Why no Vsync?

Mikerocks2112

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 23, 2008
Messages
362
I don't get it when I see people post things like, "oh yeah I get around 125-160 fps."

Obviously they are running without Vsync to get those numbers which makes the game look terrible due to screen tearing. I know its nice to see big numbers flying, but why would you want to at the expense of screen tearing? I understand some of you play competitive online FPS games, which I don't blame you for turning it off. But for average single player....why not leave it on?
 
always on for me. its part of my "games for htpc" package. smooth, crisp, reliable, perfect. thats what htpc's are all about imo.

otherwise, vsync off saves me sometimes if my system isnt strong enough to properly run a game... some games its ok to have weird framerates like you said...
 
if you are using a LCD monitor, vsync is a must
 
Mostly for their ego. But some still use CRT which gets about 120hz, so 100+ fps doesn't caused that much of a problem for them.
 
Always on. I play mainly RPGs and MMOs - the super high FPS is useless to me. I'd rather have a nice clean screen pegged at a limited 60 FPS (well, hopefully that high).
 
I always have Vsync on, even in games that are below 60fps. Many games have horrible tearing even below 60fps.
 
I don't get it when I see people post things like, "oh yeah I get around 125-160 fps."

Obviously they are running without Vsync to get those numbers which makes the game look terrible due to screen tearing. I know its nice to see big numbers flying, but why would you want to at the expense of screen tearing? I understand some of you play competitive online FPS games, which I don't blame you for turning it off. But for average single player....why not leave it on?

I've played competitive CS for years and I've never used v-sync because, for me, it has always added huge amounts of mouse/input lag so I never use it. When in single player games I wish I could use it but the mouse/input lag drives me nuts. I guess I've just become accustomed to tearing and would rather deal with it in order to give myself more fluid input.

I've tried it with and without double buffering and it still screws with my mouse.

All of that being said. I fired up my old trinitron the other day and played some Quake/UT/CSS and I can say that I really miss my big old CRT when it comes to fast paced games. :(
 
i only have v-sync turned off when im testing new games to see how many FPS it averages at with FRAPS.... otherwise yeah it looks like crap without it lol.
 
I don't know how you can play with vsync on. I get horrible input lag/jerkiness with it on in games like Fallout 3 and L4D, etc.
 
I've played competitive CS for years and I've never used v-sync because, for me, it has always added huge amounts of mouse/input lag so I never use it. When in single player games I wish I could use it but the mouse/input lag drives me nuts. I guess I've just become accustomed to tearing and would rather deal with it in order to give myself more fluid input.
I don't know how you can play with vsync on. I get horrible input lag/jerkiness with it on in games like Fallout 3 and L4D, etc.

+1. I never use Vsync due to this reason. Even if its not a fast paced FPS I can't stand the unresponsive mouse input.
And turning off Vsync = more fps so thats a bonus too. I don't even notice the image tearing anymore since I'm so used to it. :cool:
 
+1. I never use Vsync due to this reason. Even if its not a fast paced FPS I can't stand the unresponsive mouse input.
And turning off Vsync = more fps so thats a bonus too. I don't even notice the image tearing anymore since I'm so used to it. :cool:

exactly. I'd rather get used to tearing than have really sluggish and inhibiting input. It's funny when some of my friends come over the first thing they always comment on is tearing.
 
I don't know how you can play with vsync on. I get horrible input lag/jerkiness with it on in games like Fallout 3 and L4D, etc.
I dont feel any lag in those games with vsync on but I know my framerate would be above 60fps 95% so maybe thats why. Crysis is the only game that I will occasionally run with vsync off.

also all that stuff I used to hear aboubt dropping to 30 fps if you cant maintain 60fps cannot be true. I sometimes see 40s and 50s for periods in games. hell I cant even average 45-50fps in Far Cry2 but certainly doesnt drop to 30fps for an average because of that either. in fact my framerate is the same in Far Cry2 with or without vsync.

stock 576/2000 clocks with 4x AA

Settings: Demo(Ranch Small), 1920x1080 (60Hz), D3D10, Fixed Time Step(No), Disable Artificial Intelligence(No), Full Screen, Anti-Aliasing(4x), VSync(Yes), Overall Quality(Ultra High), Vegetation(Very High), Shading(Ultra High), Terrain(Ultra High), Geometry(Ultra High), Post FX(High), Texture(Ultra High), Shadow(Ultra High), Ambient(High), Hdr(Yes), Bloom(Yes), Fire(Very High), Physics(Very High), RealTrees(Very High)
Loop 1
Total Frames: 1972, Total Time: 51.03s
Average Framerate: 38.65
Max. Framerate: 50.92 (Frame:127, 2.71s)
Min. Framerate: 31.73 (Frame:1490, 38.82s)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Settings: Demo(Ranch Small), 1920x1080 (60Hz), D3D10, Fixed Time Step(No), Disable Artificial Intelligence(No), Full Screen, Anti-Aliasing(4x), VSync(No), Overall Quality(Ultra High), Vegetation(Very High), Shading(Ultra High), Terrain(Ultra High), Geometry(Ultra High), Post FX(High), Texture(Ultra High), Shadow(Ultra High), Ambient(High), Hdr(Yes), Bloom(Yes), Fire(Very High), Physics(Very High), RealTrees(Very High)
Loop 1
Total Frames: 1981, Total Time: 51.00s
Average Framerate: 38.84
Max. Framerate: 50.88 (Frame:278, 6.15s)
Min. Framerate: 30.84 (Frame:1499, 38.75s)



card overclocked to 650/2200 with just 2x AA

Settings: Demo(Ranch Small), 1920x1080 (60Hz), D3D10, Fixed Time Step(No), Disable Artificial Intelligence(No), Full Screen, Anti-Aliasing(2x), VSync(No), Overall Quality(Ultra High), Vegetation(Very High), Shading(Ultra High), Terrain(Ultra High), Geometry(Ultra High), Post FX(High), Texture(Ultra High), Shadow(Ultra High), Ambient(High), Hdr(Yes), Bloom(Yes), Fire(Very High), Physics(Very High), RealTrees(Very High)
Loop 1
Total Frames: 2292, Total Time: 51.02s
Average Framerate: 44.92
Max. Framerate: 60.41 (Frame:341, 6.54s)
Min. Framerate: 34.93 (Frame:826, 16.88s)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Settings: Demo(Ranch Small), 1920x1080 (60Hz), D3D10, Fixed Time Step(No), Disable Artificial Intelligence(No), Full Screen, Anti-Aliasing(2x), VSync(Yes), Overall Quality(Ultra High), Vegetation(Very High), Shading(Ultra High), Terrain(Ultra High), Geometry(Ultra High), Post FX(High), Texture(Ultra High), Shadow(Ultra High), Ambient(High), Hdr(Yes), Bloom(Yes), Fire(Very High), Physics(Very High), RealTrees(Very High)
Loop 1
Total Frames: 2284, Total Time: 51.01s
Average Framerate: 44.77
Max. Framerate: 60.01 (Frame:342, 6.59s)
Min. Framerate: 37.29 (Frame:1582, 35.51s)
 
Last edited:
I don't use VSYNC.
Why?
Because I have 2 x 21" CRT's...so i don't have the bugs of LCD's...or the inferior IQ :p
 
I don't use VSYNC.
Why?
Because I have 2 x 21" CRT's...so i don't have the bugs of LCD's...or the inferior IQ :p
if my crt was not just a 17inch I would have stuck with it longer too. to be honest though I am loving the 16:9 aspect ratio for gaming. way more immersive and less claustrophobic. while playing Dead Space I switched from the crt to this and could not go back to the 4:3 screen.
 
The only game and I do mean only game I use V-Sync on is the original Area-51, it has this weird bug (at least for my old rig, on a new rig now) where if V-Sync was off I couldn't jump properly lol.

Aside from that I can't stand the mouse lag V-Sync introduces and I also don't have screen tearing issues ever in games unless say I in first person death cam go into walls or under a game level where it glitches and I see the same picture multiple times when I move the mouse, assuming that's tearing of course.
 
I dont feel any lag in those games with vsync on but I know my framerate would be above 60fps 95% so maybe thats why. Crysis is the only game that I will occasionally run with vsync off.

also all that stuff I used to hear aboubt dropping to 30 fps if you cant maintain 60fps cannot be true. I sometimes see 40s and 50s for periods in games. hell I cant even average 45-50fps in Far Cry2 but certainly doesnt drop to 30fps for an average because of that either. in fact my framerate is the same in Far Cry2 with or without vsync.

You probably don't feel the lag because you really aren't doing anything that involves extremely snappy input. I've ALWAYS felt this with v-sync over the past however many years it's been. I'm not trying to be mean here, I'm just trying to reason. :D

I believe, and I may be mistaken, than v-sync used to drop you to 30fps if your rig could not provide the 60 needed before triple buffering was around. Triple buffering keeps it higher.
 
You probably don't feel the lag because you really aren't doing anything that involves extremely snappy input. I've ALWAYS felt this with v-sync over the past however many years it's been. I'm not trying to be mean here, I'm just trying to reason. :D

I believe, and I may be mistaken, than v-sync used to drop you to 30fps if your rig could not provide the 60 needed before triple buffering was around. Triple buffering keeps it higher.
well does Far Cry2 have a triple buffer built in because I dont use any third party apps to use triple buffering.
 
I haven't used Vsync in years due to competitive FPS games. I don't even notice the tearing anymore and I prefer my high FPS. Plus the bragging rights are a good bonus. ;)
 
Honestly, I've never seen any benefit whatsoever to enabling vSynch. Sometimes when I have plenty of overhead fps in a game, I'll turn it on just for the heck of it, and generally the only time I ever notice tearing in a game is when it's ON - just because that's the only time I ever look for the tearing. I've pretty-much just come to grips with the fact that tearing occurs, and I guess I have just learned to tune it out. VSynch, in my experience, has never had any impact at all (since I try turning it on so rarely) on either IQ or performance in any game I've played.
 
I don't notice any screen tearing and I don't run with Vsync on.
some games look horrible with all the screen tearing. seriously whats the point of good graphics with AA and AF on the details when the whole screen is ripping in half? lol
 
I use to be a big vsync fan for a while. I stopped using it as my system got older, don't even notice tearing anymore. I got back into cs 1.6, and turned it on for a while, and couldn't stand it, it makes your whole game off and the mouse movements just feel meh. It does have a nice look and smoothness in some games and understand how people "must" have it, but anything competitive it's not worth it to me.
 
eh... best I can figure out, the screen tearing is often a fail on the monitor's part and not the signal your pc is sending. There have been a few games where I've seen tearing that was very distracting, but turning on v-synch has never actually fixed that for me. Best case scenario, it makes it only slightly better, but since I was generally expecting it to be completely eradicated, it just makes it seem even worse because of the percieved performance cut.

Maybe I'm just not applying it correctly or restarting the game enough or something... I dunno.
 
I have never used vsync, and am not 100% I can identify tearing anymore
and getting 200+fps in cs:source makes me feel like a badass :p
 
I always have vsync turned off because it causes considerable input lag for me. I barely ever even notice tearing, and when I do, it doesn't really bother me. The only game I play with vsync on is Braid. I don't know, that game just feels better with it on.

I also don't like sacrificing my fps.
 
I used to be a v-sync 'on' person, but lately have been running games with it off and wonder how I put up with it in the past. The input lag is a deal breaker (although it doesnt plague everything) and IMHO, most games seem to run 'smoother' with it off (pegging 60fps).

Screen tearing does bug me, but not to the extent where I'd sacrafice better performance for it. I do still use it, but ONLY if a game really needs it
 
I have experienced this mouse lag that you all speak of when V sync is turned on. What you must do in these cases is to find a way (either ini file editing, mods, etc) to CAP the FPS at just below your refresh rate.

In UT3, when I enabled Vsync, I had horrible mouse/input lag. I went into the Engine.ini file and set the MaxSmoothFrameRate to 59 and BAM, no more lag and no tearing too!

Same in Half Life 2. I use the FPS_max command and set it to 59. I put it into my config file and no more lag and no tearing! Super smooth....

I recently installed Oblivion again and had the same ol mouse lag there too. I had to find a mod called FPS_Capper. Once I enabled it and set it to 59, all input lag was gone. I can use vsync in all its glory.

So the moral of the story: VSYNC + FPS Capped at just below refresh rate = WIN!!!!
 
I have experienced this mouse lag that you all speak of when V sync is turned on. What you must do in these cases is to find a way (either ini file editing, mods, etc) to CAP the FPS at just below your refresh rate.

In UT3, when I enabled Vsync, I had horrible mouse/input lag. I went into the Engine.ini file and set the MaxSmoothFrameRate to 59 and BAM, no more lag and no tearing too!

Same in Half Life 2. I use the FPS_max command and set it to 59. I put it into my config file and no more lag and no tearing! Super smooth....

I recently installed Oblivion again and had the same ol mouse lag there too. I had to find a mod called FPS_Capper. Once I enabled it and set it to 59, all input lag was gone. I can use vsync in all its glory.

So the moral of the story: VSYNC + FPS Capped at just below refresh rate = WIN!!!!
I thought the lag with vsync was partially because of being below the refresh rate. with the refresh rate at 59 and vsync on I would think that would be causing even worse lag.
 
some games look horrible with all the screen tearing. seriously whats the point of good graphics with AA and AF on the details when the whole screen is ripping in half? lol

The only time tearing has ever bothered me is in Rainbow Six Vegas because the screen distorts when you are low on health or being shot, that couple with tearing makes it look like some stone-age game that's artifacting like crazy.

That being said it was $20 game so I don't care. haha.
 
It doesn't need to be a third party app. It's built right into the nvidia CP. :D
sorry but vsync from the standard ATI and Nvidia control panel only works for openGL games not DX games. thats why its always funny to see the placebo effect when people say they turn in on and the game feels smoother.

you have to use a 3rd party app to force it on for DX games. some games like L4D have it built into the game and you can choose to turn it on or off from the games settings.
 
some games look horrible with all the screen tearing. seriously whats the point of good graphics with AA and AF on the details when the whole screen is ripping in half? lol

That's great if the screen rips in half. Mine doesn't so why bother to turn on Vsync.
 
+1 for vsync ON 24/7, can't live without it. Tearing is pretty bad in TF2 without it.
 
I thought the lag with vsync was partially because of being below the refresh rate. with the refresh rate at 59 and vsync on I would think that would be causing even worse lag.

Try it and let me know how it goes. Do you have Half Life 2? Enable Vsync and then use the console command "FPS_max 57" or 58.

Or try the UT3 ini update to "MaxSmoothedFrameRate" = 59.9 if you have that game.
 
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