Hello
For example I show a graph of CS2 with custom res 960x540 (no gpu scaling, this res goes to monitor), low details and fps_max 64 with Freesync enabled and there seems to be some sort of stutter problem happening.
It's not the frametime stutter since frametime are fine but as you can see in CapFrameX "Until Display Time" is not correct and this is what is causing the stutters on screen. I can clearly see the stutters on screen when playing the game using freesync.
There seems to be a correlation between the stutters and low gpu usage and specifically fluctuating VRAM frequency. I can see vram frequency fluctuate like crazy when playing the game like this. The vram frequency of this gpu should be about 1750Mhz max but monitoring (using amd software and hwinfo) shows over 2200-2300Mhz spikes which is weird.
I have found a sort of a "fix" for this issue. If I toggle the Amd overlay On that fixes the issue. I think it stresses the gpu just enough to stabilize things. There is no crazy vram frequency fluctuations, the "until displayed times" are fine and no stutter.
I think I have had this problem with other games too. For example playing World War Z in 1080p where toggling the amd overlay on would result in noticeable smoother gaming experience in some parts of the game when using freesync. No graphs of this, just my own observation.
Can AMD release a fix for this issue?
Specs:
Windows 11 Version 10.0.26100 Build 26100
Latest AMD Drivers 25.3.1 fresh install 8bit colors and freesync enabled (I think same problem with earlier drivers also)
Asus TUF B660 Plus Wifi D4 Motherboard
14600kf (also same problem with 12100f cpu)
Asus Dual RX6600 8GB
16GB 3200Mhz ram
650W Gold Seasonic psu
Kingston NV2 2TB
Asus VG279QM 280Hz Freesync monitor
I have tried many things including reinstalling drivers with ddu and disable Resizable bar but no fix.
Hello
I tested another games Kao The Kangaroo and Nioh in 1080p and there is a problem when capping fps to 60 on those games also and it can be resolved using Radeon Overlay. The vram frequencies are fine though so it seems the vram issue is unrelated.
If someone else has a rx6600 can you please test if it is the same?
I'm now on 24.10.1 (EDIT: Also tested 23.12.1 and is the same) and the problem is exactly the same. Here another picture of Destiny 2 where the problem is not as bad but still it stutters and the game has more input lag with Performance Overlay Off.
Maybe if nobody has a RX6600 someone could try another Amd gpu like RX7000 or even 9000 series? If you try it please disable custom Performance Tuning while doing the tests.
If the game runs pretty smoothly sometimes you need to find a spot in the game that has the stutters so it can take some time.
You can also use Chill to cap fps that seems to cause same kinda issues at least in the games I tested.
TUTORIAL TO DIAGNOSE STUTTERS
I made a tutorial for anyone who would like to test if they get the same stutters as me. If many people speak about this issue then maybe we can get a fix from Amd.
Short version: Do you get stutters all the time in games and you don't know why when using an AMD GPU? Stutters could be caused by "Until Display Time" spikes. Enable Amd Performance Overlay to fix.
Long version:
There can be many different kind of stutters in a game including
-shader compilation stutters during first playthrough
-asset loading stutter if the game loads assets during gameplay
-frametime stutters because of uneven framerate
And
-the timing error of when the gpu presents the sequential frames to the display in relation to the game simulation time (sometimes called animation error). the kinda stutters i'm talking about here
How to get the game to stutter reliably
-60fps limit in the game. Use in game limiter for most reliable results. you also get stutters with higher fps but it's more random and more harder to see
-use 1080p for testing don't max out the gpu to over 80-90% because if you max out the gpu it might not stutter it's better to stress lower like under 50%. you also get stutters when stressing the gpu harder but it's more random in many games
-Freesync or Adaptive sync ON in Amd Software and display (you also get the stutters without Freesync but it could be more difficult to see them)
-default performance tuning in Amd Software (Raising Min Frequency to 300% or higher fixes most stutters for many games but not all)
-Amd Performance Overlay off (ctrl+shift+o to toggle in game)
-find a place where it stutters in game. It might not stutter everywhere in the game it depends on the game
-you have to spin the camera around the character with a controller at moderate speed by pushing right on the right stick on the controller to really notice the stutters or you could try strafing left and right
-when you notice stutters stop there and spin the camera around at moderate speed with the controller (not too fast) to see it stutters all the time
-You can also get the stutter if just standing still in some games but you have to be locked in just in the right place so it can be more tricky to do it this way
How to verify the stutters
- be aware if you use a fps meter to detect the issue it might not show up in an fps meter because it is not a fps issue it's an issue with how the gpu presents the frames to the display
-you can see the stutters on the screen with Freesync enabled
-you can see the stutters in the display osd where it shows the Freesync Hz in real time. sometimes this is called fps in the display menus. the Hz go up to a high value like 75, 100 or 200Hz even though the game is constant 60fps
-you can use CapFrameX to make a capture and see the stutters in Sync->Until Display Times (line not smooth) when you spin the game camera around and get the stutters. also if you can see that the game running almost constant 60fps you know it's not an fps issue
How to fix the stutters
First disable all other overlays if possible because they might cause stutters if enabled (including Steam Overlay from Steam menu if playing Steam games)
-enable performance overlay in Amd Software when in game and getting the stutter
-you can see there is no more stutter when using Freesync/Adaptive Sync
-you can see in the display osd the frequency go to almost constant 60 no matter if you spin around the camera or whatever
-you can make a CapFrameX capture to verify the stutters fixed and see if Sync->Until Display Times line is smooth
-if you enable Amd Performance Overlay mid capture you can really see how it definitely fixes the stutters
Games I tested to stutter but in reality it's many more games
-destiny 2 (free to download) with fps capped to 60
-Nioh with fps cap 60 which cannot be removed in this game, this game has the worst stutters for me
-Kao The Kangaroo when fps capped to 60
I have verified the fix working for me at least in driver versions 23.12.1, 24.10.1, 25.3.1, 25.3.2 but it might be more versions.
