'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync are technologies that aim to improve the viewing experience on any monitor by eliminating screen tearing. These issues occur mainly when the graphics card and the monitor do not refresh the content on the screen at a consistent rate.
For example, screen tearing can occur if a monitor is refreshing its input only 60 times a second while the graphics card is delivering 90 frames per second to the display. This issue can be easily observed as there will be a misalignment between two consecutive frames.
This issue has a significant impact on the overall gaming experience. To combat it, developers first started pairing their games with V-Sync technology. However, as technology progressed, FreeSync and G-Sync were introduced to gaming monitors as superior alternatives to V-Sync.
Trending
A guide to choosing between AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync
Before delving into the differences between AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync, let's understand what these technologies are used for.
What is V-Sync and why was it phased out?
The older V-Sync technology uses software to smoothen out gameplay, while the newer standards (FreeSync and G-Sync) rely on the hardware to perform the same task.
V-Sync works by simply capping the framerate to 60 FPS. The graphics card is not allowed to output any framerates higher than this number. This technology has a set of caveats, and the developers of the standard were well aware of them while designing the software. For example, V-Sync is useless when the output framerate of the graphics card is less than 60 FPS. In such a scenario, enabling V-Sync will result in poorer performance.
How do the new standards improve upon the limitations of V-Sync?
AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync take advantage of variable refresh rates. The refresh rate of the monitor is altered according to the number of frames the graphics card can update.
Let's assume that an AMD FreeSync-enabled monitor has a refresh rate of 144 Hz. However, the graphics card is only capable of delivering around 125 FPS in a particular game. In such a scenario, the FreeSync-enabled monitor will intelligently scale down the refresh rate of the panel to 125 Hz so that the game plays smoothly and no screen tearing issues occur.
What are the differences between AMD and Nvidia's technologies?
The biggest difference between FreeSync and G-Sync is their quality and efficiency. Nvidia's technology is known for delivering premium performance with minimal issues.
AMD, on the other hand, has designed FreeSync to be open-source. Thus, any display panel manufacturer can implement this technology into their monitors without having to pay any royalty fees to the company. However, this also means that FreeSync-enabled monitors are riddled with issues like ghosting and on-screen artifacts more often than their G-Sync-enabled counterparts.
On the other hand, since monitor manufacturers are charged for implementing Nvidia's technology in their panels, these displays are usually more expensive.
That being said, both FreeSync and G-Sync are very adept at their tasks, and issues are uncommon. The choice will ultimately boil down to how much money gamers are willing to spend on a monitor.
