PSA: In most cases, you don't need Exclusive Fullscreen anymore

[Deleted member 17184]

Setting up Resident Evil Village has reminded me about Flip Model. Here's how the SpecialK Wiki describes it:

(DXGI) Flip Model is a new mode introduced in Windows 8 that makes the SwapChain work efficiently with the Windows DWM (Desktop Window Manager). Flip Model eliminates performance penalties normally associated with windowed mode rendering and introduces new methods to measure and regulate render latency.

Flip Model is required for all D3D12 software as well as all UWP games sold on the Microsoft Store. It is also useable in D3D10 and D3D11 software, but most developers shipping software on Windows are oblivious to this and your typical D3D11 game performs sub-par as a result.

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So, if you're running a DirectX 12 game, just choose Borderless Fullscreen in-game and you're done.

Now, if you're running a DirectX 11 game, you'll need a few more steps. First, download SpecialK. I strongly recommend you to get it from their Discord server as they constantly update it there. Then, install it following these instructions. Once you launch the game with SpecialK enabled, press Ctrl + Shift + Backspace to open the app's settings, go to the "Direct3D 11 Settings" tab, and then "SwapChain Management." Enable "Use Flip Model Presentation" and follow the best settings for your PC here. Finally, choose Borderless Fullscreen in-game (and also on the Display tab on SpecialK if the game keeps reverting it), and you're done.

There's no performance penalty whatsoever for Borderless Fullscreen anymore. You get all of the advantages of it (such as working alt+tab) and none of the performance issues it used to have. You can also use it with VRR/G-Sync/FreeSync monitors.

Note: it's best to not use SpecialK with DirectX 12 games. You can limit the fps through RTSS or through the driver. It's apparently also not recommended for multiplayer games that have anti-cheat tech.

 

[Kudo]

This was good PSA, thanks.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

Noted.

 

[Lashley]

I always use borderless anyway since I have 2 monitors with discord etc, so it's nice to see the fps hit getting lower and lower to basically zero now

 

[ceej]

I always use borderless anyway since I have 2 monitors with discord etc, so it's nice to see the fps hit getting lower and lower to basically zero now

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Same, except in very few circumstances (I can't remember off-hand). This is pretty neat though, thanks OP.

 

[PeskyToaster]

That's good to know.

 

[Wrexis]

Now, if you're running a DirectX 11 game, you'll need a few more steps. First, download SpecialK. I strongly recommend you to get it from their Discord server as they constantly update it there. Then, install it following these instructions. Once you launch the game with SpecialK enabled, press Ctrl + Shift + Backspace to open the app's settings, go to the "Direct3D 11 Settings" tab, and then "SwapChain Management." Enable "Use Flip Model Presentation" and follow the best settings for your PC here. Finally, choose Borderless Fullscreen in-game (and also on the Display tab on SpecialK if the game keeps reverting it), and you're done.

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Or enable Exclusive Fullscreen and just be done with it.

Seriously though is there a reason why Exclusive Fullscreen is bad?

 

[Dio]

Or enable Exclusive Fullscreen and just be done with it.

Seriously though is there a reason why Exclusive Fullscreen is bad?

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Bad alt + tab perf.

 

[Bony Manifesto]

You don't actually need to bother with Special K for non-DX12 games, as Windows automatically converts exclusive full screen games to flip mode unless you explicitly "Disable full screen optimisations" in the exe properties.

 

[Atolm]

Bad alt + tab perf.

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I must be the only person who doesn't alt+tab during a gaming session. If I want to check something online these days I just prefer using my phone.

 

[Niosai]

I've noticed that every game I play requires full screen for refresh rates above 60hz. Wish that wasn't the case.

 

[HybridEidolon]

SpecialK can also be used to fix games that have framerate cap problems on >60hz monitors. The Steam achievement popup is also a pretty nice feature.

 

[Lashley]

I've noticed that every game I play requires full screen for refresh rates above 60hz. Wish that wasn't the case.

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What game? because this isn't common

 

[MrNelson]

Seriously though is there a reason why Exclusive Fullscreen is bad?

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As a personal example there's a game that I use an overlay for that can't be used in exclusive fullscreen, so I need to use borderless windowed.

 

[Remark]

Havent ran Exclusive Fullscreen in forever in games. Mainly because in most games it makes dual monitor usage ass. Borderless all day :3

 

[HybridEidolon]

Seriously though is there a reason why Exclusive Fullscreen is bad?

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Breaks multimonitor, breaks streaming apps, breaks many overlays, sometimes games erroneously request the lowest refresh rate of the display resulting in e.g. 24fps cap on some TVs.

 

[davepoobond]

not sure if there is even any benefit to exclusive fullscreen anymore.

 

[Wrexis]

Breaks multimonitor, breaks streaming apps, breaks many overlays, sometimes games erroneously request the lowest refresh rate of the display resulting in e.g. 24fps cap on some TVs.

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Ok that's a good explanation. I don't do most of the above so I wouldn't have known. Thank you.

 

[beelulzebub]

I play most of my PC games on my big comfy couch and my TV. I don't alt+tab, so not sure there's any real reason to choose one over the other? But good to know if I'm gaming at my desk.

 

[Deleted member 17184]

I must be the only person who doesn't alt+tab during a gaming session. If I want to check something online these days I just prefer using my phone.

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Breaks multimonitor, breaks streaming apps, breaks many overlays, sometimes games erroneously request the lowest refresh rate of the display resulting in e.g. 24fps cap on some TVs.

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Ok that's a good explanation. I don't do most of the above so I wouldn't have known. Thank you.

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If you also need to use the task manager (if a game isn't responding, for example), it's easier with borderless windowed because you can alt+tab.

 

[Bungie]

Do you not then have to enable windowed gsync if you want to use it (which doesn't play well with some launchers)...?

 

[Menome]

Does a proper GSync/Freesync setup not require you to be in Exclusive Fullscreen for best results?

 

[texhnolyze]

I play most of my PC games on my big comfy couch and my TV. I don't alt+tab, so not sure there's any real reason to choose one over the other? But good to know if I'm gaming at my desk.

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Yeah me too. That's the perk of comfy couch gaming, when it's gaming time then I'll be gaming. I can still pause and browse on my phone anyway.

 

[Samiya]

I need it for DSR, so it's out of the question.

It's actually one of the things that's been annoying about Unity and UE4.

 

[Deleted member 17184]

Does a proper GSync/Freesync setup not require you to be in Exclusive Fullscreen for best results?

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It used to, but not anymore!

Do you not then have to enable windowed gsync if you want to use it (which doesn't play well with some launchers)...?

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Not required. Windowed G-Sync also performs much better these days. Haven't experienced any issue for a while.

 

[Awakened]

Do you not then have to enable windowed gsync if you want to use it (which doesn't play well with some launchers)...?

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Nope, Gsync engages with flip model even when windowed Gsync isn't enabled.

 

[Princess Bubblegum]

Note: it's best to not use SpecialK with DirectX 12 games. You can limit the fps through RTSS or through the driver.

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Eh? I believe SpecialK supports DX12 as of last year, just a few features don't work yet.

 

[Deleted member 17184]

Eh? I believe SpecialK supports DX12 as of last year, just a few features don't work yet.

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It's crashing Resident Evil Village for some people, including those who are just using the framerate limiter. It seems very hit or miss so far.

 

[Princess Bubblegum]

It's crashing Resident Evil Village for some people, including those who are just using the framerate limiter. It seems very hit or miss so far.

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If people are using the recent NieR Replicant builds, the defaults are not going to play nicely with DX12.

 

[Deleted member 17184]

If people are using the recent NieR Replicant builds, the defaults are not going to play nicely with DX12.

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Can't say that was the case for me as I wasn't using any of the NieR builds.

 

[NeoChaos]

You don't actually need to bother with Special K for non-DX12 games, as Windows automatically converts exclusive full screen games to flip mode unless you explicitly "Disable full screen optimisations" in the exe properties.

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That's what that setting does?! Microsoft should've communicated that better when they rolled that option out

 

[Massicot]

I always play games in borderless with discord on a second screen and Twitter on a third. Maybe I'm too online...

 

[Lashley]

I always play games in borderless with discord on a second screen and Twitter on a third. Maybe I'm too online...

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😂 too relatable

 

[Spacejaws]

You don't actually need to bother with Special K for non-DX12 games, as Windows automatically converts exclusive full screen games to flip mode unless you explicitly "Disable full screen optimisations" in the exe properties.

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I don't get this, I never disable this and always have a noticeable performance hit in Fullscreen windowed mode to the point I can tell when a game has defaulted to windowed due to the FPS drops. Battlefront 2 does this for me.

 

[Roven]

Freesync with my C9 somehow breaks when I try borderless, so have been using exclusive since

 

[Deleted member 17184]

I don't get this, I never disable this and always have a noticeable performance hit in Fullscreen windowed mode to the point I can tell when a game has defaulted to windowed due to the FPS drops. Battlefront 2 does this for me.

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I wonder if that setting has any difference compared to what SpecialK does. You could try disabling it and trying SpecialK to see what happens.

Freesync with my C9 somehow breaks when I try borderless, so have been using exclusive since

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Weird! Does it happen with DX12 games and SpecialK too?

 

[Pargon]

Great thread!
The only slight correction I'd make is to say that not all Microsoft Store games use flip-mode.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is one notable title where people were reporting bad frame rate drops/stuttering as a result of it using borderless mode rather than flip-mode (because windowed-mode G-Sync has a tendency to do that).

You don't actually need to bother with Special K for non-DX12 games, as Windows automatically converts exclusive full screen games to flip mode unless you explicitly "Disable full screen optimisations" in the exe properties.

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Well, the main issue is that more and more games now lack the option for an exclusive output altogether.
In this case, SpecialK can convert windowed-mode to flip-mode, so you get the best of both: fast alt-tabbing, and proper G-Sync functionality.

Do you not then have to enable windowed gsync if you want to use it (which doesn't play well with some launchers)...?

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No - that's is the best part!
Flip-mode bypasses the desktop compositor: so as far as G-Sync is concerned, it's running in "full-screen" mode, not "windowed" mode.

Not required. Windowed G-Sync also performs much better these days. Haven't experienced any issue for a while.

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I still see exactly the same problems in windowed-mode as always.
But sometimes you might not realize that a game is using flip-mode rather than windowed-mode, if the option for windowed-mode G-Sync is enabled.

I recommend that you disable windowed-mode G-Sync entirely, since that setting has no effect on flip-mode.
That way you can easily tell whether a game is using flip-mode or borderless mode (check if G-Sync is working or not) and can use SpecialK to fix it, if it is not using flip-mode.

I don't get this, I never disable this and always have a noticeable performance hit in Fullscreen windowed mode to the point I can tell when a game has defaulted to windowed due to the FPS drops. Battlefront 2 does this for me.

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Microsoft has changed things around a lot, and I haven't kept up to date with my testing.
As far as I am aware though, 1709 is the only version of Windows 10 that upgraded full-screen windowed (borderless) games to flip-mode.
Newer versions of Windows 10 only upgrade full-screen exclusive (FSE) to flip-mode.

And though it does upgrade them to flip-mode, some games have logic built in so that when you alt-tab away, they do things like switch into a window or other weird behaviors.
So even though flip-mode permits fast alt-tabbing, those particular games may still be a hassle if you're running them in FSE-mode, even though it has been upgraded to flip-mode presentation.

 

[Bony Manifesto]

I don't get this, I never disable this and always have a noticeable performance hit in Fullscreen windowed mode to the point I can tell when a game has defaulted to windowed due to the FPS drops. Battlefront 2 does this for me.

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If you're explicitly setting the game to use the 'old' borderless fullscreen method, then it won't do anything. What it does is convert games which display in exclusive fullscreen into this new flip model borderless widescreen. You can test if it's working by setting the game to full-screen and alt-tabbing, and you should get an instant response without any display-mode changes (unless you're running at a different refresh rate on the desktop or you're toggling HDR modes).

 

[Jedi2016]

It's also notable that a lot of games that advertise an "Exclusive Fullscreen" mode are actually still running in Borderless Window, even if it's an entirely different option.

 

[Deleted member 17184]

Great thread!
The only slight correction I'd make is to say that not all Microsoft Store games use flip-mode.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is one notable title where people were reporting bad frame rate drops/stuttering as a result of it using borderless mode rather than flip-mode (because windowed-mode G-Sync has a tendency to do that).


Well, the main issue is that more and more games now lack the option for an exclusive output altogether.
In this case, SpecialK can convert windowed-mode to flip-mode, so you get the best of both: fast alt-tabbing, and proper G-Sync functionality.


No - that's is the best part!
Flip-mode bypasses the desktop compositor: so as far as G-Sync is concerned, it's running in "full-screen" mode, not "windowed" mode.


I still see exactly the same problems in windowed-mode as always.
But sometimes you might not realize that a game is using flip-mode rather than windowed-mode, if the option for windowed-mode G-Sync is enabled.

I recommend that you disable windowed-mode G-Sync entirely, since that setting has no effect on flip-mode.
That way you can easily tell whether a game is using flip-mode or borderless mode (check if G-Sync is working or not) and can use SpecialK to fix it, if it is not using flip-mode.


Microsoft has changed things around a lot, and I haven't kept up to date with my testing.
As far as I am aware though, 1709 is the only version of Windows 10 that upgraded full-screen windowed (borderless) games to flip-mode.
Newer versions of Windows 10 only upgrade full-screen exclusive (FSE) to flip-mode.

And though it does upgrade them to flip-mode, some games have logic built in so that when you alt-tab away, they do things like switch into a window or other weird behaviors.
So even though flip-mode permits fast alt-tabbing, those particular games may still be a hassle if you're running them in FSE-mode, even though it has been upgraded to flip-mode presentation.

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This is great! Threadmarked.

 

[Deleted member 17184]

By the way, Pargon, do you know why Ori wasn't using Flip Mode? Was it not a DX12 game on the MS Store?

 

[Pargon]

By the way, Pargon, do you know why Ori wasn't using Flip Mode? Was it not a DX12 game on the MS Store?

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I think it's a DX11 game rather than DX12.
I'm not sure whether they fixed this - either by moving to flip-mode, or by adding an exclusive option. I only had access to it briefly via a Game Pass trial.

 

[Deleted member 17184]

I think it's a DX11 game rather than DX12.
I'm not sure whether they fixed this - either by moving to flip-mode, or by adding an exclusive option. I only had access to it briefly via a Game Pass trial.

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That would explain it, yeah.

 

[darkkinder]

What is flip-mode? And with gsync do I need to enable/disable something in the Nvidia driver?

 

[devSin]

I must be the only person who doesn't alt+tab during a gaming session.

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You're not.

 

[TheRed]

I thought Gsync didn't work as well in borderless. At least I swore it wasn't last time I tried

 

[LowParry]

Flip mode. Busta Rhymes would be proud. Good OP. I'm sure Darktalon would have some good insight on all of this too.

 

[vegtro]

Window gsync mode can breaks some apps causing major stutters and is not fixed at all. 1Password for example so as other productivity apps.

 

[TeenageFBI]

I thought Gsync didn't work as well in borderless. At least I swore it wasn't last time I tried

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People say that but I haven't noticed tearing or framerate issues with borderless + G-Sync. RTSS properly restricts borderless framerates to non-standard values and there's no tearing.

Window gsync mode can breaks some apps causing major stutters and is not fixed at all. 1Password for example so as other productivity apps.

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Now that is true. Some productivity applications don't work well with G-Sync at all.

 

[Deleted member 17184]

What is flip-mode? And with gsync do I need to enable/disable something in the Nvidia driver?

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Flip Model, sorry! It was a typo in my earlier post. It's defined on the OP. No need to enable/disable anything in the driver. Just follow the instructions from the OP.

I thought Gsync didn't work as well in borderless. At least I swore it wasn't last time I tried

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Window gsync mode can breaks some apps causing major stutters and is not fixed at all. 1Password for example so as other productivity apps.

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As Pargon explains, Flip Model doesn't require windowed G-Sync enabled to work with G-Sync. Flip Model makes G-Sync believe a Borderless Windowed game is running on Fullscreen, so it works regardless of that setting.