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[d3d9] Grand Theft Auto IV | Stuttering and high GPU usage

dxvkclosed performancewindows
doitsujin/dxvk#5346 · opened 2025-11-26 by Meriato · updated 2025-11-26 · 7 comments · github
MMeriato 2025-11-26 github

Where do I even begin? For a long long time, this game has stuttered like crazy on my laptop.

As of now, DXVK 2.7.1 with the DXGI Interop applied, the framerate is more consistent than native DirectX 9, but it doesn't eliminate all of them and it still stutters like crazy, getting peak levels of GPU usage, for a 2008 game.

And the worst part? The stutter still remains with the lowest settings and resolution. The only possible workaround is capping the game at 30 FPS, because it goes bazoonkers after it.

Software information

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition (Steam Version).

System information

  • GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1050 3GB
  • Driver: NVIDIA 581.80
  • Wine version: null (Windows)
  • DXVK version: 2.7.1

Apitrace file(s)

Log files

GTAIV_d3d9.log

KK0bin maintainer 2025-11-26 github

We can only work with what the game gives us. So if the game uses D3D9 in a highly suboptimal way, there's only so much we can do.

#5220 helps GTA IV, I need to get back to actually getting that ready to merge. But beyond that we're pretty much out of options. As you point out, we do already outperform D3D9 drivers on Windows.

MMeriato 2025-11-26 github

@K0bin
I know my PC is able to run this game smoothly at 60 frames per second.
The problem is the stuttering happening by the sudden GPU spikes, when it stutters the usage that was around 48% increases to a high 98%, I don't know how much DXVK can happen on the GPU side.

KK0bin maintainer 2025-11-26 github

And what makes you so sure about that if neither DXVK nor the Nvidia D3D9 driver achieves that performance consistently?

MMeriato 2025-11-26 github

I have seen the performance on other people's games and they run way smoother with DXVK, than myself.

The problem on my end is that DXVK doesn't completely eliminate the stutter, although it is better than D3D9, the game still stutters a lot on my end, specially when I'm driving or walking around the city.

A note I took is that with D3D9, the game greatly stutters with a decent GPU usage. With DXVK, the stutters are somewhat reduced but GPU usage goes to orbit.

BBlisto91 2025-11-26 github

Are you able to record these stutters in a video?

MMeriato 2025-11-26 github

Are you able to record these stutters in a video?

Here you go.

High settings
Lowest settings

KK0bin maintainer 2025-11-26 github

Make sure you have Resizable Bar enabled and working. DXVK pretty much needs that in GTA IV for acceptable performance.

I can't really help you beyond that, the game easily hits 120fps on my system with DXVK.

(#5216 or #5303)

Nothing extracted yet.