[Software] Scanline Sync and Cap FPS in RivaTuner, what are they and how are they used?

[WilkerCSBD]

Although RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS) is best known for being integrated with MSI Afterburner and used to monitor and overclock the graphics card, in reality this program can be used independently and is, in fact, the most used by gamers to be able to monitor your system parameters while playing games. Today we are going to tell you what the Scanline Sync and Cap FPS tools are and how they work within RivaTuner, so that you can see the full use that you can get from this software on your system.

RivaTuner Statistics Server (generally abbreviated as RTSS) is a hardware monitoring application whose main feature is that it allows an on-screen display of the frame rate per second (FPS) and other performance metrics even while we are playing (with an Overlay) , including the utilization and the temperature of the GPU, very useful parameters for all the cases. However, with or without Afterburner, RivaTuner is capable of applying FPS limits and enabling Scanline Sync on any monitor and we are going to tell you what you need to do to achieve it.

What is Cap FPS?
In this answer, the FPS is the frames per second that the graphics card sends to the monitor, and on PCs where the FPS exceeds the monitor's refresh rate (such as having 100 FPS on a 60 Hz panel) they can There are screen tearing problems and a highly variable FPS rate that can spoil the gaming experience and even pose a competitive disadvantage, especially in eSports-type games.

tearing

In most games, the best way to fix this is to enable vertical sync (V-Sync) or have a compatible monitor with variable refresh rate, although it is true that activating V-Sync in games can cause latency of fairly large entrance.

With Cap FPS we can set the frame rate per second right at the refresh rate of the screen, making them synchronize. If the game you are playing offers an FPS limit, it is very likely that you want to use this instead of Cap FPS in RivaTuner, but the advantage of doing it with RivaTuner is that you will configure it universally, for everything.

What is Scanline Sync?
Scanline Sync, like FreeSync from AMD and G-Sync from NVIDIA, is a technology that seeks to replace the V-Sync standard. However, FreeSync and G-Sync are hardware-enabled functions while Scanline Sync uses software for the same purpose. It is particularly ideal for screens that do not have FreeSync or G-Sync (for example, the television in the living room if you use it with the PC connected).

Cap FPS

Where Scanline Sync differs from other V-Sync alternatives, it is actually hinted at in its name: Unlike other techniques that work with full frames as much as possible, Scanline Sync allows you to choose a specific scan line, one in the that the tearing of the screen is almost guaranteed and yet contained. With the correct settings, this scan line can be practically moved off the screen and provide an alternative without tearing and without the latency of V-Sync.

When should you use Cap FPS or Scanline Sync?
While RivaTuner offers FPS limiting with Cap FPS and Scanline Sync, you won't actually be able to use both simultaneously, so this is something to keep in mind to start with: you have to choose one or the other. The main way to decide between the two functions is to take a look at your hardware:

FPS limits will work on most systems with the least amount of issues, and Scanline Sync is preferred if you already have a FreeSync or G-Sync monitor. In this case, the Scanline Sync job is already being done by the monitor and the GPU, so it won't need to be enabled.

Scanline Sync is best used to compensate for the lack of FreeSync or G-Sync, but it also has a downside: it raises GPU utilization so FPS can be lowered. In addition, it can cause tearing on the screen, although as we can "move" it in principle it should not bother; If you're looking to run games on a 60Hz screen and your GPU has power to spare, this shouldn't be a problem, but if you're experiencing any we highly recommend lowering the settings or using Cap FPS instead.

How to limit FPS with RivaTuner
The first thing you should obviously do is open the RivaTuner server; You will find the icon in the Start menu, through an icon next to the system clock. From the main window, click on the «Global» profile and set the FPS limit of your choice under the «Frametime Limit» parameter, ideally matching the refresh rate of your monitor (that is, if your monitor is 60 Hz, put 60 FPS).