Does Gaming In Non-Standard Resolutions Give Less Performance?

[RickyRozay]

Hello!

My main PC is hooked up to a 1080p HDTV in the living room, with a PS3 controller.

For some reason, when I set the resolution using nVIDIA control panel to 1920x1080, some of the screen is cut off. I tried tweaking the picture mode on the TV itself, but none of the settings fix this issue... so I figure it's an issue with the computer somehow. It's connected via a HDMI cable.

This unfortunately means that I had to adjust the screen size via the control panel, so I game at something random like 1854x1067 or something like that. Will this give me less performance, because the games are running at a random resolution that they weren't designed for? Or does it really not matter?

Sorry for asking such a loser question, it makes sense in my head! Thanks

 

[RejZoR]

I think that graphic card still actually outputs 1920x1080, it's the TV which crops the image to such bizarre resolution. I've seen it years ago on entry Philips models. But not anymore for quite a while...

 

[EarthDog]

Adjust the overscan functions man... this isn't a problem.

 

[R-T-B]

It shouldn't hurt performance no, but as was said, overscan is the correct way to deal with this.

 

[RickyRozay]

Well basically, when I install the GTX 780 with the default Windows WHQL drivers, the screen is perfect at 1920x1080 with none of the image cut off.

But when I install the proper nVIDIA drivers, that's when the screen becomes cut off.

Are you saying that this is the TV doing this? It's a Sharp Aquos LC-43CFE6131K 43" Smart LED TV

 

[eidairaman1]

Contact sharp and nvidia.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Last Nvidia GPU I had (GTS 250), I often had to use the downsized res you mentioned, but when I switched back to full 1080p it would then fit the screen properly. It seems that even though it creates a downsized custom res after you select and scale 1080p, it also scales the 1080p res to fit the screen. Why it can't do it without downsizing the res seems odd though.

If you ask me, AMD drivers are even worse at such things lately though. Many are reporting no scaling option when installing drivers, and with most of the newer Crimson drivers I have to use GPU scaling mode to even get non native resolutions to fit the screen.

If I switch back to Nvidia next upgrade, it will most likely be for software rather than hardware reasons.

 

[RejZoR]

This issue was more prevalent back when VGA was the connection of choice between PC and LCD TV's. Today, almost every device I've connected with HDMI went straight into 1:1 ratio 1920x1080 without any extra settings and tweaking.

 

[AsRock]

Adjust the overscan functions man... this isn't a problem.

This^ Check the HDTV screen settings.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

I find that a lot of HDTVs tend to overthink about what they're getting from a computer. There's usually an option in the TV's settings to 1:1 what is received (assuming 1920x1080 computer -> 1080p TV, 1280x720 computer -> 720p TV, etc.). That usually fixes it.

 

[NdMk2o1o]

Sure your TV settings for picture are correct ie: not on zoom or auto or something?

 

[newtekie1]

I find that a lot of HDTVs tend to overthink about what they're getting from a computer. There's usually an option in the TV's settings to 1:1 what is received (assuming 1920x1080 computer -> 1080p TV, 1280x720 computer -> 720p TV, etc.). That usually fixes it.

Basically this. Though I have seen the GPU cause the problem too, but only on AMD GPUs(and they fixed the bug causing it several driver releases ago).

On my Sharp Aquos there was a setting in the menu somewhere that put it in 1:1 mode.

 

[Papahyooie]

Here is what you're looking for.

 

[RickyRozay]

Omg I've been an idiot, the 1:1 setting was named "Dot by Dot" for some reason.

Issue resolved, thank you everybody!

 

[EarthDog]

Contact sharp and nvidia.

They can tell him to adjust overscan too.

 

[DRDNA]

Wondering are you using the VGA connection or one of the HDMI connections?

 

[NdMk2o1o]

Omg I've been an idiot, the 1:1 setting was named "Dot by Dot" for some reason.

Issue resolved, thank you everybody!

Wondering are you using the VGA connection or one of the HDMI connections?

All sorted

 

[DRDNA]

All sorted

yeah I saw that after I posted...Glad its sorted.

 

[RickyRozay]

Although, now I have resolved the issue, it is definitely helping to explain some weird issues I was having.

With the desktop resize thing, and setting it to 1920x1080 resolution, when I was running Unigene Heaven or whatever it is... it would start fine, then 30 seconds in the GPU would crap out, and the TV would say "1080i 50Hz" and continue the benchmark in that mode. But then nVIDIA control panel would only give me the option of 30Hz refresh rate and 1080i after the bench was done.

Also, some stuttering that I was having during the test has now disappeared. I can only assume this was caused by some kind of conflict in the system, so potentially this actually was affecting performance!