Need explanation about Hz and screen tearing

[ronv1125]

So i finally ordered my new PC and it's on its way !/
specs are i5 8400, gtx1060, 16gbram.
But i still have not decided about a new monitor because theres something that confuses me
I'm probably gonna go for the AOC G2460VQ6
Which has 75Hz and freesync(which is irrelevant because im gonna be using nvidia)
So :
1-What if i use 75Hz refresh rate and my game puts out more than 75 fps?
2-And what if it puts out less than 75fps?
3-Which scenario does screan tearing happen and i'm gonna need to use v-sync?
4-What if i get 55 fps on ultra, then changes the game settings to something lower to get 75+fps
So quality reduces but because it reaches the refresh rate, game is alot smoother?

Sorry for the basic questions, it's kinda frustrating me...

 

[J_E_D_70]

1.and 2. Tearing happens *any* time the fps is different than refresh rate regardless of which is the higher one.

3. Don’t use vsync - there is added input lag and your fps can swing a lot as it tries to hit the full or half refresh rate.

4. Ideally you’d adjust settings such that you’re rendering frames above the refresh rate and set Fast Sync in nVidia Control Panel so that it always has a full buffer and no tearing.

Then again, some folks don’t notice tearing anyway so might not be a problem.

 

[n0ns3ns3]

it's a bit more complicated then you think.
when frame produced by GPU sent to the monitor, monitor starts to draw that frame.
If a new frame is sent to monitor while previous frame drawing is not complete, the monitor will draw the rest of the image from the new frame.
So you endup with image on monitor made of 2 (or more) frames. That's what is called screen tearing.
as you can guess, it can happen in both scenarios FPS > monitor Hz and Monitor Hz > FPS.
How noticeable the screen tearing totally depends on the difference between the frames that were drawn together.
Usually, with higher FPS and refresh rate, it is much less noticeable.
Some monitors have less screen tearing then others.

Regarding FPS and game settings, there are some settings that do almost nothing (visually) while significantly tasking the GPU.
Lowering AA or shadow quality just a bit from the max can be visually unnoticeable while gaining quite a few FPS.

 

[ronv1125]

1.and 2. Tearing happens *any* time the fps is different than refresh rate regardless of which is the higher one.

3. Don’t use vsync - there is added input lag and your fps can swing a lot as it tries to hit the full or half refresh rate.

4. Ideally you’d adjust settings such that you’re rendering frames above the refresh rate and set Fast Sync in nVidia Control Panel so that it always has a full buffer and no tearing.

Then again, some folks don’t notice tearing anyway so might not be a problem.

it's a bit more complicated then you think.
when frame produced by GPU sent to the monitor, monitor starts to draw that frame.
If a new frame is sent to monitor while previous frame drawing is not complete, the monitor will draw the rest of the image from the new frame.
So you endup with image on monitor made of 2 (or more) frames. That's what is called screen tearing.
as you can guess, it can happen in both scenarios FPS > monitor Hz and Monitor Hz > FPS.
How noticeable the screen tearing totally depends on the difference between the frames that were drawn together.
Usually, with higher FPS and refresh rate, it is much less noticeable.
Some monitors have less screen tearing then others.

Regarding FPS and game settings, there are some settings that do almost nothing (visually) while significantly tasking the GPU.
Lowering AA or shadow quality just a bit from the max can be visually unnoticeable while gaining quite a few FPS.

So Basically, taking into account my pc specs and monitor i mentioned,
All i have to do is enable vertical sync to "fast" on all applications, then adjust the specific game im playing to produce 75+ fps, And in that way i won't have screan tearing and will experience smooth 75hz gaming?

 

[Solandri]

Tearing can also happen when monitor Hz = FPS. For there to be no tearing, the monitor refresh has to happen at the exact moment the GPU finishes drawing a complete frame. So even if you were somehow able to lock a game's FPS to match your monitor refresh rate, you'd still need some way to synchronize the two so they happen at the same instant. Otherwise you'd still get tearing.

Synchronizing the two is exactly what vsynch and the newer gsync and (to a lesser extent) freesync monitors do.

• 
  ■In vsync, the completed frame is copied to a new memory buffer. The monitor refresh draws the screen based on this buffer rather than the one the GPU is being drawn into. This introduces a slight variable lag (time between when the frame is copied to this second buffer, and when the monitor displays it). So the faster your FPS, the less lag. If your FPS is much higher than your monitor's refresh rate, you're not gonna notice vsync being turned on except for maybe an occasional slight judder.
  ■Gsync and freesync synchronize by adjusting monitor's refresh interval. The monitor will refresh only when the GPU finishes drawing a frame, even if this results in an uneven refresh rate.

Tearing is pretty dependent on the individual. Different people are more sensitive to it. If you can see it and it bugs you, I would go out of the way to get a gsync monitor (if you're using an Nvidia GPU) or freesynch monitor (if using an AMD GPU). Vsync will work too, but gsync and freesync are a much more comprehensive solution to the problem without the drawbacks of vsync.

All i have to do is enable vertical sync to "fast" on all applications, then adjust the specific game im playing to produce 75+ fps, And in that way i won't have screan tearing and will experience smooth 75hz gaming?

Not necessarily. The problem is FPS isn't constant. When the game runs into a more complex scene, FPS will drop. In your case, if it drops below 75 FPS, vsync will cause one frame to be drawn for two monitor refreshes (2/75 sec). That will create judder - a slight jerkiness to any motion. Without vsync, you'd get a partial new screen, which helps maintain the illusion of motion without judder. With gsync/freesync, the monitor would refresh slightly slower than 1/75 sec, rather than the 2/75 sec of vsync.

 

[ronv1125]

Tearing can also happen when monitor Hz = FPS. For there to be no tearing, the monitor refresh has to happen at the exact moment the GPU finishes drawing a complete frame. So even if you were somehow able to lock a game's FPS to match your monitor refresh rate, you'd still need some way to synchronize the two so they happen at the same instant. Otherwise you'd still get tearing.

Synchronizing the two is exactly what vsynch and the newer gsync and (to a lesser extent) freesync monitors do.

• 
  ■In vsync, the completed frame is copied to a new memory buffer. The monitor refresh draws the screen based on this buffer rather than the one the GPU is being drawn into. This introduces a slight variable lag (time between when the frame is copied to this second buffer, and when the monitor displays it). So the faster your FPS, the less lag. If your FPS is much higher than your monitor's refresh rate, you're not gonna notice vsync being turned on except for maybe an occasional slight judder.
  ■Gsync and freesync synchronize by adjusting monitor's refresh interval. The monitor will refresh only when the GPU finishes drawing a frame, even if this results in an uneven refresh rate.

Tearing is pretty dependent on the individual. Different people are more sensitive to it. If you can see it and it bugs you, I would go out of the way to get a gsync monitor (if you're using an Nvidia GPU) or freesynch monitor (if using an AMD GPU). Vsync will work too, but gsync and freesync are a much more comprehensive solution to the problem without the drawbacks of vsync.

All i have to do is enable vertical sync to "fast" on all applications, then adjust the specific game im playing to produce 75+ fps, And in that way i won't have screan tearing and will experience smooth 75hz gaming?

Not necessarily. The problem is FPS isn't constant. When the game runs into a more complex scene, FPS will drop. In your case, if it drops below 75 FPS, vsync will cause one frame to be drawn for two monitor refreshes (2/75 sec). That will create judder - a slight jerkiness to any motion. Without vsync, you'd get a partial new screen, which helps maintain the illusion of motion without judder. With gsync/freesync, the monitor would refresh slightly slower than 1/75 sec, rather than the 2/75 sec of vsync.

Thank you for long explanation,
So it is safe to say screen tearing actually happends to eveyrone all the time, just depends on it's sevirity and the users sensitivty to it. and the only actual way to overcome somehow is with an expensive g-sync ;P

 

[Phobos9703]

So i finally ordered my new PC and it's on its way !/
specs are i5 8400, gtx1060, 16gbram.
But i still have not decided about a new monitor because theres something that confuses me
I'm probably gonna go for the AOC G2460VQ6
Which has 75Hz and freesync(which is irrelevant because im gonna be using nvidia)
So :
1-What if i use 75Hz refresh rate and my game puts out more than 75 fps?
2-And what if it puts out less than 75fps?
3-Which scenario does screan tearing happen and i'm gonna need to use v-sync?
4-What if i get 55 fps on ultra, then changes the game settings to something lower to get 75+fps
So quality reduces but because it reaches the refresh rate, game is alot smoother?

Sorry for the basic questions, it's kinda frustrating me...

1)Wrong monitor option there, you got gtx1060 so you need Gsynch not freesynch.You said irrelevant but otherwise you wont enjoy your more Hz's.

2)V-sync is bad!

3)get a gsynch monitor with 144Hz even if you have to get a smaller one.