G-Sync, the technology that promises to eliminate screen tearing and stuttering in games, has long been a source of contention among gamers. While some swear by its smooth, fluid performance, others have been left feeling left out in the cold – especially those who’ve gone with AMD GPUs instead of NVIDIA. So, what’s the deal?
Can G-Sync work with an AMD GPU, or are you stuck staring at a jagged, stuttering mess? In this article, we’ll explore this age-old question and hopefully bring some much-needed levity to the situation. Put down the pitchforks and grab a laugh because it’s time to find out if G-Sync can play nice with AMD.
Here is the summary of our in-depth research:
G-Sync monitors don’t work with AMD GPUs because the module inside the monitor is incompatible with anything other than Nvidia GPUs. However, G-Sync Compatible monitors work just fine with any GPU, including AMD.
“Wait, what? I don’t understand”.
Don’t worry, we will explain everything you need to know about this. Let’s dive right in!
Does G-Sync work with AMD GPU?
Well, the short answer is no, G-Sync does not work with AMD GPUs.
Just to clarify something. When I say G-Sync only, I mean on native G-Sync with a chip inside the monitor, NOT G-Sync Compatible.
But let’s paint a picture for you. Imagine you have a G-Sync monitor (native), all set up and ready to go, but when you plug in your trusty AMD GPU, it’s like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. It just doesn’t work!
The monitor is looking at the GPU like, “Hey buddy, where’s the NVIDIA logo?”
Meanwhile, the GPU is saying, “What do you mean, G? I’ve never even heard of it.”
And so, they both just kind of sit there, confused and lonely, like two ships passing in the night. But don’t worry, there are a bunch of other ways to enjoy a smooth gaming experience with an AMD GPU!
Before NVIDIA enabled Adaptive-Sync with their graphics cards via a driver update in January 2019, you could only get a variable refresh rate on a native G-SYNC monitor if you had an NVIDIA GPU. However, things changed.
Now let’s clear the confusion about G-Sync terminology.
G-Sync vs G-Sync Compatible
G-Sync is adaptive sync technology developed by NVIDIA that eliminates screen tearing and stuttering in gaming monitors by synchronizing the refresh rate of the monitor with the GPU’s render rate.
G-Sync Compatible is a newer Nvidia certification program that certifies gaming monitors compatible with Adaptive Sync, the open standard developed by VESA that allows for adaptive sync via DisplayPort. Monitors that pass Nvidia tests for compatibility with the Adaptive Sync standard can be used with NVIDIA GPUs to enjoy variable refresh rate (VRR) gaming without screen tearing or stuttering.
In summary, G-Sync is a proprietary technology from NVIDIA, while G-Sync Compatible refers to monitors that are compatible with the Adaptive Sync standard and can work with NVIDIA GPUs to provide VRR gaming.
You set it and forget it with a true G-sync module. Regardless of the FPS, the panel will work at the best setting with a good balance of low ghosting and no overshoot artifacts. To avoid overshooting when using G-sync Compatible monitors, you must manually set your monitor trace or panel overdrive to a specific Hz.
Assume you play Overwatch or BFV in ultra 2K or 4K resolution. When you set G-sync on a G-sync module, the monitor will give you smooth ghosting without tearing or overshooting at +200FPS. When you switch to RDR2 or BFV, which runs at a lower 60 to 80 Hz, the G-sync module will auto-set your monitor to keep a clean, smooth image representation.
While both aim to eliminate tearing and sync your game with your monitor, in high-demand games, a hardware module is always preferable.
The difference is only noticeable at low refresh rates. Monitors that are G-Sync compatible have a variable effective range. You won’t notice any difference within the range, but outside of it, the real G-Sync monitor will continue to work, but the Free Sync monitor will stop varying the refresh rate. In some cases, Free Sync monitors have a fairly high starting point (40 FPS or higher), which could be an issue if you’re trying to play 4K games and it drops below the Free Sync range.
If you want to read more about this, make sure to check Do I Need V-Sync On With G-Sync? (It Depends)
| G-Sync | G-Sync Compatible | |
| Technology | Adaptive Sync Standard | Proprietary Hardware |
| Nvidia GPU Requirement | GTX 1050 or higher | GTX 650 Ti Boost or Higher |
| G-Sync Activation | On by default | On by default |
On Nvidia’s official site, you can find the list of all G-Sync and G-Sync compatible monitors.
As we can see,
Enabling G-Sync Compatible
- Under Display in the NVIDIA Control Panel navigation tree pane, click Set up G-SYNC to open the associated page.
- If it is not already checked, select the Enable G-SYNC/G-SYNC Compatible check box.
- Depending on your system and the programs you intend to run, choose Full-screen mode or Windowed and full-screen mode.
Select the Full-screen mode if your system has trouble using G-SYNC with windowed applications, but you still want to use G-SYNC with full-screen applications.
Select Windowed and full-screen mode if you wish to use G-Sync in windowed apps.
- Select a display-specific application of G-SYNC settings.
- To enable G-SYNC, follow the instructions on the rest of the page.
As the primary display, ensure that you have a G-SYNC-capable or G-SYNC Compatible display connected, enabled, and configured.
From the Manage 3D Settings page, make sure Monitor Technology is set to G-SYNC/G-SYNC Compatible.
Does G-Sync Compatible work better with Nvidia GPU?
From what we were able to understand, no.
Regarding variable refresh rate features like Freesync and G-sync Compatible, your GPU choice won’t matter in most cases. More and more monitors support the universal Adaptive Sync feature, and new generation G-sync works with both Nvidia and AMD GPUs.
Remember, G-Sync Compatible is actually a Free Sync monitor.