Page 27 - Computer Power User - February 2017

In 2016, the engineers at NVIDIA
introduced another input latency-
reducing feature called Fast Sync that,
although not technically part G-SYNC,
does complement the variable refresh
rate technology. It’s designed for the
same group of people that wanted to
turn off Vsync at high frame rates, yet
still eliminates screen tearing. Fast Sync
uses a triple buffer system, but the GPU
renders the frames as if Vsync is off and
grabs the most recent frame from the
buffers. The resulting lag is only a little
higher than with Vsync off and there’s
no screen tearing.
To further avoid ghosting and input
latency, some G-SYNC displays support
NVIDIA’s ULMB (Ultra Low Motion
Blur) mode, which strobes the backlight
of a monitor to eliminate motion blur
and reduce input latency. ULMB and
NVIDIA has supported G-SYNC on graphics cards since the advent of the GeForce GTX 650Ti. G-SYNC can’t function at the same
time, though, so you’ll need to choose
which one to activate. Assuming ULMB
is supported by the monitor, you can
use the NVIDIA Control Panel to
switch between the ULMB or G-SYNC
display modes for specific games.
As you can see, NVIDIA’s latest
GPUs and G-SYNC monitors provide
you with several different ways to
optimize your gaming experience. A
quick perusal of the market shows that
the majority of G-SYNC monitors
support refresh rates all the way up to
144Hz, which is ideal for enthusiasts
with premium graphics cards. There are
some FreeSync monitors that match up
with the high-end G-SYNC panels, but
many of the early FreeSync options lack
G-SYNC monitors feature a G-SYNC module to coordinate GPU and monitor frame rates.
the amenities of G-SYNC monitors.
top refresh rate. The flip side is that maximum refresh rate of the monitor. FreeSync 2 & G-SYNC HDR
G-SYNC monitors tend to be a bit more In this situation, G-SYNC would HDR is not yet common on PC
expensive than comparable FreeSync automatically revert to a Vsync mode displays—CES 2017 marked the debut
monitors, and there are fewer G-SYNC to prevent screen tearing, and gamers of HDR monitors—but HDR was
monitors on the market, due to the added didn’t want Vsync’s additional input the “it” feature for HDTVs in 2016.
complexity of the G-SYNC chip. lag. In 2015, NVIDIA updated HDR improves brightness, contrast,
When G-SYNC was first released, G-SYNC to let you disable the and color gamut, all of which help to
NVIDIA received some complaints technology at refresh rates above the make on-screen visuals more lifelike.
that gamers couldn’t turn off monitor’s maximum, though doing At CES, we were treated to several
G-SYNC for fast-paced shooters, so will reintroduce the possibilities of demos that displayed content both on
such as CS:GO, that exceeded the screen tearing. an HDR monitor and a conventional

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