v1.13.16.0 - screen tearing not a bug but a design change

[bobcat999 8,444]

I can confirm, I now have the smoothest experience I have ever had in any sim. 
Silky smooth frame rate, no stutters or skips, no tearing (which I did have initially with the update).
Inside or outside the cockpit, I am really impressed.  I have checked it - it is definitely only 30 FPS, but it feels like more due to the smoothness.

My experience and the settings changes I have had to make are below.  It didn't take long.
This relates to a 1080Ti at a mix of high / ultra settings, 4k (60Hz) at 75% scaling (2880 pixels) set from the user config file.
I set sharpening at 50% (and no film grain) form Nvidia control panel, and it is so sharp with this and TAA you wouldn't think it was scaled at 75%.
Sharpening is off in user config as I think it is too much.
The only other setting I now have in NCP is Vsync to application controlled.  Everything else is off or app controlled.  Power is performance setting of course.

Firstly, Riva Tuner SS has done brilliantly over the years, but it is now retired and no longer needed!  I tried to reintroduce it afterwards with a lock of 30 and screen sync of x/2, but it introduced a slight skip occasionally, so it is now rested and totally not needed.

So, the 'secret' setting for me - in sim, vsync on, and 30 FPS.  Absolutely brilliant and nothing else is needed!  I tried 60 FPS, but as my GPU can't match that, it does introduce some stuttering due to frame rate inconsistency I think.  I also tried 60 FPS in sim with RTSS at locked 30 FPS, slight skipping still.  So back to 30 in the sim, and perfect.  I am impressed with this change.

This was for a mixture of low load and City settings (London).  Note my GPU is also running cool and quiet at this 30 FPS setting.  Fan is locked at 50%, and temp is 74C, power tends to be 70%, and GPU load between 70 and high 90's.

All in all, I am really happy with this part of the update.  I am struggling to know how this 30FPS seems so much smoother than my previous 30 FPS settings - it seems really Different. 

Just to add as well - not seen any spikes yet, coastlines much better, the lighting and clouds do seem somewhat different in a good way.
Morphing / shape-shifting of hills and mountains is still there, and I checked Flagstaff  - the ridges are still across the runway and cause a performance hit, same as Bradenton.
Going in the right direction though!

Edited February 18, 2021 by bobcat999

[Ixoye 1,813]

13 hours ago, DylanM said:

So just to confirm - with a Gsync monitor, Gsync enabled in NVCP and vsync off in NVCP / in-sim? or does vsync need to be enabled as well?

I use G-sync on and V-sync to application controlled in NVCP, and V-sync on to 30fps in the game to avoid flickering, but 30 fps setting in game gives me about 40-45 fps in real life, if I set it to 20 it gives me 30+ fps, something is still wrong with this settings.

Edited February 18, 2021 by Ixoye

[ChaoticBeauty 6,692]

Another new improvement I found thanks to this is that setting the resolution to anything other than native, either a lower one or a higher one using DRS or VSR, no longer uses nearest-neighbour sampling, which yields a much cleaner and smoother image. This could create some interesting combinations, like setting the screen resolution higher than native and then scaling it back using the resolution scaler to enable TAAU, which might yield a cleaner picture at nearly the same performance.

Those oddities before the swap chain change (V-Sync always on, poor frame limiter, nearest-neighbour sampling) were all reported by Digital Foundry at launch. Considering that this is a massive improvement that fixes all those issues, I really don't see why they wouldn't mention that in the patch notes. Well, at least it's good that we have some highly-knowledgeable people in this community to give us a better understanding of the inner workings of the application.

[spacedyemeerkat 421]

2 hours ago, bobcat999 said:

The only other setting I now have in NCP is Vsync to application controlled.  Everything else is off or app controlled.  Power is performance setting of course.

I'm struggling to locate the executable file for this in the Nvidia Control Panel. Where did you find yours? (Steam version here, can't locate in main directory or the 'base' directory.)

[bobcat999 8,444]

If you right click on your desktop, it should be in the pop-up menu.  A green icon.

[spacedyemeerkat 421]

3 minutes ago, bobcat999 said:

If you right click on your desktop, it should be in the pop-up menu.  A green icon.

Hehe! I know how to open the NCP, I just can't find the executable for FS 😁

[bobcat999 8,444]

Edited double post.

@Ixoye

Yes I can't explain it.  30 in game seems so much smoother than my old method with Riva Tuner.  But my GPU utilisation, power, and temperature readings are the same as before - strange! Maybe it is just the way the screen is refreshing.  The new system they introduced is supposed to reduce lag - could it be as simple as that?

Edited February 18, 2021 by bobcat999

[bobcat999 8,444]

5 minutes ago, spacedyemeerkat said:

Hehe! I know how to open the NCP, I just can't find the executable for FS 😁

Ah!  Right. 😀  From the 3D global setting, click on the next tab along and it will have a drop down list of installed games / applications.

You will find it under Microsoft Flight Simulator when you scroll down.

Edited February 18, 2021 by bobcat999

[spacedyemeerkat 421]

7 minutes ago, bobcat999 said:

Ah!  Right. 😀  If you come away from the global setting, click on the next tab and it will have a drop down list of installed games / Aplications.

You will find it under Microsoft Flight Simulator

It's not in the list and not in the recently used applications, either. Frustrating! But I've found it now, tracked it down via the task manager. Thanks for the responses.

[bobcat999 8,444]

7 minutes ago, spacedyemeerkat said:

It's not in the list and not in the recently used applications, either. Frustrating! But I've found it now, tracked it down via the task manager. Thanks for the responses.

Glad you found it.  I wonder if it is a bit of a Steam thing with yours not showing.  As long as you have it though.  Good luck with the experimentation! 

[boez 85]

32 minutes ago, bobcat999 said:

Yes I can't explain it.  30 in game seems so much smoother than my old method with Riva Tuner.  But my GPU utilisation, power, and temperature readings are the same as before - strange! Maybe it is just the way the screen is refreshing.  

It's due to whats called frame pacing. Frames per second (fps) is an average represention of the time that each individual frame takes to be displayed (called Frametime). You can be averaging 30fps but if that average is the result of very fast then very slow frametimes it will not seem smooth. 

 

e.g. assume 30fps is the target so that needs an average frametime of 1/30 = 33msecs.

frametime of 1st frame is 27.2msecs 

frametime of 2nd frame is 34.2msecs

frametime of 3rd frame is 33.4msecs

frametime of 4th frame is 28.2msecs

frametime of etc.etc.etc. to a total of 30 frames.

 

Now this may average over 1 second of counting to 30fps but it will not seem smooth.

 

Whereas:

frametime of 1st frame is 32.99msecs

frametime of 2nd frame is 33.01msecs

frametime of 3rd frame is 33.00msecs

frametime of etc.etc.etc. to a total of 30 frames. 

 

This also averages to 30fps but is much smoother. Of course CPU/GPU usage is identical (more or less!).

 

In-game settings, swap chain modes, coding techniques all contribute to this variation.

 

Edited February 18, 2021 by boez
Correction

[boez 85]

I should add that like my orignal post I've greatly simplified these explanations. There is masses of information that has been written on the subject and I've tried to just include the salient points.

 

Remember any fps over the refresh rate of your monitor are wasted! You wont see them 🙂

Edited February 18, 2021 by boez
Spelling!

[bobcat999 8,444]

Thanks for the explanations Boez.  That may well be what I am seeing.

[DylanM 1,069]

Thanks all for sharing your insights and knowledge. I'll add my experience that enabling the in-sim Vsync and frame limiter really did the trick, with no impact on performance (gave it test in London and NY and it was butter). Funny how we have to unlearn all these old assumptions from the other sims...😉

[Ricardo Andrada 4]

Hello

I still have micro stuttering when making curves in flight or taxiing on the ground.
Does this keep happening to someone else?