Use G-Sync or FreeSync if your monitor supports them. Variable refresh rate removes screen tearing without the input lag that VSync adds, and it keeps motion smooth when the frame rate dips. VSync on its own is now the fallback for screens that don’t support variable refresh.
This guide explains tearing, how each option deals with it, and the settings that work best with a variable refresh rate monitor. It is one part of our PC gaming performance guide, which covers frame rate and latency as a whole.
What is screen tearing?
Screen tearing is a visible horizontal split in the image, where the top and bottom show different frames. It happens because the graphics card and the monitor run on different clocks.
A 144Hz monitor refreshes every 6.9ms, on a fixed schedule. The graphics card finishes frames whenever it can, maybe every 5ms, then 8ms, then 6ms. If a new frame arrives while the monitor is part way through drawing the old one, the monitor switches mid-refresh, and you see a tear line.
Tearing is most noticeable in fast camera pans and when the frame rate is well above or just below the refresh rate.
VSync
VSync, short for vertical sync, is a setting that holds each finished frame until the monitor starts its next refresh. The monitor never switches frames mid-draw, so tearing disappears.
The cost is delay and, sometimes, uneven motion:
- Input lag. Frames wait in a queue for the next refresh, which adds latency you can feel with a mouse.
- Frame rate halving. On a 60Hz screen, if the PC can’t finish a frame in 16.7ms, traditional VSync waits for the following refresh, and the frame rate drops to 30. Triple buffering softens this but adds its own latency.
- Judder. When the frame rate moves between those steps, motion becomes uneven.
G-Sync and FreeSync (VRR)
Variable refresh rate, or VRR, reverses the relationship: the monitor waits for the graphics card. It starts a new refresh as soon as a frame is ready, within its supported range, so frames are never split and never queued.
VESA added Adaptive-Sync, the open version of this capability, to the DisplayPort standard. AMD’s FreeSync and NVIDIA’s G-Sync are the brand names built on the same idea. AMD’s FreeSync page lists three tiers: FreeSync, FreeSync Premium and FreeSync Premium Pro, with features such as low framerate compensation in the higher tiers.
Low framerate compensation (LFC) handles frame rates below the monitor’s minimum VRR rate. If the range is 48 to 144Hz and the game drops to 40 FPS, LFC shows each frame twice at 80Hz so VRR keeps working.
G-Sync Compatible is NVIDIA’s label for Adaptive-Sync monitors that work with its cards. When NVIDIA published the results of its first round of testing, only a small share of the Adaptive-Sync monitors it tested met its G-Sync Compatible criteria, so a monitor without the label may still work, with more variation in quality.
VSync vs G-Sync vs FreeSync compared
| VSync | G-Sync | FreeSync | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Removes tearing | Yes | Yes, within the VRR range | Yes, within the VRR range |
| Added input lag | Noticeable | Very low | Very low |
| Smooth when FPS dips | No, can halve or judder | Yes | Yes, with LFC below the range |
| Needs a compatible monitor | No | Yes | Yes |
| Graphics cards | Any | NVIDIA | AMD, and NVIDIA on most Adaptive-Sync monitors |
| Connection | Any | DisplayPort; HDMI on some displays | DisplayPort or HDMI, depending on the display |
Best settings for a VRR monitor
This combination works well in most games:
- Turn VRR on in the monitor’s menu. Many monitors ship with FreeSync or Adaptive-Sync off.
- Turn it on in the driver. In the NVIDIA Control Panel, Display → Set up G-SYNC and tick Enable G-SYNC, G-SYNC Compatible. In AMD Software, Settings → Display → AMD FreeSync.
- Set Windows to the full refresh rate under Settings → System → Display → Advanced display.
- Cap the frame rate a few FPS below the refresh rate, for example 141 on a 144Hz monitor or 237 on 240Hz. Use the game’s own limiter where it has one.
- Leave VSync on in the driver and off in the game. With the cap in place, VSync only acts as a backstop at the top of the range.
- Turn on NVIDIA Reflex or AMD Anti-Lag in games that support them.
For borderless and windowed games, Windows 11’s Optimizations for windowed games setting, under Settings → System → Display → Graphics, lets compatible games use VRR outside exclusive fullscreen. Microsoft says it also reduces frame latency.
Which should you use?
- You have a G-Sync, FreeSync or Adaptive-Sync monitor: use VRR with the settings above. This is the best option in every kind of game.
- Fixed-refresh monitor, competitive shooter: turn VSync off and accept some tearing for the lowest latency. A frame rate well above the refresh rate makes tears smaller.
- Fixed-refresh monitor, single-player game: turn VSync on if tearing bothers you. Use a frame cap at the refresh rate to reduce queuing.
- TV with HDMI 2.1 VRR: enable VRR on the TV and in the driver, and turn on the TV’s Game Mode.
When you buy your next monitor, VRR support with a wide range and LFC is worth more than a slightly higher maximum refresh rate. Our gaming gear buying guide covers the other monitor specs that matter.
Estimate Your FPS
