Why do some PC games feel much more delayed on my TV than on my monitor?
Asked by
MellowCedar42
I'm using an RTX 5070, Ryzen 7 5800X3D, and an Xbox controller over Bluetooth. My TV is connected to the GPU through HDMI and has Game Mode enabled. In-game V-Sync is disabled, although it's enabled globally in the NVIDIA app, and Global Low Latency Mode is enabled. I also use NVIDIA Reflex where available.
Some games, such as Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Silent Hill f, and The Last of Us Part II, feel nearly as responsive as a console when played on the TV. However, others—including Halo campaign, Cyberpunk 2077, and Call of Duty—have obvious input delay even with Reflex enabled. The same games feel responsive when played on my 1440p monitor over DisplayPort.
The TV is 4K, but lowering the resolution—even to 640×480 in Call of Duty—doesn't seem to fix the problem. The HDMI cable is connected directly to the GPU rather than the motherboard. Could this be caused by differences in how the games handle frame pacing, V-Sync, or latency, or is there another TV/HDMI setting I should check?
Answers
Check the TV’s actual signal and processing settings rather than only its Game Mode label. Confirm that the HDMI input is running at the intended refresh rate, disable motion smoothing, noise reduction, dynamic contrast, and similar processing, and make sure any PC-specific input mode is enabled. The HDMI port, cable, GPU output mode, and TV can also limit refresh rate or introduce extra buffering, although the fact that some games feel good suggests this may be interacting with game-specific latency rather than being the only cause.
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Different games can absolutely have different end-to-end latency even at the same frame rate. Their render pipelines, frame pacing, buffering, and engine-level input handling aren’t identical. Reflex only helps when the game properly integrates it, so it won’t completely eliminate latency caused by V-Sync, a queued frame, or inconsistent frame times.
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The Bluetooth controller is another variable worth isolating. Test one of the affected games with a wired controller or the Xbox wireless adapter. Bluetooth latency usually isn’t huge, but it can add delay or inconsistent input timing, especially when combined with display and rendering latency.
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The globally enabled V-Sync is one of the first things I’d test. At 60 Hz, V-Sync can add roughly a frame of waiting, and combined with uneven frame pacing or a game-specific render queue, the delay can become very noticeable. Try disabling the global setting, then configure V-Sync per game instead. Also compare the TV at 60 Hz and higher refresh rates if it supports them.
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MellowCedar42: I’ve already confirmed the cable is connected to the GPU and lowering the resolution doesn’t solve it, so I’ll focus on testing the TV’s refresh mode, processing options, and controller connection next.