Apparently the claims of better accuracy VS RTSS were flawed as the testing that was done simply measured with frame present rather than frame start. CapFrameX does this for example so RTSS can have perfect graphs there too if you alter the limiting mode. The dev Unwinder did a writeup regarding that some time ago. But yes Special K is a great tool.
@@Power4Pixels I don’t have the direct link on hand but I believe there was a Guru3D thread (maybe one about Nvidia new driver limiter VS RTSS where Unwinder commented on the RodroG testing and why it was flawed and the difference in how one can measure frametime. Special K is awesome though, thanks for the vid.
Just had a look, unfortunately can't find the post your referencing. Nevertheless, I could entirely believe it. I think what you're saying could be found here where RTSS and Special K are compared, with CapFrameX possibly set to a certain limiting mode for the graph, which is better suited to Special K? www.reddit.com/r/allbenchmarks/comments/gohkn9/specialks_frame_rate_limiter_review_dx11_based/#:~:text=Frame%20time%20consistency%2Dwise%2C%20the,in%20terms%20of%20frametime%20stability. If using an external limiter, what's your preference? Also, thought I recognised your name and realised it was from a bunch of the forums I had looked through in the past! Awesome to see you on one of my videos!
@@Power4Pixels Unwinder/RTSS dev: > “Perfectly flat "present-to-present" frametime graph (which is displayed by PresentMon, CapFrameX or RTSS when you set "Frametime calculation point" is set to "Frame presentation") promises you just ONE thing: that the game submitting SOME frame to GPU render queue at proper timings defined by your target framerate (i.e. strictly each 16.7 ms). It doesn't tell you ANYTHING about presented frame contents, frame could be still rendered by game with screwed timings, physics can be simulated in wrong timing so resulting animation can be jerky as hell. That's why the framerate limiters reviews mentioned in this thread, which rely of CapFrameX timings "benchmark" for comparing framerate limiters "efficiency" is just fundamentally wrong.” ^I believe he’s referencing the RodroG tests which were done sometime ago and you can find that comment by searching the above text here: forums.guru3d.com/threads/do-you-use-nvidias-driver-limiter-or-rtss-to-limit-your-framerate-any-pros-and-cons-to-either.444458/page-3#post-6048118 I don’t think this is where I was thinking I’d seen it before, might’ve been on BlurBusters forums. My memory is the comment I was thinking back on was more specific.
@@Power4Pixels Regarding your question of limiter preference, it’s tough to make a call without some kind of objective testing given what testing we have (that I’m aware of anyway) is allegedly flawed. There are some odd ball caveats with Nvidia’s driver limiter since going off the new RTSS “reflex” limiter mode and it’s “note” it can have a DX11/dx12 pseudo-reflex-like effect (assuming I’ve understood that note correctly) though this wouldn’t apply to other APIs. The Nvidia limiter also has some oddball cases like Witcher 3 where the timings read by RTSS are all over the place and more akin to the in-engine limiter. In engine limiters “can have” (not always depends on game) lower input lag vs external solutions such as BFV or Overwatch but the frametimes tend to be wobblier. Some specific games anecdotally don’t seem to play nice with external limiters. RTSS is most convenient in my view as you can change the value on the fly and have lots of other tools within. RTSS also now lets you just switch over to the Nvidia limiter in its options if you prefer so I normally use that. Special K I used awhile ago for Nier and the low latency scanline sync mode for an older laptop but I haven’t used it for a nearly as much and it’s been sometime so I bet lots of updates have rolled out for it by now. I’d like to test it more before commenting further but it has a great reputation and does appear to deliver stable frametimes measured with frame present. I would really love if an outlet like Digital Foundry or Gamers Nexus (etc) would interview Unwinder and Kaldein so they understand how things should be measured then do a set of objective tests focused on frametime stability and input latency.
Is it definitely open? If so, ensure that the service is running (the toggle shown within the interface). Tough to help when I can’t see what’s going on. Hope this helps but if not just drop another comment!
As I replied the only reason I would think for the overlay not opening would be the service not being active in the game you’re playing. Double check the service box is ticked before launching your game of choice. If it doesn’t work then perhaps put a support post in the Special K Discussion site. Hope I could help!
Sorry, but I'm not entirely sure how to help here. Make sure to load the game with Special K active first to create the files. Failing this I'd recommend commenting on the "Special K Discussion" or Discord for some help from people more knowledgeable with the software. Special K Discussion: discourse.differentk.fyi/ Special K Discord: discord.com/invite/specialk Hope I could help somewhat!
I hate that I have to choose between online and 100+ FPS in Elden ring, I can't imagine any good reason the developers put a 60fps cap. Literally the only reason I installed (or even knew about Special K) was so that I could play Elden ring without having it cap at 60 fps
With loseless, if you are planning to play Elden ring online, then stick to rivatuner instead of special k for framelimit. Also, use gsync with loseless if you have it. If dont, I know another sync technology that works well also. Asks me for help if you try out loseless
Sorry but I'm not sure. Firstly I would recommend trying it in different games if you haven't, as sometimes there can be issues with specific games. Otherwise try reinstalling? You could check out and try to comment on the Special K forum here: discourse.differentk.fyi/ Sorry to not be of much help!
Do not use the program with the new Call of Dutys, otherwise it can lead to a ban, and Activision will justify the ban request with the manipulation of Game Data. Be aware of this!!
Make sure you follow my cursor at 5:02 onwards. At 5:14 in the top right of the screen you’ll see it say press Alt + Enter (twice) to change the display mode of the game between windowed and full screen. Failing that try restarting the game. If this doesn’t help then feel free to drop another comment!
@bebrikk1 do you mean the initial HDR button (found next to File, Display, etc.) or the HDR Setup button found within that? Assuming the former I can only recommend you ensure HDR is enabled in Windows. Otherwise try reinstalling (if you haven’t already). Just note that HDR Retrofit doesn’t work on APIs older than DX11 (besides a few DX9 games) so keep that in mind. If none of this works then you could look to get in touch with the Special K team or community, since they’ll be more familiar with the software than me. Hope I could help in some way!
2 questions 1. does this help suppress or eliminate input lag for players that experience natural input lag? also known as electricity input lag or dirty electricity? 2. if it does is there a way in which we can use this mod for games that don’t allow it? basically like a bypass without being detected and banned? and if there is then what are the chances of being detected from 1% to 100%?
As for the first question, I don't believe it would reduce that form of input lag. Using it to cap the frame rate can reduce input latency compared to being having the GPU fully loaded. For the second question, I don't think there's a way to force Special K into applications that don't allow it. It's unlikely you would be banned in any games, it would just prevent the injection. Hope I could help a bit!
Sorry but I'm not 100% certain. However, you could take a look at this in the "Special K's Vulkan Bridge" section: wiki.special-k.info/en/SpecialK/Tidbits#:~:text=Upon%20launching%20the%20game%20with,Vulkan%20Bridge%20Will%20Be%20Enabled. Hope I could help somewhat!
@@Power4Pixels I've made some tests here. Special K seems not to be able to dettect the Vulkan API, but, it works with no problems, in DX11 games. But, I made a test with the "Special K's Vulkan Bridge", which seems to be made specially to DX9 games, in Nvidia GPUs, and it crashed my PES 2013, in integrated graphics. I just removed the DXVK and the game works fin. Without Special K service, the game runs smoothly. But, with the injection, the game stutters a little bit. I think i'm not gonna use Special K with this one... In Watch Dogs, otherwise, it worked perfectly (but, even with DXVK enabled, Special K detects only DX11, and not Vulkan)...
I think perhaps a simplified version could be beneficial, but you also have to be careful not to remove the tools that the experts enjoy from it most. Still agreed it could do with a bit more work with regards to design.
Pretty sure just searching Special K in Windows Search and clicking the uninstall button should work. It may open a new window in Windows Settings through which you’ll need to find Special K in to uninstall it. Hope I could help!
That's annoying. However, if you want it for monitoring then I would recommend using MSI Afterburner. I've got a video out on how to set it up here: ruclips.net/video/ze-90bXtBdg/видео.html Hope I could help!
@@Power4Pixels Currently using Afterburner, I thought SpecialK will safe being use on Multiplayer at first But realize that the model of software, like GUI, reminds me to "Hack" / "Cheats" GUI Probably because of that, Special K will flagged as cheat
FINALLY! Now I can play Persona 5 without the game stuttering anymore! Thank you!
Hello, Special K dosen't work with RDR2,any solutions?
Sorry but I’m not sure. It doesn’t work with all games unfortunately.
Apparently the claims of better accuracy VS RTSS were flawed as the testing that was done simply measured with frame present rather than frame start. CapFrameX does this for example so RTSS can have perfect graphs there too if you alter the limiting mode. The dev Unwinder did a writeup regarding that some time ago.
But yes Special K is a great tool.
Interesting to know! Will read up on that, but agreed, Special K is a great tool.
@@Power4Pixels I don’t have the direct link on hand but I believe there was a Guru3D thread (maybe one about Nvidia new driver limiter VS RTSS where Unwinder commented on the RodroG testing and why it was flawed and the difference in how one can measure frametime.
Special K is awesome though, thanks for the vid.
Just had a look, unfortunately can't find the post your referencing. Nevertheless, I could entirely believe it. I think what you're saying could be found here where RTSS and Special K are compared, with CapFrameX possibly set to a certain limiting mode for the graph, which is better suited to Special K?
www.reddit.com/r/allbenchmarks/comments/gohkn9/specialks_frame_rate_limiter_review_dx11_based/#:~:text=Frame%20time%20consistency%2Dwise%2C%20the,in%20terms%20of%20frametime%20stability.
If using an external limiter, what's your preference? Also, thought I recognised your name and realised it was from a bunch of the forums I had looked through in the past! Awesome to see you on one of my videos!
@@Power4Pixels
Unwinder/RTSS dev:
> “Perfectly flat "present-to-present" frametime graph (which is displayed by PresentMon, CapFrameX or RTSS when you set "Frametime calculation point" is set to "Frame presentation") promises you just ONE thing: that the game submitting SOME frame to GPU render queue at proper timings defined by your target framerate (i.e. strictly each 16.7 ms). It doesn't tell you ANYTHING about presented frame contents, frame could be still rendered by game with screwed timings, physics can be simulated in wrong timing so resulting animation can be jerky as hell. That's why the framerate limiters reviews mentioned in this thread, which rely of CapFrameX timings "benchmark" for comparing framerate limiters "efficiency" is just fundamentally wrong.”
^I believe he’s referencing the RodroG tests which were done sometime ago and you can find that comment by searching the above text here: forums.guru3d.com/threads/do-you-use-nvidias-driver-limiter-or-rtss-to-limit-your-framerate-any-pros-and-cons-to-either.444458/page-3#post-6048118
I don’t think this is where I was thinking I’d seen it before, might’ve been on BlurBusters forums. My memory is the comment I was thinking back on was more specific.
@@Power4Pixels Regarding your question of limiter preference, it’s tough to make a call without some kind of objective testing given what testing we have (that I’m aware of anyway) is allegedly flawed.
There are some odd ball caveats with Nvidia’s driver limiter since going off the new RTSS “reflex” limiter mode and it’s “note” it can have a DX11/dx12 pseudo-reflex-like effect (assuming I’ve understood that note correctly) though this wouldn’t apply to other APIs. The Nvidia limiter also has some oddball cases like Witcher 3 where the timings read by RTSS are all over the place and more akin to the in-engine limiter.
In engine limiters “can have” (not always depends on game) lower input lag vs external solutions such as BFV or Overwatch but the frametimes tend to be wobblier. Some specific games anecdotally don’t seem to play nice with external limiters.
RTSS is most convenient in my view as you can change the value on the fly and have lots of other tools within. RTSS also now lets you just switch over to the Nvidia limiter in its options if you prefer so I normally use that.
Special K I used awhile ago for Nier and the low latency scanline sync mode for an older laptop but I haven’t used it for a nearly as much and it’s been sometime so I bet lots of updates have rolled out for it by now. I’d like to test it more before commenting further but it has a great reputation and does appear to deliver stable frametimes measured with frame present.
I would really love if an outlet like Digital Foundry or Gamers Nexus (etc) would interview Unwinder and Kaldein so they understand how things should be measured then do a set of objective tests focused on frametime stability and input latency.
can't even lunch overlay, shift+ctrl+backspace not working, no overlay! any help? please!
Is it definitely open? If so, ensure that the service is running (the toggle shown within the interface). Tough to help when I can’t see what’s going on. Hope this helps but if not just drop another comment!
Same here , not working , any help?
As I replied the only reason I would think for the overlay not opening would be the service not being active in the game you’re playing. Double check the service box is ticked before launching your game of choice. If it doesn’t work then perhaps put a support post in the Special K Discussion site. Hope I could help!
when I open the SpecialK folder my game files are not there 4:23😢
Sorry, but I'm not entirely sure how to help here. Make sure to load the game with Special K active first to create the files. Failing this I'd recommend commenting on the "Special K Discussion" or Discord for some help from people more knowledgeable with the software.
Special K Discussion: discourse.differentk.fyi/
Special K Discord: discord.com/invite/specialk
Hope I could help somewhat!
I hate that I have to choose between online and 100+ FPS in Elden ring, I can't imagine any good reason the developers put a 60fps cap. Literally the only reason I installed (or even knew about Special K) was so that I could play Elden ring without having it cap at 60 fps
With loseless, if you are planning to play Elden ring online, then stick to rivatuner instead of special k for framelimit. Also, use gsync with loseless if you have it. If dont, I know another sync technology that works well also. Asks me for help if you try out loseless
Ive downloaded and it runs but when the overlay appears i can't click on it, the mouse cursor stays in the game, any advice pls?
Sorry but I'm not sure. Firstly I would recommend trying it in different games if you haven't, as sometimes there can be issues with specific games. Otherwise try reinstalling? You could check out and try to comment on the Special K forum here:
discourse.differentk.fyi/
Sorry to not be of much help!
Do not use the program with the new Call of Dutys, otherwise it can lead to a ban, and Activision will justify the ban request with the manipulation of Game Data. Be aware of this!!
one question.im using this computer that were support HDR,why dont the HDR menu show up?
Make sure you follow my cursor at 5:02 onwards. At 5:14 in the top right of the screen you’ll see it say press Alt + Enter (twice) to change the display mode of the game between windowed and full screen. Failing that try restarting the game. If this doesn’t help then feel free to drop another comment!
@@Power4Pixels no its like the menu to open hdr arent there
@bebrikk1 do you mean the initial HDR button (found next to File, Display, etc.) or the HDR Setup button found within that? Assuming the former I can only recommend you ensure HDR is enabled in Windows. Otherwise try reinstalling (if you haven’t already). Just note that HDR Retrofit doesn’t work on APIs older than DX11 (besides a few DX9 games) so keep that in mind. If none of this works then you could look to get in touch with the Special K team or community, since they’ll be more familiar with the software than me. Hope I could help in some way!
nice tutorial, but i have a quistion can i change the steam sound achievement using special K ?
You can. It has a couple included and allows for a custom sound.
@@Power4Pixels thanks bro now I can put the ps3 trophy sound the steam sound is lame, but doesn't ban me right?
@alla8145 if the game has an anti-cheat it might ban you (although unlikely), so stay wary.
@@Power4Pixels it has but I was playing compaign mod and thanks again
Heard this works with lossless scaling as well. Can u provide a tutorial for it????
I might look into it, but I can't promise anything immediately.
when using special k on games that already have native hdr, do you need to disable the native hdr before applying special k hdr?
I’m pretty sure you do, yes. Special K HDR works off the SDR output of the game, so I’ve got to imagine so.
2 questions
1. does this help suppress or eliminate input lag for players that experience natural input lag? also known as electricity input lag or dirty electricity?
2. if it does is there a way in which we can use this mod for games that don’t allow it? basically like a bypass without being detected and banned?
and if there is then what are the chances of being detected from 1% to 100%?
As for the first question, I don't believe it would reduce that form of input lag. Using it to cap the frame rate can reduce input latency compared to being having the GPU fully loaded. For the second question, I don't think there's a way to force Special K into applications that don't allow it. It's unlikely you would be banned in any games, it would just prevent the injection. Hope I could help a bit!
Is it possible to use Special K with DXVK in the games?
Sorry but I'm not 100% certain. However, you could take a look at this in the "Special K's Vulkan Bridge" section:
wiki.special-k.info/en/SpecialK/Tidbits#:~:text=Upon%20launching%20the%20game%20with,Vulkan%20Bridge%20Will%20Be%20Enabled.
Hope I could help somewhat!
@@Power4Pixels I've made some tests here. Special K seems not to be able to dettect the Vulkan API, but, it works with no problems, in DX11 games. But, I made a test with the "Special K's Vulkan Bridge", which seems to be made specially to DX9 games, in Nvidia GPUs, and it crashed my PES 2013, in integrated graphics. I just removed the DXVK and the game works fin. Without Special K service, the game runs smoothly. But, with the injection, the game stutters a little bit. I think i'm not gonna use Special K with this one...
In Watch Dogs, otherwise, it worked perfectly (but, even with DXVK enabled, Special K detects only DX11, and not Vulkan)...
Cool app but they need to work on the frontend and appearance of the overlay cause it looks horrible and readability is just awful.
I think perhaps a simplified version could be beneficial, but you also have to be careful not to remove the tools that the experts enjoy from it most. Still agreed it could do with a bit more work with regards to design.
Great vid mate thanks a mil
Thanks for the kind words!
Good quality vid!
Thank you very much!
How to uninstall special K?
Pretty sure just searching Special K in Windows Search and clicking the uninstall button should work. It may open a new window in Windows Settings through which you’ll need to find Special K in to uninstall it. Hope I could help!
@@Power4Pixels Thx
i just use it to rip textures
Fair enough! Haven’t used it for that yet, but it’s a neat feature!
Oh no, I would like to use it while Gaming APEX, I mean for Monitoring System Usage :(
But a brief warning not recommended...
That's annoying. However, if you want it for monitoring then I would recommend using MSI Afterburner. I've got a video out on how to set it up here: ruclips.net/video/ze-90bXtBdg/видео.html
Hope I could help!
@@Power4Pixels Currently using Afterburner, I thought SpecialK will safe being use on Multiplayer at first
But realize that the model of software, like GUI, reminds me to "Hack" / "Cheats" GUI
Probably because of that, Special K will flagged as cheat