A modern graphics card includes numerous features designed to improve your user experience. AMD has now released its FreeSync technology, which is key for ensuring fluid gameplay.
To better comprehend what FreeSync actually is, we first need to know about the problem it addresses.
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Screen Tearing
This problem is a superb illustration of how a lack of coordination during technological progress doesn’t always thrive.
During the mid-to-late 2000s, the capabilities of GPUs expanded rapidly, which caused a domino effect in the PC world.
Game graphics evolved from the 8-bit style of the 80s (which was by necessity more than choice) to nearly photorealistic visuals starting with the seventh generation of video game consoles. With each new generation of consoles, there was a noticeable jump in graphical quality.
Unlike the clearly defined evolution of consoles, the progression of PC technology was constant, and people pushed their machines to the limit. This is where things quickly came to a head.
The leading GPUs of the period rushed to evolve to a level where they could produce premium-quality images at an ever-swifter rate. The development of display technology was unable to keep up.
Screen Tearing
At the time, 60Hz monitors were becoming the norm, creating an issue where a GPU could send images at a faster rate than the monitor could display. This resulted in a scenario where a monitor would try to display two images at the same time, which caused an effect known as screen tearing.
This was a “blink, and you’ll miss it” kind of issue, but it was still sufficient to be disruptive and spoil many gamers’ enjoyment.
What happened is that part of the screen would display one frame while another showed the next frame. The inadequate synchronization between the monitor and the GPU made the image appear as though it was cut in half.
One of the premier solutions for the issue of screen tearing is AMD’s FreeSync.
What Is FreeSync?
FreeSync is a impeccable solution to screen tearing. It is a module added to the monitor itself, as well as the GPU, which establishes communication between the two and synchronizes them.
This means that if a GPU produces 100 frames per second, FreeSync will tell the monitor to raise or lower its refresh rate to be identical with the GPU. As the GPU’s framerate fluctuates, FreeSync constantly adjusts the display’s refresh rate to synchronize the two devices.
FreeSync isn’t the initial technology to accomplish this.
AMD’s chief competitor, NVIDIA, released its own solution about two years earlier, called G-Sync. This tech works the identical way as FreeSync but with one vital distinction: it isn’t free.
NVIDIA requires monitor manufacturers to purchase a license to use G-Sync technology solely on their displays, which in turn made monitor companies increase their monetary burdens.
Fortunately, things are now moving in a more positive direction. More and more monitors are able to use both G-Sync and FreeSync, allowing you to switch your GPU without worrying whether or not you will still be able to enjoy proper vertical synchronization.
There were previous attempts to fix the screen tearing problem, with perhaps the most significant being VSync. Unlike FreeSync or G-Sync, VSync is a software-only solution and can only limit the GPU, as it can’t communicate with the monitor.
Although this isn’t the perfect solution, it’s still somewhat usable.
Is FreeSync Worth It?
The answer to this question isn’t as direct as you might have anticipated from some of our previous points. As hinted at earlier, getting a FreeSync monitor means that you’ll almost exclusively have to game with an AMD graphics card.
Luckily, AMD is no longer as far behind NVIDIA as it used to be in terms of performance, so this isn’t a substantial tradeoff. With the way monitors are adapting to use both technologies, this might not be an issue at all in the next few years.
However, that is in the future, and presently, in 2022, FreeSync’s significance to you largely depends on the graphics card you plan on using.
It is suggested that you use an AMD graphics card (RX 6000 series) if you’re looking to play the latest games on your FreeSync monitor.
There are two other options crucial to mention. FreeSync Premium and FreeSync Premium Pro are two additional versions of FreeSync and are comparatively new to the market.
Despite their names, there are no supplementary costs involved with these two. However, there is an issue of availability, as you’ll need to own a fairly new monitor model to play games using them.
The negative is that only specific AAA games have embraced these technologies, so you might not be able to enjoy them to their full extent just yet.
Both options have minimal framerate compensation, which will help the monitor adjust if the GPU falls below its lower limit by setting the refresh rate to multiple FPS.
FreeSync Premium Pro is also much better suited for high dynamic range imaging (or HDR), which is designed to produce even higher quality pictures when using ray tracing (which AMD’s latest cards are).
