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V-Sync and power draw

TruffleShuffle

TruffleShuffle

TruffleShuffle

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18 Sep 2007
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572
On another thread i was looking at the power draw from my PC and noted that inexplicably overnight the power draw from my PC while playing The Long Dark had basically halved. All i had done was INCREASE my graphics settings, so it seemed very odd.

Doing further investigations i have found that literally switching on V-SYNC halves the power draw to the PC when playing TLD. From 400+w to sub 200w. I can litterally switch it off and on in the menu and watch the monitor plug jump up and hear the fan whirring up in the case.

I'm going to try some other games too but i'm curious if this was a known thing?!
 
On a side note, i play all pc games with v-sync enabled all the time, makes the graphics look much better anyway, so a bonus to just keep v-sync enabled then it seems.
 
What resolution / refresh rate is your monitor and what GPU? If you have a 60hz 1080p monitor it's not going to need much power to run the game at 60fps and will only use what's required instead of giving over 200 fps etc.
 
With vsync off it usually leaves the framerate uncapped, so the PC will of course work as hard as it can. When it's on it will usually cap to the screen refresh rate (although some games oddly cap to 60), meaning your PC won't need to work as hard since it doesn't need to push so many frames.
 
I thought that was because it caps the FPS to screen refresh rate.

Without any kind of caps at all your GPU is on full blast so uses more power.

If you lower resolution, settings and cap the FPS then the power draw goes down and down.
I remember playing Halo Infinate with a 350w plus GPU but I was only using 87w with the setting i had and it was perfectly playable.
 
I had always assumed with GYSNC I was supposed to not enable VSYNC ever but it seems that was not the case.
 
Alt0153 said:
you enable vsync in the nvidia control panel but turn it off in the in game manu
Click to expand...


I have enabled globally, I wasn't actually sure if it needed to be done in games too, I assumed if I did that it wouldn't make any difference.
 
Noxia said:
I have enabled globally, I wasn't actually sure if it needed to be done in games too, I assumed if I did that it wouldn't make any difference.
Click to expand...
all i remember reading was you turn it on in the nvcp and toggle off in games but its still on cause nvcp is the boss
 
Yes, for Gsync you enable Vsync in the NVCP and pff in games. That's the way I have always done it.

If you want to save more power the 3070 responds very well to undervolting. I undervolted mine following a guide on Youtube and overclocked the memory by 600mhz as well. Now it runs cooler and quieter while boosting higher and have knocked well over 100w off the power draw.
 
SpellowHouse said:
Even if you have vsync disabled you can set a cap on a per-game basis in the NVIDIA Control Panel.
I use that all the time. I have all my games configured in it, to limit them to sensible fps.
Click to expand...

I didnt know this. So for a slow game like The Long Dark, i can set to 60fps and bask in the money saving. but for Rocket League i can crank upto 144.
 
I thought gsync was vsync anyway of sorts, thought the whole ideal of gsnyc was to stop the tearing, games without vsync enabled look bad to me.
 
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