Why Newer Games Stutter - Stuttering, Shaders & APIs

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Graphics processing relies on two key components: shaders and APIs. A shader is a small program that runs on your GPU. It defines how light and color behave to create a scene. Shaders handle everything from a character's skin to water reflections. APIs, or Application Programming Interfaces, act as a bridge between the game's code and your computer's hardware, like the CPU and GPU. An API gives developers a standardized way to give instructions to the graphics hardware without writing code for every specific GPU model.

Older games did not experience shader stutter. This was because they used older, more abstract APIs like DirectX 9 or for that matter even DirectX 11. These APIs placed the GPU driver in charge of most rendering tasks, including shader compilation. Developers gave the driver high-level commands and the driver compiled the shaders as needed. The graphics of the time were less complex. On-the-fly compilation did not create a noticeable performance impact.

Modern graphics APIs, such as DirectX 12 and Vulkan, operate on a different principle. These are "closer-to-the-metal" APIs. They give developers direct control over the hardware. This includes manual management of memory, resource states, and command queues. The new model offers greater efficiency and performance. Developers can optimize their code for specific hardware configurations. However, it also shifts a lot of responsibility from the driver to the game developer.

This shift in control is the cause of shader stutter. When a game needs a shader that has not been compiled, it must pause the rendering process. The CPU compiles the shader and sends it to the GPU. This sudden pause causes a noticeable stutter in the game. To avoid this, developers must pre-compile all the necessary shaders before the game starts. This is the reason many modern games have a "Compiling Shaders" screen. This process ensures a smooth, stutter-free experience once the game begins.

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