HP to Bring Freesync to Consumer Laptops

[DocSwag]

Sources: http://www.pcworld.com/article/3032098/coming-to-hps-consumer-laptops-smoother-video-with-amds-freesync.html and http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/1243102.htm

Quote

HP will first bring FreeSync to its HP Envy 15z, which will be refreshed in the first half this year with the new AMD 6th Generation A-series chip, code-named Carrizo.

It seems that when HP refreshes its HP Envy 15z line, it will update them to contain Carrizo APUs. However, it seems the panels will also be equipped with freesync.

My best guess is that it will be using integrated graphics from the APU, which do support freesync.

This seems interesting, and would make 500-700 dollar laptops potentially an OK idea for gamers, since AMD APUs are pretty powerful and freesync will make games run even smoother.

[Sakkura]

Variable refresh rate is more useful for weaker hardware (because it'll more often struggle to hold high FPS), so this is a nice development.

[dalekphalm]

Intriguing. I'm honestly surprised we haven't seen more FreeSync/Adaptive-Sync laptops, considering the technology was developed using a hacked/modified eDP laptop display controller. A Laptop was literally the Frankenstein that gave birth to FreeSync.

 

Obviously, the released, official specs of FreeSync and Adaptive-Sync are a far cry from the original mcgyver mod that AMD helped create, but you'd think it wouldn't take that long to introduce it.

 

In any case, this is exciting news. I personally am not too fond of gaming laptops, since I personally don't have a need for a portable gaming computer, but I know that many people do need/want them, so this allows people to get a better gaming experience for cheaper.

[Bouzoo]

While this is cool, I'd like to see AMD creating GPUs that can actually compete with NV GPUs so we can see this in high end laptops.

[iamdarkyoshi]

1 minute ago, Bouzoo said:

While this is cool, I'd like to see AMD creating GPUs that can actually compete with NV GPUs so we can see this in high end laptops.

The nano certainly seems like a good nvidia competitor as the damn thing has a TDP 100W less than the 980Ti and costs less as well

[Bouzoo]

Just now, iamdarkyoshi said:

The nano certainly seems like a good nvidia competitor as the damn thing has a TDP 100W less than the 980Ti and costs less as well

I was talking about laptops just so there is no misunderstanding, if they put Nano inside It would be a competition to those few laptops that have a 980 which is not exactly I was aiming at. I was talking more like a competition to 980m/970m and even 960m.

[iamdarkyoshi]

3 minutes ago, Bouzoo said:

I was talking about laptops just so there is no misunderstanding, if they put Nano inside It would be a competition to those few laptops that have a 980 which is not exactly I was aiming at. I was talking more like a competition to 980m/970m and even 960m.

Yah I guess, I am at school and school does not allow logical thinking. Somebody please put a nano inside of a laptop with a bigass battery

[MoonSpot]

Cool.  Just need to nail down external GPUs as well and I might be able to avoid ever having to buy a new desktop platform and monitor for a good long stretch and just stick with a laptop.

[NateGSR117]

this is pretty sweet, cant wait to see this in an actual gaming laptop with AMD GPUs

[Prysin]

This is great. HP is moving in the right direction here.

If i were in need of a laptop, i would get one of these for sure.

[Prysin]

1 hour ago, dalekphalm said:

Intriguing. I'm honestly surprised we haven't seen more FreeSync/Adaptive-Sync laptops, considering the technology was developed using a hacked/modified eDP laptop display controller. A Laptop was literally the Frankenstein that gave birth to FreeSync.

 

Obviously, the released, official specs of FreeSync and Adaptive-Sync are a far cry from the original mcgyver mod that AMD helped create, but you'd think it wouldn't take that long to introduce it.

 

In any case, this is exciting news. I personally am not too fond of gaming laptops, since I personally don't have a need for a portable gaming computer, but I know that many people do need/want them, so this allows people to get a better gaming experience for cheaper.

just gonna point out that most Carrizo laptops doesnt even come close to a gaming laptop.

 

this is a 500-800 USD product. So a "mid to high end colledge computer"...

For casual gaming on the cheap, this would be good. It would give you about equal FPS to a console, but with freesync (if the panel goes low enough), it would be capable of giving a much much better user experience then a console.

[dalekphalm]

1 minute ago, Prysin said:

just gonna point out that most Carrizo laptops doesnt even come close to a gaming laptop.

 

this is a 500-800 USD product. So a "mid to high end colledge computer"...

For casual gaming on the cheap, this would be good. It would give you about equal FPS to a console, but with freesync (if the panel goes low enough), it would be capable of giving a much much better user experience then a console.

Of course an $800 laptop is not "gaming grade", but you can still have some halfway decent gaming on a higher model AMD APU. Adding FreeSync means when the frames dip below 60 (Which is a near certainty with an APU, if you're playing a AAA game), then the experience won't suck.

 

The problem is if it dips below 30 FPS - has FreeSync/HP implemented the frame repeating system yet that G-Sync uses?

[DocSwag]

1 minute ago, Prysin said:

just gonna point out that most Carrizo laptops doesnt even come close to a gaming laptop.

 

this is a 500-800 USD product. So a "mid to high end colledge computer"...

For casual gaming on the cheap, this would be good. It would give you about equal FPS to a console, but with freesync (if the panel goes low enough), it would be capable of giving a much much better user experience then a console.

And if you add a discrete though you can crossfire iGPU with discrete GPU and improve performance.

1 minute ago, dalekphalm said:

Of course an $800 laptop is not "gaming grade", but you can still have some halfway decent gaming on a higher model AMD APU. Adding FreeSync means when the frames dip below 60 (Which is a near certainty with an APU, if you're playing a AAA game), then the experience won't suck.

 

The problem is if it dips below 30 FPS - has FreeSync/HP implemented the frame repeating system yet that G-Sync uses?

I believe FreeSync is capable of as low as around 10 fps. It does depend on what HP puts in it though

[Prysin]

5 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

Of course an $800 laptop is not "gaming grade", but you can still have some halfway decent gaming on a higher model AMD APU. Adding FreeSync means when the frames dip below 60 (Which is a near certainty with an APU, if you're playing a AAA game), then the experience won't suck.

 

The problem is if it dips below 30 FPS - has FreeSync/HP implemented the frame repeating system yet that G-Sync uses?

AMD has added such a system. the limitation to it atm is that the refresh range of the panel must be 2.5 times the minimum reported refresh rate. So 2.5 times 30FPS (if 30Hz is min) is 75Hz.

Meaning a 60Hz panel with 30Hz minimum wouldnt be able to trigger this system. It is driver based, and AMD has stated they are working to optimized their algorithms to make the required range (2.5) lower, possibly down to 2.0 (which would mean ANY monitor would be able to use it.

It is a work in progres, AMD progress. Meaning painfully slow, but once done, it will be worth it.

 

[Prysin]

1 minute ago, DocSwag said:

And if you add a discrete though you can crossfire iGPU with discrete GPU and improve performance.

I believe FreeSync is capable of as low as around 10 fps. It does depend on what HP puts in it though

if you add a dGPU, it wont be 500-800 bucks, it would be 1000+...

AMD laptops arent selling fast, so vendors do charge a "just because we bothered" premium. They make them cuz AMD wants them to, but they know they will sell few, so they increases their margins based on low volume rather then lower margin but much much higher volume

[dalekphalm]

3 minutes ago, DocSwag said:

And if you add a discrete though you can crossfire iGPU with discrete GPU and improve performance.

I believe FreeSync is capable of as low as around 10 fps. It does depend on what HP puts in it though

Indeed, it would heavily depend on what panel and controller HP puts in the laptop.

 

3 minutes ago, Prysin said:

AMD has added such a system. the limitation to it atm is that the refresh range of the panel must be 2.5 times the minimum reported refresh rate. So 2.5 times 30FPS (if 30Hz is min) is 75Hz.

Meaning a 60Hz panel with 30Hz minimum wouldnt be able to trigger this system. It is driver based, and AMD has stated they are working to optimized their algorithms to make the required range (2.5) lower, possibly down to 2.0 (which would mean ANY monitor would be able to use it.

It is a work in progres, AMD progress. Meaning painfully slow, but once done, it will be worth it.

 

If what you say is correct, then they'll need to put a 30-75Hz panel in the laptop for said system to work. I haven't seen too many details for the hard specs, but I simply assumed it was a 60Hz panel.

[DocSwag]

Technically they could do a 24-60 panel, if it is true that it has to be 2.5 times or less.

[dalekphalm]

1 minute ago, DocSwag said:

Technically they could do a 24-60 panel, if it is true that it has to be 2.5 times or less.

True, but have we even seen a FreeSync panel capable of going as low as 24Hz before?

[DocSwag]

Are you guys sure it is 2.5 times? Cause here is a monitor that has 30-144 hz freesync

http://www.amazon.com/Nixeus-1920x1080-Adaptive-Sync-Widescreen-NX-VUE24A/dp/B0131PBN6U?tag=georiot-pcg-20&ascsubtag=hawk-710142474-20

[dalekphalm]

2 minutes ago, DocSwag said:

Are you guys sure it is 2.5 times? Cause here is a monitor that has 30-144 hz freesync

http://www.amazon.com/Nixeus-1920x1080-Adaptive-Sync-Widescreen-NX-VUE24A/dp/B0131PBN6U?tag=georiot-pcg-20&ascsubtag=hawk-710142474-20

The "2.5 times" thing is only for the feature that allows FreeSync to repeat a frame multiple times when the FPS goes below the min Hz of the monitor.

 

In G-Sync, then the FPS goes to say, 23 FPS, on a 30-144Hz monitor, then it will repeat the frame, which "fakes" the response rate of the monitor up to double of 23, which would be 46Hz.

 

With FreeSync, when released, it simply turned off FreeSync when it went below 30Hz - either having traditional V-Sync kick in, or no sync tech at all (as per the user choice). Apparently they've adopted a similar system to G-Sync now, but require (As per @Prysin) the maximum refresh rate to be at least 2.5 times higher than the minimum.

[CTR640]

Good. I hope AMD can get some cash to do some R&D and shit and hopefully make smart and wise decisions.

 

[Prysin]

@dalekphalm

look at this video after this point:

the two other guys is from AMD, they works on software.

 

The AMD Driver feature that we are talking about is "Lower Framerate Compensation".

I will correct myself. the minimum threshold for it to work IS actually 2.0 times the minimum refresh, so apparently it should work at a 30 to 60Hz display. However AMD would reccomend a 30 to 75Hz panel. But AMD reccomends 2.5 times between the minimum and maximum. This is probably to give the system a bit of leeway in order to work more reliably.

[Doobeedoo]

Nice to see it on consumer laptops. Glad to see adaptive sync spreading and getting to be more common.

[linuxfan66]

I will be interested to see the practical results of this feature. Could be interesting.

[Prysin]

thinking about it. this would prolly be a nice thing for @Dabombinable as he seems to enjoy laptop gaming alot.