Question DisplayPort and freesync with nvidia (I have used the search bar)

swangjang

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Aug 30, 2014
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Thank you in advance for your time.

I have GTX 1070 and want to get a freesync monitor.
Gsync monitors are insanely overpriced and it's virtually impossible to get an AMD card in my country (NZ).
I am stuck with NVIDIA card and freesync monitor.

My questions are as follows:

Question 1.
I've read that for NVIDIA card to work with freesync, it requires display port version 1.2a or above.
However, all freesync monitors (within my budget of 200USD/300NZD) state display port version 1.2.
None of them states 1.2a or 1.4.
Does this mean that I can't use adaptive sync with any of these monitors?

Question 2.
I've read that freesync can be used with display port <-> hdmi adapter.
GTX 1070 has display port 1.4.
So can I connect a freesync monitor as [ GPU DisplayPort out -> DisplayPort to HDMI adapter -> Monitor HDMI in ] ?

Question 3.
Why do all recent monitors still use display port version 1.2?
Version 1.2 was introduced in 2010.
Version 1.2a was 2013.
Version 1.4 was 2016.
Q3 A) We are now in 2019 and all "budget" gaming monitors still use the 2010 standard of version 1.2. WHY?
Q3 B) The Viewsonic VX2458 was released in late 2018 with display port version 1.2. It's still 5 years from when version 1.2a was introduced and 2 years from version 1.4 but why is this "new release" monitor still 1.2?
Q3 C) Why can't manufacturers all use the latest version 1.4? Does it cost them so much that it's not worth putting in 1.4 instead of 1.2?
 
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I wouldn't worry about DisplayPort versions. This website contains G-Sync compatible monitors. Checking most of them, even the more expensive ones, all so far have a DP version 1.2. I would not however, use a DisplayPort to HDMI cable. I am pretty sure that won't work as G-Sync only works on DisplayPort.

Check this website for G-Sync compatible Freesync monitors: https://www.windowscentral.com/list-all-nvidia-g-sync-compatible-freesync-monitors
 
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Thank you in advance for your time.

I have GTX 1070 and want to get a freesync monitor.
Gsync monitors are insanely overpriced and it's virtually impossible to get an AMD card in my country (NZ).
I am stuck with NVIDIA card and freesync monitor.

My questions are as follows:

Question 1.
I've read that for NVIDIA card to work with freesync, it requires display port version 1.2a or above.
However, all freesync monitors (within my budget of 200USD/300NZD) state display port version 1.2.
None of them states 1.2a or 1.4.
Does this mean that I can't use adaptive sync with any of these monitors?

Question 2.
I've read that freesync can be used with display port <-> hdmi adapter.
GTX 1070 has display port 1.4.
So can I connect a freesync monitor as [ GPU DisplayPort out -> DisplayPort to HDMI adapter -> Monitor HDMI in ] ?

Question 3.
Why do all recent monitors still use display port version 1.2?
Version 1.2 was introduced in 2010.
Version 1.2a was 2013.
Version 1.4 was 2016.
Q3 A) We are now in 2019 and all "budget" gaming monitors still use the 2010 standard of version 1.2. WHY?
Q3 B) The Viewsonic VX2458 was released in late 2018 with display port version 1.2. It's still 5 years from when version 1.2a was introduced and 2 years from version 1.4 but why is this "new release" monitor still 1.2?
Q3 C) Why can't manufacturers all use the latest version 1.4? Does it cost them so much that it's not worth putting in 1.4 instead of 1.2?
1.2a is part of the 1.2 family, nobody really cares about labelling interim versions, it's all just "version 1.2".

No, NVIDIA does not support the FreeSync over HDMI protocol that enables FreeSync to work over HDMI. I'm not sure that FreeSync itself will work through an adapter either.

Bear in mind that hardware doesn't really have a "DisplayPort version"; that's just a convenient description we use to say, approximately, what capabilities the device supports. But it's not a technical specification, and the feature set a device supports will almost never perfectly line up with any particular version.

For example a device may support the HDR standards introduced in DP 1.4, but only supports bandwidth up to HBR2 speed (like DP 1.2), and doesn't support some feature or other introduced in DP 1.1. What "version" is it? Is it DP 1.4, because it supports HDR? Or is it DP 1.0, because it is missing features introduced in 1.1? Well, neither... it's a DisplayPort device that supports X, Y, and Z, and doesn't support A, B, and C. That's the true description of the device. "Versions" are just used as a convenient approximate shorthand; in this case most manufacturers would call that a "DP 1.2" device, because it only supports HBR2 bandwidth, which a lot of people consider as the "main" defining feature. So despite the fact that people say "Aha, that monitor says it has DP 1.2, that must mean it doesn't support HDR, because that requires DP 1.4!" Well, not always the case :) Version number labeling is a bit fuzzy.
 
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swangjang

Reputable
Aug 30, 2014
13
0
4,510
I wouldn't worry about DisplayPort versions. This website contains G-Sync compatible monitors. Checking most of them, even the more expensive ones, all so far have a DP version 1.2. I would not however, use a DisplayPort to HDMI cable. I am pretty sure that won't work as G-Sync only works on DisplayPort.

Check this website for G-Sync compatible Freesync monitors: https://www.windowscentral.com/list-all-nvidia-g-sync-compatible-freesync-monitors

Thank you for your information and the link however buying items from amazon worth 100USD+ is not very practical because if there is a fault, sending it back to amazon from nz would be quite expensive so it's better to buy it locally. However, the only 2 models on the list that is within my budget is not sold locally.
 

swangjang

Reputable
Aug 30, 2014
13
0
4,510
1.2a is part of the 1.2 family, nobody really cares about labelling interim versions, it's all just "version 1.2".

No, NVIDIA does not support the FreeSync over HDMI protocol that enables FreeSync to work over HDMI. I'm not sure that FreeSync itself will work through an adapter either.

Bear in mind that hardware doesn't really have a "DisplayPort version"; that's just a convenient description we use to say, approximately, what capabilities the device supports. But it's not a technical specification, and the feature set a device supports will almost never perfectly line up wit any particular version. For example a device may support the HDR standards introduced in DP 1.4, but only supports bandwidth up to HBR2 speed (like DP 1.2), and doesn't support some feature or other introduced in DP 1.1. What "version" is it? Is it DP 1.4, because it supports HDR? Or is it DP 1.0, because it is missing features introduced in 1.1? Well, neither... it's a DisplayPort device that supports X, Y, and Z, and doesn't support A, B, and C. That's the true description of the device. "Versions" are just used as a convenient approximate shorthand; in this case most manufacturers would call that a "DP 1.2" device, because it only supports HBR2 bandwidth, which a lot of people consider as the "main" defining feature. So despite the fact that people say "Aha, that monitor says it has DP 1.2, that must mean it doesn't support HDR, because that requires DP 1.4!" Well, not always the case :) Version number labeling is a bit fuzzy.

Thank you very much for your explanation. This pretty much solves my confusion.