Triple buffering is a technique used to improve graphics performance on a computer or game console. This technique allows the image being processed to be displayed faster and smoother, without causing side effects such as tearing or stuttering. In this article, Bardimin will explain what triple buffering is, how it works, and how to enable it on your device.
What is Buffering?
Before we talk about triple buffering, we need to understand the basic concept of buffering. Buffering is the process of temporarily storing data before it is transmitted to the final destination. In graphics, buffering means saving the image to be displayed on the screen.
There are two types of buffers commonly used in graphics: front buffer and back buffer. The front buffer is the buffer that contains the image that is being displayed on the screen. A back buffer is a buffer that contains images that are being processed by the graphics card. The image in the back buffer is not ready to be displayed, as it may still require some additional calculations or effects.
This buffering process allows the graphics card to work in parallel with the display. The graphics card can process the next image in the back buffer, while the display displays the current image from the front buffer. When the image in the back buffer has finished processing, this buffer will be exchanged for a front buffer, so that a new image can be displayed. This buffer exchange process is called buffer swap.
What is V-Sync?
The problem that can occur in the buffering process is a mismatch between the swap buffer rate and the screen refresh rate. Screen refresh rate is the number of times the screen is updated in one second, which is usually measured in units of Hertz (Hz). For example, a display with a refresh rate of 60 Hz means the screen updates 60 times in one second.
If the swap buffer rate is faster or slower than the screen refresh rate, then the displayed image may be cropped or choppy. This is caused by a swap buffer that occurs in the middle of the screen refresh process. This effect is called tearing because the image looks like it’s torn or split.
To solve this problem, there is a feature called V-Sync or Vertical Synchronization. This feature makes the swap buffer only occur when the screen is not updating, i.e. at the vertical blanking interval. The vertical blanking interval is the short time between the end of one frame and the beginning of the next frame when the screen displays nothing. Thus, the displayed image will always be intact and not cropped.
However, the V-Sync feature also has disadvantages. If the graphics card cannot process images as fast as the display’s refresh rate, then the swap buffer will be delayed until the next vertical blanking interval. This may cause a decrease in frame rate or the number of images displayed in one second. A low frame rate can make the image look unsmooth or choppy. This effect is called stuttering because the image looks like stuttering.