Microstuttering in certain games

[xystus]

I notice some microstuttering in certain games and no matter the settings, I can't get to eliminate it. It really seems to be random as to when it occurs exactly - so no specific scenes which cause it, just a matter of chance.

=> Why do I think it's microstuttering in the first place? Because the FPS stays at 100% (around 30fps for the games in question), but there is still visible stutter = not smooth.

I know a game like Metroid Prime has microstuttering, which can't really be helped at the moment. But I would like to know if it's normal for the following games to microstutter:

- SONIC COLORS (Wii)
[Core]
GFXBackend = OGL
DSPHLE = True
[EmuState]
# The Emulation State. 1 is worst, 5 is best, 0 is not set.
[OnLoad]
# Add memory patches to be loaded once on boot here.
[Video]
PH_ExtraParam = 0
[Video_Settings]
EFBScale = 6
OMPDecoder = False
MSAA = 0
[Video_Hacks]
EFBAccessEnable = False
[Video_Hardware]
VSync = False

- LUIGI'S MANSION (Gamecube)
[Core]
SkipIdle = False
[EmuState]
Issues = Some controls may not work correctly
[OnLoad]
# Add memory patches to be loaded once on boot here.
[Video_Settings]
SafeTextureCacheColorSamples = 512
wideScreenHack = True
AspectRatio = 3
EFBScale = 7
MSAA = 0
[Video_Hardware]
VSync = True

To some degree, Waverace Blue Storm and Paper Mario also show some microstuttering. But it's more noticeable to me with Sonic Colors and Luigi's Mansion.

I use Dolphin 4.0-1816, a very recent version. Framelimit set to auto.

I've tried disabling Idle Skipping, also tried stressing the GPU more (adding MSAA, upping IR), tried different framelimiting (audio, fixed 30). Nothing changed it, only made it worse.

[KHg8m3r]

Did you follow this: https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-unofficial-laptop-performance-guide

[Knuckles500]

We had a thread a few days a go that sounds like the problem you're having. I have the same problem as well - noticeable lag in frame but no change in the frame rate counter and occurs commonly in games that run in 30 fps. At first I thought it was desktop composition (the forced vsync in Windows), but I'm not sure anymore since testing Armada651's work on adding exclusive fullscreen to Dolphin doesn't seem to alter the problem. Do you notice the microstuttering in games that run in 60 fps as well?

[xystus]

(06-19-2014, 08:20 AM)KHg8m3r Wrote: Did you follow this: https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-unofficial-laptop-performance-guide

I don't have a notebook, look at my config.

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(06-19-2014, 01:33 PM)Knuckles500 Wrote: We had a thread a few days a go that sounds like the problem you're having. I have the same problem as well - noticeable lag in frame but no change in the frame rate counter and occurs commonly in games that run in 30 fps. At first I thought it was desktop composition (the forced vsync in Windows), but I'm not sure anymore since testing Armada651's work on adding exclusive fullscreen to Dolphin doesn't seem to alter the problem. Do you notice the microstuttering in games that run in 60 fps as well?

Hm.. Yes it seems to be EXACTLY the same problem! At first I thought it might be because of the AMD GPU I have (buggy drivers or something), but I see you have a Nvidia 680GTZ, so that's not it.
=> Maybe other people have the same issue, but just don't have an eye for detail??

60fps does show microstutter, but it's less apparent. Paper Mario for example; can't get rid of little stutters.

[pauldacheez]

The good ol' Laptop Performance Guide still applies to desktop GPUs. Go follow the relevant parts.

I don't know every cause of microstutter, but the only two I can think of are hyperthreading (irrelevant for your CPU) and older AMD drivers' frame-pacing issues. Try updating your AMD drivers, if they're not already up-to-date.

[xystus]

Okay thanks, but I use the lastest WHQL amd drivers (no beta), 14.4 I think. So that's not it.

Concerning the performance guide; nothing but what I already knew. My CPU always at 100%, always "high performance mode".

When you look at the gameplay video of Luigi's Mansion, posted by Knuckles500, what do you see? Is it micro stuttering? Have you ever seen it ingame on your setup?