DisplayLink (Windows) v6.3 M1 not balancing GPU / CPU usage well

jookhai · 08-05-2012, 10:46 AM

Just bought my first DisplayLink USB Monitor (AOC e2251FWu) yesterday, and installed it together with a driver upgrade to Version 6.3 M1. Very disappointed with the Internet browsing and 720p video experience - I believe this to be a driver issue.

When browsing sites with rich content like Yahoo News or Facebook, there is a very bad lag when scrolling. With "Optimize for Video" off, there is an occasional problem of text going blur and then clearing up after a few seconds. With "Optimize for Video" on, 720p video (e.g. from Discovery Channel @ YouTube) is still skipping frames very badly.

While doing all of the above, I hit Alt+Ctrl+Delete and found my CPU and RAM to be under-utilised even with all the lag going on. The monitor is connected to an on-board USB 3.0 controller - have tried switching ports but no difference. Statistics and my system specifications can be found below.

My guess is that the current DisplayLink Windows driver relies heavily on the GPU for processing even if there's a lot of CPU and RAM headroom. Is something going to be done to address this issue in upcoming driver releases?

Or do we still have to buy high-end, power hungry graphics cards to improve video playback experience - despite the driver being able to make use of the main CPU for rendering?

View Poll Results: Should DisplayLink Driver have an option to tune reliance towards CPU or GPU?
Yes, users should have the freedom to choose whether to rely on CPU or GPU more	0	0%
No, things are fine as it is and I do not experience lag issues	0	0%
No, DisplayLink Driver should automatically assign rendering work based on available resources	1	100.00%
Voters: 1. You may not vote on this poll

08-05-2012, 10:46 AM	#1
jookhai Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 3	DisplayLink (Windows) v6.3 M1 not balancing GPU / CPU usage well Just bought my first DisplayLink USB Monitor (AOC e2251FWu) yesterday, and installed it together with a driver upgrade to Version 6.3 M1. Very disappointed with the Internet browsing and 720p video experience - I believe this to be a driver issue. When browsing sites with rich content like Yahoo News or Facebook, there is a very bad lag when scrolling. With "Optimize for Video" off, there is an occasional problem of text going blur and then clearing up after a few seconds. With "Optimize for Video" on, 720p video (e.g. from Discovery Channel @ YouTube) is still skipping frames very badly. While doing all of the above, I hit Alt+Ctrl+Delete and found my CPU and RAM to be under-utilised even with all the lag going on. The monitor is connected to an on-board USB 3.0 controller - have tried switching ports but no difference. Statistics and my system specifications can be found below. My guess is that the current DisplayLink Windows driver relies heavily on the GPU for processing even if there's a lot of CPU and RAM headroom. Is something going to be done to address this issue in upcoming driver releases? Or do we still have to buy high-end, power hungry graphics cards to improve video playback experience - despite the driver being able to make use of the main CPU for rendering?