http://www.computerbase.de/2016-04/quantum-break-pc-uwp-probleme/
Firstly.
This game has a 30 FPS cap. You can disable it. But disabling it will result in a ridiculous behavior. VSYNC is enforced via Win10 UWP. What happens is the frame rate on a 60hz monitor, will flip between 60 fps (if a GPU can reach it), and if it drops even to 59 fps, it drops down to 30 fps. There are massive stutters for all GPUs tested once this 30 fps frame rate cap is removed.
If your monitor has a higher refresh rate, the stepping will be closer together, but no less jarring.
The problem is the old double-buffering vsync implemented by Remedy or it's UWP integration.
Frame time and such measurement cannot use Fraps or FCAT (DX12 & UWP limitations), but Intel's PresentMon works.
Pcgameshardware.de did a few GPUs and here's their results, summarized.
http://www.pcgameshardware.de/Quantum-Break-Spiel-15745/Specials/Technik-Test-1191358/
Top row is 1080p, bottom row is 1440p.
There's a video with the 980 showing this problem on pcgameshardware.de, and it's not good (the gameplay matches the PresentMon data). Scroll down to the bottom, start from 1:20m. Stutter-ville.
It seems MS has learnt absolutely NOTHING from the GoW:U disaster.
The game is basically unplayable unless you enjoy a 30 fps lock for the "cinematic feels". Oh, just as annoying, there's a heavy film grain filter that cannot be disabled. OMG.
I simply don't get why MS is wasting their money making games that won't sell, because let's face it, UWP is unpopular and the fact that they ship broken UWP games is going to reinforce gamers to avoid it like the plague.
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Edit: This problem can be fixed relatively easy, and it's a shock that these guys did not do it for the launch. All they need is dynamic vsync, which they actually use on the Xbone, so that if the frame rate drops below the monitor refresh rate, vsync is disabled (I suspect they could not do this, due to current UWP limitations). The other approach is to use triple buffering vsync and this will prevent the major 60 <-> 30 fps flip, with a slight cost of input lag (which is fine for a SP game).
Edit 2: Video from Digital Foundry, apparently the stutter is worse on NV, 390 runs it quite well! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK2BUeYqLVI < --- 390 pwning the 970 hard, 50% to 90% faster! There's also potentially a problem with PresentMon not reflecting gameplay for AMD, as it's visually fine in recorded gameplay. Until there's a better tool, video capture is still the most reliable metric.
Firstly.
This game has a 30 FPS cap. You can disable it. But disabling it will result in a ridiculous behavior. VSYNC is enforced via Win10 UWP. What happens is the frame rate on a 60hz monitor, will flip between 60 fps (if a GPU can reach it), and if it drops even to 59 fps, it drops down to 30 fps. There are massive stutters for all GPUs tested once this 30 fps frame rate cap is removed.
If your monitor has a higher refresh rate, the stepping will be closer together, but no less jarring.
The problem is the old double-buffering vsync implemented by Remedy or it's UWP integration.
Frame time and such measurement cannot use Fraps or FCAT (DX12 & UWP limitations), but Intel's PresentMon works.
Pcgameshardware.de did a few GPUs and here's their results, summarized.
http://www.pcgameshardware.de/Quantum-Break-Spiel-15745/Specials/Technik-Test-1191358/
Top row is 1080p, bottom row is 1440p.
There's a video with the 980 showing this problem on pcgameshardware.de, and it's not good (the gameplay matches the PresentMon data). Scroll down to the bottom, start from 1:20m. Stutter-ville.
It seems MS has learnt absolutely NOTHING from the GoW:U disaster.
The game is basically unplayable unless you enjoy a 30 fps lock for the "cinematic feels". Oh, just as annoying, there's a heavy film grain filter that cannot be disabled. OMG.
I simply don't get why MS is wasting their money making games that won't sell, because let's face it, UWP is unpopular and the fact that they ship broken UWP games is going to reinforce gamers to avoid it like the plague.
------------------------------------
Edit: This problem can be fixed relatively easy, and it's a shock that these guys did not do it for the launch. All they need is dynamic vsync, which they actually use on the Xbone, so that if the frame rate drops below the monitor refresh rate, vsync is disabled (I suspect they could not do this, due to current UWP limitations). The other approach is to use triple buffering vsync and this will prevent the major 60 <-> 30 fps flip, with a slight cost of input lag (which is fine for a SP game).
Edit 2: Video from Digital Foundry, apparently the stutter is worse on NV, 390 runs it quite well! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK2BUeYqLVI < --- 390 pwning the 970 hard, 50% to 90% faster! There's also potentially a problem with PresentMon not reflecting gameplay for AMD, as it's visually fine in recorded gameplay. Until there's a better tool, video capture is still the most reliable metric.
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