FreeSync Impressions

It's really hard to explain how good adaptive sync technology is without a existent-world sit-in. It's all well and skillful to describe how stutter and tearing is removed when gameplay is rendered at beneath lx Hz, but it's another thing entirely to encounter this applied science in action. While I'll practise my all-time to give my impressions of FreeSync and how it works, I'd recommend checking out a live demo of the engineering science if you are thinking of upgrading to an adaptive sync setup.

First thing's start, the setup. It's every bit easy every bit attaching the FreeSync display to your AMD graphics carte du jour via DisplayPort, installing the latest Catalyst driver (I tested with the fifteen.3.1 beta drivers for this review), and and then enabling FreeSync in the brandish settings department. In that location is no need to enable FreeSync for individual games: with the setting enabled for a display, information technology will ever be active regardless of whether v-sync is enabled or disabled. Changing v-sync settings in games but affects the method of synchronization used for render rates outside the variable refresh rate range.

Note that at this phase, FreeSync is simply supported on unmarried-GPU systems: dual-GPU users will accept to disable CrossFire until a driver update is provided in April to enable FreeSync and CrossFire combinations. Multiple FreeSync displays are also unsupported, so you won't be able to have Eyefinity with FreeSync just still, though a combination of one FreeSync brandish with other non-FreeSync displays should piece of work.

AMD does have a windmill demo for FreeSync that allows you lot to easily enable and disable FreeSync, change frame rates and animations, and test out adaptive sync in general. Every bit expected, FreeSync on looks smoother than off, just how does it fare in games?

Well, it basically looks the same as G-Sync. If the frame rates you're achieving in game are between 40 and threescore FPS, you're in the adaptive sync sugariness spot where you'll see the most benefits. With five-sync off, gameplay in this range is filled with fierce and occasional stuttering as framerates naturally fluctuate between these ranges. It's a like story with V-sync on: the repeated frames reduce tearing, but increment stuttering significantly.

With FreeSync enabled, both of these problems are solved, and gameplay looks shine and tear-free. It may be difficult to believe, but gameplay at 45 FPS actually does look just as smooth as 60 FPS. Fluctuations in frame rates normally introduce stutter and jank in this FPS range, merely with both adaptive sync technologies, the stutter is removed and you won't realize you're gaming below 60 FPS unless you have a counter on-screen. It really is remarkable what a difference it tin brand to a gaming feel.

With a Radeon R9 290 that I used for this review, there were some games I couldn't play at maximum settings, at 2560 10 1080, while sustaining a frame charge per unit above this 34UM67's minimum refresh rate (48 Hz, more on that later). Dragon Age Inquisition is i such title where I had a noticeably smoother experience gaming with FreeSync on, and I likewise saw big differences in Crysis three, Shadow of Mordor and Spotter Dogs where I didn't consistently achieve threescore FPS. Merely it's non simply these titles where you'll come across the benefits: FreeSync is effective in every game, and in that location's no reason to plough it off when available to yous.

The 34UM67 I received to review has a maximum refresh rate of 75 Hz, though adaptive refresh rates between sixty and 75 Hz don't accept as much issue as below lx Hz. This is because although y'all tin go stutter with v-sync on due to repeated frames, with 5-sync off you don't get as much tearing higher up 60 Hz. Although FreeSync removes all stuttering and tearing as you lot would expect, improving the experience somewhat, information technology's not as noticeable equally information technology is below threescore Hz.

And while FreeSync does let yous to choose between v-sync on and v-sync off for frame rates above the maximum refresh rate (75 Hz in my instance), there isn't a huge difference between the 2. While gaming I opted to accept 5-sync enabled and so the render rate was capped at 75 FPS, and this was a fine solution identical to what you get with M-Sync in these situations. Disabling five-sync will give you faster input for competitive games, and information technology'southward peachy to have an option, though I don't see any downside to Nvidia's implementation outside of niche situations.

Information technology's a dissimilar situation entirely for when frame rates dip below the minimum refresh rate, which let'south assume is twoscore Hz. Choosing to have five-sync enabled produces notably more stutter below twoscore FPS with FreeSync enabled than disabled, and this is due to some overhead with polling and having to repeat frames to 40 Hz. With FreeSync disabled, these frames are repeated to 75 Hz (or whatever is the maximum refresh rate), which creates a unlike and less janky feel. This is exactly the same experience every bit you go with G-Sync monitors dipping below 30 FPS.

Choosing to disable v-sync is a improve selection. You do introduce tearing in some circumstances, but performance feels better due to less stuttering. And dissimilar with 5-sync enabled, there is no noticeable deviation in smoothness in these low frame rate situations with FreeSync enabled compared to disabled.

It's besides important to note that every bit soon every bit in-game frame rates dip below the minimum refresh rate, the smoothness immediately vanishes. This is understandable, and is the case for both M-Sync and FreeSync displays.

This brings me to my ane main complaint near FreeSync, which is really a complaint directed towards FreeSync display manufacturers: a 48 Hz minimum refresh rate, which is the instance for LG's FreeSync monitors like the one I used for this review, is too high to get the full benefits out of technology. The minimum refresh rate should be 40 Hz at the very highest, and ideally 30 Hz to match G-Sync.

Over again, this is not a downside with FreeSync itself: the specification allows refresh rates of 9 to 240 Hz. But when you have a monitor that supports simply 48-75 Hz, you lot're cutting out nearly one-half of that ideal variable refresh zone (40-60 Hz), which leads to a noticeable transition from smooth gameplay to stuttering gameplay at the variable refresh boundary of 48 Hz. For the best experience, y'all want this transition to occur gradually, which is what yous get from a lower minimum refresh.

A minimum refresh of 48 Hz also increases the frame charge per unit you'll want to target in games. When I was playing Metro: Last Lite on the 34UM67, for case, I targeted 55 FPS to avoid the usual frame rate dips during gameplay from taking me below 48 FPS. Only that'due south but 5 FPS shy of sixty FPS, a typical refresh rate of monitors. If the monitor supported a minimum of 40 Hz or 30 Hz, I could have targeted 45-50 FPS, allowing me to increment the graphical fidelity for a largely identical experience. On a 4K monitor, having the ability to target 45 FPS without dipping outside the smooth variable refresh zone is golden, particularly considering the performance toll that 4K takes.

Virtually other OEMs have implemented twoscore Hz minimum refresh rates, which going on my brief experience with some of these monitors at events, has a much nicer transition from variable refresh to fixed refresh. These monitors include the total ideal refresh zone, which in my eyes is the blank minimum for an adaptive sync display. Lowering the minimum refresh to xxx Hz would meliorate the transition even farther, as well as giving refresh rate parity with K-Sync.

That said, I should make it clear that fifty-fifty at 48-75 Hz, FreeSync does deliver a noticeably smoother, improve gaming experience. Opting for a monitor with a 40 Hz minimum delivers an even better experience, while shifting downward to thirty Hz with One thousand-Sync sees small gains. Every bit far equally this technology is concerned, the larger the refresh range, the better.