Although the gaming sector continues to evolve towards new levels of realism and performance in games, the truth is that many of the improvements are not implemented, or even, end up being implemented late. NVIDIA has had to move a tab in its drivers due to a Microsoft update with Windows that affects the V-SYNC parameter and a technology called MPO . What is it and how does it help improve games?
Microsoft has returned to its old ways and in an inelegant change for the gallery it has allowed one of its key characteristics in the smoothness and stability of the FPS in games to take control of something as controversial as the window mode in games and the V-SYNC, what does MPO have to do with all this?
Multiplane Overlays, thus allowing Windows more smoothness in your games
The so-called multiplane overlay is something that has been around for a long time, specifically since it was released with WDDM 1.3 and DX11.2 with Windows 8.1. This feature was later extended by WDDM 2.0 all the way to WDDM 3.0 ( Windows Display Driver Model ), but what is it really?
The multiplane overlay is also known as Multiplane Overlays or MPO for its acronym in English and although its functions range from improving 2D illustrations in any game, from the user interface to the display of the game itself, to a score marker.
But while doing this, it allows 3D scenes to be drawn in the back buffer, allowing for improved game performance and better FPS stability. And this is the true function of MPO as such and that is why it has become topical again, since its objective is precisely to allow a game to maintain a stable frame rate in any circumstance.
This is really important today, since the vast majority of engines use so-called post-processing for 3D, which implies tasks that are purposely postponed to speed up other more important ones. A background processing of GUI elements in games at their original resolution without loss becomes in the middle of the decade of the AI in something basic if we want to be able to talk with friends, see the ammunition that we have left, comment in a chat of the game or Similar.
Windows now allows MPO mode without V-SYNC and automatically
But seen the seen, why is NVIDIA in the middle of all the trouble? Well, because now its drivers are compatible with MPO from version 461.09 , so in the case that we played in full screen we would have control of it with MPO, and even in full window, so tearing will occur, something that did not happen before, since it sent DWM.
Therefore, when the frame rate is below a certain threshold, it will be the game itself that sets the MPO mode to stay at higher and more stable FPS values. This is possible because MPO will release charge on objects, particles, and technical details that are not visibly necessary, reducing their resolution and thereby reducing the amount of pixel fill.
Therefore, now with NVIDIA drivers, if we play in windowed mode, it is recommended to use the value of V-SYNC in the default configuration so that the 3D application chooses the correct configuration.
