Vsync + frame limiter

[xcas]

Could someone help me understand how this works?

I get mild coil whine with my new rig and VSync helps quiet it, obviously because it forces the GPU to not be drawing so many images so quickly. My rig uses solely the NVIDIA GPU for everything (browsing and desktop included). So I enabled VSync as a global setting in the control panel. Should I have done this? I don't mind always getting at or less than 60 FPS and I can't stand screen tearing anyway, but I am not sure if I should have enabled Vsync as a global as it will then apply even to things like browsers. Is it a bad thing to enable it globally?

Also, the guy that built my PC recommended using Precision to limit the FPS to 60 as that supposedly works better than VSync. Do I keep Vsync on globally and then use a program like Precision to limit to 60 as well or is that pointless? Is it harmful? Some games already have options for VSync in them, and Steam already let's you limit the FPS to 60. what should I have enabled here?

 

[Flapdrol1337]

An external fps limiting tool probably won't do you much good.

Sometimes an ingame fps limiter can help you get more smoothness if you set it at exactly the vsync frequency.

 

[twizzlebizzle22]

I'd probably do it on a per game basis myself. Using adaptive vsync also.

 

[TheELF]

Also, the guy that built my PC recommended using Precision to limit the FPS to 60 as that supposedly works better than VSync.

Well for some games Vsync might add lag whereas a fps limiter will never add lag to games.
Other than that it's pretty much down to your taste.

Vsync will already cut you off at 60FPS so an additional limiter would be pointless,it won't hurt anything but it doesn't add anything either.

 

[2is]

A frame limiter is not the same thing as vsync. If you don't want tearing, you want vsync. A frame limiter does not sync the drawing of the next frame with your monitors refresh rate, which is what vsync does, which means you can still get tearing with a frame limiter.

A frame limiter is good for games that your PC can plow through at 100+ fps, but you don't really get any benefit at anything above 60 or 70 or 80 or whaever your sweet spot happens to be, so you limit it to that and reduce power consumption, heat and noise.

 

[bystander36]

A lot of people will use V-sync and a frame limiter to keep your FPS 1 or 2 FPS below your refresh rate. This will prevent the tearing, and prevent the lag that happens when triple buffering, v-sync, directX and FPS matching your refresh rate. It will cause 1 or 2 long frames every second, which you may or may not notice.