Microsoft adds Variable Refresh Rate For Games that lack Support

by Hilbert Hagedoorn on: 06/04/2019 04:05 PM | source: microsoft | 31 comment(s)

With Windows Version 1903, Microsoft have added a new toggle in Graphics Settings for variable refresh rate. Variable refresh rate (VRR) is similar to NVIDIA’s G-SYNC and VESA DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync.

This new OS support is only to augment these experiences and does not replace them. You should continue to use G-SYNC / Adaptive-Sync normally. This toggle doesn’t override any of the settings you’ve already configured in the G-SYNC or Adaptive-Sync control panels. This new toggle enables VRR support for DX11 full-screen games that did not support VRR natively, so these games can now benefit from your VRR hardware.

You won’t see the slider unless your system has all of the following. If any of these are missing, you will not see the toggle and the feature will not be enabled for you.

Windows Version 1903 or later
A G-SYNC or Adaptive-Sync capable monitor
A GPU with WDDM 2.6 or above drivers, that supports G-SYNC / Adaptive-Sync and this new OS feature

This feature is disabled by default, but you can turn it on and try the feature out. If you run into any unexpected issues while gaming, turn the feature off and see if that resolves the issue for you. Thanks SH SOTN for this news submit.

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OnnA
Senior Member

Posts: 9878
Joined: 2014-10-25

#5676657 Posted on: 06/04/2019 04:10 PM

Please rememebr that:

Variable Refresh Rate VRR or VESA DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync is FreeSync.
To not be confused....

nevcairiel
Senior Member

Posts: 624
Joined: 2015-05-19

#5676659 Posted on: 06/04/2019 04:19 PM

Please rememebr that:

Variable Refresh Rate VRR or VESA DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync is FreeSync.
To not be confused....

Thats not correct. "Variable Refresh Rate" is not the name of any one technology, its the generic term to describe the concept as a whole.

OnnA
Senior Member

Posts: 9878
Joined: 2014-10-25

#5676661 Posted on: 06/04/2019 04:22 PM

Thats not correct. "Variable Refresh Rate" is not the name of any one technology, its the generic term to describe the concept as a whole.

BTW all names are correct

" Microsoft extended variable refresh-rate (VRR) to games that don't natively support it, through a new global setting under Graphics Settings.
To access this setting, you must have the latest Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903), a display that supports NVIDIA G-Sync, AMD FreeSync, or VESA Adaptive-Sync, and a graphics processor with a WDDM 2.6-compliant driver that supports these VRR technologies.

For now, this setting only works with DirectX 11 games in exclusive-fullscreen mode. Microsoft clarified that this setting is not designed to override the VRR options presented by the control panels of your display driver provider (eg: NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Radeon Settings).
The option is disabled by default, and isn't visible to users who don't meet both the hardware- and software-requirements of VRR."

GSDragoon
Senior Member

Posts: 179
Joined: 2006-11-29

#5676662 Posted on: 06/04/2019 04:23 PM

I thought it was the monitor and display driver that handled this? What needs to be done at the application level? I assume this doesn't do anything if you are already using adaptive sync?

OnnA
Senior Member

Posts: 9878
Joined: 2014-10-25

#5676663 Posted on: 06/04/2019 04:26 PM

I thought it was the monitor and display driver that handled this? What needs to be done at the application level? I assume this doesn't do anything if you are already using adaptive sync?

Same experience with ON/OFF for FreeSync Users.
I have this set to ON.

waltc3
Senior Member

Posts: 1013
Joined: 2014-07-22

#5676669 Posted on: 06/04/2019 04:39 PM

I don't have the option in v1903, build 18362.145 @ my native 3840x2160 resolution, so it appears that if you don't have a Freesync-Gsync monitor the option does not appear at all. Still cannot figure the advantage of Freesync/Gsync--as the examples the OEMs use to illustrate "what your monitor looks like without it" look much worse than what I'm accustomed to--and the examples they use to illustrate what VRR looks like in action look exactly like what I already see. In fact, if my monitor looked as bad as the OEM's say it looks without x-sync I'd be convinced something was wrong somewhere in my graphics stack...

artina90
Member

Posts: 66
Joined: 2013-09-21

#5676680 Posted on: 06/04/2019 05:16 PM

It also doesn't work for me:

Windows Version 1903 or later ✔(18362.145 installed)
A G-SYNC or Adaptive-Sync capable monitor ✔(LG 27 UK650W - freesync works through Nvidia G-sync)
A GPU with WDDM 2.6 or above drivers, that supports G-SYNC / Adaptive-Sync and this new OS feature ✔(GTX 1080, DXDIAG reports WDDM 2.6 on latest Nvidia driver)

✘ The option is nowhere to be found in the system graphics settings CP.

Alessio1989
Senior Member

Posts: 1419
Joined: 2015-06-11

#5676684 Posted on: 06/04/2019 05:29 PM

This is only for UWP games that doesn't natively handles variable refresh rate systems. This will NOT work with any DirectX application, just with UWP application in fullscreen borderless mode that do not already handle the DXGI_PRESENT_ALLOW_TEARING flag.

Singleton99
Senior Member

Posts: 1014
Joined: 2012-04-18

#5676687 Posted on: 06/04/2019 05:36 PM

Thanks for the information .

Darren Hodgson
Senior Member

Posts: 15833
Joined: 2004-08-18

#5676739 Posted on: 06/04/2019 07:55 PM

I'm not seeing this option with the v430.97 but I saw a post over on the GeForce.com forums that it is visible when using the v435.27 driver that was recently pushed out to Windows Insiders.

I did admittedly try this driver last week before reverting to this hotfix driver for the Forza 4 fix but, of course, knew nothing the VRR feature added to Windows 10 so didn't see if it was enabled or not.

May reinstall v435.27 again if someone else confirms that this feature is enabled because NVIDIA refuse to release any release notes for this driver (which, IMO, is silly even if it is basically a beta driver as it always useful to know what new things or changes have been made to any driver instead of having to guess!).

SpajdrEX
Senior Member

Posts: 2100
Joined: 2006-05-07

#5676745 Posted on: 06/04/2019 08:06 PM

If it's UWP only, can at least State of Decay 2 have any benefit from it?
Because last time I tried it, frame pacing was really bad.

D3M1G0D
Senior Member

Posts: 1997
Joined: 2017-03-10

#5676746 Posted on: 06/04/2019 08:17 PM

It makes a noticeable difference, but you have to experience it to see it. I once tried to overclock my 4K/60 FreeSync monitor - I tested it at 65 Hz and ran a game but the results were horrible (stuttery, choppy). I suspected that it had disabled FreeSync and the windmill demo confirmed it. This put an immediate stop to my overclocking test, as the results weren't worth it if it disabled VRR.

RealNC
Senior Member

Posts: 3114
Joined: 2011-11-24

#5676748 Posted on: 06/04/2019 08:19 PM

If it's UWP only, can at least State of Decay 2 have any benefit from it?
Because last time I tried it, frame pacing was really bad.
Unfortunately, VRR cannot fix frame pacing. Garbage in, garbage out.

SpajdrEX
Senior Member

Posts: 2100
Joined: 2006-05-07

#5676752 Posted on: 06/04/2019 08:40 PM

Unfortunately, VRR cannot fix frame pacing. Garbage in, garbage out.

Well... crap, thanks for the info :p

RealNC
Senior Member

Posts: 3114
Joined: 2011-11-24

#5676772 Posted on: 06/04/2019 09:34 PM

Well... crap, thanks for the info :p

RTSS's frame limiter can though in some cases o_O

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