AMD is rolling out a new metric known as System Lag

Compared to parameters such as average frame rates and 1% low frame rates, system latency, though less conspicuous, is of paramount importance. This is especially true for competitive gaming and games with frame generation enabled. Citing information from Videocardz and CapFrameX, AMD has incorporated a system latency monitor in their latest preview driver (version 23.30.01.02), offering players a holistic insight into the game’s performance.

Source: VideoCardz

As described by AMD within the driver panel, this monitor measures the latency between the game initiating frame creation and the GPU completing the rendering, excluding other factors like display latency. At present, this monitor only operates when the Radeon Anti-Lag+ feature is activated. Additionally, while Radeon Anti-Lag+ supports games on both DirectX 11 and 12, the monitor can only gauge the latency for DirectX 12 games; for DirectX 11, it displays ‘N/A’.

A salient point to note is that Anti-Lag+ is an exclusive feature for RDNA 3 graphics cards and necessitates game integration to function. In some respects, the scope of this monitor remains rather limited.

Given that this preview driver also introduces AMD’s proprietary frame generation feature, AMD Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF), one can surmise that the inclusion of this monitor is designed to enable players to discern the impact of AFMF on game performance. After all, while frame generation enhances frame rates, it correspondingly elevates latency. Analogous to how NVIDIA’s DLSS 3 frame generation necessitates the Reflex feature, Anti-Lag+ is pivotal for AFMF.

Worth mentioning in passing, NVIDIA’s FrameView application also offers a similar functionality, enabling real-time monitoring and capturing of a game’s system latency. The latency data featured in some of our reviews are gleaned from this tool.