Monitor latency reduction (CRU Method)

In this guide, I'll demonstrate how to configure your settings for optimal monitor latency and an efficient overall latency pipeline. After a week of testing the latest methods, I’ve finally compiled a comprehensive guide to help others navigate these technical details.

Why you should do these settings

Balancing Display Latency & Synchronization

DisplayID 2.0 Only (Tile Method + Native Resolution, with Reflex and Driver Low Latency OFF)
• What It Does:
- Uses the VESA DisplayID 2.0 standard to define detailed timing, resolution, and refresh rate parameters.
- Employs a tiled display topology where a single logical display is made up of multiple physical panels, each refreshed independently.

• Benefits:
- Achieves ultra-low latency by minimizing buffering, resulting in rapid frame delivery and super-responsive input.
- Ideal for high FPS setups with minimal stutter during frame drops.

• Drawbacks:
- Extremely raw responsiveness can make the mouse feel overly “slippery,” requiring precise aiming.
- With almost no buffering, even slight variations in frame timing can lead to desynchronization (e.g., “ghost shots”).


CTA-861 + DisplayID 2.0 Hybrid
• What It Does:
- CTA-861 (from the Consumer Technology Association) provides standardized video timings, sync signals, and buffering parameters (commonly used in HDMI devices).
- Combining it with DisplayID 2.0’s tiled topology introduces a small amount of buffering that helps align frames with the monitor’s refresh cycle.
• Benefits:
- Offers a balanced experience by smoothing the display and ensuring input synchronization, resulting in natural mouse movement and reliable shot registration.
- Helps mitigate issues like overshoots or micro-freezes that can occur with pure DisplayID 2.0.
• Drawbacks:
- Slightly higher latency compared to pure DisplayID 2.0, but the trade-off is improved synchronization and accuracy.

NVIDIA Reflex & Driver Low Latency Modes (Hardware Render Optimizations)
• How They Work:
- NVIDIA Reflex reduces system latency by minimizing the render queue at the engine level.
- Driver Low Latency Mode (formerly “Maximum Pre-rendered Frames”) limits the number of frames queued on the GPU.

• Intended Benefits:
- Aim to reduce the delay between user input and on-screen action by cutting down on extra buffering.

• Issues When Combined with DisplayID 2.0:
- In my testing, enabling these settings (with or without CTA-861) leads to “ghost shots” or desynchronization.
- Aggressively reducing the render queue leaves little room for natural timing variability, causing even minor discrepancies to result in unsynchronized inputs.

Key Takeaways:

• DisplayID 2.0 Only delivers the fastest, raw responsiveness with minimal buffering. However, this can feel overly sensitive (“slippery”), demanding near-perfect precision.
• The CTA-861 + DisplayID 2.0 hybrid approach adds enough buffering to synchronize the display with game output, resulting in smoother, more natural input and accurate shot registration, though with a slight increase in latency.(which is unnoticeable)
• Enabling NVIDIA Reflex or Driver Low Latency on top of these configurations can over-reduce buffering, leading to unsynchronized “ghost shots.”

My Recommendation

The CTA-861 + DisplayID 2.0 hybrid (with both Reflex and Driver Low Latency turned off) appears to be the best balance anyway.
This configuration minimizes stutter during frame drops (thanks to the tiled topology) while ensuring that your mouse movements and in-game actions stay properly in sync.

Things to consider before applying

Any Nvidia or AMD graphics card will work as long as your monitor supports "Display Scaling."

Display Scaling

This feature removes the buffering queue from your GPU, allowing the monitor to handle the scaling process. If you see the "Display" option in your Nvidia settings, it confirms that your monitor supports this feature. If the option is missing, your monitor likely doesn't support Display Scaling.

For the best results, if you're currently using HDMI, consider switching to a DisplayPort connection.

How to force "Display scaling"

Here's how you can force "Display Scaling" to achieve the most accurate mouse movement and reduce end-to-end input latency

Step 1:

First, download CRU (Custom Resolution Utility)[customresolutionutility.net].

Step 2:

After extracting the files, simply run CRU.exe.

Step 3:

Once CRU is open, navigate to the third container box labeled "Extension blocks."

Step 4:

Here you can see all the default timings provided by your monitor's manufacturer.

This section also includes details such as FreeSync range (also known as G-Sync), speaker setup, or TV resolutions over an HDMI connection based on CTA-861.

Step 5:

In this example, there are four different timing entries for my BenQ XL2546K. Each entry contains values that determine how the monitor's sync period is configured.

Step 6:

Now, suppose you want to play CS2 at 1280x960 and add that resolution as a "Native resolution."

Open your highest refresh rate and native data block.

Step 7:

Click "Copy" to duplicate this data block and all its timings.

Step 8 :

Now, select one of these data blocks—whichever you don't use or that is not your highest refresh rate—and modify it.

Step 9:

Click "Paste" to apply the timings.

Step 10:

Ensure you leave the timing on manual and do not alter any other settings.

Step 11:

Now, change the native Horizontal and Vertical values to your desired resolution (1280 for Horizontal and 960 for Vertical).

Do not change any other settings—let CRU calculate the pixel clock automatically, then click OK to apply the settings.

Step 12:

Here is the new data block that has been added.

Now click OK.

Step 13:

Click OK again and quit CRU.

Step 14:

Finally, choose either Restart64.exe or Restart to perform a driver restart (your screen will go blank for a few seconds).

How to test your "Native Resolution"

Now lets see if the resolution that we have just added in the EDID registery block actually works
There's some signs that you'll notice after switching to your new native resolution

Lets start with Nvidia first

Step 1 :

Set scaling settings just as so

Step 2 :

After that, we'll head over to "Display Settings"

The steps are all the same in Windows 11, just find the options ive mentioned

Step 3 :

Now click on "Advanced display settings"

Step 4 :

Step 5 :

Step 6:

Now you need to find the resolution that youve just added

as shown we added 1280x960 240hz (windows tends to round up the value to 240. Dont worry, its the same EDID we're looking for.

Step 7 :

You should be able to see that These two titles are matched up

Step 8:

Now if you revisit Nvidia control panel, and when you select the 1280x960 240hz its going to show you a fullscreen (Stretched) this way you know the Display scaling is actually working

🟠

if you set 1280x960 240hz (any hz youve set) and it didnt stretch up on your monitor and in nvidia then you know its not doing display scaling

Activating Tiled topology using DisplayID 2.0

Now, to achieve the best input latency, we should combine our default CTA861 timings with a new data block based on DisplayID 2.0 to force the tiled topology (I’ll include a nerdy section down below if you’d like to learn more).

Step 1 :

Head back and open CRU.

Step 2 :

Add a new data block.

Step 3 :

From the dropdown list, select DisplayID 2.0.

Step 4 :

Click "Add" and select tiled Display topology.

Step 5 :

Now, change only the Tile size section to your desired resolution. Since we’ve added 1280x960, adjust these values accordingly. You can also leave them at 1920x1080 if that’s your native resolution, as it will work with 1920x1080 too!

Step 6 :

Once you’re done, click OK and quit CRU.

Step 7 :

Run Restart64.exe, and you’re good to go.

Using DisplayID 2.0 (DisplayPort Only!)

In this section, I'll show you how to achieve even more responsiveness and lower latency. I've been testing this method, and honestly, using this mode with Reflex or Low Latency causes a slight desync—usually related to mouse and keyboard input—because it is so responsive that you have to be extremely accurate to get a kill.

This method is significantly more responsive compared to CTA861 + DisplayID 2.0, but it comes at the cost of losing synchronization with the game engine. Therefore, I highly recommend turning off any latency reduction technology, as it typically impacts mouse movement and may feel like it underprocesses your hand movements.

I'll include my detailed reasoning in the "nerdy" section.

Now, here's the method to force DisplayID 2.0:

Step 1 :

Open CRU.

Step 2 :

Open your default CTA-861 profile provided by the monitor manufacturer.

Step 3 :

Copy your desired data block.

Step 4:

Open your DisplayID 2.0 data block that you added in the last section.

Step 5:

Now, we're going to add "Detailed resolution."

Step 6:

Step 7:

Step 8:

Paste the timings.

Step 9:

Click OK, but don't quit CRU.

Step 10:

Delete your CTA-861 data block and then click OK.

Step 11:

Run Restart64.exe to apply the changes.

You can always roll back all the default extension blocks and settings by clicking reset-all.exe and then running Restart64.exe.

Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdp7VfLXnB4
https://youtu.be/yq4zXrIJm44?si=lwhABaFMzLsbaQAI
https://vesa.org/featured-articles/vesa-rolls-out-displayid-version-2-0-standard-to-optimize-plug-and-play-connectivity-for-leading-edge-displays
https://www.cta.tech/Resources/Standards/CTA-861-OVT-Calculator
https://www.techpowerup.com/238783/vesa-rolls-out-displayid-version-2-0
https://amprox.com/cathode/displayid/
https://handwiki.org/wiki/Engineering%3ADisplayID

[Edioss[UA]]

I feel a difference at 165hz

[Nemo]

you'd notice right away if your mouse became more responsive

[Balrogos]

How i can test if it works?

[Edioss[UA]]

I used this method from Khorvie Tech, it works even on Samsung.