A discussion about Vsync & how it affects your gaming?

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Do you play your games with Vsync enabled or disabled

  • Play games with Vsync disabled

    Votes: 34 52.3%
  • Play games with Vsync enabled

    Votes: 31 47.7%

  • Total voters
    65



So, if you enable triple buffering in the Nvidia Control Panel, it doesn't really work? I am pretty sure I noticed a difference in performance when I did enable it... but, maybe it was in my head.

Also, in World of Warcraft, which is a Direct3D game, one of the options is to enable triple buffering (when you have vsync on). That leads me to believe that Triple Buffering+Vsync is in fact something that Direct 3D can do.

So, that tweak you have, it won't work for an 8600?
 


Anti-Aliasing smooths out the edges of lines, Vsync limits the framerate so that you have one frame displayed each time your monitor refreshes. V-Sync off gets you more frames, but since your monitor can't even display that many frames it is useless if you aren't just benchmarking. V-Sync on can help get rid of some screen tearing that happens when the video cards displays frames faster then your monitor can refresh.
 


Its engine dependant. Alot of engines dont support tripple buffering and it will basicly do nothing for you. Actualy I do not believe any new engine supports it currently.
 
I prefer to use Vsync, but it really depends on how many fps a particular game is running at. If it's running slower than 60 fps I turn it off and deal with the tearing.
 


Again, as I said earlier, World of Warcraft (for example) has an option to turn triple buffering on in the in game settings. It is a Direct3D game as well.
 
I recently tried Vsync with my new comp, and I have to say that playing without screen-tearing is a wonderful thing. Everything seems pretty smooth to me also, so I will be using Vsync forever now :)

For my sytem though if Vsync is on, the fps goes straight to 30 if I use 4x AA and the fps drops below 60. With 2x AA and Vsync, the fps drops steadily if it ever goes below 60. I think this happens for me with AA settings that are multiples of 4 or something. I don't exactly remember what is was, but Vsync and 2x AA does the trick for me.
 
when a visible line goes down your screen, the part under the line isnt aligned with the part above...

so if you looked right 5 pixels then your top part of the screen would change to that view, with a line moving down the screen as the bottom part of the screen catches up....

i just thought why i might never notice it anymore... could it be that im using an lcd.
 
I like Vsync turned ON.

But we should demand a better solution!

LCD screens refresh rate should be variable on
future gaming edition of the monitor.

The old phosphor CRT pretty much had to
have a constant 60Hz as image would fade
away if not updated before that.

So demand that NVIDIA and AMD work with
major LCD manufactures to come up with a
solution where video card and monitor actually
talks to each other.
 
It seems like there could be a better solution, but it is almost like reinventing the wheel. It works as is, vsync is the solution to screen tearing. Not to say I would want to see a solution as well, it is just a bigger undertaking than you make it out to be.
 
A lot of this is down to trial and error with experimenting setting up your hardware. Normally unless some part of the system is just too weak or too powerful you can get a balance. That's why you can set game specific profiles in third party apps like ATT. You can also force triple buffering using ATT. Sorry but i have no knowledge as far as Nvidia cards go, but would thing similar tweaks are available.
Mactronix
 
AF is Anisotropic Filtering some times referred to as Aniso in reviews as its name suggests its one of many types of filtering techniques available to users of graphics card to increase the image quality of the rendered image. Very basically it reads and averages texture samples and kind of smooths things off in to the distance by covering irregular shapes with clear textures.
You could probably find a more in depth explanation that would cover the other options by running a Google search. I am more than willing to answer any more questions you have but it will have to wait until morning as i am going out soon.
mactronix :)
 
I vote for Vsync on almost all the time in my case. My big problem is that it seems without it on I get the tearing effect, most notable on corners of buildings etc. It drives my crazy and I turn Vsync on and it's great. I really got fed up when I got my new 24" monitor and my nice 8800GT...I was playing portal which is a very "boxy" themed game, so lot's of corners etc. I turned it on and like magic it went away. From that point on I tested all my games that allow vsync and turned it on. And again the tearing went away. I don't see a reason not to have it on unless obviously you aren't getting the tearing effect.
 
I didn't know what the hel it was for lol. I have a pretty pimped out machine so, I'm guessing this would help as I'm sure mine can push harder then my 24" Sync master. I will have to give this a go in COD4.
 
I think I have only noticed tearing when a game goes into video mode or whatever.. ya know.. when it does a movie or something about the story... ya i dont even know what that is called.. err.. CUT SCENE yeah thats it.. when it goes to a cut scenen then i notice the tear.. but never in any games.. actually now taht I think of it.. I see it alot watching mid quality movies... But like said before.. I am far too envolved in killing people to notive if it tears every once in a while...
 


Not my screenshot, but Halo CE has terrible tearing issues on the mac version with v-sync off(from playing it on my school's computer club's mac mini) and this screenshot from a google search reminds me perfectly of it. Tearing isn't always this bad, it can be a bit less pronounced.

tearing-halo-1.jpg