Hi, I am looking for third party software that can limit/cap the frame rate of games on Intel HD (4000) graphics. If anyone knows of any could you please let me know, it would be very much appreciated. I am currently on holiday, only having my laptop to game on. It would nice to be able to set a frame rate limit for games that don't include advanced graphics settings.
Is it because you're getting tearing?
Because if the games don't have fps limiting like Vsync, or have launch options that target a certain refresh rate, there is not much you'll be able to do. You could set a refresh rate on your adapter, but that wouldn't change the fact that the games renders more frames, and thus screen tearing still continues.
If you're on linux, you can set the game to only draw the next frame if the previous frame is fully rendered. That would solve the screen tearing.
If you're having screen tearing on an Intel adapter, you're playing pretty old or basic games though lol.
I am running Windows, 8.1 to be exact. There are a number of reasons why I would like to be able to limit the frame rate. Most notably though for various performance related issues on low end systems. One example, I was playing F1 2012 earlier and it has two frame rate caps, 40 and 59. I typically get around 40 fps on low - med settings. I would like to play with v-sync on, capped at 30. When I turn v-sync on though the frame rate is still variable (around 30-45), resulting in quite significant stuttering.
The only thing that would offer a relief for that, is freesync when it comes out, and that needs application support, so you're out of luck there. In linux, most games have the feature that they don't draw another frame until the rendering of the previous frame is finished, which de facto brings a variable sync on laptop monitors and freesync supporting freestanding monitors.
If your fps performance is less than the refresh rate of your monitor, you'll get stuttering, that's just the way that goes. The only thing that can be done against that is to lower the refresh rate of the monitor to the maximum fps the adapter can supply. That is basically exactly the same what freesync and G-sync do. In linux, you can easily recalculate your VESA codes for any refresh rate of your choice, like for instance for 30 Hz, and then set the mode manually to that. That would also solve the stuttering, but would not offer you a refresh rate that is good enough for competitive counter strike for instance. I have no idea if that is even possible in Windows, it should be, though, and maybe someone knows how.
In most cases Riva Tuner works fine. You can set either a global frame rate limit or individual ones for each application
Thanks for the info Zoltan.
I am not after g-sync/freesync stutter free level, just something more akin to v-sync at 30 fps. For whatever reason F1 2012 seems to have a variable v-sync, opposed to just being capped at 30 or 60. This causes quite significant stutter, unless you can hit 60 fps.
Thanks ChrisG. I will check it out.
That's just the way v-sync works: it caps the fps at the native refresh rate of the monitor, which is probably 60 Hz. When the game is not capable of rendering 60 fps, v-sync doesn't work. That's where freesync/g-sync comes in, which actually reduces the refresh rate of the monitor to the maximum fps the game can deliver. So V-sync works above 60 Hz, freesync under 60 Hz. Gsync is just stupid, because for the 250 USD you would have to spend more on a Gsync monitor, you can actually also buy a more powerful GPU that always keeps the fps output above 60 fps. Freesync just allows freestanding monitors to do the same as laptop monitors, which is lowering the native refresh rate, which is just what Gsync also does.
If you limit at 30 fps by setting the mode, your refresh rate on your monitor will still be 60 Hz, but you won't see any stutter because there will be not out-of-phase timing offset any more, because every frame will be refreshed exactly two consecutive times on the monitor, equally spaced in time.
Unfortunately River Tunes doesn't seem to support Intel HD Graphics. To take a quote from their website 'Any desktop display adapter based on NVIDIA GeForce or ATI Radeon grarphics card. Mobile solutions are not supported.'. (http://www.guru3d.com/content-page/rivatuner.html)
can you set your laptop to 30Hz? If you do thta, then enable vsync, it should limit it to 30fps. Just make sure the in-game resolution is set to 30Hz as well.
Quote: [Zoltan: 'Gsync is just stupid, because for the 250 USD you would have to spend more on a Gsync monitor, you can actually also buy a more powerful GPU that always keeps the fps output above 60 fps.']
Good point.
I am aware of how v-sync works but thanks for the additional info Zoltan. Regardless, I do think a frame rate limiter, similar to what is available for dedicated GPUs, would come in really handy for integrated graphics. It is a shame Intel didn't include one.
Good thinking.
I have looked and it is only giving me two options, 40 Hz or 60 Hz. This may explain why F1 2012 is only giving me either of those two options.
rivatuner is for msi cards
Hi welcome to the forum, I’m glad you wanted to be help out but please look at the date of the last post, if it’s been more than 9 months it’s considered a necro