Tearing with Nvidia/gl

RetroArch General
#1

I’m getting consistent tearing at the top of the screen in fullscreen for every core. It only happens when I run RA with my Nvidia GPU, and not when I run it with my Intel integrated graphics. This wouldn’t be an issue if I didn’t want to use Intel-incompatible shaders, (and I think M64+ works better with gpu). This happens with all builds, and yes vsync is on and I’ve tried various Nvidia control panel options.’

I tested one of the older builds (the 64 bit megapack one from january), and was able to fix the tearing by using d3d9 as my video driver, but that wouldn’t display shaders correctly. New builds crash when you try to load a game with d3d as the driver, so I’m at a brick wall trying to fix this. I’m using the builds here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/91sakv0qdyxjx9f/cGOfV7ZOKd

Is d3d(11?) support unfinished, or is something else wrong?

#2

This is a known issue. To discard possible sync misalignment I asked on how to do the refresh sync properly, since there’s not any good tutorial around. On the other side, this might be a nvidia driver issue, it happened to me on browser, youtube video, video player… now it’s gone, or so it seems and didn’t update anything. Does it happen only in RA?

#3

Clover, I assume you are using Windows 7 or higher.

I have had vsync problems in the past with OpenGL in Windows. However, they are no longer present with these settings:

In Windows “Performance Options”, I ensured “Enable desktop composition” is enabled, as in this screenshot:

In RetroArch, here are my video options:

In regards to the 2 off-screen settings, “Monitor Index” is auto and I advise against ever touching “Estimated Monitor FPS”, because its automatic detection is ideal. I have experienced issues when messing with it, so I’ve deleted the config entry for it in my config file and left it alone since then.

Also, I’ve ensured “Window Compositing” is enabled in RetroArch general options and that I have the latest whql driver for my nvidia card (geforce gtx 690; driver version 340.52).

#4

@Dogway: It happens in RA and PPSSPP from what I’ve tested. It doesn’t happen in Dolphin with the gl backend, though. When I ran Linux Mint, I had a similar issue to this, but it happened on everything.

@Lex I tried your setup and it didn’t fix the issue. It’s not a normal screen tear I’m getting, but more of a chunk shifting, to the left or right, anything that’s at the very top of the screen. If I move Mega Man X right, the top of the lamp post, along with the rest of that top frame, shifts left instead of scrolling in time with the rest of the image.

#5

That sounds like your video driver is messed up. What nvidia driver do you have installed, and what video card? If it’s the same driver as the one I’m using, I’m betting it’s a hardware issue.

#6

Driver version 340.52, the latest for my card. GPU is Nvidia Geforce GT540M.

#7

I have a feeling that card is from before Nvidia got their act together regarding OpenGL. :x This is just a guess, though. I’m sorry I can’t help any more than this. Maybe try googling for OpenGL issues posted by other owners of that card!

Oh, by the way, what game are you testing with? A long time ago, I made the mistake of trying to test vsync and stutter with EarthBound, a game that actually tears and stutters just from the in-game engine, even if the renderer is butter-smooth. If you’re doing your testing with just one game, it’s possible that this is the case.

Here is a good free test ROM for vsync issues: http://snesemu.black-ship.net/misc/roms/bsnesdemo.sfc

#8

It sounds like this guy has the same problem as me regarding PPSSPP. http://forums.ppsspp.org/showthread.php … 6#pid46786

Either this card is ass or both programs are bugged, because Dolphin and PCSX2 in gl mode don’t have this problem.

Here’s a video of what it looks like: https://vimeo.com/103561438