I recently had a dilemma when it came to my monitor and whether or not to enable FreeSync. I had heard all the buzz about the benefits of FreeSync, smoother, more responsive gaming, reduced screen tearing, and reduced lag, but I was unsure if it would be worth the potential cost for my particular setup. After doing some research and testing, I’m here to share my experience and solutions that I discovered. In this blog post, I’ll be exploring the pros and cons of enabling FreeSync on my monitor, and giving my opinion on whether or not it’s worth doing.
Enabling FreeSync is ideal for anyone who uses an AMD display driver and wants to eliminate screen tearing and stuttering, especially gamers. However, since it can slow down the monitor’s refresh rate, it’s not ideal for those who play competitive games that need fast response screens.
If you want to find out about the advantages and disadvantages of using FreeSync, keep on reading this guide!
| Pros of FreeSync | Cons of FreeSync |
|---|---|
| Reduces judder and screen tearing | Not compatible with NVIDIA GPUs |
| Available on a wide range of monitors at different budgets | Not all games benefit from this feature |
| Compatible with AMD GPUs and various consoles | Only works with a range of 48 to 75 Hz |
| Optimizes monitor’s refresh rate for smoother gameplay | Not ideal for games that require high FPS or quick response time |
Table of Contents
How Does FreeSync Work?
Understanding how FreeSync works is one of the best ways to decide whether it’s good for you or not.
The judder and screen tearing effects happen when the graphics card outputs more frames per second than the monitor is able to process.
In that case, parts of the screen will precede the other and end up looking out of sync, and that’s where FreeSync comes in handy!
FreeSync is an advanced monitor technology that is specifically optimized to work with AMD graphic cards to reduce the judder and tearing effects of images. The technology is capable of adjusting the adaptive sync standard to match the output frames of the GPU.
In other words, when you enable FreeSync on your monitor, it will communicate with the graphics card so that it adjusts the refresh cycle rate depending on the card’s frame output.
Does FreeSync Boost FPS?
Since FreeSync reduces judder, some people might think that it adds additional frames per second (FPS) to games.
However, FreeSync doesn’t increase the FPS, as it only works when the monitor refresh rate is higher than the current frame rate. The monitor then reacts by reducing its refresh rate to match it.
What Are the Advantages of FreeSync?
There are many reasons that make FreeSync a good feature, especially if you’re a gamer looking for a smoother and more immersive overall experience.
For starters, FreeSync is available on a wide range of monitors, which gives you a variety of choices at different budget levels.
Not only that, but it’s also usually more affordable when compared to NVIDIA G-Sync monitors of the same class. The FreeSync feature is not only compatible with PCs, but with various consoles as well.
What Are the Drawbacks of FreeSync?
Despite all its merits, FreeSync isn’t a flawless technology. In fact, there are various aspects where FreeSync isn’t ideal for you.
For example, FreeSync is not compatible with NVIDIA GPUs, so you won’t be able to benefit from the feature if your GPU isn’t AMD.
Additionally, even if you have an AMD GPU, not all games will benefit from this feature. For example, if you play games like Dota 2, Call of Duty, or League of Legends where frame rates are more critical than visuals, you won’t benefit much from enabling it.
Also, Freesync works with a range of 48 to 75 Hz, so if you’re playing a game at a very high frame rate (say 100 to 200 FPS), you won’t see any differences while enabling FreeSync.
Who Should Enable FreeSync on Their Monitors?
FreeSync is ideal for gamers who own an AMD GPU and play games that don’t require high FPS counts.
It’s also ideal for single-player games where graphics and visual fidelity are important for the game experience and smoothness of play.
However, those who use NVIDIA GPUs and/or play competitive multiplayer games that depend greatly on high frame rates like Dota and League of Legends would find FreeSync a hindrance to their experience.
How to Enable FreeSync on a Monitor
Now that you know more about the pros and cons of using FreeSync, you might be interested in using or testing the feature to see if it’s suitable for your needs. Here is what you need to do to enable it:
- First, you’ll need to make sure that you have the latest AMD graphics card driver installed. You can do this by checking the official support website and searching for your GPU model.
- Once you’ve installed the latest drivers, right-click in any blank space on your desktop and choose AMD Radeon Settings.
- Once the Radeon Software opens, open the settings by clicking on the Gear icon, then choose “Display”.
- There, set the AMD FreeSync to Enabled and confirm, then close the Radeon Software.
Pros of FreeSync
- Reduces judder and screen tearing
- Available on a wide range of monitors at different budget levels
- Compatible with AMD GPUs and various consoles
- Optimizes monitor’s refresh rate for smoother gameplay
Cons of FreeSync
- Not compatible with NVIDIA GPUs
- Not all games benefit from this feature
- Only works with a range of 48 to 75 Hz
- Not ideal for games that require high FPS
Wrap Up
There you have it! A brief guide that shows you the advantages and disadvantages of Enabling FreeSync on your monitor, so you can make an educated decision.
As you can see FreeSync is a great feature if you want to reduce judder and stutter effects by optimizing your monitor’s refresh rate.
With that being said, FreeSync doesn’t increase FPS in games and may not be ideal for games that require quick response time or play at very high frames.
