HELP! Raze and GZDoom performance tanking after enabling antialiasing and after reverting

[hoover1979]

I finally got my rig fixed and installed some build engines to use with Raze.  When I first played Powerslave (GOG Version), the game ran at constant 200FPS no matter what happened on screen, as GZDoom did. 

I decided to enable antialiasing to smoothen the edges, but now it only peaks at 163FPS, and when in large battles and blowing up the explosive pots the frame rate tanks.  Reverting the changes didn't stop the performance issues.  Unfortunately it not only affects all versions of Raze, but it also affects all versions of GZDoom too. 

I deleted the ini files in the game folders for the older versions of GZDoom and I deleted the ini files for Raze and later versions of GZDoom from "Documents\My Games\Raze" and "Documents\My Games\GZDoom" respectively and restarted my rig.  Still the same performance issues. 

I am up the tree on this one.  I can no longer play any game in Raze or GDoom now, and I just installed the Heretic and Hexen HD PBR mods.  In the early hours of the morning, I upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 and updated my display drivers.  Still the same performance issues.  Are there registry entries for GZDoom and Raze that I need to delete?  Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

I am attaching the Pastebin link for my full DXDiag information.
https://pastebin.com/jraHmTy5

[dpJudas]

It is possible that what you are experiencing wasn't actually anything you changed in Raze. In fact, it is fairly likely it isn't since you say it also affected GZDoom. Although they do share code the config files are not shared.

 

How did you enable antialiasing? From the settings inside Raze? Your dxdiag shows you have a 3070 - you should be able to enable every single heavy feature in Raze/GZDoom and have a perfectly smooth experience with that card.

 

What about other games? Are they still running perfectly fine? Are the GPU and CPU temperatures okay when you run Raze/GZDoom? Did you try reboot? Windows 11 got this "amazing" feature that it doesn't shut down your computer when you select shut down. Only reboot from the start menu actually restarts the OS now.

[hoover1979]

I enabled antialiasing in the Nvidia control panel.  Raze was working fine before, as was GZDoom.  I reverted the changes and the performance issues persist.  This was the only change I made and the damage was done.  On the laptop, I had a similar problem.  I had 120fps and changed the antialiasing on the GTX1060m chip in the Nvidia Control panel and it capped itself to 62FPS.  Deleting the ini files fixed that issue, but it doesn't fix the issue on my desktop.  As I said in the OP, I used to get 200fps constantly before I made the antialiasing change, now I peak at 163FPS and it drops below 100fps when in large battles or blowing up explosive items.  I want to get it back to what it was before.  I ran Heretic HD PBD at 165FPS except for a few FPS drops in the same areas, indicating optimization issues.  Now my FPS tanks across the board on Heretic HD PBR.

 

[hoover1979]

I found a workaround.  I have to disable Vsync in both the Nvidia Control Panel and in Raze.  Although I have a "G-Sync Compatible" Monitor (ASUS VG278QR), I still get some tearing when moving fast, but it's now the only way I can play both Raze and GZDoom.

EDIT: I was getting some screen tearing on Raze and A LOT of screen tearing on GZDoom with Vsync disabled, but by limiting my FPS to 160, I barely notice any tearing.

Edited July 20, 2023 by hoover1979

[TasAcri]

This monitor is 165hz so there's no reason running anything above 165fps. Lock everything to that number and make sure gsync/freesync is enabled for both fullscreen and widowed apps. Also make sure your monitor is actually set to 165hz, i have seen so many instances where people forget about this and just run their monitors at the standard 60hz.

 

Also, are you sure gsync is enabled? Are you using a cable that has enough bandwidth for that? I assume you are using a Display Port cable. Older HDMI cables may not work properly. I have a 240hz monitor myself and the packed-in HDMI cable was not good enough for 1080p+240hz+Gsync so i had to buy a Display Port cable.

[hoover1979]

G-Sync is enabled, and set to fullscreen and windowed.  The monitor is set to 165Hz, and I am using a high-bandwidth DisplayPort cable (I can't use variable refresh rate on HDMI).  The reason I get tearing is my monitor doesn't actually have a Nvidia G-Sync chip, so if Vsync is disabled I get tearing but not as bad as when G-Sync is disabled.  Until recently having Vsync on didn't cause performance to tank on GZDoom.  For some reason, I need Vsync on.  However, I don't get the input lag that I get with Vsync on and the monitor is set to a fixed refresh rate.  I firmly believe to avoid all tearing and have Vsync off, I'd need a monitor with a Nvidia G-Sync chip, but I am on a disability pension and can't afford a proper G-Sync monitor.  My monitor is only 1080p, as I only have an RTX3070, which can't do modern games at 4K, and in some cases, 1440p.

Edited July 20, 2023 by hoover1979

[dpJudas]

When you run the nvidia installer there is a setting where you can request a clean install. That will reset everything back to baseline. I have experienced a situation where the information displayed in the nvidia control panel was out of sync with what the driver was actually doing. It could be what you are experiencing here as well.

 

Generally speaking, you should be very careful using the nvidia control panel overrides. A lot of them are built on assumptions about the game engines that may not always be true. If you can find the setting inside a game it is always better to enable it from there.

[hoover1979]

I always do a clean install of the Nvidia display drivers.  I use Display Driver Uninstaller in safe mode and then install the new drivers, still checking the "clean install" box.

[hoover1979]

Also, having NCP AA set to "Application Controlled" and using Raze and ZGDoom's own Vsync also tanks my performance.

[hoover1979]

I think my RTX3070 may be on its way out.  This issue is happening with other games too.  Star Wars Dark Forces (Force Engine port) also tanks when Vsync is on too.  I found with Raze and GZDoom I get almost no tearing if I completely uncap the frame rate and I get between 300-600fps on Raze, Gzdoom and Dark Forces.  Turning on Vsync it only caps at 6-162FPS and stutters and freezes all over the place.  I also tried numerous display drivers and no dice.  I hope my GPU is still under warranty as I can't afford to replace it.  Although uncapping the frame rate works on Raze and GZDoom, I still get tearing on Dark Forces.  I also am loathed to apply this globally as I am worried about rendering more frames than my screen can display would put too much load on my GPU.

[D4NUK1]

Had you tried if the Issue it's also happening with more newers games, as the one you are testing with (Raze, GZDoom, Force Engine) are all ports and may not have the 100% full use of the Drivers of some newers GPU, even the Developers may or may not have the same GPU, or work with one older.

 

Also you can try some GPU Betchmark settings and see how go with them.

[hoover1979]

I discovered the problem and it will be an expensive fix.  Microsoft broke the G-Sync compatibility of my ASUS VG278QR monitor in one of their forced updates in Windows 10, which is also in Windows 11.  I set it to fixed refresh and enabled Vsync on the driver level and played Exhumed in Raze.  It hovers between 150-164FPS and NO stuttering or freezing WHATSOEVER.  Because I am on a disability pension it will take a long time to save up my pennies for a monitor with an actual Nvidia G-Sync chip, as the cheapest one I found in Australia was $1,300.00AUD, and my RTX3070 cost $1,100.00AUD.  I can only afford to put aside $60.00AUD a week, so I can still eat.  I guess it's back to input lag for the foreseeable future.  As I only have Windows 11 Home, I can't uninstall updates.  If an update causes havoc, then I am SOL.

[dpJudas]

You don't need a G-Sync monitor to get adaptive vsync. Any freesync monitor will do. DisplayPort standardized on freesync some years ago, which forced Nvidia to support that as well. The g-sync logo and chip only provide some marginal benefits now (supposedly, better image quality). Most of the monitors with a gsync module come with a fan, which actually makes me try to avoid them.

[hoover1979]

I FINALLY found and fixed 90% of my problems.  The fact it was capping at 161-162FPS was due to using the Vulkan renderer.  Switching to either OpenGL or OpenGL ES allows me to get my full 165FPS.  95% of the FPS drops were due to having the power mode set to "Prefer Maximum Performance" in the Nvidia Control Panel (I am not getting enough power to my USB ports, so maybe I'm not getting enough power to my PCIe slots too?), so I set it to "Normal", and the freezing was due to Razer Synapse 3, so killing it was a must. 

One issue that I can't resolve is Star Wars, Dark Forces running in The Force Engine.  It seems to cap at 144FPS and drops below 120FPS all the time, and I can't resolve this.  With G-Sync mode on and V-Sync off I was getting between 3000-4000FPS, but now it never gets past 144FPS on those settings, nor does it with G-Sync mode on and V-Sync on.  I hope this doesn't happen with any other games I own.

Because my monitor is a "G-Sync Compatible" monitor and doesn't have an actual Nvidia G-Sync chip, having G-Syne enabled and V-Sync disabled means screen tearing, just as bad as having a fixed refresh rate monitor and having V-Sync disabled.  Now that I have the G-Sync mode enabled and V-Sync enabled (a workaround), I am no longer getting screen tearing and I am not getting input lag.  When I set my monitor to "Fixed Refresh" and enabled V-Sync, Quake II RTX had so much input lag, it was unplayable.  Now I am playing it with no input lag whatsoever and no screen tearing.  It took a few days and a lot of troubleshooting, but 90% of the issue is resolved.  I do still get the occasional FPS drops on Raze and GZDoom, as well as other games, but I'd rather that than screen tearing or input lag. 

However, when I want to use either the Netflix or Disney Plus Windows apps, I need to disable G-Sync mode globally, or I get stuttering and my screen blanks every few minutes.  This only started after "upgrading" to Windows 11, and even with G-Sync mode disabled, I still get the occasional stutter on playback.  I bet it's to do with Windows 11's codecs or something along those lines, but I will never know for sure.

I still need to save up for a monitor with an actual Nvidia G-Sync chip, so I can run G-Sync without the need to enable V-Sync, which will eliminate the FPS drops altogether, but it would likely take me years as I am not made of money.

[hoover1979]

I also found if I disable low latency mode and MFAA in Nvidia COntrol Panel also improved my overall performance.