V-Sync Vs. G-sync/freesync

[DGB]

what is the difference between v-sync and g-sync/freesync? they both stop games from putting out more frames  than the monitor's refresh rate, so what is the difference that makes g-sync/freesync monitors more expensive?

[Technous285]

Basically;

V-Sync - Monitor: "You VILL push x fps, und ONLY x fps!"

G-sync/Freesync - GPU: "Monitor, bro, here's the current frame/s, adjust yourself if I'm not pushing your max framerate."

 

V-Sync kneecaps the output of the GPU by putting it in lockstep with the monitor's refresh rate, G-Sync/Freesync has gear in the monitor that lets it adjust the refresh rate according to what the GPU is able to push out.

[Enderman]

Vsync caps your fps at your monitor's refresh rate.

G/free sync changes your monitor's refresh rate when your fps is below 60Hz (or whatever the max is) to prevent screen tearing.

[DarkRift5]

Normal V-sync simply stops the GPU from rendering more than the screen's refresh rate. G-sync and freesync change the monitor's refresh rate to that of what's being sent to it, so it should theoretically never skip or lose a frame (stutter) due to a refresh rate/monitor issue. It also eliminates all tearing, just like V-sync, without the input lag you sometimes get with certain V-sync solutions.

G-sync/freesync monitors are more expensive for a few reasons-

1. Changing the refresh rate of a monitor is hard. It needs a special chip to do so, and this chip as far as I know can only be gotten from Nvidia or AMD- it's an opportunity for them to make money so G-sync modules especially are kind of more expensive than they need to be, although that seems like it's changing a little bit.

2. G-sync displays nearly always have high refresh rates (my G-sync display has 100Hz), which also adds to the cost

3. Finally, the monitor manufacturer knows that the average Joe Schmoe off the street just looking for a decent monitor isn't going to go for an expensive piece of tech with fancy refresh rate tech inside of said monitor- it's going to be the PC hardware enthusiasts or serious gamers that go for these machines, so they're usually very very nice to begin with.

[DGB]

Thanks for all the replies!

[StormEye]

One more thing to add to the upside of Frame Matching tech is that it has noticeably less input lag compared to v-sync. It is almost on par with not having anything on, and it is quite safe to use in competitive games without much risk of having disadvantage. Input lag issue from G & Free Sync only really starts to affect those that play at professional level.