I think I understand the basic difference between the three different methods; fixed refresh v-sync (the original method) which can cause frame rate drops, adaptive v-sync which only activates when the frame rate goes above the monitor's refresh rate, and GSYNC which is NVIDIA's version of adaptive v-sync. However, I'm trying to work out what settings give the best, consistent results in games.
I got a new PCS laptop recently with a GTX 980M that has 8GB VRAM and GSYNC, and I'm hoping to play games with a smooth 60fps and NO screen tearing (which I hate). Looking at the NVIDIA Control Panel there seems to be three settings to adjust in regards to v-sync: "Monitor Technology" (with a choice between fixed refresh and GSYNC), "Triple Buffering" (on or off) and "V-sync" ("On", "Off" or use the in-game settings). I figured it best for games to have GSYNC functioning, switch triple buffering off because maybe it interferes with GSYNC, and have the v-sync setting to on, so as to make sure games are using GSYNC properly. I figured in the game settings themselves to turn any in-game v-sync settings off, so as to make sure they didn't clash with the NCP.
This has worked quite well for some games (with frame rate sticking at 60fps), but I've found some real oddities...
The Talos Principle: This has an in-game "max frame rate" (e.g. 30fps, 60fps) setting that is separate to v-sync options. Funnily enough, I found that even though the game was playing at a constant 60fps (according to Steam's in-game counter) there was screen tearing. This is the same when you lower the max framerate to 30fps! What fixed this was turning the triple buffering in the NCP to On (and I've kept it this way). So does triple buffering actually improve GSYNC? I thought they were completely separate technologies?
Batman - Arkham Knight: Even with the in-game max framerate setting at 60fps, this game was running at around 90fps and displaying screen tearing. Weirdly, what fixed it was going back to the NCP and adjusting the global settings to something else, then setting them once again as GSYNC, triple buffering on, and v-sync on. Now the game stays at 60fps. Will I have to do this with every game?
The Witness: This only has an in-game on or off setting for v-sync, with no "max framerate" option. With the in-game v-sync option switched off, my fps counter said the game was running at hundreds of frames per second, but weirdly, the game actually felt pretty sluggish. When I turned in-game v-sync on, the fps counter stuck at 60, and everything felt smoother. So do some games' v-sync settings just act as a max frame rate limiter?
How are all these settings interacting? If GSYNC in the NCP is switched to on, do in-game v-sync settings clash with it? Or do the games work out that they should use GSYNC instead of their in-game v-sync?
Is there a universal rule of settings to apply so that all games will be 60fps and no screen tearing? Or does each game have its own different way of doing things? Will I have to experiment with every game when I first try it out?
Hopefully this post will lead to informative explanations so others can work out how to adjust their settings as well.
I got a new PCS laptop recently with a GTX 980M that has 8GB VRAM and GSYNC, and I'm hoping to play games with a smooth 60fps and NO screen tearing (which I hate). Looking at the NVIDIA Control Panel there seems to be three settings to adjust in regards to v-sync: "Monitor Technology" (with a choice between fixed refresh and GSYNC), "Triple Buffering" (on or off) and "V-sync" ("On", "Off" or use the in-game settings). I figured it best for games to have GSYNC functioning, switch triple buffering off because maybe it interferes with GSYNC, and have the v-sync setting to on, so as to make sure games are using GSYNC properly. I figured in the game settings themselves to turn any in-game v-sync settings off, so as to make sure they didn't clash with the NCP.
This has worked quite well for some games (with frame rate sticking at 60fps), but I've found some real oddities...
The Talos Principle: This has an in-game "max frame rate" (e.g. 30fps, 60fps) setting that is separate to v-sync options. Funnily enough, I found that even though the game was playing at a constant 60fps (according to Steam's in-game counter) there was screen tearing. This is the same when you lower the max framerate to 30fps! What fixed this was turning the triple buffering in the NCP to On (and I've kept it this way). So does triple buffering actually improve GSYNC? I thought they were completely separate technologies?
Batman - Arkham Knight: Even with the in-game max framerate setting at 60fps, this game was running at around 90fps and displaying screen tearing. Weirdly, what fixed it was going back to the NCP and adjusting the global settings to something else, then setting them once again as GSYNC, triple buffering on, and v-sync on. Now the game stays at 60fps. Will I have to do this with every game?
The Witness: This only has an in-game on or off setting for v-sync, with no "max framerate" option. With the in-game v-sync option switched off, my fps counter said the game was running at hundreds of frames per second, but weirdly, the game actually felt pretty sluggish. When I turned in-game v-sync on, the fps counter stuck at 60, and everything felt smoother. So do some games' v-sync settings just act as a max frame rate limiter?
How are all these settings interacting? If GSYNC in the NCP is switched to on, do in-game v-sync settings clash with it? Or do the games work out that they should use GSYNC instead of their in-game v-sync?
Is there a universal rule of settings to apply so that all games will be 60fps and no screen tearing? Or does each game have its own different way of doing things? Will I have to experiment with every game when I first try it out?
Hopefully this post will lead to informative explanations so others can work out how to adjust their settings as well.