Question Is Freesync worth it?

[Gosraj]

I'm building a new PC, and would like to use an AMD GPU so I can use Freesync. However, AMD GPUs seem to cost more despite being sometimes being less powerful? Is it worth it to use Freesync?

I'm choosing between an RTX2070 and the new Radeon VII for my GPU, with a 1080p 75fps monitor (haven't decided on one yet, mostly cause I can't find an actual LED monitor seemingly anywhere), which may seem like overkill but I wanna be set with my PC for a while without needing any upgrades. So I'm very clearly gonna be hitting higher fps than my monitor can put out, leading to tearing, so is it worth the extra ~$200 for the Freesync?

Also wasn't sure if displays was the best place to ask this but that's beside the point.

 

[Barty1884]

Nvidia GPUs can also use FreeSync (G-Sync can now work on FreeSync panels).

As for Freesync itself, or variable refresh rate technology in general..... As I understand it, it's similar to an SSD. Is it 'necessary'? No. But once you've used one/it, you really don't want to go back.


However, FreeSync rarely carries any noteworthy premium. True G-Sync panels, with G-Sync modules (+licensing) have an added cost that the consumer pays, but FreeSync shouldn't add much to the price of a comparable monitor.
A 1080p 75Hz panel?

1. Typically any 1080p >60Hz panel will have FreeSync (not all, I'm sure - but definitely more common to include than exclude) and are not >$200 more than non-FreeSync panels.
2. With a 2070 or VII, perhaps consider 1440p? 1440p, 144Hz with FreeSync can be had for as low as ~$270.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/b8VD4D,74c48d,QXTPxr/

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

It's all in the monitor now. Nvidia allows GTX 10 and RTX 20 series GPUs to use AMD FreeSync in compatible monitors. Cheap FreeSync monitors (and I mean super cheap) might not work at all as far as FreeSync goes.

Another thought, pairing the Radeon VII with a 1080p 75Hz monitor is not a good idea. That's a large waste on a GPU that will push higher frames than you can see on that monitor. Find a good quality FreeSync monitor for whatever GPU you decide on.

General rule I would say:

RTX 2060 and below - > 1080p 144Hz
RTX 2070/Radeon VII and up - > 1440p 144Hz

but of course you can cross the lines if you want. I would only go with a 1080p 75Hz if all I could afford was an RX 580 or GTX 1060.

 

[Gosraj]

Nvidia GPUs can also use FreeSync (G-Sync can now work on FreeSync panels).

As for Freesync itself, or variable refresh rate technology in general..... As I understand it, it's similar to an SSD. Is it 'necessary'? No. But once you've used one/it, you really don't want to go back.


However, FreeSync rarely carries any noteworthy premium. True G-Sync panels, with G-Sync modules (+licensing) have an added cost that the consumer pays, but FreeSync shouldn't add much to the price of a comparable monitor.
A 1080p 75Hz panel?

1. Typically any 1080p >60Hz panel will have FreeSync (not all, I'm sure - but definitely more common to include than exclude) and are not >$200 more than non-FreeSync panels.
2. With a 2070 or VII, perhaps consider 1440p? 1440p, 144Hz with FreeSync can be had for as low as ~$270.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/b8VD4D,74c48d,QXTPxr/

Yeah, like I said, I know that my GPU is more than I need, but I want to be able to play as many games for as long as I can at max settings and full 75fps. And even then some games struggle on like the 2070 (Like AC:O seems to hover around 60-70fps in 1080p like in this vid

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om3TedgyHZU
)

 

[Gosraj]

It's all in the monitor now. Nvidia allows GTX 10 and RTX 20 series GPUs to use AMD FreeSync in compatible monitors. Cheap FreeSync monitors (and I mean super cheap) might not work at all as far as FreeSync goes.

Another thought, pairing the Radeon VII with a 1080p 75Hz monitor is not a good idea. That's a large waste on a GPU that will push higher frames than you can see on that monitor. Find a good quality FreeSync monitor for whatever GPU you decide on.

General rule I would say:

RTX 2060 and below - > 1080p 144Hz
RTX 2070/Radeon VII and up - > 1440p 144Hz

but of course you can cross the lines if you want. I would only go with a 1080p 75Hz if all I could afford was an RX 580 or GTX 1060.

I know that some Freesync monitors work with NVIDIA GPU now, however the only ones that do are these like 30" 4k 144fps monitors that are WAY out of my budget

And like I said to Barty, I want to have all my games at max setting and 1080p 75fps for a long time so I don't have to worry about upgrading again any time soon

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

AC Odyssey is not optimized very well at all. Don't buy hardware based on that game alone. But I believe the Radeon VII will have very good longevity. I would rather pair it with a 1440p monitor though. I loved the move from 1080p to 1440p.

 

[Gosraj]

AC Odyssey is not optimized very well at all. Don't buy hardware based on that game alone. But I believe the Radeon VII will have very good longevity. I would rather pair it with a 1440p monitor though. I loved the move from 1080p to 1440p.

Yeah I know that it's not well optimized, which is why I want to be able to cover any game no matter how optimized it is. I don't want to get say a 2060 and have every game run fine except for two that run horribly

 

[Barty1884]

At Ultra settings 1080p, yes, 60-70FPS range. However, while these numbers are a little older, compare a 1080 at Ultra 1080p vs Ultra 1440p.
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Performance_Analysis/Assassins_Creed_Odyssey/4.html
~60FPS vs 50FPS despite ~doubling the number of pixels.

Dropping things like Shadows/Fog/AO to medium (or even low in some instanced) would drive those FPS numbers up substantially - Even a fairly poorly optimized title would be more than playable at 1440p with a 2070...

 

[Gosraj]

But then it also comes down to I don't want games that don't play in 1440p (like Switch and PS4) to be scaled poorly and whatnot, especially when the Switch struggles to keep even 1080

 

[Gosraj]

After looking a little deeper it definitely makes more sense to go for the Vega 64 over VII

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

That's probably not what I would have said.