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NVIDIA Adaptive VSync Technology Review

Caporegime
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Caporegime
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Hopefully this will prompt AMD to follow suit and they might actually add a force v-sync option for D3D after all these years.
 
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Nvidia Adaptive V-Sync

For those not acquainted with it there is a review of the tech here:

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/04/16/nvidia_adaptive_vsync_technology_review/3


So anyway after reading quite a bit of positive stuff about this I decided to download the latest NV Beta drivers with this feature and give it a try. I don't know if my hardware is too limited or something but I cannot say I'm impressed.

I have a lower mid-range system, an AMD 1100T, 8GB of RAM and a GTX460 1GB that's overclocked a fair bit. I am not a screaming framerate mad FPS player. I play games selectively on PC and like to take my time with them.

I've tried this special V-Sync on Batman AC and Assassins Creed Revelations and all I can say is that it does not prevent tearing in either of those games. AC Revelations is awful awful awful for tearing when the framerate is smooth and this just doesn't seem to touch it. I couldn't figure whether I was doing it wrong at first, though I did notice a bit of a difference in Batman, but I have totally gone back to V-Syncing the pair of them.

Has anyone else had experience or have any thoughts? I think I was just expecting a lot more reading that review - it just doesn't seem to deliver.
 
Soldato
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I've tried this special V-Sync on Batman AC and Assassins Creed Revelations and all I can say is that it does not prevent tearing in either of those games. AC Revelations is awful awful awful for tearing when the framerate is smooth and this just doesn't seem to touch it. I couldn't figure whether I was doing it wrong at first, though I did notice a bit of a difference in Batman, but I have totally gone back to V-Syncing the pair of them.
What FPS did you set it to ?? and what refresh was your monitor running at ??

As you should only get tearing if the fps is higher then your monitor refresh rate..
 
Soldato
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How can it prevent tearing if it turns vsync off? lol, as soon as it does that you're going to get tearing !

All it will help with is input lag if you run out of vram tbh.
 
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What FPS did you set it to ?? and what refresh was your monitor running at ??

As you should only get tearing if the fps is higher then your monitor refresh rate..

Well I don't think you set it to an FPS it just automatically takes into account your monitor refresh rate, which in my case is set at 60Hz @ 1080p.

In AC the framerate on lower complexity scenes easily goes above 60fps and it's buttery smooth. It is also torn more than a torn thing at a tearing factory. It's not as bad when there's lots happening on screen, but even then it periodically tears, whereas with bog standard V-Sync on there's not a tear to be seen.
 
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How can it prevent tearing if it turns vsync off? lol, as soon as it does that you're going to get tearing !

All it will help with is input lag if you run out of vram tbh.

Well that's why it's meant to be adaptive, it is supposed to actively monitor the framerate. When the framerate goes above the refresh rate it activates V-Sync. When it's below, it deactivates it. So you are supposedly enjoying the best of both worlds, with tear free visuals but the best possible performance when below your refresh.

Though so far I think it's a load of old tosh.
 
Soldato
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The feature is great to have rather than not, but loads of 680 users getting no end of grief and fed up due to zero response from Nvidia over the issue:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18395624

http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=226227&st=0

Such is always the case when you jump on the brand new hardware bandwagon.

You know what Tom, I should have known better by now. Every time I have bought something brand new off the production line it's been hassle.

EVGA 680i, turns out I got the rev A which doesn't support 45nm quads. Expensive mistake to make given they came out four months after I bought it.

790i, massive ram incompatibilities. Took forever to get a decent bios on that.

7970. Nothing but driver aggro.
 
Caporegime
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Andy, Nvidia mobo's have always been a problem, thats why most people avoided them for donkeys years, 7970, afaik you mostly had driver problems with one aspect, zerocore, not gaming itself nor "normal" idle power problems, etc, etc. You say a lot around the forums along the lines of "7970 has awful drivers", but for most people gaming is 99% of what they want from it, and 99% of what the driver does, one really very minor feature, that can be completely avoided very easily(though maybe inconvenient for you) would seem to be a better description.

IE, the way you say it briefly sounds like you had problems with every game, and everything, rather than a very simple alternative sentence is that, "7970, zerocore didn't work for me at all".

Same way you could say "680gtx, nothing but driver aggro", or "680gtx, adaptive vsync sucks balls".


I do laugh at anyone that wants adaptive vsync, tearing is usually worse on a 60hz screen below 60fps, the time you want vsync the most adaptive vsync turns vsync off, in the most important range, its laughably stupid as a "feature". Hey, this feature is awesome it does exactly what you want, except when you need it, wooooo. I'd take tripple buffering and vsync over no vsync without question in 99% of games.


Rroff, I've had insanely little tearing since I got a 120hz screen, I would think that with 120hz, which I rarely hit maintained either, vsync would be on for you, below its always off. You're simply gaming without vsync and getting the advantage of 120hz. 120hz is just awesome for gaming, it should have become "standard" long before 3d became big, and everyone should have a 120hz screen, they are just awesome.
 
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Soldato
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Yep Andy, new features= new problems, they don't appear for everyone but for some(including yourself with your 7970) it's a huge ball ache.

It wouldn't be so bad if there was some feedback from Nvidia/AMD but they both sling you the deaf ear and do the ostrich dance when asked about problems, which is a disgrace tbph due to the current price of them.

I'm more shocked at Nvidia's silence really as usually they can do no wrong.:p

I keep getting the itch today to pull the trigger on either the Lightning or the KFA2 but alas due to the apparent problems with both(my cousin informed me that zero core doesn't kick in with his 7870 frozr and the fans stay on when the monitor goes to sleep) the sane side of my brain keeps telling me to be happy with what I've got along with it being a pointless exercise with what's running in my rig anyway.

I suppose it's just wanting a tinker with some of the new shiny stuff tbh.

It's been a while now, but suppose it's a godsend as I can't be bothered with the possible grief.

120hz is just awesome for gaming, it should have become "standard" long before 3d became big, and everyone should have a 120hz screen, they are just awesome.

I thought the 120Hz aspect was just another gimic, but after getting the Sammy on offer here, it's been the best upgrade (and genuine bargain to boot) I have done in years, couldn't believe the difference at first in gaming tbh, it's just so much better, throw in the 3D(that was apparently **** on AMD) and I have now got my gaming itches back.
 
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Soldato
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Yep Andy, new features= new problems, they don't appear for everyone but for some(including yourself with your 7970) it's a huge ball ache.

It wouldn't be so bad if there was some feedback from Nvidia/AMD but they both sling you the deaf ear and do the ostrich dance when asked about problems, which is a disgrace tbph due to the current price of them.

I'm more shocked at Nvidia's silence really as usually they can do no wrong.:p

I keep getting the itch today to pull the trigger on either the Lightning or the KFA2 but alas due to the apparent problems with both(my cousin informed me that zero core doesn't kick in with his 7870 frozr and the fans stay on when the monitor goes to sleep) the sane side of my brain keeps telling me to be happy with what I've got along with it being a pointless exercise with what's running in my rig anyway.

I suppose it's just wanting a tinker with some of the new shiny stuff tbh.

It's been a while now, but suppose it's a godsend as I can't be bothered with the possible grief.

Don't do it man. Seriously, don't go there. What you have is more than sufficient to batter any game into submission.
 
Caporegime
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Rroff, I've had insanely little tearing since I got a 120hz screen, I would think that with 120hz, which I rarely hit maintained either, vsync would be on for you, below its always off. You're simply gaming without vsync and getting the advantage of 120hz. 120hz is just awesome for gaming, it should have become "standard" long before 3d became big, and everyone should have a 120hz screen, they are just awesome.

Which 120Hz monitor have you got DM?
 
Man of Honour
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Rroff, I've had insanely little tearing since I got a 120hz screen, I would think that with 120hz, which I rarely hit maintained either, vsync would be on for you, below its always off. You're simply gaming without vsync and getting the advantage of 120hz. 120hz is just awesome for gaming, it should have become "standard" long before 3d became big, and everyone should have a 120hz screen, they are just awesome.

With my SLI setup I can hit 120fps or more in quite a lot of stuff (bare in mind I'm only playing at 1680x1050) so the hit when dropping back from almost 120fps to 60fps is quite noticeable... now it just wanders around 80-90fps before pulling back to 120fps and I've not seen any tearing so for me adaptive vsync is brilliant.

Tho tbh I disable vsync in most of the games I play as I mostly play online FPS and with 120Hz don't get a huge amount of tearing even with vsync off.

To be fair I've not really tested it with 60Hz to see how it works but for me its a great feature.
 
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