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Micro stuttering is a quality defect that manifests as irregular delays between frames rendered by a

graphics processing unit A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed for digital image processing and to accelerate computer graphics, being present either as a discrete video card or embedded on motherboards, mobile phones, personal ...

(GPU). It causes the instantaneous

frame rate Frame rate, most commonly expressed in frame/s, or FPS, is typically the frequency (rate) at which consecutive images (Film frame, frames) are captured or displayed. This definition applies to film and video cameras, computer animation, and moti ...

of the longest delay to be significantly lower than the frame rate reported by benchmarking applications such as

3DMark 3DMark is a computer benchmarking tool created and developed by UL (formerly Futuremark), to determine the performance of a computer's 3D graphic rendering and CPU workload processing capabilities. Running 3DMark produces a 3DMark score, with ...

, which usually calculate the average frame rate over a longer time interval. In lower frame rates,Under which frame rate the effects of micro stuttering become apparent varies depending on numerous variables and how sensitive the human test-subject is. The worst-case scenario would be that the frames from all GPUs finish rendering at the same time, in such a case the frame rate perceived by the viewer would be half of the reported average frame rate in the case of a dual-card configuration, and just a fourth in a quad-GPU configuration. when this effect may be apparent the moving video appears to stutter, resulting in a degraded

gameplay Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game. The term applies to both video games and Tabletop game, tabletop games. Gameplay is the connection between the player and the game, the player's overcoming of challenges, and t ...

experience in the case of a

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

, even though the frame rate seems high enoughThe generally accepted average frame rate for a smooth experience varies from game to game and user to user but is generally 30-60 frame/second and higher to provide a smooth experience. Single-GPU configurations do not suffer from this defect in most cases and can in some cases output a subjectively smoother video compared to a multi-GPU setup using the same

video card A graphics card (also called a video card, display card, graphics accelerator, graphics adapter, VGA card/VGA, video adapter, display adapter, or colloquially GPU) is a computer expansion card that generates a feed of graphics output to a displa ...

model. Micro stuttering is inherent to multi- GPU configurations using alternate frame rendering (AFR), such as Nvidia SLi and

AMD CrossFireX AMD CrossFire (also known as CrossFireX) is a brand name for the multi- GPU technology by AMD, originally developed by ATI Technologies. The technology allows up to four GPUs to be used in a single computer to improve graphics performance. As ...

but can also exist in certain cases in single-GPU systems. The effects of micro stuttering vary depending on the application and driver optimizations. Beyond dual-GPU setups, CrossFireX/SLI setups do not seem to be as affected by micro-stuttering; the frame rate variability in a three-way CrossFireX/SLI setup approaches the smoothness achieved by a single GPU. As of May 2012, with the latest release of hardware and drivers from

Nvidia Nvidia Corporation ( ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and incorporated in Delaware. Founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang (president and CEO), Chris Malachowsky, and Curti ...

and

AMD Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California and maintains significant operations in Austin, Texas. AMD is a hardware and fabless company that de ...

, AMD's

Radeon HD 7000 series The Radeon HD 7000 series, codenamed "Southern Islands", is a family of GPUs developed by AMD, and manufactured on TSMC's 28 nm process. The primary competitor of Southern Islands was Nvidia's GeForce 600 series (also manufactured at TS ...

is severely more affected by micro stuttering than Nvidia's GeForce 600 series. In tests performed in ''

Battlefield 3 ''Battlefield 3'' is a 2011 first-person shooter game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sixth main installment in the '' Battlefield'' series and a follow-up to '' Battlefield 2'' (2005). The game was released on Micr ...

'', a configuration with two GeForce GTX 680 in SLi-mode showed a 7% variation in frame delays, compared to 5% for a single GTX 680. A configuration with two Radeon HD 7970 in CrossFireX-mode, on the other hand, showed an 85% variation in frame delays, compared to 7% for a single card, indicating large amounts of micro stuttering. These results are reflected in the perceptual experience when looking at the video in output. The software program RadeonPro can be used to significantly reduce or eliminate the effects of micro-stuttering when using AMD graphics cards in CrossFire.

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References

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External links

Micro-Stuttering And GPU Scaling In CrossFire And SLI
– Tom's Hardware
Inside the second: A new look at game benchmarking
– Tech Report
How To Fix CrossFire Micro-Stuttering
– ShareNoesis Graphics hardware

See also

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External links