How to set up Scanline Sync in RivaTuner

RTSS is a handy tool for capping your frame rate in games, but it has more functions than that. It can also be used to enable Scanline Sync. Scanline Sync is a feature of RTSS that eliminates tearing by synchronizing your monitor’s refresh rate with the frame rate of your GPU.

It works much like traditional V-Sync or AMD’s FreeSync, except that it doesn’t have the input lag associated with those technologies. If you’re running into any issues with Scanline Sync, make sure MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner Statistics Server are both up to date, as well as your graphics card drivers.

In this article you will learn how to set up Scanline Sync in Rivatuner.

What is Rivatuner?

RivaTuner is, at its core, a tool to overclock and customize your graphics card. It is most widely known as the application that enables On-Screen Display (OSD) with MSI Afterburner.

However, it is also used widely by people who do not use MSI Afterburner. It features an FPS limiter capable of frame sync on any monitor, including G-Sync and FreeSync monitors.

It also can apply scanline sync for monitors without variable refresh rate. As for the graphics card overclock part, you can probably find better tools than RivaTuner for this if you don’t need OSD or FPS limiting capabilities.

What is an FPS cap?

FPS cap is a simple feature in RTSS that allows you to limit the frame rate at which your game runs. This can be extremely useful for those with high refresh rate monitors who want a more consistent experience without having to use V-Sync.

FPS, short for Frames Per Second, is a value that indicates how many consecutive images (frames) are processed by your video card each second. For example, if you’re playing a game, the game’s FPS will dictate how smooth the game runs. A higher FPS means that your computer is pushing several frames continuously. With a lower FPS the game appears to “lag.”

The higher the FPS, the better the graphics and in-game transitions are. Of course, there are limitations and sometimes you’ll have to make a choice between better visuals or higher FPS rate.

What does “capping” mean?

The word “capping” refers to reaching or achieving a limit or maximum. In this case, it’s related to how many frames per second can be rendered by your graphics card. Players who prefer a smoother gaming experience often opt for capping their FPS at 30 or 60 frames per second. This way they can play more smoothly without compromising on visual quality.

For instance, some players cap their FPS at 30 because they think it helps save battery power on laptops with lower specs (though this is highly debatable).

What is Scanline Sync?

Scanline Sync is a method of applying a framerate cap which has been developed by Blur Busters in order to minimize or eliminate screen tearing. It works by synchronizing the game’s engine with the end of each monitor refresh cycle.

In theory, this should allow for optimal performance and minimal input lag, since the game’s engine can process frames at an unrestricted rate until the last moment before it needs to display them on-screen.

Difference between an FPS cap and Scanline Sync

FPS cap: This will limit your FPS to a fixed number. If you want to cap it at 60, you can use the included benchmark with MSI Afterburner or RivaTuner (or any other app that lets you set custom benchmarks) and set it to 60FPS.

Then, when you start the game, it will run at the highest possible framerate it can reach, but the moment it reaches 60 FPS, it will lock at that framerate so you don’t get higher than 60 FPS.

Scanline Sync: Then there is Scanline Sync, which is a little bit different. This feature synchronizes your framerate to the output of your monitor so that every frame gets displayed on screen.

The reason why people use this is because if you have G-Sync/FreeSync enabled, then your monitor’s refresh rate changes depending on your framerate. If you have V-Sync disabled and your framerate goes above your refresh rate for even a split second, then you get screen tearing because frames are not getting displayed in sync with your monitor’s refresh rate.

How to set an FPS cap in RivaTuner?

Setting a frame rate limit is a great way for gamers to control their GPU’s temperature and power consumption. This is important if you’re playing games on a laptop, or if your graphics card is overheating. Most of the time, however, setting a frame rate limit isn’t necessary. Now let’s see how to set up Fps in RivaTuner-

First, open RivaTuner Statistics Server. If it doesn’t immediately appear, check for its icon in your start menu. I

n the right-hand side of the window, where you see all of your applications and games, right-click on the one you want to set the cap for (e.g., Black Ops 4) and click “Add custom Direct3D 9 profile.” If you can’t find it there, click “Add application” instead.

When prompted, find your game executable (.exe) file and add that to the list of applications as a new profile.

Right-click on this newly created profile and click on “Set framerate limit.” A dialog box will pop up with a text box for you to enter your desired frame rate cap.

Enter the number of frames per second (FPS) that you want to limit the game to in that box and then click OK. You should see that number appear next to the name of your profile in the list on RivaTuner Statistics Server.

How to set up Scanline Sync in RivaTuner?

First, download and install the latest version of MSI Afterburner.

If you already have MSI Afterburner installed, make sure to update it to the latest beta version.

Open the MSI Afterburner settings window by clicking the little cogwheel in the bottom right corner of the main program window.

Under General, tick Allow unofficial overclocking.

Under Monitoring, untick Overlay and Display in On-Screen Display. We don’t want these enabled for our Scanline Sync overlay because they will conflict with each other. We still want to use MSI Afterburner for monitoring though!

In RivaTuner Statistics Server, which you can find in your Start menu (or through MSI Afterburner), go to Options > Properties > Compatibility and make sure that Force compatibility mode is disabled.

Now go to On-Screen Display > OSD options and set Text color to White and Background color to Black and tick Use custom background color.

To enable Scanline Sync on your monitor, simply check the box next to Enable Scanline Sync under On-Screen Display > Framerate limiters > Scanline Sync.