Extending GPU Timeout Detection

Windows is constantly monitoring the GPU and it’s drivers to ascertain if it is in a ‘good state’. This mechanism is called Timeout Detection & Recovery (TDR). Part of TDR is making sure that render requests come back in a timely fashion. However, the timeout detection can sometimes be a bit too aggressive when you are rendering huge scenes.

In these cases you may need to extend the Timeout Detection Delay, by adding/updating the TdrDelay registry setting.

KeyPath   : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers
KeyValue  : TdrDelay
ValueType : REG_DWORD (32bit)
ValueData : Number of seconds to delay. 2 seconds is the default value.

We recommend extending the TdrDelay to 60 seconds if you are experiencing issues. Make sure the value type is set to Decimal.

How to add/change the TDR Delay #

1. Run regedit, the Windows Registry Editor
2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers
3. If the TdrDelay key exists, double-click on it and change it’s value to 5 or 8.
4. If the TdrDelay key does not exist, add the key by:
   1. Edit -> New -> DWORD (32bit Value)
   2. Name the key TdrDelay
   3. Double-click the key, make it a Decimal (instead of Hexadecimal) value and set it to 60.
5. Reboot your system.
6. The changes will now be in effect. Be advised that updating Windows can reset this value so you might need to repeat this process in the future.