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AMD and FreeSync

MoNkeE

MoNkeE

MoNkeE

Soldato
Joined
18 Dec 2004
Posts
9,901
Location
NE England
Hi guys,

I've just picked up an AMD 290 and wondering whether it's worth looking in to FreeSync? I've got a 7+ year old 24" Dell screen and the tearing can be quite noticeable at times. However I never want to use V-Sync as the performance hit and associated mouse lag is often worse than the tearing.

Now the difference between the old 280X I had an 290 (apart from the extra 1GB of VRAM) is the addition of FreeSync support. Is it worth looking in to, is it something I want, and is it a hardware specific thing (Monitor must support it)?

Thanks!
 
You'd need to buy a new monitor that supports it.
The problem being is what type of monitor you want will then determine if the 290x is enough anymore.
 
Simple explanation, adaptive sync (Freesync, Gsync, etc) is something you won't miss until you try it, then you will hate not having it. The are two main types Freesync and Gsync, these can be compared to VHS and Betamax, two competing standards devised by competing companies. Freesync only works with AMD GPUs (though others can license it) and Gsync only works with Nvidia GPUs. The two are visually indistinguishable to humans and so the isn't really much difference from the user experience POV. In order to take advantage of either the monitor must support it.

As per the first question, if you're seeing tearing then yes it's definitely worth looking into adaptive sync if your planning a new monitor purchase.
 
Lovely stuff, I'll look in to picking one up then. Plenty I can see that push out 1080p for <£150 :) Not going to push 4k with an R290!

Thanks guys.
 
MoNkeE said:
Lovely stuff, I'll look in to picking one up then. Plenty I can see that push out 1080p for <£150 :) Not going to push 4k with an R290!
Click to expand...

If you are going to buy one, make sure you check the monitor's Freesync range as some have a very small working range.
 
AMDMatt said:
FreeSync monitor list which shows which display has LFC.
http://www.amd.com/en/products/freesync-monitors

LFC explained
https://www.amd.com/Documents/freesync-lfc.pdf

TL : DR LFC helps when you fall below the FreeSync range.
Click to expand...


Matt beat me to it,

Some monitors that state they have Freesync don't support it very well, Many have a small working range, some as low as 48-60 hz (Here's looking at you LG), Monitors like that will not offer a decent Freesync experience, Use the first link Matt gave you to check any monitors you see and fancy, The most important thing is to ensure your Freesync monitor supports is LFC. Having LFC requires a decent sync range.
 
ubersonic said:
Simple explanation, adaptive sync (Freesync, Gsync, etc) is something you won't miss until you try it, then you will hate not having it. The are two main types Freesync and Gsync, these can be compared to VHS and Betamax, two competing standards devised by competing companies. Freesync only works with AMD GPUs (though others can license it) and Gsync only works with Nvidia GPUs. The two are visually indistinguishable to humans and so the isn't really much difference from the user experience POV. In order to take advantage of either the monitor must support it.

As per the first question, if you're seeing tearing then yes it's definitely worth looking into adaptive sync if your planning a new monitor purchase.
Click to expand...

I went from Freesync & AMD to a different monitor and Nvidea...if I am honest not noticed a single difference.

Although I did move from a 480 to a more powerful GTX980 so maybe the extra frames have smoothed things out somewhat.
 
I tried a gtx 1080 on my 34 ultra wide freesync and noticed a huge difference.
Even at a higher FPS from the 1080 my v56 still was much smoother.
 
I'm looking into the same , I have a Vega64 and a regular LG 1080p monitor. I'm thinking of going 1440p 144hz Freesync, but prices massively vary so some homework needs to be done.
 
@AMDMatt Is Enhanced Sync available with the 290's? This option with frame limiting gets rid of tearing in a lot of games for me with my RX 480. I also have a better experience in some games using Vsync and FreeSync together. The world of gaming with AMD baffles me at times :p

Just something the OP could try (if possible) until a new monitor is purchased :)
 
MyBrains said:
@AMDMatt Is Enhanced Sync available with the 290's? This option with frame limiting gets rid of tearing in a lot of games for me with my RX 480. I also have a better experience in some games using Vsync and FreeSync together. The world of gaming with AMD baffles me at times :p

Just something the OP could try (if possible) until a new monitor is purchased :)
Click to expand...
Nope think it’s RX GPUS only.
 
Dempsey22 said:
I'm looking into the same , I have a Vega64 and a regular LG 1080p monitor. I'm thinking of going 1440p 144hz Freesync, but prices massively vary so some homework needs to be done.
Click to expand...

Be wary of LG's Freesync monitor's and remember to check the list Matt posted above to see if the monitor you want supports LFC, If it doesn't choose another.
 
AMDMatt said:
That's what we call in QA as expected behaviour.
Click to expand...

Indeed. Even though I am running stuff from the green team (boo hiss), the same applies as like was posted earlier in the thread, the two are visually indistinguishable from one another, but the smoothness is very noticeable.

To the OP, I'd definitely go for a Freesync monitor. The 290 is still a great card, it's pretty powerful for its age and a Freesync monitor would compliment it really well at both 1080p and even 1440p to a degree.
 
Appreciate the feedback one and all. I'll look in to getting one when there's a deal on or after Christmas :)

Happy with the R290 though - running PUBG on high settings with no slow down feels like a whole new wolrd!
 
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