New rx 9070 automatically adjusting screen brightness/contrast

[Rain Man]

Hi all,

I've just upgraded my rtx 3070 to a rx 9070 and it's automatically adjusting screen brightness/contrast every few seconds as I click between windows.

I used DDU in safe mode and everything else seems to be just fine. I also never had the issue with the 3070.

There's no setting on my monitor and I can't find anything in Windows or Adrenalin, any ideas?

 

[Rain Man]

I've now done a clean install of windows and the problem still persists

 

[becks]

That auto-shift every time you click a window sounds like some hidden dynamic contrast thing kicking in, even if it’s not exposed in the usual menus. Since you’ve wiped Windows already, I’d poke the weird corners: does your monitor have any “eco” or “dynamic” mode buried under a long-press menu? And in Adrenalin, if you open the Display tab, does “Vari-Brightness” show up only after a reboot? One more thing: does it happen on a different cable or HDMI vs DP?

 

[heatonpkmassive]

does “Vari-Brightness” show up

This setting is very worth looking for and switching off.

 

[Rain Man]

That auto-shift every time you click a window sounds like some hidden dynamic contrast thing kicking in, even if it’s not exposed in the usual menus. Since you’ve wiped Windows already, I’d poke the weird corners: does your monitor have any “eco” or “dynamic” mode buried under a long-press menu? And in Adrenalin, if you open the Display tab, does “Vari-Brightness” show up only after a reboot? One more thing: does it happen on a different cable or HDMI vs DP?

So I've just tried a different DP cable in a different port on the card, into the 2nd port of the monitor. No change. Still a shift in brightness when changing windows or even scrolling down pages on Reddit.

Vari-brightness isn't present in my Adrenalin menu.

Also checked windows settings and everything in terms of adaptive contrast between programs is switched off.

I've got an AOC ultrawide monitor and there's no settings in the OSD for dynamic brightness which aren't greyed out.

 

[jimferno]

It sounds a lot like brightness flicker when using freesync on a VA monitor(can also happen on OLED displays).

 

[Rain Man]

It sounds a lot like brightness flicker when using freesync on a VA monitor(can also happen on OLED displays).

You might be on to something...

I've just disabled freesync on my monitor menu and it appears to have stopped.

So does that mean I've either got to put up with it changing brightness every 5 seconds or not have freesync? Kind of a pain. Its a fairly new AOC CU34G2XP

 

[jimferno]

You might be on to something...

I've just disabled freesync on my monitor menu and it appears to have stopped.

So does that mean I've either got to put up with it changing brightness every 5 seconds or not have freesync? Kind of a pain. Its a fairly new AOC CU34G2XP

It's an inherent problem with the screen technology and the way it handles voltage fluctuations from VRR technologies.

It's almost unnoticeable in gameplay but only you'll be able to decide if you can tolerate it. I had a VA panel for a few years and I just got used to it.

 

[eeii]

You might be on to something...

I've just disabled freesync on my monitor menu and it appears to have stopped.

So does that mean I've either got to put up with it changing brightness every 5 seconds or not have freesync? Kind of a pain. Its a fairly new AOC CU34G2XP

Are there any firmware upgrades available for the monitor. Might be worth creating a ticket on the aoc forums.

 

[Rain Man]

It's an inherent problem with the screen technology and the way it handles voltage fluctuations from VRR technologies.

It's almost unnoticeable in gameplay but only you'll be able to decide if you can tolerate it. I had a VA panel for a few years and I just got used to it.

I could probably deal with it if it's not noticeable during gameplay. I ran out of time last night but I'll fire up Arc Raiders later and report back.

 

[humbug]

I get display dimming in dark scenes if i have the SDR Content Brightness turned above 50%.

I don't think this is an AMD thing but rather a Windows thing.

 

[welshrat]

It's an inherent problem with the screen technology and the way it handles voltage fluctuations from VRR technologies.

It's almost unnoticeable in gameplay but only you'll be able to decide if you can tolerate it. I had a VA panel for a few years and I just got used to it.

Can you not disable free sync on desktop and just have it on for games ? I think it's a setting in displays is it not ? Honestly though I have a very good eye for bad displays, sent over 30k of TVs back to John Lewis in my time and I have not seen any issue on my va 32inch display connected to my 9070xt

 

[deviation]

Can you not disable free sync on desktop and just have it on for games ? I think it's a setting in displays is it not ? Honestly though I have a very good eye for bad displays, sent over 30k of TVs back to John Lewis in my time and I have not seen any issue on my va 32inch display connected to my 9070xt

If you've got over 30 grands worth of experience with TV's - why are you using a VA monitor for gaming That's self harm at it's finest

 

[welshrat]

If you've spent over 30 grands worth of experience with TV's - why are you using a VA monitor for gaming

Contrast. I won't use oled as I need a monitor I can have static content on 7 days a week. I am a software developer that works from home.

Black smear is an issue however it has become a lot better in recent times.

I hate IPS although colour is fine contrast is terrible. Will probably jump on a 4k mini led monitor which will allow me to jump on IPS.

 

[jimferno]

Can you not disable free sync on desktop and just have it on for games ? I think it's a setting in displays is it not ? Honestly though I have a very good eye for bad displays, sent over 30k of TVs back to John Lewis in my time and I have not seen any issue on my va 32inch display connected to my 9070xt

It's more prominent in high contrast areas when gaming but because you're more focussed on the action it can easily be missed.

It was most noticeable for me in game menus, just moving my mouse in a game main menu would trigger constant tiny shifts in brightness. I never once noticed it on the desktop or during video playback.

I'm back on an IPS panel now.

 

[humbug]

I have a VA monitor, IPS screens do look washed-out in comparison, IPS screens contrast tops out at about 1,000:1, my screen is 3,000:1 and i've seen VA screens at 4,000:1+.

Older ones do have black smearing, mine does, that was the criticism of them and why IPS screens were considered more "Premium", they still are somehow... newer VA screen's have solved that problem.

Edit: VA is the closest you're going to get to an OLED.

 

[deviation]

Contrast. I won't use oled as I need a monitor I can have static content on 7 days a week. I am a software developer that works from home.

Black smear is an issue however it has become a lot better in recent times.

I hate IPS although colour is fine contrast is terrible. Will probably jump on a 4k mini led monitor which will allow me to jump on IPS.

Ah, that makes more sense, sorry I thought it was purely a gaming rig
I've never really witnessed bad contrast on IPS myself. Nor a VA that was noticably better, and I've wasted a lot of TV's myself - not had an OLED yet, but that's because I was weiry. I cannot stand the smearing on VA's, I'm yet to see one that doesn't do it.
I was just going to ask if you'd tried mini LED

I have a VA monitor, IPS screens do look washed-out in comparison, IPS screens contrast tops out at about 1,000:1, my screen is 3,000:1 and i've seen VA screens at 4,000:1+.

Older ones do have black smearing, mine does, that was the criticism of them and why IPS screens were considered more "Premium", they still are somehow... newer VA screen's have solved that problem.

Edit: VA is the closest you're going to get to an OLED.

I'll have to take your word for that I guess, as I'm yet to see a VA that looks better than an IPS in person - they always look about the same to me, and then the smearing occurs, and I think, why would I accept this, in this day and age. So I run back to IPS
I wonder if there's any shops that actually sell any decent VA's, that I could witness it for myself on; as shops tend to sell rubbish as we know.

Last year, I went through had 3 reasonably expensive FALD nano LED/QLED TV's, and they were all very overhyped, the picture quality was decent, but worlds apart from an OLED IMHO - at £1200-1400 each, I don't think they live upto the hype/price, at all; I got them in the sale luckily, but even at £850-940, I felt ripped off...

There definitely was not enough dimming zones on any of the 3 TV's, and noticable halo's, which quickly became very annoying.
2 were LG's, and 1 was a HiSense, the HiSense was absolute dog ****, despite it being the price of the LG's - I knew it probably wouldn't be as good, but this was very poor in comparison.

Luckily they all developed multiple dead pixels and got sent back under warranty and changed for something cheaper, as after 3 in a row, I thought "what exactly am I overpaying for here?"

 

[welshrat]

Ah, that makes more sense, sorry I thought it was purely a gaming rig
I've never really witnessed bad contrast on IPS myself. Nor a VA that was noticably better, and I've wasted a lot of TV's myself - not had an OLED yet, but that's because I was weiry. I cannot stand the smearing on VA's, I'm yet to see one that doesn't do it.
I was just going to ask if you'd tried mini LED



I'll have to take your word for that I guess, as I'm yet to see a VA that looks better than an IPS in person - they always look about the same to me, and then the smearing occurs, and I think, why would I accept this, in this day and age. So I run back to IPS
I wonder if there's any shops that actually sell any decent VA's, that I could witness it for myself on; as shops tend to sell rubbish as we know.

Last year, I went through had 3 reasonably expensive FALD nano LED/QLED TV's, and they were all very overhyped, the picture quality was decent, but worlds apart from an OLED IMHO - at £1200-1400 each, I don't think they live upto the hype/price, at all; I got them in the sale luckily, but even at £850-940, I felt ripped off...

There definitely was not enough dimming zones on any of the 3 TV's, and noticable halo's, which quickly became very annoying.
2 were LG's, and 1 was a HiSense, the HiSense was absolute dog ****, despite it being the price of the LG's - I knew it probably wouldn't be as good, but this was very poor in comparison.

Luckily they all developed multiple dead pixels and got sent back under warranty and changed for something cheaper, as after 3 in a row, I thought "what exactly am I overpaying for here?"

My current TV is a Sony mini led and it's brilliant, again haven't gone OLED as I game a lot on it with the ps5 pro and falling asleep with static content. Waiting to see their next iteration is either microled or more zones with mini led.

Black smear isn't too bad on my 165hz monitor, it is there but far better than va panels used to be and I prefer the 3000:1 contrast which gives very good black levels (a pet hate of mine with ips)

 

[heatonpkmassive]

not had an OLED yet

Had an OLED LG telly for two and a half years now, no issues and a real game changer.

They have all kinds of features built in to maintain and protect the screen nowadays, as do monitors. I have one of those too, it was gaming on the telly that made me buy it. Loving Arc Raiders on my OLED monitor.

Can understand people still being wary because it's a lot of money.

Just my opinion of course.

 

[heatonpkmassive]

Back on topic for the OP. Are you 100% there's no hidden vari-bright setting? Because we had this happen with a load of laptops at work when we first starting buying devices with Ryzen chips and it was always that which caused the screen to throw brightness wobblers.