Having choppy gameplay issues
Having choppy gameplay issues
I'm playing on a PC equipped with a Gigabyte RTX 2070 Super Gaming OC and a Ryzen 5 3600 processor; my monitor is a Samsung Curved 144Hz FreeSync 1080p Gaming Monitor.
I've shared a video clip of GTA5 gameplay recorded from my phone using GeForce in-game overlay, which is compressed and of poor quality, to WhatsApp to reduce its size. The issue seems to be present sometimes but not always, and I'm unsure what exactly is causing it—whether it's screen stuttering or tearing. When it doesn't occur, I can play 'Control' in DirectX 12 with Ray Tracing, but when it does, I can only run in DX11 without RT for a smoother experience.
I've attached two HWiNFO64 logs showing the problem in GTA5, both with and without it. Unfortunately, I can't interpret the logs myself, but I hope someone can help me resolve this.
Thanks in advance.
GTA5.mp4
GTA5 HWiNFO Log Bad.CSV
GTA5 HWiNFO Log Good.CSV
It's GTA V. Certain zones in the game behave this way, particularly within the city. This is quite typical.
No, the issue occurs in "Control" too. It also appears in other games like Watch Dogs, Watch Dogs 2, Forza Horizon 4, Shadow of the Tomb Rider, etc. When I turn on VSync in settings with "Half framerate," the problem mostly disappears (even in GTA 5), but it renders my monitor and hardware useless because I can't achieve the 144Hz refresh rate I paid for. I've set GSync in the Nvidia Control Panel, but I still don't understand why VSync is necessary.
I understand. Don't worry about VSync, GSync works well and it's fine. Let your frame rate run free unless your CPU is constantly at 100%. Your numbers aren<|pad|>, they should naturally vary in open-world games. If I were you, I'd display more than just FPS to give a clearer picture of your system. Frametime would also be useful—it highlights any performance issues.
If you're playing at full Ultra settings, this is exactly what you'll face.
Capture a screenshot of all your GTA 5 graphics options. If the problem is tied to graphic settings, I can resolve it quickly.
P.S. I'm not very familiar with Ray Tracing and its impact on performance. It seems to affect frame rates significantly, especially in older titles like Quake II.
I just scan the games in Geforce Experience and click on the optimize button. While I'm writing this, I'm playing GTA 5 with the optimized option enabled and without the choppiness issue. The system can handle games at 1440p high and even 4k medium, but I'm only running a five-year-old game (GTA5) in 1080p. As requested, I've attached screenshots of the graphics settings. I attempted to lower all graphics settings to medium, but it didn't resolve the problem. The only setting that helps is 'VSync' at half, which lowers my framerate to 75 or less—acceptable for the latest games at high settings, but not ideal for older titles.
This changes significantly depending on the game. As you observe, your equipment isn't going to completely overshadow GTA 5 on Ultra... Right from the start, you're operating near the maximum Ultra setting (as I anticipated). Your screenshot doesn't display Population Variety, Population Density and Distance Scaling. That's fine since I assume you've configured them at full capacity.
Applying presets like Medium won't help either. You'll need to fine-tune your configuration entirely. Luckily, I've optimized them to closely mimic Ultra performance while maintaining high frame rates. Adjust them accordingly, reset the game, and you'll notice a significant boost in FPS.
For a demonstration of how global factors influence performance, try this: head to the bottom left of the map near the dock and Ferris Wheel. Drive up the left side of the map on the road. Continue past that intersection to the right, then pass the first overpass sign. Observe your FPS in that stretch—it's among the highest you'll encounter during gameplay. Finally, return to the city and notice the difference.
P.S. Refrain from relying solely on all-Ultra settings, presets, or any optimization shortcuts. PC Gaming allows precise adjustments to each graphic parameter for optimal results.
For all the time and work you invested, my concern remains unresolved. I fully agree with your explanations. I have adjusted all the configurations based on your screenshots and included a gameplay clip. As you observed, it didn’t function properly.
Today I tried GTA5 with the original "Optimized" settings on GeForce Experience (Ultra mode) and it ran smoothly. The video link you provided matches the capabilities of my hardware. Now, using the same settings, the game is completely unplayable. Even adjusting the settings according to your images didn’t resolve the issue.
This problem isn’t limited to GTA 5. I also played Control with RayTracing enabled, and there were no issues. However, when I turned off RayTracing, the game became stable again. But using a RTX card without RayTracing still causes problems. For other games, enabling VSync at half speed helps but lowers frame rates significantly.
My main question is why my games perform perfectly with the 'Optimized' settings at times, yet become choppy with unchanged settings at other times. Adjusting graphics levels doesn’t solve the problem either.
I turn off my PC and after a while I turn it back on, then start playing. Now the game runs smoothly. I attached a video demonstrating the gameplay in optimized settings (Ultra). I believe the problem might be related to system adjustments that reduce performance when the system is idle, though I'm not certain. GTA5 Optimized Setting without Choppiness.mp4
It seems the performance is stable at 180 fps, but it fluctuates between 122 and 131. This variation might be linked to camera movement. Raytracing could be contributing to the problem. I haven’t used an RTX GPU myself. Your FPS numbers in the first video (80-102) are typical for your hardware on Ultra, possibly better than others with the same specs. In this latest clip, FPS reaches up to 180 but drops to around 122-131 when using the settings I shared. The jump from 80-102 to 122-180 shows a clear improvement. I’m trying to observe the hardware behavior closely and avoid camera movement. Please record another clip with the camera fixed on a stable surface, like a table, and keep the settings consistent. This will help identify any issues. Thank you for your patience; we’ll investigate this further.
FPS over 144 is essentially a waste since my monitor only supports 144Hz. I spin the camera in the game to better demonstrate the problem, but it didn't help. In fact, it made the gameplay worse with more stuttering and lower quality. The video struggles to capture what I see, but the Nvidia Overlay recorder doesn't show the stuttering at all. I'm now forced to use a handheld phone camera instead. Right now I don't have the issue, but it's nighttime, so I'll check tomorrow morning. I plan to try other recording software for better results rather than using my phone camera. If that doesn't work, I'll use the tripod I found somewhere and try again. Thank you for your support!