All gsync monitors should work w/ Nvidia cards.Thanks so much guys but I believe the variance in answers is interesting... I was unaware before this morning that there are actually now 6 types of freesync out there...
Stuka, I read your response is all freesync monitors can sync an Nvidia card but a gsync cannot be assumed to run an AMD card unless it is deemed "compatible"...
All gsync monitors should work w/ Nvidia cards.
All freesync monitors should work w/ AMD cards.
Most newer freesync monitors should work w/ Nvidia cards.
Gsync was Nvidia's proprietary sync solution, most sync monitors should be freesync currently.
Gysnc compatible is what you want as that will also be freesync. It also means it's been tested by nvidia and passes a minimum stamp of quality which is significantly higher then just "freesync".
FreeSync | FreeSync Premium | FreeSync Premium Pro | G-Sync | G-Sync Ultimate | G-Sync Compatibility |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No price premium | No price premium | No price premium | HDR and extended color support | Refresh rates of 144 Hz and higher | Validated for artifact-free performance |
Refresh rates of 60 Hz and higher | Refresh rates of 120 Hz and higher | Refresh rates of 120 Hz and higher | Frame-doubling below 30 Hz to ensure Adaptive-Sync at all frame rates | HDR and extended color support with tone mapping | Many G-Sync Compatible monitors can also run FreeSync |
Many FreeSync monitors can also run G-Sync | Low Framerate Compensation (LFC) | HDR and extended color support | Ultra-low motion blur | Minimum 1,000 nits max brightness | |
May have HDR support | May have HDR support (Many FreeSync Premium monitors can also run G-Sync with HDR) | Low Framerate Compensation (LFC) | Ultra-low motion blur | ||
No specified peak output, but most will deliver at least 600 nits | |||||
Many FreeSync Premium Pro monitors can also run G-Sync with HDR |
Below you can see the differences (Chart is from here: https://www.tomshardware.com/features/gsync-vs-freesync-nvidia-amd-monitor )
You are wrong Freesync alone is no guarantee of anything - it can be basically useless and have a freesync range between 80 and 100 htz and that's it and you can call it Freesync. Gsync compatible is a significantly higher standard then freesync alone. It has to have a full 2.5* range with LFC (basically it's a free sync display that will run as well as original gsync). Nvidia when they adopted freesync meant for the first time ever someone was enforcing a sensible minimum standard.Saying 'GSync Compatible' is "significantly better than freesync" is a bit disingenuous. Its not like nVidia has some super high standards for GSync Compatible (see chart below). They literally came up with it so that they could retain the marketing for GSync, while also accepting defeat for their proprietary add-on module.
Below you can see the differences (Chart is from here: https://www.tomshardware.com/features/gsync-vs-freesync-nvidia-amd-monitor )
FreeSync FreeSync Premium FreeSync Premium Pro G-Sync G-Sync Ultimate G-Sync Compatibility No price premium No price premium No price premium HDR and extended color support Refresh rates of 144 Hz and higher Validated for artifact-free performance Refresh rates of 60 Hz and higher Refresh rates of 120 Hz and higher Refresh rates of 120 Hz and higher Frame-doubling below 30 Hz to ensure Adaptive-Sync at all frame rates HDR and extended color support with tone mapping Many G-Sync Compatible monitors can also run FreeSync Many FreeSync monitors can also run G-Sync Low Framerate Compensation (LFC) HDR and extended color support Ultra-low motion blur Minimum 1,000 nits max brightness May have HDR support May have HDR support (Many FreeSync Premium monitors can also run G-Sync with HDR) Low Framerate Compensation (LFC) Ultra-low motion blur No specified peak output, but most will deliver at least 600 nits Many FreeSync Premium Pro monitors can also run G-Sync with HDR
GSync Compatible is just a way of saying "yes, this monitor works with nVidia video cards". Nothing in the certification brings up display quality or specs. G-Sync Ultimate is the one that goes into display performance. But it is not cross platform compatible.
You are wrong Freesync alone is no guarantee of anything - it can be basically useless and have a freesync range between 80 and 100 htz and that's it and you can call it Freesync. Gsync compatible is a significantly higher standard then freesync alone. It has to have a full 2.5* range with LFC (basically it's a free sync display that will run as well as original gsync). Nvidia when they adopted freesync meant for the first time ever someone was enforcing a sensible minimum standard.
Hence if you are buying a monitor buy gsync compatible as you know it's been tested by a 3rd party (Nvidia) and hence is going to work properly.
You are wrong Freesync alone is no guarantee of anything - it can be basically useless and have a freesync range between 80 and 100 htz and that's it and you can call it Freesync. Gsync compatible is a significantly higher standard then freesync alone. It has to have a full 2.5* range with LFC (basically it's a free sync display that will run as well as original gsync). Nvidia when they adopted freesync meant for the first time ever someone was enforcing a sensible minimum standard.
Hence if you are buying a monitor buy gsync compatible as you know it's been tested by a 3rd party (Nvidia) and hence is going to work properly.
That's a start, you'd also have to check reviews and so on. Alternatively you could just check it was gsync compatible and that's all you need to know. Any monitor released these days that isn't at least gsync compatible has probably got bad freesync as monitors with the gsync stamp sell better so they would want that stamp. If the monitor can't get it then what does that tell you about it....I mean, you could check the range yourself on the spec sheet.........
Yes they do.nVidia does NOT test every single GSync Compatible display themselves. The display manufacturer tests the display to show it falls into the spec range that nVidia lists. Which again, the differences are posted right above in a nice, easy to read chart.
Gysnc compatible is the answer.
NVIDIA has a bit weird certification process; for instance, if FreeSync is not automatically enabled when you hook your display to a compatible card, the monitor will not be certified.
In this case, all you’d need to do is enable FreeSync in your monitor’s OSD (On-Screen Display) menu and enable the G-SYNC compatible mode in your NVIDIA drivers settings.
In contrast, there are some NVIDIA-certified G-SYNC compatible monitors have performance issues with FreeSync.
This is mainly the case with some units of VA panel displays such as the AOPEN 27HC1R, the Acer ED273A, etc. - which have the infamous FreeSync brightness flickering issue passing NVIDIA’s G-SYNC compatible testing process.
That's a start, you'd also have to check reviews and so on. Alternatively you could just check it was gsync compatible and that's all you need to know. Any monitor released these days that isn't at least gsync compatible has probably got bad freesync as monitors with the gsync stamp sell better so they would want that stamp. If the monitor can't get it then what does that tell you about it....
Yes they do.G-SYNC Compatible Testing, Phase 1 Complete: Only 5% of Adaptive-Sync Monitors Made The Cut
Of those that were validated, 58% offer refresh rates of up to 144Hz, though 76% do so only at 1920x1080. For a superior experience at higher resolutions and refresh rates, consider G-SYNC and G-SYNC ULTIMATE gaming monitors.www.nvidia.com
Really all the thread starter wants to know what is the best way of telling if a new monitor he wants to buy is gonna work well with AMD and Nvidia. Gysnc compatible is the answer. The rest is just angry noise.
Naah, for displays with say 48-144 range anything from 1 to 144 is fine. LFC takes care of it. I think it's probably just a matter of time when adaptive sync displays with variable overdrive become available. That being said, there are displays that have one overdrive setting that works great in all situations (like my Lenovo Y20q-20).AFAIK having a gsync module ensures that adaptive refresh works from 30hz and up, while freesync has all kinds of weird ranges. Typically from 48hz and up.
NurturedHate nailed it.
The only thing I would add is some newer freesync monitors are certified to work with Nvidia. Some older freesync monitors (like mine) work just fine with gsync.
The fastest way to tell if a free sync monitor is compatible is to punch into the internet "model number gsync compatible". Nvidia cannot quite bring itself to say free sync, so it calls it "gsync compatible".
Lastly, ironically "gsync compatible" is frequently better then gsync, as it will frequently go down to 20 fps. ( including on my old monitor much to my surprise)
. . .
I was researching this quite recently, because I wanted to check if I could get my hands on a 3080, it would work with my old monitor ( C32HG70 - it is ok, but my next is an oled ).
Adding one more thing. Even if the monitor isn't on nVidia's list, it will often work if it's Freesync compatible.
For instance, I have an ASUS VP278QG on a GTX 1080 on my son's computer, and have Gsync compatible enabled. Seems to work fine for this setup.