• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

FreeSync / Gsync flicker

Joined
Jan 14, 2019
Messages
9,898 (5.12/day)
Location
Midlands, UK
System Name Nebulon-B Mk. 4
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard MSi PRO B650M-A WiFi
Cooling be quiet! Dark Rock 4
Memory 2x 24 GB Corsair Vengeance EXPO DDR5-6000
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 7800 XT
Storage 2 TB Corsair MP600 GS, 2 TB Corsair MP600 R2, 4 + 8 TB Seagate Barracuda 3.5"
Display(s) Dell S3422DWG, 7" Waveshare touchscreen
Case Kolink Citadel Mesh black
Power Supply Seasonic Prime GX-750
Mouse Logitech MX Master 2S
Keyboard Logitech G413 SE
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores Cinebench R23 single-core: 1,800, multi-core: 18,000. Superposition 1080p Extreme: 9,900.
@AusWolf
can be, worth the try, 50% of screen issues i had using DP port, were down to cable, even if it had correct specs.

is gpu scheduling enabled in win? try with it off.
I don't have a hardware scheduling option in the Settings menu, or the registry, either. :confused:

Let's see if the cable helps.
 
Joined
Nov 7, 2017
Messages
1,478 (0.62/day)
Location
Ibiza, Spain.
System Name Main
Processor R7 5950x
Motherboard MSI x570S Unify-X Max
Cooling D5 clone, 280 rad, two F14 + three F12S bottom/intake, two P14S + F14S (Rad) + two F14 (top)
Memory 2x8 GB Corsair Vengeance bdie 3600@CL16 1.35v
Video Card(s) GB 2080S WaterForce WB
Storage six M.2 pcie gen 4
Display(s) Sony 50X90J
Case Tt Level 20 HT
Audio Device(s) Asus Xonar AE, modded Sennheiser HD 558, Klipsch 2.1 THX
Power Supply Corsair RMx 750w
Mouse Logitech G903
Keyboard GSKILL Ripjaws
VR HMD NA
Software win 10 pro x64
Benchmark Scores TimeSpy score Fire Strike Ultra SuperPosition CB20
settings>display>graphics settings>hw scheduling
otherwise uninstall chipset/gpu drivers, clean with ddu.
 
Joined
Jan 14, 2019
Messages
9,898 (5.12/day)
Location
Midlands, UK
System Name Nebulon-B Mk. 4
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard MSi PRO B650M-A WiFi
Cooling be quiet! Dark Rock 4
Memory 2x 24 GB Corsair Vengeance EXPO DDR5-6000
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 7800 XT
Storage 2 TB Corsair MP600 GS, 2 TB Corsair MP600 R2, 4 + 8 TB Seagate Barracuda 3.5"
Display(s) Dell S3422DWG, 7" Waveshare touchscreen
Case Kolink Citadel Mesh black
Power Supply Seasonic Prime GX-750
Mouse Logitech MX Master 2S
Keyboard Logitech G413 SE
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores Cinebench R23 single-core: 1,800, multi-core: 18,000. Superposition 1080p Extreme: 9,900.
settings>display>graphics settings>hw scheduling
otherwise uninstall chipset/gpu drivers, clean with ddu.
There's no such option there. I'll try a DDU if the new cable doesn't help. Thanks. :)
 
Joined
Nov 7, 2017
Messages
1,478 (0.62/day)
Location
Ibiza, Spain.
System Name Main
Processor R7 5950x
Motherboard MSI x570S Unify-X Max
Cooling D5 clone, 280 rad, two F14 + three F12S bottom/intake, two P14S + F14S (Rad) + two F14 (top)
Memory 2x8 GB Corsair Vengeance bdie 3600@CL16 1.35v
Video Card(s) GB 2080S WaterForce WB
Storage six M.2 pcie gen 4
Display(s) Sony 50X90J
Case Tt Level 20 HT
Audio Device(s) Asus Xonar AE, modded Sennheiser HD 558, Klipsch 2.1 THX
Power Supply Corsair RMx 750w
Mouse Logitech G903
Keyboard GSKILL Ripjaws
VR HMD NA
Software win 10 pro x64
Benchmark Scores TimeSpy score Fire Strike Ultra SuperPosition CB20
make sure your physically offline, uninstall drivers one by one,
reboot to safe mode, clean reboot, clean, reboot..
make sure to disable win-auto driver install (in DDU)/check all settings before cleaning.
 
Joined
Aug 15, 2022
Messages
277 (0.44/day)
Location
Some Where On Earth
System Name Spam
Processor i9-12900K PL1=125 TA=56 PL2=250
Motherboard MSI MAG B660M Mortar WiFi DDR4
Cooling Scythe Kaze Flex 120mm ARGB Fans x5 / Noctua NH-U9S
Memory Mushkin Red Line DDR4 4000 16Gb x2 18-22-22-42 1T
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 XT
Storage Team Group MP33 512Mb / 1Tb
Display(s) LG 34GP63A-B (3440 x 1440)
Case BitFenix Prodigy M 2022
Audio Device(s) Real Tek on Board Audio
Power Supply EVGA SuperNOVA 850 GM
Mouse G203
Keyboard G413
Software WIN 11 Pro
Someone said in their review of the Club3D cable linked above that it resolved some flickering issues at 165 Hz, so I ordered it. If it helps, great, if it doesn't, then at least I have an extra cable just in case.
I bought mine from Monoprice and used it to replace the Display Port cable that came with my LG that was causing issues since it was one of those thin cables with little shielding. I also went with a 2.0 cable over the 1.4 with the 7900XT due to some people saying it was an issue with 2.0 output signal drivers current drive and need a tighter twisted cable paired with better shielding.

So far, I have had no issues at 160hz with the new cable.
 
Joined
Jan 14, 2019
Messages
9,898 (5.12/day)
Location
Midlands, UK
System Name Nebulon-B Mk. 4
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard MSi PRO B650M-A WiFi
Cooling be quiet! Dark Rock 4
Memory 2x 24 GB Corsair Vengeance EXPO DDR5-6000
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 7800 XT
Storage 2 TB Corsair MP600 GS, 2 TB Corsair MP600 R2, 4 + 8 TB Seagate Barracuda 3.5"
Display(s) Dell S3422DWG, 7" Waveshare touchscreen
Case Kolink Citadel Mesh black
Power Supply Seasonic Prime GX-750
Mouse Logitech MX Master 2S
Keyboard Logitech G413 SE
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores Cinebench R23 single-core: 1,800, multi-core: 18,000. Superposition 1080p Extreme: 9,900.
I just ran a 3DMark Port Royal test where my FPS was around the 43-45 mark. The monitor was constantly in the LFC range at 80-90 Hz, and there was absolutely no backlight flicker.

So, it doesn't flicker at high FPS, it doesn't flicker at low FPS, but there is a very specific in-between value where it does. I suppose it's when LFC keeps turning on and off at a rapid rate.

Edit: Or maybe there's something specific with Kingdom Come: Deliverance that makes the monitor behave in an odd way. I'll have to test with more games.
 
Last edited:

BicycleBicycle

New Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2023
Messages
11 (0.05/day)
Someone said in their review of the Club3D cable linked above that it resolved some flickering issues at 165 Hz, so I ordered it. If it helps, great, if it doesn't, then at least I have an extra cable just in case. :ohwell:
I guess it doesn't hurt to have more cables around :). But the issue here isn't about flickering at high refresh rate. That issue has more to do with data throughput limitations at a high refresh cycles and limitations on the capabilities of the cable they were using (dropped/corrupt data). This issue is not caused by limitations on data throughput, it's as you have researched an issue caused by LFC kicking in when FPS drops out of range of monitor's VRR range.
That article you linked to does a good job explaining the problem. I have an older MSI Optix UW monitor on my 2nd system that experiences this and like you, I did a bit of research as well only to come to CRU as final resolution. It's the constant "LFC compensation" at high frequency that causes the brightness flicker. It's like two systems fighting against each other, one is trying to bump the refresh rate to max (LFC) which has high brightness and Freesync is trying to apply VRR to match the low source FPS, which has low brightness and you get the brightness flicker.

On a side note, because I have V-sync enabled globally via Nvidia control panel I also had this issue in some static apps (Fan Control for one) where it would flicker because VRR was being applied to something like 50 FPS (for whatever reason) and LFC would kick in. Solution there was just to disable Vsync for that app in Nvidia Control panel to force max refresh of the monitor as tearing isn't relevant for static apps etc. So unfortunately, it's just monitor dependent :(.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
20,789 (3.41/day)
System Name Pioneer
Processor Ryzen R9 7950X
Motherboard GIGABYTE Aorus Elite X670 AX
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory 64GB (4x 16GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) XFX RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310
Storage 2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs
Display(s) 55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s) TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W
Mouse Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches + PBT DS keycaps
Software Gentoo Linux x64
can CRU help?
It can but he requested not to use such tools. Not sure what else can be done. Changing gamma settings might hide it, but that has obvious side effects.
 
Joined
Jan 14, 2019
Messages
9,898 (5.12/day)
Location
Midlands, UK
System Name Nebulon-B Mk. 4
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard MSi PRO B650M-A WiFi
Cooling be quiet! Dark Rock 4
Memory 2x 24 GB Corsair Vengeance EXPO DDR5-6000
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 7800 XT
Storage 2 TB Corsair MP600 GS, 2 TB Corsair MP600 R2, 4 + 8 TB Seagate Barracuda 3.5"
Display(s) Dell S3422DWG, 7" Waveshare touchscreen
Case Kolink Citadel Mesh black
Power Supply Seasonic Prime GX-750
Mouse Logitech MX Master 2S
Keyboard Logitech G413 SE
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores Cinebench R23 single-core: 1,800, multi-core: 18,000. Superposition 1080p Extreme: 9,900.
I guess it doesn't hurt to have more cables around :). But the issue here isn't about flickering at high refresh rate. That issue has more to do with data throughput limitations at a high refresh cycles and limitations on the capabilities of the cable they were using (dropped/corrupt data). This issue is not caused by limitations on data throughput, it's as you have researched an issue caused by LFC kicking in when FPS drops out of range of monitor's VRR range.
That article you linked to does a good job explaining the problem. I have an older MSI Optix UW monitor on my 2nd system that experiences this and like you, I did a bit of research as well only to come to CRU as final resolution. It's the constant "LFC compensation" at high frequency that causes the brightness flicker. It's like two systems fighting against each other, one is trying to bump the refresh rate to max (LFC) which has high brightness and Freesync is trying to apply VRR to match the low source FPS, which has low brightness and you get the brightness flicker.

On a side note, because I have V-sync enabled globally via Nvidia control panel I also had this issue in some static apps (Fan Control for one) where it would flicker because VRR was being applied to something like 50 FPS (for whatever reason) and LFC would kick in. Solution there was just to disable Vsync for that app in Nvidia Control panel to force max refresh of the monitor as tearing isn't relevant for static apps etc. So unfortunately, it's just monitor dependent :(.
As I noticed, it's not even when LFC is active. 3DMark tests at the 40-45 FPS range are completely flicker free. It's only in the extremely rare instance when LFC keeps switching on and off, with FPS at the low 50s by the looks of it. The monitor is advertised as flicker-free which is true 99% of the time.

It can but he requested not to use such tools. Not sure what else can be done. Changing gamma settings might hide it, but that has obvious side effects.
I might just have to resort to that if the new cable doesn't help. Or maybe just leave everything as it is, as the issue seems to be a very isolated case.
 

tabascosauz

Moderator
Supporter
Staff member
Joined
Jun 24, 2015
Messages
7,596 (2.35/day)
Location
Western Canada
System Name ab┃ob
Processor 7800X3D┃5800X3D
Motherboard B650E PG-ITX┃X570 Impact
Cooling NH-U12A + T30┃AXP120-x67
Memory 64GB 6000CL30┃32GB 3600CL14
Video Card(s) RTX 4070 Ti Eagle┃RTX A2000
Storage 8TB of SSDs┃1TB SN550
Display(s) 43" QN90B / 32" M32Q / 27" S2721DGF
Case Caselabs S3┃Lazer3D HT5
@AusWolf did you try raising the VRR floor to ensure that lower fps still stays within LFC range?

Especially at 4K, it pays to pay more attention to the cable, but I think I've gone through enough high quality VESA certified DP 1.2/1.4 cables at this point to definitively rule cable quality out as a factor in this issue specifically.

Others are the resident experts for VA displays, but both my Freesync Premium IPS panels did the flickering from time to time. Raising VRR to 80 or 90 lower limit seems to have done the trick pretty plainly. It is indeed very game-specific.

I would love to get my hands on a true hardware G-sync monitor that goes down to 1Hz, but until then I'm content with cautiously concluding that some Freesync Premium implementations just don't like staying close to their factory lower bound for VRR.

 

BicycleBicycle

New Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2023
Messages
11 (0.05/day)
As I noticed, it's not even when LFC is active. 3DMark tests at the 40-45 FPS range are completely flicker free. It's only in the extremely rare instance when LFC keeps switching on and off, with FPS at the low 50s by the looks of it. The monitor is advertised as flicker-free which is true 99% of the time.


I might just have to resort to that if the new cable doesn't help. Or maybe just leave everything as it is, as the issue seems to be a very isolated case.
Is VRR and Vsync active in 3DMark? The recommendation is turn off Vsync for 3Dmark benchmarks so that it doesn't limit FPS. It could be how Freesync works with Nvidia GPUs but for me, VSync off disables VRR for 3Dmark runs. In this case, monitor is always running at max refresh rate at all times (for 3Dmark), thus no LFC to that kicks in.
 
Joined
Jan 14, 2019
Messages
9,898 (5.12/day)
Location
Midlands, UK
System Name Nebulon-B Mk. 4
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard MSi PRO B650M-A WiFi
Cooling be quiet! Dark Rock 4
Memory 2x 24 GB Corsair Vengeance EXPO DDR5-6000
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 7800 XT
Storage 2 TB Corsair MP600 GS, 2 TB Corsair MP600 R2, 4 + 8 TB Seagate Barracuda 3.5"
Display(s) Dell S3422DWG, 7" Waveshare touchscreen
Case Kolink Citadel Mesh black
Power Supply Seasonic Prime GX-750
Mouse Logitech MX Master 2S
Keyboard Logitech G413 SE
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores Cinebench R23 single-core: 1,800, multi-core: 18,000. Superposition 1080p Extreme: 9,900.
@AusWolf did you try raising the VRR floor to ensure that lower fps still stays within LFC range?
I might have to do that, I just want to rule out any cable issue 100% before I start tinkering. :)

Is VRR and Vsync active in 3DMark? The recommendation is turn off Vsync for 3Dmark benchmarks so that it doesn't limit FPS. It could be how Freesync works with Nvidia GPUs but for me, VSync off disables VRR for 3Dmark runs. In this case, monitor is always running at max refresh rate at all times (for 3Dmark), thus no LFC to that kicks in.
No Vsync, just VRR. Vsync is pretty much pointless with a VRR display anyway, so I always leave it off (not that I'd want it in a benchmark program anyway).

This gave me an idea. Maybe Kingdom Come: Deliverance has some kind of weird Vsync implementation that messes with VRR and LFC? I noticed yesterday that in-game Vsync was enabled even though I turned it off a while ago (it does that sometimes). More testing is needed, methinks.
 
Joined
Oct 6, 2023
Messages
49 (0.24/day)
This gave me an idea. Maybe Kingdom Come: Deliverance has some kind of weird Vsync implementation that messes with VRR and LFC? I noticed yesterday that in-game Vsync was enabled even though I turned it off a while ago (it does that sometimes). More testing is needed, methinks.
I had to use 3dMigoto wrapper to even get Crysis2 to work right with full-screen and 144hz. Think it was fine on Crysis 3, though. So there's definitely a few Cryengine problems like this.
 

tabascosauz

Moderator
Supporter
Staff member
Joined
Jun 24, 2015
Messages
7,596 (2.35/day)
Location
Western Canada
System Name ab┃ob
Processor 7800X3D┃5800X3D
Motherboard B650E PG-ITX┃X570 Impact
Cooling NH-U12A + T30┃AXP120-x67
Memory 64GB 6000CL30┃32GB 3600CL14
Video Card(s) RTX 4070 Ti Eagle┃RTX A2000
Storage 8TB of SSDs┃1TB SN550
Display(s) 43" QN90B / 32" M32Q / 27" S2721DGF
Case Caselabs S3┃Lazer3D HT5
I might have to do that, I just want to rule out any cable issue 100% before I start tinkering. :)

No Vsync, just VRR. Vsync is pretty much pointless with a VRR display anyway, so I always leave it off (not that I'd want it in a benchmark program anyway).

This gave me an idea. Maybe Kingdom Come: Deliverance has some kind of weird Vsync implementation that messes with VRR and LFC? I noticed yesterday that in-game Vsync was enabled even though I turned it off a while ago (it does that sometimes). More testing is needed, methinks.

What brand is your cable? Stock and bundled with the display? Try to find something that's listed here https://www.displayport.org/product-category/cables-adaptors/

I have seen bad DP cables do many things from display driver crashing to artifacting (and potentially some of RX7000 launch issues), but Freesync flickering is not one I would attribute to it. Nonetheless, bundled cables don't tend to be very high quality, especially non-locking ones which iirc Dell's are. 3440x1440 144Hz does exceed DP 1.2's capabilities, so make sure you get a proper quality 1.4 cable.

I was long past that with my M32Q, but on my S2721DGF I had tried 1.4 certified cables as a potential solution to the flickering. I've had a bunch of bundled 1.2/1.4 cables, a pack of Cable Matters 1.4 cables, and now Club3D 1.4 cables (which are unequivocally the holy grail). Needless to say as both displays exhibit the same thing without tweaking VRR range, it was not a solution. The CRU tweaks only take a few seconds.
 
Joined
May 3, 2019
Messages
1,466 (0.80/day)
System Name BigRed
Processor I7 12700k
Motherboard Asus Rog Strix z690-A WiFi D4
Cooling Noctua D15s/MX6
Memory TEAM GROUP 32GB DDR4 4000C16 B die
Video Card(s) MSI RTX 3080 Gaming Trio X 10GB
Storage M.2 drives-Crucial P5 500GB 4x4/WD SN850X 4TB 4x4/WD SN850X 2TB 4x4
Display(s) Dell s3422dwg 34" 3440x1440p 144hz ultrawide
Case Corsair 7000D
Audio Device(s) Topping D10s DAC/PCamp TC 1680 AMP/MS M10 Speakers/Bowers and Wilkins P7 Headphones
Power Supply Corsair RM850x 80% gold
Mouse Logitech G604 wireless
Keyboard Logitech G413 carbon
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores Who cares
What brand is your cable? Stock and bundled with the display? Try to find something that's listed here https://www.displayport.org/product-category/cables-adaptors/

I have seen bad DP cables do many things from display driver crashing to artifacting (and potentially some of RX7000 launch issues), but Freesync flickering is not one I would attribute to it. Nonetheless, bundled cables don't tend to be very high quality, especially non-locking ones which iirc Dell's are. 3440x1440 144Hz does exceed DP 1.2's capabilities, so make sure you get a proper quality 1.4 cable.

I'm using a bundled cable with the same display, so i thnik i might have to try a better one myself.

Edit, just ordered one of these, and it is on that linked list.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cable-Matters-Certified-Braided-DisplayPort-Black/dp/B0856Q7P5F?th=1

@AusWolf any good for you too ^^
 
Joined
Apr 18, 2019
Messages
2,012 (1.09/day)
Location
Olympia, WA
System Name Sleepy Painter
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard Asus TuF Gaming X570-PLUS/WIFI
Cooling FSP Windale 6 - Passive
Memory 2x16GB F4-3600C16-16GVKC @ 16-19-21-36-58-1T
Video Card(s) MSI RX580 8GB
Storage 2x Samsung PM963 960GB nVME RAID0, Crucial BX500 1TB SATA, WD Blue 3D 2TB SATA
Display(s) Microboard 32" Curved 1080P 144hz VA w/ Freesync
Case NZXT Gamma Classic Black
Audio Device(s) Asus Xonar D1
Power Supply Rosewill 1KW on 240V@60hz
Mouse Logitech MX518 Legend
Keyboard Red Dragon K552
Software Windows 10 Enterprise 2019 LTSC 1809 17763.1757
Sorry for buggin' ya @tabascosauz; didn't realize @AusWolf was still looking @ cable as related. :laugh:
I've been having on/off similar problems.
My Display:


My issues *do* seem to be at least partially cable quality/EMI.
My smartphone's activity apparently/coincidentally(?) has had some 'impact' on the flickering (as nutty as that sounds). 'Suppose it could just-as-easily be my windowed case or mDP adapter, tho
It is varying day-to-day, on cleanly reinstalled drivers (both RdN.ID and AMD 1st Party). Additionally, the issue has also been a come-and-go since I was on an R9 290X (but same cables)

All-few of my on-hand DP cables are either older-spec or have been 'problemed' before (monoprice).
So, I'd like to 'subtract the variable' of my DP cable(s), and purchase something of quality for (preferably) <$30

Club3D was referenced as the absolute best, and mentions of Cable Matters too. which, I've had good luck w/ their Ethernet-related products.
Any suggestions/links to (US) deals? If I'm paying $$+, I want it to look nice too.

Edit: https://www.displayport.org/product-category/cables-adaptors/
So, basically... just make sure it's VESA certified?


I'm using a bundled cable with the same display, so i thnik i might have to try a better one myself.

Edit, just ordered one of these, and it is on that linked list.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cable-Matters-Certified-Braided-DisplayPort-Black/dp/B0856Q7P5F?th=1

@AusWolf any good for you too ^^

o_O braided.
Anyone ever seen any w/ METAL sleeving? Or, maybe a DP<->mDP cable that I could sheathe into metal flex-tubing (like a showerhead's)?
It's less about EMI/RFI, and more me being a sucker for 'real metal' aesthetics.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jan 14, 2019
Messages
9,898 (5.12/day)
Location
Midlands, UK
System Name Nebulon-B Mk. 4
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard MSi PRO B650M-A WiFi
Cooling be quiet! Dark Rock 4
Memory 2x 24 GB Corsair Vengeance EXPO DDR5-6000
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 7800 XT
Storage 2 TB Corsair MP600 GS, 2 TB Corsair MP600 R2, 4 + 8 TB Seagate Barracuda 3.5"
Display(s) Dell S3422DWG, 7" Waveshare touchscreen
Case Kolink Citadel Mesh black
Power Supply Seasonic Prime GX-750
Mouse Logitech MX Master 2S
Keyboard Logitech G413 SE
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores Cinebench R23 single-core: 1,800, multi-core: 18,000. Superposition 1080p Extreme: 9,900.
What brand is your cable? Stock and bundled with the display? Try to find something that's listed here https://www.displayport.org/product-category/cables-adaptors/

I have seen bad DP cables do many things from display driver crashing to artifacting (and potentially some of RX7000 launch issues), but Freesync flickering is not one I would attribute to it. Nonetheless, bundled cables don't tend to be very high quality, especially non-locking ones which iirc Dell's are. 3440x1440 144Hz does exceed DP 1.2's capabilities, so make sure you get a proper quality 1.4 cable.

I was long past that with my M32Q, but on my S2721DGF I had tried 1.4 certified cables as a potential solution to the flickering. I've had a bunch of bundled 1.2/1.4 cables, a pack of Cable Matters 1.4 cables, and now Club3D 1.4 cables (which are unequivocally the holy grail). Needless to say as both displays exhibit the same thing without tweaking VRR range, it was not a solution. The CRU tweaks only take a few seconds.
I've been using the stock one that came with the monitor. The Club3D one that I ordered has just arrived, I'll try it in the morning when I get home from work. :)

I'm using a bundled cable with the same display, so i thnik i might have to try a better one myself.

Edit, just ordered one of these, and it is on that linked list.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cable-Matters-Certified-Braided-DisplayPort-Black/dp/B0856Q7P5F?th=1

@AusWolf any good for you too ^^
That looks very nice! :) I love braided cables, although I haven't gone wrong with Club3D, yet.

Sorry for buggin' ya @tabascosauz; didn't realize @AusWolf was still looking @ cable as related. :laugh:
I've been having on/off similar problems.
My Display:


My issues *do* seem to be at least partially cable quality/EMI.
My smartphone's activity apparently/coincidentally(?) has had some 'impact' on the flickering (as nutty as that sounds). 'Suppose it could just-as-easily be my windowed case or mDP adapter, tho
It is varying day-to-day, on cleanly reinstalled drivers (both RdN.ID and AMD 1st Party). Additionally, the issue has also been a come-and-go since I was on an R9 290X (but same cables)

All-few of my on-hand DP cables are either older-spec or have been 'problemed' before (monoprice).
So, I'd like to 'subtract the variable' of my DP cable(s), and purchase something of quality for $30 or less (preferably $10-19)

Club3D was refrernced as the absolute best, and mentions of Cable Matters too. which, I've had good luck w/ their Ethernet-related products.
Any suggestions/links to (US) deals? If I'm paying $$, I want it to look nice too.



o_O braided.
Anyone ever seen any w/ METAL sleeving? Or, maybe a DP<->mDP cable that I could sheathe into metal flex-tubing (like a showerhead's)?
It's less about EMI/RFI, and more me being a sucker for 'real metal' aesthetics.
Club3D solved my issues with my 4K TV that dropped the picture from time to time with other HDMI cables that I've tried. My current issue is of different nature, which the Club3D DP cable might help, we'll see, and I'll let you know.

By the way, I noticed that I get some flickering in some youtube videos as well, although it's not nearly as bad as in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. 30 FPS videos also make LFC turn on and off rapidly for some reason (the monitor rapidly swaps between 48 and 144 Hz). Maybe a 60 Hz desktop would help? Although my browser scrolling wouldn't be as smooth, but oh well. Also, KCD seems to flicker a lot less since I've turned Vsync off, so it might actually be a game related thing.
 
Joined
Apr 18, 2019
Messages
2,012 (1.09/day)
Location
Olympia, WA
System Name Sleepy Painter
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard Asus TuF Gaming X570-PLUS/WIFI
Cooling FSP Windale 6 - Passive
Memory 2x16GB F4-3600C16-16GVKC @ 16-19-21-36-58-1T
Video Card(s) MSI RX580 8GB
Storage 2x Samsung PM963 960GB nVME RAID0, Crucial BX500 1TB SATA, WD Blue 3D 2TB SATA
Display(s) Microboard 32" Curved 1080P 144hz VA w/ Freesync
Case NZXT Gamma Classic Black
Audio Device(s) Asus Xonar D1
Power Supply Rosewill 1KW on 240V@60hz
Mouse Logitech MX518 Legend
Keyboard Red Dragon K552
Software Windows 10 Enterprise 2019 LTSC 1809 17763.1757
Club3D solved my issues with my 4K TV that dropped the picture from time to time with other HDMI cables that I've tried. My current issue is of different nature, which the Club3D DP cable might help, we'll see, and I'll let you know.

By the way, I noticed that I get some flickering in some youtube videos as well, although it's not nearly as bad as in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. 30 FPS videos also make LFC turn on and off rapidly for some reason (the monitor rapidly swaps between 48 and 144 Hz). Maybe a 60 Hz desktop would help? Although my browser scrolling wouldn't be as smooth, but oh well. Also, KCD seems to flicker a lot less since I've turned Vsync off, so it might actually be a game related thing.
I'll look through what they offer; thx for the additional feedback/input.
I think I'll need a mDP<->DP for my MI25s, to minimize the impedance of a passive adapter.
Oh, my poor MI25s' mDP ports. *shrug* Can figure out 'strain relief.
Looks like 'latest spec' mDP cables are nearly non-existent. Using tabascosauz's link, I did 'find' this:
BizLink - P0000025-DMC100-Screw DP2.1 DP80 Enhanced mini DP with screw to Enhanced full-size DP Cable 1m
But, I'm having a hellova time trying to find it, and most-all other mDPs on DP.org (that are 'top spec') are USB-C. :/
 

tabascosauz

Moderator
Supporter
Staff member
Joined
Jun 24, 2015
Messages
7,596 (2.35/day)
Location
Western Canada
System Name ab┃ob
Processor 7800X3D┃5800X3D
Motherboard B650E PG-ITX┃X570 Impact
Cooling NH-U12A + T30┃AXP120-x67
Memory 64GB 6000CL30┃32GB 3600CL14
Video Card(s) RTX 4070 Ti Eagle┃RTX A2000
Storage 8TB of SSDs┃1TB SN550
Display(s) 43" QN90B / 32" M32Q / 27" S2721DGF
Case Caselabs S3┃Lazer3D HT5
Sorry to digress but...

o_O braided.
Anyone ever seen any w/ METAL sleeving? Or, maybe a DP<->mDP cable that I could sheathe into metal flex-tubing (like a showerhead's)?

It's less about EMI/RFI, and more me being a sucker for 'real metal' aesthetics.

Hmmm I don't think I've seen this. The closest you can get is probably a silver or gray braided one.

I'm using a bundled cable with the same display, so i thnik i might have to try a better one myself.

Edit, just ordered one of these, and it is on that linked list.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cable-Matters-Certified-Braided-DisplayPort-Black/dp/B0856Q7P5F?th=1

@AusWolf any good for you too ^^

Good choice. I don't think mine is braided, but it's solid.

I've been using the stock one that came with the monitor. The Club3D one that I ordered has just arrived, I'll try it in the morning when I get home from work. :)


That looks very nice! :) I love braided cables, although I haven't gone wrong with Club3D, yet.


Club3D solved my issues with my 4K TV that dropped the picture from time to time with other HDMI cables that I've tried. My current issue is of different nature, which the Club3D DP cable might help, we'll see, and I'll let you know.

By the way, I noticed that I get some flickering in some youtube videos as well, although it's not nearly as bad as in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. 30 FPS videos also make LFC turn on and off rapidly for some reason (the monitor rapidly swaps between 48 and 144 Hz). Maybe a 60 Hz desktop would help? Although my browser scrolling wouldn't be as smooth, but oh well. Also, KCD seems to flicker a lot less since I've turned Vsync off, so it might actually be a game related thing.

I don't know why you don't just go and give changing the VRR range a shot. The whole point of LFC is that you don't lose VRR functionality even if the framerate isn't technically enough. Maybe then consider more drastic measures like 60Hz if it doesn't work, not before.

I have been struggling for years now on this problem and it's the only solution amongst dozens that has ever worked.

 

Aquinus

Resident Wat-man
Joined
Jan 28, 2012
Messages
13,147 (2.94/day)
Location
Concord, NH, USA
System Name Apollo
Processor Intel Core i9 9880H
Motherboard Some proprietary Apple thing.
Memory 64GB DDR4-2667
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, 8GB HBM2
Storage 1TB Apple NVMe, 4TB External
Display(s) Laptop @ 3072x1920 + 2x LG 5k Ultrafine TB3 displays
Case MacBook Pro (16", 2019)
Audio Device(s) AirPods Pro, Sennheiser HD 380s w/ FIIO Alpen 2, or Logitech 2.1 Speakers
Power Supply 96w Power Adapter
Mouse Logitech MX Master 3
Keyboard Logitech G915, GL Clicky
Software MacOS 12.1
I've noticed this with my 32" Dell curved VA panel. There are times where VRR causes a very noticeable flicker but only under certain frequencies. My guess is that it's hitting a frequency that coincides with a harmonic frequency of the polarity inversion algorithm of the panel to prevent image retention. The sad solution is to disable VRR and run at a fixed frequency. That has worked for me, but I'd prefer the tech to work as advertised without side-effects. I have not been able to compare this behavior with a vendor other than Dell. My LG doesn't appear to have VRR on my Mac despite supporting FreeSync.

Edit: Slight rant. This very problem mixed with MacOS not remembering that I set the display to 60hz and reverting to VRR is driving me mad, specifically because of the flicker and the inability to disable VRR on the display itself.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Apr 18, 2019
Messages
2,012 (1.09/day)
Location
Olympia, WA
System Name Sleepy Painter
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard Asus TuF Gaming X570-PLUS/WIFI
Cooling FSP Windale 6 - Passive
Memory 2x16GB F4-3600C16-16GVKC @ 16-19-21-36-58-1T
Video Card(s) MSI RX580 8GB
Storage 2x Samsung PM963 960GB nVME RAID0, Crucial BX500 1TB SATA, WD Blue 3D 2TB SATA
Display(s) Microboard 32" Curved 1080P 144hz VA w/ Freesync
Case NZXT Gamma Classic Black
Audio Device(s) Asus Xonar D1
Power Supply Rosewill 1KW on 240V@60hz
Mouse Logitech MX518 Legend
Keyboard Red Dragon K552
Software Windows 10 Enterprise 2019 LTSC 1809 17763.1757
I've noticed this with my 32" Dell curved VA panel. There are times where VRR causes a very noticeable flicker but only under certain frequencies. My guess is that it's hitting a frequency that coincides with a harmonic frequency of the polarity inversion algorithm of the panel to prevent image retention. The sad solution is to disable VRR and run at a fixed frequency. That has worked for me, but I'd prefer the tech to work as advertised without side-effects. I have not been able to compare this behavior with a vendor other than Dell. My LG doesn't appear to have VRR on my Mac despite supporting FreeSync.

Edit: Slight rant. This very problem mixed with MacOS not remembering that I set the display to 60hz and reverting to VRR is driving me mad, specifically because of the flicker and the inability to disable VRR on the display itself.
Your guess is pretty close to (and more detailed than) what I'd been thinkin'.

Already looked through the OSD menu, I take it?

Also, what's the GPU vendor in your mac?
IIRC Radeon Pro has 1st party support for "EDID Override";
I assume there's a similar Radeon Settings menu in Mac?

edit:
Related?



Best Options I can find for my mDP (output) DP (Input) needs, so far

Club3D CAC-1115 Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort 1.4/HBR3 Cable Male/Male, HDR Support 2 Meter/6.56 Feet, Black Vesa Certified - $18.99

Accell mDP to DP 1.4 - VESA-Certified Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort 1.4 Cable - 7 Feet, Hbr3, 8K @60Hz, 4K UHD @240Hz - $24.99

Infinnet Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort 1.4 1.4a Cable 8K 60Hz 4K 144Hz 120Hz 160Hz 2K 280Hz 240Hz 1080p 390Hz 360Hz Display Port to Mini DisplayPort DP 1.4 HBR3 HDR VESA Certified Cord, 2m (6 feet) - $24.99

6ft (2m) VESA Certified Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort 1.4 Cable - 8K 60Hz HBR3 HDR - Super UHD mDP to DP 1.4 Cord - Slim (34 AWG) Ultra HD 4K 120Hz - $27.99

I'd found at least 1 mDP<->mDP 2.1 cable, but would need an adapter @ my monitor's input. Which, I have no idea how counterproductive that would be.
(gravity is nicer to the orientation of the DP-in on my LCD vs. the 'weak' mDP port(s) on my GPUs.
Thanks for the help tabascosauz
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jan 14, 2019
Messages
9,898 (5.12/day)
Location
Midlands, UK
System Name Nebulon-B Mk. 4
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard MSi PRO B650M-A WiFi
Cooling be quiet! Dark Rock 4
Memory 2x 24 GB Corsair Vengeance EXPO DDR5-6000
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 7800 XT
Storage 2 TB Corsair MP600 GS, 2 TB Corsair MP600 R2, 4 + 8 TB Seagate Barracuda 3.5"
Display(s) Dell S3422DWG, 7" Waveshare touchscreen
Case Kolink Citadel Mesh black
Power Supply Seasonic Prime GX-750
Mouse Logitech MX Master 2S
Keyboard Logitech G413 SE
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores Cinebench R23 single-core: 1,800, multi-core: 18,000. Superposition 1080p Extreme: 9,900.
I don't know why you don't just go and give changing the VRR range a shot. The whole point of LFC is that you don't lose VRR functionality even if the framerate isn't technically enough. Maybe then consider more drastic measures like 60Hz if it doesn't work, not before.

I have been struggling for years now on this problem and it's the only solution amongst dozens that has ever worked.

Why do I not have that button (GPU scheduling)? I've tried reinstalling the GPU driver, but no luck. :confused:
My settings menu looks like this for some reason:
1696921159327.png


I've noticed this with my 32" Dell curved VA panel. There are times where VRR causes a very noticeable flicker but only under certain frequencies. My guess is that it's hitting a frequency that coincides with a harmonic frequency of the polarity inversion algorithm of the panel to prevent image retention.
That might explain it. I don't see it at high frame rates when the refresh rate is the same as the frame rate, and I also don't see it at very low frame rates when LFC is constantly on. I only see it at very specific scenarios when my FPS hovers around 50. This is my main reason for not wanting to tinker with CRU - it's not really worth it.

On a different note, I've just plugged in the Club3D cable. Tests are coming. :)
 
Joined
Sep 17, 2014
Messages
20,953 (5.97/day)
Location
The Washing Machine
Processor i7 8700k 4.6Ghz @ 1.24V
Motherboard AsRock Fatal1ty K6 Z370
Cooling beQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 3
Memory 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200/C16
Video Card(s) ASRock RX7900XT Phantom Gaming
Storage Samsung 850 EVO 1TB + Samsung 830 256GB + Crucial BX100 250GB + Toshiba 1TB HDD
Display(s) Gigabyte G34QWC (3440x1440)
Case Fractal Design Define R5
Audio Device(s) Harman Kardon AVR137 + 2.1
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Mouse XTRFY M42
Keyboard Lenovo Thinkpad Trackpoint II
Software W10 x64
I fell for this meme and tried the resource hog game Returnal. First thoughts were, well, the gunplay is azz and this is clearly a console trash game, but maybe the story will make up for it. That part didn't work out either. I'm not sure if there are actually any good resource hog games that exist. Same phenomenon with Dying Light 1 vs 2 players that seem to like version 1 better than 2. Can't think of a promising 'next gen graphics' title on the horizon besides maybe Stalker 2.

Haven't tried Starfield yet, but I've never liked any previous Bethesda games. Games like Oblivion and Skyrim were just big, empty worlds to me with meh story compared to a real RPG and mediocre combat. I guess that leaves only Cybermeme2077 as a potential good 'next gen graphics' game.
Sounds like you need CS GO ;)

I get what you're saying though. Games in general, esp first person feel consoley, and even if its not input lag 'sauce' you feel, its just the half-drunk camera movement whenever characters move around, or all the 'natural' delays built into every activity (hold button to use...). I'm sure its an acquired taste, but first person with heavy head bob and janking the camera out of your control every few minutes to 'give you a movie experience' (in first person... whoever invented this needs to be shot in the neck) which generally means you're watching something with worse camera work than something filmed on a phone. Games do way too much of this. Let me play... ffs!

Anyway. Offtopic sorry. I'm learning a lot from this topic though, never even knew this existed.
 
Last edited:

tabascosauz

Moderator
Supporter
Staff member
Joined
Jun 24, 2015
Messages
7,596 (2.35/day)
Location
Western Canada
System Name ab┃ob
Processor 7800X3D┃5800X3D
Motherboard B650E PG-ITX┃X570 Impact
Cooling NH-U12A + T30┃AXP120-x67
Memory 64GB 6000CL30┃32GB 3600CL14
Video Card(s) RTX 4070 Ti Eagle┃RTX A2000
Storage 8TB of SSDs┃1TB SN550
Display(s) 43" QN90B / 32" M32Q / 27" S2721DGF
Case Caselabs S3┃Lazer3D HT5
Why do I not have that button (GPU scheduling)? I've tried reinstalling the GPU driver, but no luck. :confused:
My settings menu looks like this for some reason:

That might explain it. I don't see it at high frame rates when the refresh rate is the same as the frame rate, and I also don't see it at very low frame rates when LFC is constantly on. I only see it at very specific scenarios when my FPS hovers around 50. This is my main reason for not wanting to tinker with CRU - it's not really worth it.

On a different note, I've just plugged in the Club3D cable. Tests are coming. :)

On current builds of Windows, hardware scheduling is an Nvidia-only thing. In practical terms, it's like a SAM-lite for performance, but less consistent.

The "new" hardware scheduling in 11 (not to be confused with what it used to be in 10) did help my flickering a little bit, but was not an actual solution. Higher VRR range remains the only one.

It's not worth trying to guesstimate your way around this one - if this issue followed logic, then it would make more sense to extend VRR range downwards as far as possible (e.g. 30-165Hz), but that solution doesn't amount to anything either. The issue itself isn't even logical, it's less to do with where the range is, and more to do with some common freak control logic on these monitors that causes bizarre unwanted LFC on/off switching. The point is to take away any chances for LFC to start switching on/off, ie. take away all opportunities to run Freesync without LFC at the lower end.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jan 14, 2019
Messages
9,898 (5.12/day)
Location
Midlands, UK
System Name Nebulon-B Mk. 4
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard MSi PRO B650M-A WiFi
Cooling be quiet! Dark Rock 4
Memory 2x 24 GB Corsair Vengeance EXPO DDR5-6000
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 7800 XT
Storage 2 TB Corsair MP600 GS, 2 TB Corsair MP600 R2, 4 + 8 TB Seagate Barracuda 3.5"
Display(s) Dell S3422DWG, 7" Waveshare touchscreen
Case Kolink Citadel Mesh black
Power Supply Seasonic Prime GX-750
Mouse Logitech MX Master 2S
Keyboard Logitech G413 SE
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores Cinebench R23 single-core: 1,800, multi-core: 18,000. Superposition 1080p Extreme: 9,900.
On current builds of Windows, hardware scheduling is an Nvidia-only thing. In practical terms, it's like a SAM-lite for performance, but less consistent.
Then it means that the solution to my issue lies somewhere else.
 
Top