Ok GPU-Z fixing BF20242 random micro freezes -- but how and why?

[ryzenmaster]

Laptop:
ASUS G513QY AMD Advantage Edition
Ryzen 5900HX
RX6800M GPU
Windows 11
32GB DDR4 / Kingstone Fury Impact / 3200

Doesn't matter what I do with GPU drivers, BF2042 will see micro freezes, like total drop of FPS for half split second, it can occur in middle of moving/running/walking/weapon zoom, and can occur multiple times when Camera flies up/down when you die/revive.

Doesn't matter what I do, even undervolt (which is also underclock) my GPU with MPT - it can slightly help but not really stop the freezes, when I alt-tab to see what GPU-Z Sensors showing during these freezes, I saw major drops in GPU power and load. I then decided to force GPU-Z to be ALWAYS-ON-TOP so I can see in real-time what happens when freeze occurs, does the power drops right there or power dropped due to alt-tab? and what I figured? as long as GPU-Z on top of the game and the game runs borderless, NO FREEZES AT ALL, to make it play-able move GPU-Z window to the bottom so you only see the top of GPU-Z window and it doesn't hide your actual game. Then as additional test, if I run borderless without GPU-Z on top, same freezes does occur, but it does seem as once you run it once borderless with GPU-Z on top, play some minutes, then close GPU-Z the fix remains until you switch game to full-screen in settings or restart the game.

@W1zzard I have no one else but you... to help me figure out what is happening.... btw default GPU driver without MPT tweaks - freezes occur too, so freezes is not due to MPT or something, and all I needed all this time to stop freezes is GPU-Z ALWAYS ON TOP.... Dice made some buggy game.... i guess.... But can we create a little tool to run in background and simulate the same thing that GPU-Z on top does to keep game running smooth without GPU-Z on top ?

Latest AMD drivers for GPU and chipset.

Thanks!

NEXT DAY UPDATE:
Today, seems as GPU-Z doesnt 100% stop the freezes as it managed to do last night, strange.

 

[W1zzard]

No idea, very strange. Does it help if you run the 3d render test in the background?

 

[ryzenmaster]

No idea, very strange. Does it help if you run the 3d render test in the background?

3d test of GPU-Z? slows the game down.... to like 40 FPS.

 

[Mussels]

Disable any overlays you have from programs - afterburner, discord etc

Changing focus to another window is what helped here, which often disables those

 

[ryzenmaster]

Discord overlay disabled
Twitch also
Xbox gaming in win11 overlay turned off
I dont use afterburner....

Anything else?

 

[Mussels]

Game mode, hardware GPU scheduling, windows power plan, quitting all running apps, making sure anything game related runs off the DGPU and not the IGP
(Like if you have an overlay or extra program like a browser running that gets powered by the IGP, it steals wattage from the DGPU and can cause issues. rare, but happens)


Uuuuh what else is there... make sure VRR/freesync is disabled, check Vsync on/off (no preconceptions about stutter or that sort of bullshit, some people get real stubborn with Vsync settings. test em all.)

 

[mx62]

i had same problem with games from ubisoft
and turned off uplay overlays
problem solved

 

[ryzenmaster]

Game mode, hardware GPU scheduling, windows power plan, quitting all running apps, making sure anything game related runs off the DGPU and not the IGP
(Like if you have an overlay or extra program like a browser running that gets powered by the IGP, it steals wattage from the DGPU and can cause issues. rare, but happens)


Uuuuh what else is there... make sure VRR/freesync is disabled, check Vsync on/off (no preconceptions about stutter or that sort of bullshit, some people get real stubborn with Vsync settings. test em all.)

So.... done two things:

1. RX6800M MPT undervolt SOC to 1100mV and GFX to 1100mV
2. Plus Auto Undervolt in AMD control panel which takes GFX even further down to 1075mV
3. Then in AMD CP enabled enhanced sync (special VSYNC from AMD) and in game enabled VSYNC...
4. Game in borderless mode with Keep GPU-Z with always on top setting ON, in background as extra emotional help
5. It seems as reducing Ryzen 5900HX in armoury crate doesnt help, i thought it does... so this action seems useless for BF2042.

Seems as combination between point 1,2, 3 giving the right effect. I will need run few times to confirm.

So far seems as micro freezes reduced a lot... just very few lefts here and there, but much better now!

 

[Mussels]

honestly you shouldnt get stutters or freezes with stock settings, so i'd be more thinking one of your fixes is the cause.

Armoury crate is a plague upon mankind that installs a crap ton of bloatware, and even when removed leaves half a dozen services always running - programs like that, with their forced addons of third party RGB software for hardware you may not even have, are more likely to be the cause of problems than anything else

 

[INSTG8R]

So.... done two things:

1. RX6800M MPT undervolt SOC to 1100mV and GFX to 1100mV
2. Plus Auto Undervolt in AMD control panel which takes GFX even further down to 1075mV
3. Then in AMD CP enabled enhanced sync (special VSYNC from AMD) and in game enabled VSYNC...
4. Game in borderless mode with Keep GPU-Z with always on top setting ON, in background as extra emotional help
5. It seems as reducing Ryzen 5900HX in armoury crate doesnt help, i thought it does... so this action seems useless for BF2042.

Seems as combination between point 1,2, 3 giving the right effect. I will need run few times to confirm.

So far seems as micro freezes reduced a lot... just very few lefts here and there, but much better now!

Definitely don’t use Enhanced Sync it’s not been reliably working properly for a very long time(which sucks because combined with Freesync it’s an amazing combination)

 

[ryzenmaster]

Definitely don’t use Enhanced Sync it’s not been reliably working properly for a very long time(which sucks because combined with Freesync it’s an amazing combination)

I had few black screen blinks in BF2042 now but at least MUCH less freezes.... with enhanced sync. These black screen blinks is enhanced sync i guess?

UGH seems as borderless in game setting + vsync in game + enhanced sync in AMD cp + FreeSYNC ON in AMD cp does well in tackling these micro freezes!!!

 

[INSTG8R]

I had few black screen blinks in BF2042 now but at least MUCH less freezes.... with enhanced sync. These black screen blinks is enhanced sync i guess?

UGH seems as borderless in game setting + vsync in game + enhanced sync in AMD cp + FreeSYNC ON in AMD cp does well in tackling these micro freezes!!!

Yeah that is the most common issue with Enhanced Sync if it does “go wrong” which is why it has been on the known issues list for a very long time. I can’t really say any more about it except that I want it fixed too.