies here to say that this method "doesnt work" i will brush the comment aside as an inexperienced piece of mis-information because ive been playing games with this method since i found out about it and the proof is right in front of my eyes.

I have no screen tearing and my mouse input is instantaneous. As soon as i close dxtory and my fps syncs to 60, i get a lot of input lag again.

 

[borley]

I will probably give this a try, but dxtory isn't a frame limiter it's a game capture program, but there is an option to frame limit. I know I'm being picky but if you are only going to use it for frame limiting you might as well use afterburner.
Regards

 

[Dash RipRock]

quoted wrong person *deleted*

 

[Dash RipRock]

Its not pointless and i'm afraid to say you are wrong.

Vsync causes extra input lag.

The extra input lag caused by vsync is eliminated when you limit your fps to 1 below the hz of your monitor.


This is particularly useful because most players will put up with screen tearing so they do not create vsync input lag.


By using this method, you are able to eliminate screen tearing AND vsync input lag.

You also save on computational power because the vsync buffer never has to flush unnecessary frames AND as a result your PC as a whole stays cooler.



Even if the best expert replies here to say that this method "doesnt work" i will brush the comment aside as an inexperienced piece of mis-information because ive been playing games with this method since i found out about it and the proof is right in front of my eyes.

I have no screen tearing and my mouse input is instantaneous. As soon as i close dxtory and my fps syncs to 60, i get a lot of input lag again.

The only downside with this method is the duplicate frame that has to display gives the appearance of the very slightest of hitches.Try facing a wall in an fps game select walk and press a side step key to move.Youll notice a slight jump every second.

Still its preferable to the hideous screen tear that results with no vsync.

 

[dsswoosh]

I will probably give this a try, but dxtory isn't a frame limiter it's a game capture program, but there is an option to frame limit. I know I'm being picky but if you are only going to use it for frame limiting you might as well use afterburner.
Regards

The latest Afterburner 2.2.3 doesnt appear to have a frame limiter option.

The latest beta build has expired and no longer works.


As of this current moment in time, unless someone can show me otherwise, it is not possible to frame limit with MSI Afterburner.

 

[borley]

The latest Afterburner 2.2.3 doesnt appear to have a frame limiter option.

The latest beta build has expired and no longer works.


As of this current moment in time, unless someone can show me otherwise, it is not possible to frame limit with MSI Afterburner.

Go to the plane icon in your system tray open it then press on the wrench its in there.
Regards