Questions about G-Sync

biggles

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My understanding is that vsync causes input lag in games but G-sync does not. So it seems like if you have a G-sync monitor you should always activate this feature. Is this correct? I checked the nvidia control panel and it is on. To activate in a game, are there more steps to do in order to activate G-sync? In the Nvidia control panel, manage 3d settings, what shoud the Vertical Sync setting be set at?

In fast online shooters like Quake Champions, is it better to allow the framerate to exceed the refresh rate of the monitor for faster response time? Or still use G-Sync in this case? Or just personal preference? I am currently gaming on a G-sync laptop with 75hz refresh.
 
You can usually tell if it's On or Off sometimes Vsync will be enabled in older games which should always be unchecked on a Gsync display. 144hz monitor is usually for best results I hae a 240hz Asus Alienware but it's boxed up because it's a crappy IPS display still a good monitor but it displays black too dark but it's super smooth. Also alot of Freesync monitors are also Gsync compatible. Basically Gsync is there for displays that don't display say 144 fps all the time but display under that this is where Gsync kicks in and helps smooth out the frames. With the Asus 360hz display like the only modern game to take advantage of that display would be CSGO because of the age of the game.
 
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I turn on G-Sync inside the nvidia control panel under display and setup G-Sync, I have it set to enable for windowed and full screen mode, if you prefer you can also go to display and click G-Sync indicator and it gives you a G-Sync overlay on the top left corner of your display when its on in games

For actual game settings, I just disable V-Sync.

FWIW - I'm running a 2080TI and it looks like with the current lack of availability, I'll be running this card for another year at least but it works fine in the games I play so no complaints.
 
Blurbusters.com says for a Hardware Gsync based monitor ( not a Freesync/Gsync compatible) the best is Gsync on and Vsync on in the Nvidia control panel, and Gsync OFF in the games menu options.

https://blurbusters.com/gsync/gsync101-input-lag-tests-and-settings/14/

Apparently the vsync in the game options is not the same vsync in the Nvidia control panel. You only want the control panel vsync.

I think Gsync (or Freesync) is the single biggest boon for the quality of the overall gaming experience in the last 10-15 years.
 
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yeah, I think G-sync tends to be overrated, next time I'm just gonna buy a monitor based more on display size and quality versus whether or not it has G-sync
 
I have no issue with gsync and it works fine for me. From all my reading about this issue, you want to keep vsync on because it actually works in tandem with gsync. The two are supposed to be enabled. Nvidia even stated this in a reddit post awhile back.

Vsync on in game with have less latency then on the the nvcp BUT the games vsync might not be up to snuff with nvcp vsync. I just limit my frames to 141 and enable vsync in game. But nvidia even stated that vysnc is meant to be used with gsync. Not turning it off at all.

You want it on just depends if you want in game or nvcp.
 
Enable G-Sync in Nvidia settings, enable V-Sync in Nvidia 3D Settings, set max frame rate to 2 below your refresh rate, disable V-Sync in game.
Why would you need to disable vsync in game? Isn't the point of using settings like vsync in the control panel to override any settings in a game?
 
Why would you need to disable vsync in game? Isn't the point of using settings like vsync in the control panel to override any settings in a game?
The CP setting is supposed to override the game setting, but I've run into some situations where that doesn't happen. Doom Eternal is a recent game I've run into where the setting in game and the CP conflicted. So I just have a habit of always disabling it in game.
 
I still don't fully understand the "VSync on in CP" necessity. I always thought that GSync was supposed to specifically replace VSync, and that VSync would no longer be used. I've had VSync off and GSync on exclusively for a long time and haven't seen issues.

I do limit my framerate, though.
 
If you want to read a really long article, see here, it explains everything.

https://blurbusters.com/gsync/gsync101-input-lag-tests-and-settings/

The settings I use are from that article, and they are needed to reduce latency.

G-Sync does work without V-Sync, as long as you are sure to never go outside the sync range, but forcing V-Sync will help with this. You also should have a frame limiter to be safe.
 
If you want to read a really long article, see here, it explains everything.

https://blurbusters.com/gsync/gsync101-input-lag-tests-and-settings/

The settings I use are from that article, and they are needed to reduce latency.

G-Sync does work without V-Sync, as long as you are sure to never go outside the sync range, but forcing V-Sync will help with this. You also should have a frame limiter to be safe.
Gotcha - so realistically if you're within the range, VSync will never turn on regardless.
 
Correct. When you are in the sync range, then G-Sync overrides the behavior of V-Sync so the monitor is synced with the GPU frame update.

But, realistically, frame times can be variable, for example in a heavy fight it goes up, or drops if you look at the ground, or even slight natural fluctuations, which would result in tearing without V-Sync or a frame limiter.
 
Gotcha - so realistically if you're within the range, VSync will never turn on regardless.
Well, V-Sync is always on with G-SYNC. The difference is G-SYNC uses V-Sync in order to sync frame output with the scanout rate of the connected display. Without V-Sync frames can still be delivered ahead of a full scanout and cause tearing on the display. V-Sync on in the control panel prevents that from happening.
 
I don't understand something about G-Sync...it's always been recommended to enable G-Sync and V-Sync in the Nvidia Control Panel and disable V-Sync from the in-game Settings...it's the way I've always done it...it's also best to limit your frame rate 1-3 frames below your monitor's max refresh rate either though NVCP or RTSS... but I don't understand the concept behind it

a) what's the point of enabling a frame rate cap 1-3 frames below your monitor refresh rate if V-Sync is already enabled?...with V-Sync enabled it caps your frame rates to your max refresh rate (so I will never go higher then 144 fps)...so why do I need the frame rate cap for if I'm already never going to go above it with V-Sync enabled?

so with a frame rate cap on do I need to enable V-Sync in the NVCP?...or looking at it the other way, with V-Sync enabled do I need to enable the frame rate cap (since either way I'm never going to go above my 144 refresh rate/frame rate)?
 
If you put the cap a couple fps below the max refresh it prevents vsync input lag.

Turning on vsync is just an extra safeguard against tearing because frame rate caps aren't 100% perfect and fps can still occasionally fluctuate beyond the cap.
 
If you put the cap a couple fps below the max refresh it prevents vsync input lag.

Turning on vsync is just an extra safeguard against tearing because frame rate caps aren't 100% perfect and fps can still occasionally fluctuate beyond the cap.

but with v-sync enabled the frame rates would never go above my refresh rate (144) so in theory V-Sync would never get enabled
 
but with v-sync enabled the frame rates would never go above my refresh rate (144) so in theory V-Sync would never get enabled


If frame caps worked perfectly yes, the vysnc setting would be irrelevant. But FPS caps do not work perfectly. For the most part it doesn't matter if you have it on or off though.
 
I'm still confused...capping the frame rate will not sync it but isn't that what having G-Sync enabled does?...so if I have G-Sync enabled plus a frame rate cap then why do I need to have v-sync also enabled (in the Nvidia Control Panel)...or vice versa, if I have v-sync enabled then why do I need to have a frame rate cap enabled?

they both seem to do the same thing...or am I not understanding how it works?
 
but with v-sync enabled the frame rates would never go above my refresh rate (144) so in theory V-Sync would never get enabled
If the framerate reaches or exceeds the max refresh rate at any point, G-SYNC no longer has anything to adjust, at which point it reverts to V-SYNC behavior.
I recommend reading the BlurBuster article on G-SYNC. All your questions are answered in the article.
 
I'm still confused...capping the frame rate will not sync it but isn't that what having G-Sync enabled does?...so if I have G-Sync enabled plus a frame rate cap then why do I need to have v-sync also enabled (in the Nvidia Control Panel)...or vice versa, if I have v-sync enabled then why do I need to have a frame rate cap enabled?

they both seem to do the same thing...or am I not understanding how it works?

VSYNC activating = extra input lag
The entire poitn of capping fps a few frames below the max refresh rate is to avoid the extra input lag. That's all it does.
 
I'm still confused...capping the frame rate will not sync it but isn't that what having G-Sync enabled does?...so if I have G-Sync enabled plus a frame rate cap then why do I need to have v-sync also enabled (in the Nvidia Control Panel)...or vice versa, if I have v-sync enabled then why do I need to have a frame rate cap enabled?

they both seem to do the same thing...or am I not understanding how it works?
V-Sync is to sync frames with the scanout of the monitor to prevent judder. That is why you enable it. Without V-Sync it's possible for a new frame to start drawing on the display before the last one is finished. If you don't care about judder, then you don't need to enable V-Sync. But it can be quite noticeable when you're playing a game where the frame rate has a big range of fluctuation.
 
I'm always a little surprised that Nvidia doesn't have a simplified instruction manual for how G-Sync works. I bought a TV that had it and it took a while to learn how things work. Everything I learned came from forums and enthusiast sites (rather than Nvidia), too.
 
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If the framerate reaches or exceeds the max refresh rate at any point, G-SYNC no longer has anything to adjust, at which point it reverts to V-SYNC behavior.
I recommend reading the BlurBuster article on G-SYNC. All your questions are answered in the article.
This is why you generally force a max framerate in NVCP if you're running g-sync though, that way you won't have that shift. Which, in most games, is worth doing because generally you aren't going to get above 144hz at more modern resolutions.
 
Enabling V-Sync in NVCP depends on if you are using Exclusive Fullscreen, DWM Fullscreen or Borderless Window Mode. But it is safe to enable for all games if you want.

When you enable V-Sync in NVCP on a G-Sync enabled display it actually doesn't turn on V-Sync, it tells the G-Sync module whether or not it should compensate for frametime varience. This is only necessary in Exclusive Fullscreen games.

In DWM Fullscreen and Borderless Window mode you can let Windows DXGI Flip model handle it. It is recommended not to force V-Sync off through NVCP. If the game is capped below your max refresh rate the V-Sync lag will never be a thing. It's about 1ms of additional latency from my undestanding, which is lower than using RTSS or NVCP to cap the framerate which is 1 frame of latency.

RTSS can appear to be lower latency but it actually isn't as long as you have Prefer Maximum performance enabled in the drivers, it does just about the same thing.

Theres a lot of information out there and mixed results, but this is my understanding. Feel free to expand or correct me, I'd like to know more myself.
 
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Enabling V-Sync in NVCP depends on if you are using Exclusive Fullscreen, DWM Fullscreen or Borderless Window Mode. But it is safe to enable for all games if you want.

When you enable V-Sync in NVCP on a G-Sync enabled display it actually doesn't turn on V-Sync, it tells the G-Sync module whether or not it should compensate for frametime varience. This is only necessary in Exclusive Fullscreen games.

In DWM Fullscreen and Borderless Window mode you can let Windows DXGI Flip model handle it. It is recommended not to force V-Sync off through NVCP. If the game is capped below your max refresh rate the V-Sync lag will never be a thing. It's about 1ms of additional latency from my undestanding, which is lower than using RTSS or NVCP to cap the framerate which is 1 frame of latency.

RTSS can appear to be lower latency but it actually isn't as long as you have Prefer Maximum performance enabled in the drivers, it does just about the same thing.

Theres a lot of information out there and mixed results, but this is my understanding. Feel free to expand or correct me, I'd like to know more myself.
While true, not every game is using the DXGI flip model. It has to be explicitly enumerated in the game's code.
 
While on the topic of g-sync, screen flickering after waking up from sleep mode. I have three monitors, and one with g-sync. Once the computer comes back up, each screen turns off and on about four times over the course of twenty seconds. Is there a way to avoid that? Or is that just part of it? When I disable g-sync and click it back on, same thing happens. Its minor, but its annoying as hell.
 
While on the topic of g-sync, screen flickering after waking up from sleep mode. I have three monitors, and one with g-sync. Once the computer comes back up, each screen turns off and on about four times over the course of twenty seconds. Is there a way to avoid that? Or is that just part of it? When I disable g-sync and click it back on, same thing happens. Its minor, but its annoying as hell.
Could be due to deep sleep and nothing to do with G-SYNC. Deep sleep is a power-saving standby mode that essentially turns the display completely off, so Windows thinks the display has been disconnected when it goes to sleep. You can look in the system menus of your monitors to see if you can turn it off. The option should be called any combination of HDMI or DisplayPort Deep Sleep.
 
Could be due to deep sleep and nothing to do with G-SYNC. Deep sleep is a power-saving standby mode that essentially turns the display completely off, so Windows thinks the display has been disconnected when it goes to sleep. You can look in the system menus of your monitors to see if you can turn it off. The option should be called any combination of HDMI or DisplayPort Deep Sleep.
I'll have to check that option out.

Because when I go into whatever nvidia settings it is, and I disable g-sync then reenable it, it does that same screen flicker.
 
While on the topic of g-sync, screen flickering after waking up from sleep mode. I have three monitors, and one with g-sync. Once the computer comes back up, each screen turns off and on about four times over the course of twenty seconds. Is there a way to avoid that? Or is that just part of it? When I disable g-sync and click it back on, same thing happens. Its minor, but its annoying as hell.
Mine doesn’t do that, but every panel is different, and hardware gysnc adds a lot of complexity.
 
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