V-Sync, G-SYNC and FreeSync: what to use and when

If you have ever seen a horizontal line cut across the screen while you turn the camera in a game, you have seen screen tearing. V-Sync, G-SYNC and FreeSync are three different answers to that same problem. They sound similar, but they work differently, and choosing the wrong combination can leave you with tearing, stutter or extra delay you did not need.

Why tearing happens

A monitor with a fixed refresh rate shows a new picture at evenly spaced moments, for example 60 times per second on a 60 Hz screen. Your graphics card does not finish frames on that schedule. When a new frame is not ready at the right moment, the display either holds the old frame, which looks like judder, or shows part of the old frame and part of the new one at the same time. That second case is tearing.

The three tools

V-Sync (vertical sync) makes the graphics card wait for the monitor. Frames are only handed over when the screen is ready for them, so tearing goes away. The price is that waiting can add a little delay between your input and what you see, and if the game cannot keep up with the refresh rate, motion can become uneven. If you play competitive shooters, read our guide on how to reduce input lag and ping before leaving V-Sync on without thinking.

Variable refresh rate (VRR) flips the idea around. Instead of the card waiting for the monitor, the monitor waits for the card. Its refresh rate follows the frame rate of the game, so each frame is shown when it is ready. That removes tearing and makes motion smoother, and it suits games because their frame rates are never constant.

G-SYNC and FreeSync are the two brand names for VRR on PC:

• G-SYNC is NVIDIA's technology. NVIDIA describes three kinds of monitor: full G-SYNC displays with a dedicated NVIDIA processor, a top G-SYNC Ultimate tier aimed at high-end HDR, and G-SYNC Compatible displays that have no NVIDIA processor but are validated to give a tear-free, stutter-free basic VRR experience.
• FreeSync is AMD's technology, built on the VESA Adaptive-Sync standard. It comes in tiers (FreeSync, FreeSync Premium and FreeSync Premium Pro). Premium adds Low Framerate Compensation, or LFC, which repeats frames when the game falls below the lowest refresh rate the monitor supports so the screen stays inside its range.
• Many FreeSync monitors also work with GeForce cards. NVIDIA calls the ones it has tested G-SYNC Compatible, and untested ones can usually be switched on by hand in the NVIDIA Control Panel.

In practice, for most people the brand matters less than one question: does my monitor list a variable refresh rate range, and does my graphics card support it? Check the monitor's spec page and the monitor menu, and remember that not every feature is on every model.

How to set it up

1. Connect the monitor properly. Use DisplayPort if you can, plugged straight into the graphics card. HDMI can carry VRR too, but only on newer HDMI versions on both ends.
2. Turn VRR on in the monitor menu. The setting is often called FreeSync, Adaptive-Sync or similar and is sometimes off by default.
3. Enable it in the driver. In the NVIDIA Control Panel, look for the G-SYNC setup page. In AMD software, look for the FreeSync option in the display settings.
4. Check Windows. Windows shows in its display information whether your screen supports VRR, and Microsoft notes that many popular games use VRR automatically. Look at the graphics section of your display settings and make sure the variable refresh rate option is not switched off.
5. Test with a game that tears easily. Turn the camera quickly in a bright scene and look for lines.

What to do with V-Sync once VRR works

VRR only protects you while your frame rate is inside the monitor's range. If your game runs faster than the monitor's maximum refresh rate, the card is again ahead of the screen and tearing can come back near the top of the range. That is why many players keep V-Sync enabled together with VRR, as a safety net, and set a frame rate limit a few frames below the monitor's maximum so the game stays in range. This is a widely used approach rather than a rule, and the best cap depends on your monitor and game. Try a small gap first and adjust if you see tearing or feel extra delay. Our guide to monitor refresh rate explains why the maximum matters.

If you do not own a VRR monitor, your realistic choices are V-Sync on (smooth, no tearing, possibly more delay) or V-Sync off (lowest delay, tearing allowed). Many players pick V-Sync on for single-player games and off for fast competitive ones.

Common mistakes

• Leaving VRR off in the monitor menu. The driver cannot enable something the monitor has disabled.
• Expecting VRR to fix low FPS. It makes uneven frame rates look smoother, but a game running at 25 FPS is still running at 25 FPS. To raise it, see how to raise FPS in any PC game.
• Turning V-Sync on in three places at once. The game, the driver and the monitor can all have settings. Change one thing at a time and test.
• Ignoring the monitor's stated range. A narrow VRR range gives less protection when the frame rate drops, so check it before you buy.

Quick checklist

• Monitor lists FreeSync, G-SYNC or Adaptive-Sync, and it is enabled in the monitor menu.
• Cable is DisplayPort straight into the graphics card, or a recent HDMI setup.
• VRR is enabled in the GPU driver and not blocked in Windows.
• V-Sync on as a safety net, with a frame limit a few frames under the maximum refresh rate.
• No VRR monitor: V-Sync on for smoothness, off for the lowest delay.