Extreme FPS drops when moving mouse over editor gui elements (G-SYNC)

Edit: Still an issue with 4.18!

I’ve noticed the framerate in the editor drops by 50% when moving the mouse over any interactive gui elements, or while a context menu is open. Video for demonstration: https://gfycat.com/ParallelLazyHornshark
The drop always appears to be 50%. If my monitor runs in 100hz mode it will drop to 50, if I run it at 60hz mode it will drop to 30.
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Also, when a tab is not docked to the main window, its framerate also drops by 50%:
(Drag images to new tab and look at FPS counter)
Docked to main:

http://i.imgur.com/8jjFPyY.png

Free window:

http://i.imgur.com/XkxpXB0.png

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My hardware:

  • i7 7820x
  • GTX 1080ti
  • 32GB ram
  • Asus PG348Q (3440x1440, 100hz, g-sync)

Hi Zeblote,

Thank you for submitting a bug report. I have reproduced the issue and logged it as UE-42213 which you can track on the following link: Unreal Engine Issues. Please be aware that since the issue must be reviewed and prioritized by our development staff, it may be a while before it can be addressed.

As for the second issue, when a tab is not docked to the main window, its frame rate also drops by 50%, this is because UE4 has to render twice as much -once for each window. It is recommended to simply keep the windows tabbed in order to avoid this.

-.

Hi, not sure why you logged the first issue as [mac] - I’m using a PC with windows 10.

I experimented a bit and finally figured out this issue is actually caused by using the editor with g-sync enabled. Without g-sync, everything is running at 120 fps (the default max), no matter how many windows I have open.

The problem is also not caused by all gui elements, but only those that have a hover tooltip. This tooltip is displayed using a small extra window, causing the same issue I get when a tab is running in a window (half framerate)

But g-sync is essential to prevent screen tearing when using the editor, so it really needs to be enabled…
If you (or anyone else) have a g-sync monitor in the office, you can reproduce the actual problem like so:

  1. Open nvidia control panel
  2. Enable g-sync for windowed and full screen mode in Display > Set up G-SYNC
  3. Set all programs to use g-sync in Manage 3d Settings > Global > Monitor Technology
  4. Start unreal editor and open any project

You should then get something like this:
Framerate = g-sync limit / number of windows (including tooltips and notifications)

Hi Zeblote,

Thank you for submitting a bug report. I have reproduced the issue and logged it as UE-42374 which you can track on the following link: Unreal Engine Issues. Please be aware that since the issue must be reviewed and prioritized by our development staff, it may be a while before it can be addressed.

In the meantime, when you say that G-Sync is essential to prevent screen tearing when using the editor, do you experience this when G-Sync is disabled on your machine? I ask because I had to check out a special monitor in order to test this and, as far as know, no one in the office has had a problem with screen tearing and barely anyone is using a G-Sync monitor here.

I’m just curious as to whether the screen tear is appearing in your project or with the editor itself… Please respond with this information.

Thanks,

Yes, I can notice screen tearing if g-sync is disabled (there has to be tearing, as the editor is running at 120fps while my monitor is set to 100hz). It becomes more visible if intense graphics start slowing it down to just a bit above the limit. Moving the camera with wasd also appears to be slightly choppy then. It’s why I enabled g-sync for everything in the first place.

I’ve now found out g-sync also has a second mode where it doesn’t apply a cap at 100fps but still prevents stuttering if it drops below, which can then be combined with a software-side cap (t.maxfps 99).

Though I wasn’t able to get it working with UE4. For some reason the driver is always limiting it to 100fps if g-sync is on. Getting this to work properly could be the solution (maybe it needs an official profile from nvidia to work?)

This is still an issue in 4.16. How do you get a bug un-backlogged?

I am also experiencing this quite painful issue.

Using Blueprints has basically become an fight against lag now. Im using an dual monitor setup 2x ROG Swifts 144hz GSync enabled and everytime i settle any movement of the mouse it seems as though the Framerate of the Editor drops considerably, once i move the mouse again after a few seconds it seems to “catchup” but 10 - 20 seconds later it will do it again.

This needs to become unbacklogged and made an priority due to the rise of GSync enabled monitors in the market, especially in the Gaming Industry.

I somehow doubt anyone actually reads our comments here, as the issue is dead since > 3 months and the profile of the only guy who responded has been deleted…

I am having the same problem with 4.19 and the latest Nvidia drivers, please reopen the issue.

Weird enough Unity kind of suffers from the same problem, it must be programs the render widgets of the same windows separately?

Update: i guess the bug is with the nvidia driver and not UE4.