Can You Use a Freesync Monitor With Nvidia

February 17, 2022 Post a Comment

Brad Chacos/IDG

Information technology's the starting time of a new era. On Tuesday, Nvidia fulfilled its CES promises by releasing GeForce commuter 417.71, which lets GeForce graphics cards tap into the Adaptive Sync capabilities of AMD FreeSync monitors for buttery-smooth, tearing-free gaming. Previously, GeForce GPUs could but synchronize their refresh rates with Nvidia's own Thou-Sync displays, which tend to cost much more FreeSync displays. You can snag the driver in the GeForce Feel app or on the GeForce website.

It'southward non quite plug-and-play, though—at to the lowest degree in almost cases. The driver will automatically enable variable refresh rates on FreeSync displays that run into Nvidia'due south strict "G-Sync Uniform" requirements. Yours probably doesn't though; of the 400 Adaptive Sync monitors that Nvidia says information technology's tested, only 12—yep, 12—earned the certification.

But fear not. If your FreeSync display didn't make the cut, you can still manually enable Adaptive Sync back up using the Nvidia Control Console. Make sure your monitor'due south variable refresh charge per unit capabilities are enabled using the display's own controls, then do the post-obit:

gsync compatible setup nvidia control panel — Enabling variable refresh rates on a FreeSync monitor using Nvidia Control Panel. (Click to overstate.)

Right-click on the Windows desktop and select Nvidia Control Panel
Aggrandize the Display section of the left-hand navigation pane and select Set up G-Sync
Cheque the "Enable G-Sync, G-Sync Compatible" box and select the Active Sync display you'd like to utilize if you accept more than one monitor
Bank check the "Enable settings for the selected brandish model" box
Click "Utilise" in the lesser-right

"If the to a higher place isn't available, or isn't working, you may need to get to Manage 3D Settings, click the Global tab, coil downwards to Monitor Technology, select G-SYNC Uniform in the drib down, so click Utilise," Nvidia's annunciation post says.

There are a few caveats.

Even though AMD Radeon GPUs and some FreeSync monitors support Adaptive Sync over HDMI, Nvidia says you'll need to connect your GeForce GPU to your FreeSync monitor using a DisplayPort cable to actuate variable refresh rates. (G-Sync monitors merely work over DisplayPort too.) Update: Adaptive Sync is only being enabled on GTX 10-series and RTX xx-series graphics cards besides, with no plans to activate it in older GPUs.

And only Adaptive Sync displays certified as "Grand-Sync Compatible" are guaranteed to work well with Nvidia graphics cards. If you endeavor manually activating Thousand-Sync on other FreeSync monitors, "It may work, it may work partly, or it may not work at all," Nvidia says. Different G-Sync displays, which are all fully tested and certified by Nvidia, FreeSync monitors are congenital around an open standard with much less oversight.

Sometimes things can get ugly when you utilise a GeForce GPU with a non-validated FreeSync monitor, as you lot can see in the video below:

Don't await such ghastly results with virtually FreeSync monitors, though. The Nvidia subreddit created a GeForce driver 417.71 megathread and public Google spreadsheet to crowdsource compatibility details for FreeSync monitors. Most work just fine. Don't expect Nvidia to bend over backwards to back up ones that don't, however—information technology's all the same selling total-fledged M-Sync displays, too. Nvidia maintains a full list of G-Sync Compatible, K-Sync, and 1000-Sync Ultimate displays.

The Adaptive Sync commuter isn't Nvidia'due south only debut today. The GeForce RTX 2060 launched too, and it's a keen 1440p or high-refresh rate 1080p graphics menu that brings ray tracing and other RTX technologies to a much more than palatable $350 price point. Bank check out our GeForce RTX 2060 Founders Edition review for the full scoop.

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