Installing f.lux causes global Microstuttering.
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So i recently got a Dell 5748 with a dedicated Nvidia 840M and whenever i install f.lux the laptop starts microstuttering in games and pretty much everything else but videos (the Nvidia panel logo animation stutters too).
At first i thought it was the card's fault so i tried to install every driver version, uninstalled some Nvidia software that was known to cause problems. I also rolled back from windows 8.1 to 7 but the problem persisted. Now i'm pretty sure the problem is somehow between Nvidia and f.lux and maybe the Nvidia Optimus technology precisely but that'd be nothing but a baseless assumption.
Here's my Dxdiag, you'll notice that it shows only the integrated intel graphic card since it's shared but it was the same with my previous laptop and f.lux was working just fine in it.
So yeah, thank you guys for this app and thanks to anyone who helps in advance but i really need it, this new lappy hurts my eyes like crazy and f.lux really helps them relax.
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I don't know what the solution is, but while we wait for someone to solve this, I recommend reducing the display brightness until then. If it's hurting your eyes, then your brightness might be too high.
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You might try f.lux "safe mode", though you might have to go click the f.lux icon sometimes if the colors are set by another app.
This is definitely a problem in recent drivers - we suspect they are trying to sync with the backlight in some cases, but we aren't sure yet.
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Yup, that worked and i'm an idiot.
Thanks so much though.
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You are not an idiot! Happy that it helped.
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@Sauza said:
Yup, that worked and i'm an idiot.
Thanks so much though.
Oh trust me, you're not an idiot in the least bit. I mean, how were you supposed to know the answer? I didn't even know the answer, and I'm one of 4 people on this website who should've had the answer. The other 3 are herf, lorna, and timpster. Timpster and I are just users, but we're very advanced; we're computer geeks. With what he and I know, if we don't have the answer, then the only other people on here who would are herf and/or lorna. If THEY don't know the answer, then there probably isn't one (in some cases, it's a matter of not having an answer yet). So even though this ended up seeming like an "oh duh" moment, it really wasn't. ;)
There's another reason why you're not an idiot, though: you are smart enough to use f.lux. Seriously.
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That whole post above this one.... 100% correct!
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Deleted two comments, unrelated to the thread
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@lorna said:
Deleted two comments, unrelated to the thread
"unrelated to the thread," haha are you guys serious? Gee, I thought you were professionals, my bad. Censoring a serious comment and ignoring a real issue by trying to blame other companies. What a bunch of fools.
Note to others, on behalf of the f.lux team: The microstuttering (which is indeed caused by f.lux, perhaps intentionally due to the inner workings of DWM and what our software does) will not be addressed, or even looked into, have a good day.
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Yes, they were unrelated to the thread. The person's issue was resolved with safe mode.
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Sigh. What is going on here? So much hatred towards a program over simple problems that have simple solutions.
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@buggamiginte It is indeed a serious problem, one that users should be complaining to the driver manufacturer about. Not on a unrelated, resolved thread. Let me tell you, I wish I did quality control for all the drivers in all the world, but I don't. Even though I get blamed for it anyway. ^_^
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This set of bugs is recent (in the last 2 years) and we see it more with devices that have adjustable backlights.
Video drivers are software, and they can be fixed. But f.lux is not likely to be able to fix the issues directly.
What you can do:
- Run tests at http://testufo.com/
- Post results
- Help by posting the same steps to your driver vendor and request that they fix it.
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The problem is that I have no stuttering, install f.lux, and get stutters. Perhaps it is, as I mentioned, because of how the nVidia drivers handle the context switching in the desktop window manager (or something else connected to the DWM), but please consider the likelihood of that.
There are lots of programs that use the DWM (pretty much anything interacting with the screen in the windows vista/7/8/10 desktop environment), and only f.lux causes stuttering. Also, why would f.lux talk with the DWM unless it's actually making visible changes to the desktop environment, which it only does twice a day? Personally, I am unconvinced that nVidia is the culprit, so I'd just like to hear why you believe they are!
BTW, does it not make sense to discuss this issue in this topic, even if some users have their issues resolved? I am unfamiliar with your forum layout, and wouldn't mind having this discussion moved of course.
Side note: I was upset because my previous post, which was more in line with this post in terms of being civil, was deleted. I don't consider this an excuse for allowing derogatory speech, though it was certainly the reason for me doing so. My apologies.
I simply would like to know why this software causes stuttering, which it does (did anyway, I would be happy to give it a go again if the issue, whoever is at fault, has been acknowledged and worked around and/or fixed!). As I said in my first post, it's a nice piece of software feature-wise.
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What happens when you run the testufo.com tests?
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Edit: I have to retract my old post. Here's a video, you tell me if this is a f.lux problem or not. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oanxyd-uy54
Initial stutter with 2 frames dropped is due to initialization of video recording (it is offloaded to a usually non-active part of the gpu, thus it should not affect anything after being initialized). Then 3 stutters appear within 40 seconds or so. I close f.lux, this is associated with a stutter as well, understandably; appears to be due to window focusing actually (unfocus and refocus chrome = 1 frame dropped). Then no f.lux running and no stutters for the next 40 seconds or so.
Old post:
*As of f.lux v3.10 (and probably different nVidia drivers, so I guess it's not a perfect test), no microstutters have appeared so far. Nothing is detected at the testufo site, which is perhaps not entirely useful in my case, since it's not where I noticed stutters before. The program I did use (opengl based rendering within bordered window) has no stutters either. I will leave f.lux running and see if anything changes, but there appears to be no issues at the moment. ^^Feel free to remove any of my posts that assert there is stuttering.*
