Witcher 3 Hairworks is a creative project focused on customizing character appearances.
Witcher 3 Hairworks is a creative project focused on customizing character appearances.
When I set the Wither 3 to 1440p with hairworks enabled, it runs smoothly at around 50-60 frames per second. But when hairworks are active (even without the AA model), the game occasionally freezes for a half-second, dropping to about 49 fps on my counter. It’s not as low as 20fps, just a brief stutter. Turning hairworks off resolves the issue, but I’m curious if there’s a way to fix it. My system specs are an i7-8700K with an 1070 Ti and 16GB DDR4.
According to what I understand, hairworks seems to be a discontinued feature. However, you should adjust the settings until you discover one that suits you. Regarding the FPS, if something renders 60 frames in half a second, then pauses for half a second, it still counts as 60 FPS, though not smoothly continuous. This is why frame time—how long each frame takes to render—is also relevant, even if most games don’t display it.
Because FPS is not a good way to look at performance, you need to check frame times. You can render 48 frames in 0.5s and 1 frame in the other 0.5s which will definitely stutter. But you still rendered 49 frames in one second so the counter will report 49FPS. Anyway, HairWorks is not worth it above 1080p in W3. I don't like how Geralds hair looks with it enabled and there is no time to gush about wolves fur during combat. Furthermore, HairWorks at 1440p in W3 made my 1080ti cry in the corner, you have a 1070ti.
Avoid using complex tools; they slow down performance and don’t improve quality. Focus on essential settings for smooth playback. Enjoy the best visuals at full speed.
When your frame rate exceeds 60 consistently, turn on Vsync together with frame capping.
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Your monitor's response time of 6ms might be causing the issue. You could test playing at 1080p with all settings unchanged to check if the freezing persists. Hairworks at 1440p in TW3 demands around 15-20 fps, which is quite demanding. In 1080p it's slightly lower. If you stop the game for 15-30 minutes, switching back to 1440p and adjusting a few graphics settings should help. Consider setting Foliage Visibility Range to High instead of Ultra—it will boost performance to about 11 fps. Medium offers a bit more, but High is preferable for distant views. The gap between Ultra and High isn't significant at close range, but becomes apparent from afar. Let me know your results. If freezing remains in 1080p, we can proceed with further troubleshooting steps.