Nvidia/Radeon with Gsync monitor, what do I do?

[Iffyplacebo]

I'm currently planning out a new build and was looking at a 1660 ti for the build since I'm still running a GTX 960 and it's a sizeable upgrade and I've had good experiences with my Nvidia cards.  I also got a good deal on a new monitor a few months ago and got a 1440p, 144MHz refresh, 1ms response time monitor with Gsync.  

 

My conundrum is that the new Radeon cards are looking pretty competitive from what I can see and I'm not sure if I should sacrifice Gsync if I get a good deal on a Radeon card, or should I stick to Nvidia and take advantage of the Gsync?

[MartinKweh]

Amd has freesync too. As far as i see it, they practically do the same thing. Plus, freesync monitors are cheaper  now. So if you think you can get more performance on the amd cards, why not?

[Samfisher]

23 minutes ago, Martin2132 said:

Amd has freesync too. As far as i see it, they practically do the same thing. Plus, freesync monitors are cheaper  now. So if you think you can get more performance on the amd cards, why not?

Freesync isn't a guarantee of quality or expected VRR performance.  There are many features that are basic G-Sync features that are only guaranteed in Freesync Pro or whatever their premium offering is.  Then G-Sync goes one further with G-Sync Utimate.

 

27 minutes ago, Iffyplacebo said:

I'm currently planning out a new build and was looking at a 1660 ti for the build since I'm still running a GTX 960 and it's a sizeable upgrade and I've had good experiences with my Nvidia cards.  I also got a good deal on a new monitor a few months ago and got a 1440p, 144MHz refresh, 1ms response time monitor with Gsync.  

 

My conundrum is that the new Radeon cards are looking pretty competitive from what I can see and I'm not sure if I should sacrifice Gsync if I get a good deal on a Radeon card, or should I stick to Nvidia and take advantage of the Gsync?

Could the build wait maybe a few months?  Nvidia is slated to release a new GPU lineup this year, so you could build your PC first minus the GPU for now.

[Master Disaster]

You can use some Freesync monitors with an Nvidia GPU however you cannot use a G Sync mpnitor with an AMD GPU so if you already have the display stick with an Nvidia GPU.

[BTGbullseye]

17 minutes ago, Samfisher said:

Freesync isn't a guarantee of quality or expected VRR performance.  There are many features that are basic G-Sync features that are only guaranteed in Freesync Pro or whatever their premium offering is.  Then G-Sync goes one further with G-Sync Utimate.

The lowest end G-sync is about on par with the average implementation of Freesync, and usually supports both. Last I heard, any monitor with Freesync was going to get the basic G-sync approval by default...

[Master Disaster]

Isn't G Sync Ultimate just G Sync with HDR Support?

 

EDIT

 

So I checked and yeah, G Sync Basic and G Sync are for all intents & purposes identical. The difference is basic displays have not passed Nvidia's certification process. G Sync Ultimate is G Sync with HDR support.

[Samfisher]

15 minutes ago, BTGbullseye said:

The lowest end G-sync is about on par with the average implementation of Freesync, and usually supports both. Last I heard, any monitor with Freesync was going to get the basic G-sync approval by default...

No it isn't.  Freesync is ONLY VRR, with no minimum or maximum defined refresh rate that is mandated in G-Sync.  Manufacturer's can implement any sort of VRR range they want, and you will never know what range it is until you dig deep into their specs.  G-Sync is ALWAYS 30hz -> Max refresh rate.  Freesync also doesn't guarantee any sort of ULMB or black frame insertions, G-Sync has those as mandatory features.

 

Also G-Sync Compatible is not G-Sync... G-Sync is more than just VRR whereas Freesync IS only VRR.

 

 

  

13 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

Isn't G Sync Ultimate just G Sync with HDR Support?

 

EDIT

 

So I checked and yeah, G Sync Basic and G Sync are for all intents & purposes identical. The difference is basic displays have not passed Nvidia's certification process. G Sync Ultimate is G Sync with HDR support.

 

G-Sync basic?  Wat.  There's G-Sync and then there's G-Sync Ultimate.  Ultimate guarantees HDR and 4k, plus everything else G-Sync has implemented.  Freesync is ONLY VRR and nothing else.  They can implement other stuff if they want but they aren't Freesync features.

Edited January 31, 2020 by Samfisher

[Master Disaster]

2 minutes ago, Samfisher said:

No it isn't.  Freesync is ONLY VRR, with no minimum or maximum defined refresh rate that is mandated in G-Sync.  Manufacturer's can implement any sort of VRR range they want, and you will never know what range it is until you dig deep into their specs.  G-Sync is ALWAYS 30hz -> Max refresh rate.  Freesync also doesn't guarantee any sort of ULMB or black frame insertions, G-Sync has those as mandatory features.

 

Also G-Sync Compatible is not G-Sync... G-Sync is more than just VRR whereas Freesync IS only VRR.

 

 

  

 

G-Sync basic?  Wat.  There's G-Sync and then there's G-Sync Ultimate.  Ultimate guarantees HDR and 4k, plus everything else G-Sync has implemented.  Freesync is ONLY VRR and nothing else.  They can implement other stuff if they want but they aren't Freesync features.

Nvidia call it "G Sync Compatible" but the person I was responding too called it basic.

[Samfisher]

Just now, Master Disaster said:

Nvidia call it "G Sync Compatible" but the person I was responding too called it basic.

I wouldn't know cos you didn't quite anyone

[BTGbullseye]

45 minutes ago, Samfisher said:

I wouldn't know cos you didn't quite anyone

He was talking about me.

[caldrin]

Real gsync monitors have a nvidia gsync module built into them this can be standard Gsync or the Ultimate version that supports HDR.. 

 

The other version of gsync called Gsync compatible or whatever is just leveraging the inbuilt variable refresh rate stuff available in the optional display port stuff.. This is basically the same as freesync from what I understand. 

 

[Mick Naughty]

Get a stronger card and not worry about either of those gimmicks. 

[Master Disaster]

5 hours ago, Mick Naughty said:

Get a stronger card and not worry about either of those gimmicks. 

There are lots of gimmicky things surrounding PC hardware but having owned both G Sync and Freesync monitors I can assure you VRR is not one of them.

[Mick Naughty]

30 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

There are lots of gimmicky things surrounding PC hardware but having owned both G Sync and Freesync monitors I can assure you VRR is not one of them.

Feels like one. But with your assurance it must be. 

[Master Disaster]

1 hour ago, Mick Naughty said:

Feels like one. But with your assurance it must be. 

Well a gimmick is something that doesn't really do anything useful and is intended only to attract attention. VRR is VERY useful in certain situations.

 

Digression: Remember the Batman Arkham Knight fiasco? I don't because G Sync meant I was almost entirely unaffected by the issues almost everyone else was having. There was a group of about 5 of us on the Steam User Discussion boards who were all running G Sync and could all play the game with almost zero stuttering (the only time it stuttered was during map area transitions). Literally hundreds of people were calling us liers so I made a 30 minute gameplay video using Shadowplay and stuck it on YouTube. Then they all claimed it only looked smooth because it was captured so I made a second video showing 15 minutes of smooth gameplay then me disabling G Sync then another 15 minutes of stutter fest. Surprisingly the large majority of them disappeared after I uploaded that one.

[Mick Naughty]

2 hours ago, Master Disaster said:

Well a gimmick is something that doesn't really do anything useful and is intended only to attract attention. VRR is VERY useful in certain situations.

 

Digression: Remember the Batman Arkham Knight fiasco? I don't because G Sync meant I was almost entirely unaffected by the issues almost everyone else was having. There was a group of about 5 of us on the Steam User Discussion boards who were all running G Sync and could all play the game with almost zero stuttering (the only time it stuttered was during map area transitions). Literally hundreds of people were calling us liers so I made a 30 minute gameplay video using Shadowplay and stuck it on YouTube. Then they all claimed it only looked smooth because it was captured so I made a second video showing 15 minutes of smooth gameplay then me disabling G Sync then another 15 minutes of stutter fest. Surprisingly the large majority of them disappeared after I uploaded that one.

Not familiar with the game or any of its issues. I’m sure I wasn’t around at the time. But if op wants to play the game, it’s seems as though they will have a fix for it. 

[Iffyplacebo]

Yeah.  All this is why all of this incredibly confusing and hard to understand.

 

I already own the monitor.  I have a Dell S2716DGR 27.0" monitor, so my issue with the next build is should I focus on an Nvidia card since I own a Gsync monitor, or if It's worth looking at the new Radeon GPUs and giving up the Gsync?

 

I've been focusing on a 1660 ti due to finances, but I might be able to step up to a 2060 as long as I'm not dropping $400+ for the card.

[Mick Naughty]

Both of my main monitors are freesync. But support gsync. Don’t think I’ll over own an amd Gpu so it isn’t a real concern to me. I don’t want my hardware to have to be based off each other in that sense. 
 

But if that’s a feature you want and need then it’s best to weigh the options. 

[xAcid9]

On 1/31/2020 at 3:31 PM, Iffyplacebo said:

I also got a good deal on a new monitor a few months ago and got a 1440p, 144MHz refresh, 1ms response time monitor with Gsync.  

Basically you already have the monitor? If it a great monitor for you then just grab Nvidia GPU.

VRR should be a standard in all monitor/TV imo. 

[SOLO_AVENGER]

As mentioned before, you could wait for nvidias new cards later this year. i wouldn't get the 1660 Ti as the RTX 2060 KO is basically the same price.

[BTGbullseye]

On 1/31/2020 at 10:59 PM, Iffyplacebo said:

I've been focusing on a 1660 ti due to finances, but I might be able to step up to a 2060 as long as I'm not dropping $400+ for the card.

The 1660TI has basically been pushed out of the market... It's now more expensive than one variety of the 2060, and way less performance.

 

https://www.newegg.com/evga-geforce-rtx-2060-06g-p4-2066-kr/p/N82E16814487488

https://www.newegg.com/evga-geforce-rtx-2060-06g-p4-2068-kr/p/N82E16814487486 (this one has a 75MHz faster clock speed for an extra $20, and it's definitely not worth that)

 

As of right now, this is the card I'd recommend for a budget between the 1660 Super and 5700 XT.

[ZzLy]

On 1/31/2020 at 8:34 AM, Martin2132 said:

Amd has freesync too. As far as i see it, they practically do the same thing. Plus, freesync monitors are cheaper  now. So if you think you can get more performance on the amd cards, why not?

He just said he already got a gsync monitor at a good price.