How to use G-Sync on a FreeSync monitor

Two of the most common problems with playing PC games are screen tearing and screen stuttering. Every time your GPU renders a frame, it will be sent to the monitor to update the image at a certain interval depending on the refresh rate (e.g. a 144Hz monitor will refresh the image. up to 144 times per second). Screen tearing or stuttering occurs when these two steps deviate from each other, either because your GPU holds a frame where your monitor is not ready or your monitor is trying to refresh with a nonexistent frame.

G-Sync solves that problem by aligning the monitor’s refresh rate to the GPU’s frame rate, providing a smooth gameplay even when the frame rates change. For years, G-Sync was an Nvidia-exclusive technology that only worked with some very expensive monitors with an Nvidia-branded module inside. However, in 2019, Nvidia opened up its G-Sync technology to several compatible FreeSync monitors, providing adaptive refresh rates for not only more displays, but a lot of cheaper ones as well.

While monitors with the G-Sync Compatible badge are available on the shelf, they are not set up to work with G-Sync by default. Here’s how to use G-Sync on a FreeSync monitor.

Before start

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First you need to make sure that your hardware setup will support G-Sync, otherwise the process won’t work properly. Your monitor needs to be ready and that requires three important things.

The first thing you need is a compatible monitor. You will want to refer to the list of GeForce about G-Sync compatible gaming monitor, are monitors for which G-Sync doesn’t come built-in but is expected to work pretty well. Most recent Dell, BenQ, Asus, Acer, LG, Samsung etc. monitors are supported, although you still need to check out Nvidia’s listing.

Second, you will need one GTX 10-series graphics card or better. RTX 20-series and its Super variants work, as well as 30-series RTX GPUs. Likewise, the 1660 Super, 1660 Ti, and 1660 also work. Ultimately, you’ll need to connect the DisplayPort from this graphics card to your monitor for most displays, though there are some LG models that require HDMI.

Finally, you will need to update your GPU drivers. Driver 417.71 already supports G-Sync in 2019, so you’ll need at least that version, although class versions will take precedence because of improved and supported overall performance.

With the compatible monitor ready, go into your monitor’s settings and make sure FreeSync (or Adaptive synchronizationEnabled. This is required for the following steps to work.

How to enable G-Sync on the FreeSync monitor

With your Nvidia graphics card plugged in and drivers recently installed, you’ll have access to Nvidia control panel application on your PC. Open it now. Once opened, look at the menu on the left to find out Display part. Here, select the option to Set up G-SYNC.

This will open a new window where you can enable various G-Sync features. Here’s what you need to do here:

First, make sure the box gives Enable G-SYNC, G-SYNC Compatible is checked
Make sure that Enabled for full screen mode chosen. G-Sync may crash when trying to work with games with windows.
Choose your monitor. There may be only one screen to choose from here, so this usually shouldn’t be a problem unless you have a weird kind of multi-monitor display plan and need to make sure changes apply to the correct monitor.
Make sure the box gives Turn on settings for the selected display is checked

Once done, select Application to start G-Sync. Your screen will go black for a moment after applying the setting.

Confirm your compatibility

If you have a good, compatible monitor, you may find that G-Sync most likely works well. This is a good thing. Run a couple of graphical tests to make sure how things look, then go ahead and move on from there. You should note that other monitors still may not enable G-Sync properly. This is common, and you can simply make an additional adjustment to get your monitor working properly.

Stay at Nvidia Dashboardand check the menu on the left for the section with content 3D installation. From here, choose Manage 3D settingsand go to Global navigation. Find a named setting Surveillance technologyand make sure it is set to G-Sync installation compatibility.

If you want to decide on a game-based game whether to use G-Sync, you have the option to do so. You will want access Program setting than Global. This Allows for some additional customization if you like certain games on G-Sync and certain other games.