AMD Freesync is a technology developed by AMD to eliminate distortions that occur in the display during heavy usages like gaming or 3D rendering.
NVIDIA was the first company to develop this technology and named it NVIDIA G-Sync. The Freesync is AMD’s response to the G-Sync.
If you’re a hardcore gamer who prefers using a desktop PC rather than a laptop then getting an AMD Freesync enabled monitor is very important. This will give you an edge over other gamers especially if you are in the competitive gaming space.
But, what is actually Freesync and do you really need it? Is it better than NVIDIA G-Sync? I will answer all of your questions in this article.
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What Is AMD FreeSync?
AMD FreeSync is an open adaptive synchronization technology that is intended for removing any visible distortions that occur in the monitor screen. These distortions include Screen Tearing, Screen Stuttering, and Screen Ghosting.
AMD Freesync eliminates visible distortions in the screen by ensuring that the Screen Refresh Rate of the Monitor Screen is always equal to the Frames Per Second(FPS) of a game rendered by the GPU.
The AMD FreeSync was developed in competition with the Nvidia G-Sync. The AMD Freesync is a software-based solution which is a must for gamers because it improves the overall gaming experience by removing these frustrating screen distortions.
How Does AMD FreeSync Work?
In order to understand how AMD Freesync works you have to know certain things like Screen Refresh Rate, FPS, Screen Tearing, and Screen Stuttering.
Every display refreshes itself a number of times in one second which is called Screen Refresh Rate. A monitor with a 60Hz screen refresh rate means the display refreshes itself 60 times in one second. The screen refresh rate of a particular monitor screen is always constant.
When you play a game then the GPU renders and produces image frames that have variable frame rates. If you’re playing a low graphics game then the frames per second will be very high resulting in High FPS. A very high graphics game will have lower frames per second resulting in Low FPS.
When the Frames Per Second(FPS) rendered by the GPU is higher than the Screen Refresh Rate of the monitor then you’ll observe a tearing effect on your screen which is called Screen Tearing.
If the Frames Per Second(FPS) produced by the GPU suddenly drops to a very low rate and falls below the Screen Refresh Rate of the Monitor display then you observe a stuttering effect on the screen called Screen Stuttering.
AMD Freesync removes these Screen Tearing and Screen Stuttering effects by synchronizing the Frames Per Second with the Screen Refresh Rate of the Monitor.
If the Frames Per Second(FPS) of the game is higher than the Screen Refresh Rate then the AMD Freesync reduces the FPS of the game to match the screen refresh rate of the monitor. This removes any sign of screen tearing.
When the FPS suddenly drops while playing a game and falls below the Screen Refresh Rate of the monitor then the AMD Freesync reduces the Screen Refresh Rate to match the FPS of the game. This removes any sign of Screen Stuttering.
AMD Freesync ensures that you have a smooth gaming experience without any distractions by removing any possible signs of screen tearing and stuttering.
Pros Of AMD FreeSync – How Good is AMD FreeSync?
AMD FreeSync is quite similar in function to that of the NVIDIA G-Sync. Both these technologies were developed to remove all distortions from monitor displays that occur while playing games and doing other heavy tasks.
But, AMD Freesync has two main advantages over NVIDIA G-Sync
More Affordable
AMD FreeSync monitors are a lot cheaper and much more affordable than monitors with NVIDIA G-Sync.
The main reason why monitors with AMD Freesync are cheaper is that AMD Freesync is a Software-based solution whereas NVIDIA G-Sync is a Hardware-based solution.
Incorporating hardware components in a monitor requires more money and therefore monitors with NVIDIA G-Sync are costlier than monitors with AMD Freesync. Using a software-based solution is much cheaper than using a hardware-based solution.
But, a hardware-based solution like NVIDIA G-Sync is much more accurate and works better than a software-based solution like AMD Freesync.
GPU and Monitor Sync Compatibility
Some AMD Freesync monitors are compatible with Desktops using NVIDIA GPUs. This was not the case a few years ago. Earlier, you had to purchase a desktop with AMD GPU in order to use a monitor with AMD Freesync.
Now, things have changed for the better. NVIDIA has released new drivers for their GPUs which makes them compatible with desktop PCs using AMD Freesync.
You don’t need an AMD GPU anymore to use the AMD Freesync technology. You can do that using an NVIDIA GPU. This has opened up a lot of options for hardcore desktop gamers making their life a lot easier.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t work the other way. Monitors with NVIDIA G-Sync is not compatible with Desktops using AMD GPUs.
I just hope that NVIDIA takes some steps to make their NVIDIA G-Sync compatible with AMD GPUs.
Cons Of AMD FreeSync
AMD Freesync has only two cons.
(a) AMD FreeSync uses a software-based solution which means that it won’t work as good as NVIDIA G-Sync because it uses a hardware-based solution.
The hardware solution from NVIDIA G-Sync has better accuracy and removes screen tearing and stuttering completely but the software solution from AMD Freesync cannot eliminate tearing and stuttering completely most of the times.
(b) Only a selected few monitors with AMD FreeSync is compatible with NVIDIA GPU desktop PCs. NVIDIA is working on releasing new drivers to comply with more AMD Freesync monitors.
Apart from these two, there aren’t any other cons for AMD Freesync right now.
AMD FreeSync vs NVIDIA G-Sync – Which is Better?
Both have their own advantages and disadvantages.
If you’re a hardcore gamer and want superior performance over anything else then NVIDIA G-Sync is perfect for you. This is very important if you play competitive games like Fortnite, World of Warcraft, etc.
NVIDIA G-Sync uses a hardware solution that makes them the best solution to remove screen tearing and stuttering completely.
Monitors with NVIDIA G-Sync will provide you a smoother, better, and more immersive gaming experience. You won’t find any kind of stuttering or screen tearing while using them.
AMD FreeSync, however, is a much cheaper option and does an okay job.
If you’re a kind of gamer who doesn’t want to spend any more money or don’t play competitive games then it is a great option for you.
Also, if you have an AMD GPU then you have no other option than purchasing a monitor with AMD Freesync because NVIDIA G-Sync doesn’t work with AMD GPUs.
Monitors with AMD Freesync are not as accurate and cannot eliminate the screen tearing and stuttering completely most times.
In the end, I’ll recommend going for a monitor with NVIDIA FreeSync if you have an NVIDIA GPU and want a rich gaming experience. If you have an AMD GPU or you don’t care about graphics quality then monitors with AMD Freesync are perfect for you.
Is AMD FreeSync Worth It – The Conclusion
Yes, AMD Freesync is worth every penny. They are much more affordable than NVIDIA G-Sync monitors and perform decently.
If you have an AMD GPU then don’t go anywhere else and just buy a monitor with AMD FreeSync. If you have an NVIDIA GPU and don’t want to pay extra money then also you should get AMD Free Sync.
This doesn’t mean you grab just any monitor which supports AMD FreeSync. You need a monitor with certain characteristics if you want a full-fledged gaming experience. Here are some points you should look for in a monitor.
(a) High Screen Refresh Rate preferably over 120Hz.
(b) Low Response Time preferably less than 3ms.
(c) Low Input Lag preferably less than 1ms.
(d) High Screen Resolution preferably 1920×1080 or above.
(e) IPS Display.
If you want a premium gaming experience with no visible loss in picture quality then a monitor with NVIDIA G-Sync is the perfect one for you.