Question:

“Dear Expert, I’m encountering persistent screen tearing when connecting my gaming laptop to a Hisense 50A7KAU 4K TV via HDMI. Despite setting both devices to a 60 Hz refresh rate and limiting the FPS to 60, the issue persists across various applications, including gaming and fullscreen video playback, though not in windowed mode or on YouTube. I’ve even tried upgrading to an HDMI 2.1 cable without success. Could there be an overlooked setting that’s causing this screen tearing? My laptop is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU, NVIDIA Geforce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU, and 16 GB RAM. I also refrain from setting the in-game resolution to 4K to maintain performance. Any insights you could provide would be greatly appreciated.”

Answer:

The refresh rate of your TV and the frame rate output of your laptop’s GPU need to be synchronized to prevent screen tearing. When these rates mismatch, the GPU may be sending frames in the middle of your TV’s refresh cycle, causing the screen to display parts of multiple frames at once. This is what creates the tearing effect.

Troubleshooting Steps

1.

Enable V-Sync

: V-Sync, or Vertical Sync, is a setting available in most games that caps the frame rate to match the refresh rate of the monitor or TV. Enabling V-Sync in your game settings could resolve the screen tearing issue.

2.

Check for GPU Software Support

: NVIDIA’s G-Sync and AMD’s FreeSync technologies are designed to eliminate screen tearing. Since your laptop has an NVIDIA GPU, check if your TV supports G-Sync and enable it in your NVIDIA Control Panel.

3.

Adjust In-Game Settings

: Lowering the in-game resolution can sometimes help, as it reduces the GPU’s workload, allowing for better synchronization with the TV’s refresh rate.

4.

Update Drivers

: Ensure that your GPU drivers are up to date. Outdated drivers can cause various display issues, including screen tearing.

5.

Consider Hardware Limitations

: The HDMI 2.1 cable is capable of supporting higher bandwidths, but if the TV or the laptop’s HDMI port is not fully compatible with HDMI 2.1 standards, it may not effectively utilize the cable’s capabilities.

6.

TV Settings

: Some TVs have hidden settings that can affect performance. Check for any ‘Game Mode’ or similar settings on your TV that optimize performance for gaming.

Conclusion

If you’ve tried all the above steps and the problem persists, it might be worth considering external factors such as the HDMI port’s capabilities on both the TV and the laptop or potential defects in the cable or ports. Sometimes, using an external monitor that’s designed for gaming with features like a higher refresh rate and specialized gaming modes can provide a better experience.

Remember, the goal is to ensure that both the TV and the laptop are communicating at the same rate to prevent any discrepancies that could lead to screen tearing. By methodically going through these troubleshooting steps, you should be able to identify and resolve the issue. If the problem persists, consulting with a professional or the manufacturer’s customer support may provide additional solutions tailored to your specific hardware setup.