Official Poll - PC Gamers Only: Do you play with Vsync on or off, and which games?

[LucaFire]

I keep it off.

 

[nokturrduk84]

Weird, I can't vote, but I'll state here: Vsync is always on in all my games. I hate screen tearing, plus I like playing on a fixed fps (60) & not above it. I even use vsync in CS GO.

 

[JHK655]

Personally, I play most games without V-sync. Accurate mouse movements are more important to me than screen tearing. V-sync is more about visual aesthetics and less about playing the game. I can deal with a certain amount of screen tearing as long as There is no delay in my mouse movements.

I only turn V-sync ON if the following conditions are met:
-Game is more suited to the use of a controller (Vs mouse/keyboard)
-Game is prone to drops below the monitor's refresh rate.
-Games that are more cinematic and require less mechanical skill.

Since my computer is pretty strong these days, I rarely have a problem keeping my FPS above 60. therefore I generally have no use for V-sync, seeing as V-sync is only necessary when your FPS drops below the monitor's refresh rate. And thanks to that, I only have tearing in certain poorly optimized games (Cough cough ArmA cough).

I do not like V-sync for the same reason I do not like Mouse acceleration. inaccurate, imprecise, and delayed inputs are really irritating to me.

 

[turbopixel]

Since my computer is pretty strong these days, I rarely have a problem keeping my FPS above 60. therefore I generally have no use for V-sync, seeing as V-sync is only necessary when your FPS drops below the monitor's refresh rate.

Its the other way round. VSync is used to limit the fps to 60 and not getting it above. If your pc can't deliver that fps to the monitors refresh rate, then you would have massive slowdowns, depending on the rate. Some games and monitors support 30 fps / Hz mode too. And if you get screen tearing, then this is not aesthetic only, as it can really destroy the gaming experience.

 

[Eggz]

I use Vsync whenever I keep the frame rate above 60 most of the time (to eliminate tearing); otherwise, I don't play the game. The only exception is when it causes problems (e.g. Assassin's Creed Black Flag). So that's functionally always (almost).

 

[mariogamer9]

Why would I play with vsync when a simple console command can lock the frames at 60 or 75?

 

[turbopixel]

mariogamer which console command is it and is it available with Linux systems?

 

[17seconds]

By locking the framerate, you're still not syncing the frames with the monitor. With VSync, syncing frames with the monitor is what eliminates screen tearing. Capping the frames only reduces GPU usage and may smooth out frame latency.
http://www.radeonpro.info/features/dynamic-frame-rate-control/

 

[imrazor]

Like some of the other posters here, I'm not seeing a "Vote" button so I'll answer with a post. I almost always use V-Sync. OTOH, I am *not* usually playing FPS games, so I don't need to extract every last ounce of performance from my GPU for a competitive advantage. I will say that tearing drives me absolutely nuts and I can't tolerate it at all.

 

[Mugglensu1984]

I put the "vsync option" in "nvidia control panel" to "adaptive"

 

[renz496]

Why would I play with vsync when a simple console command can lock the frames at 60 or 75?

because even when the frame rates below screen refresh rates tearing still happening. personally i'm quite sensitive to tearing. even a small one.

 

[skit75]

Why would I play with vsync when a simple console command can lock the frames at 60 or 75?

because even when the frame rates below screen refresh rates tearing still happening. personally i'm quite sensitive to tearing. even a small one.

And, once you see it, you can't stop seeing it. You become so sensitive to it that even the slightest tear becomes detectable AND predictable.

 

[-Fran-]

I use adaptive v-sync via RadeonPro with my 7970GE for all games. Since I have a 120Hz monitor and stay around 100FPS, v-sync is usually off I'd say.

Cheers!

 

[GObonzo]

if @ 1080p and the game has no frame cap: YES
if @ 1440p, 90% of the time: NO

on a 60Hz display everything i play at 1080p tears like crazy without it. when playing newer games at 1440p a lot of them sit between 50-60 fps, rarely going over the display refresh rate.

 

[GObonzo]

mariogamer which console command is it and is it available with Linux systems?

there is no universal console commands for games. that user must only play one game.

 

[ChronicleMe]

Whether to have VSync on or off is part of the tweaking process that I go through for each individual game. In general I believe in keeping VSync off in order to promote the highest level of performance, even on games that exceed 60 FPS (on my 60 Hz monitor). On some occasions, I try to limit that FPS with AdaptiveVSync, mainly as a means of limiting GPU usage and heat on a case by case basis.

A lot of people think that FPS over your monitor's refresh rate is worthless, but I adhere to the school of thought that higher FPS means more responsive controls. So the focus is on gaming performance in terms of responsiveness, not the quality of the image on screen. Sometimes, excessive screen tearing would be a consideration we well. Again, I don't blindly choose one over the other, but I play around with the settings and tweak things for the individual circumstance.

With an Nvidia card, the ability to use Adaptive VSync makes the choice a lot easier. You don't have to worry about performance and input lag with FPS below your monitor's refresh rate. So the focus is on affecting only performance when the game is generating more than, in my case 60 FPS. With an AMD card, the choice to use regular VSync is more consequential due to the potential to: 1) Cut your FPS in half, down to 30 FPS, and/or 2) Introduce input/mouse lag. AMD users need to pay special attention to these circumstances to ensure that they are not making things worse by using VSync.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/04/16/nvidia_adaptive_vsync_technology_review/#.VavqBPlVhBc

I am not sure what you are referring to regarding AMD. You have the option in AMD Catalyst Control Center to reduce your frame rate and vary it also. Not just restricted to 60fps etc. You can choose from 55fps and way up...

 

[alexandergc]

Can't find a way to vote, but here's my 2 cents.

Vsync OFF for almost everything, because I like to keep my graphics settings as high as possible while maintaining 45-70FPS in-game.
I also seem to be sensitive to any kind of latency, seeing as how even Vsync with a game that usually runs at >100FPS feels sluggish for me, so that affects my decision a lot.

Recently though, I've been taking advantage of Adaptive Vsync/Frame Rate Target. Works wonders for reducing power/heat while maintaining a pleasant gaming experience.

 

[Jonathanese]

I almost ALWAYS play with V-Sync on. Screen tearing makes the whole experience feel incredibly cheap. I consider it an artifact. A glitch.

If I am playing an FPS, I might use something like adaptive to reduce input lag, but I normally just lower my settings until I can stick to 60FPS the whole time.

But for slower-response games like RPGs or RTSs, it's usually V-Sync with triple buffering to prevent the whole 30-60 FPS jumps.

If it is a more hefty game, and it has motion blur, I usually just limit the frame rate to 30FPS to prevent stuttering. I sometimes use this on Assassin's Creed: Unity when I have TXAA enabled. The whole experience feels more solid and complete with these two in combination.

I'm on a STRIX 970 with 1550MHz core and 8000MHz vRAM. with a 3570K @ 4.5GHz and 16GB of 1600.

 

[17seconds]

Whether to have VSync on or off is part of the tweaking process that I go through for each individual game. In general I believe in keeping VSync off in order to promote the highest level of performance, even on games that exceed 60 FPS (on my 60 Hz monitor). On some occasions, I try to limit that FPS with AdaptiveVSync, mainly as a means of limiting GPU usage and heat on a case by case basis.

A lot of people think that FPS over your monitor's refresh rate is worthless, but I adhere to the school of thought that higher FPS means more responsive controls. So the focus is on gaming performance in terms of responsiveness, not the quality of the image on screen. Sometimes, excessive screen tearing would be a consideration we well. Again, I don't blindly choose one over the other, but I play around with the settings and tweak things for the individual circumstance.

With an Nvidia card, the ability to use Adaptive VSync makes the choice a lot easier. You don't have to worry about performance and input lag with FPS below your monitor's refresh rate. So the focus is on affecting only performance when the game is generating more than, in my case 60 FPS. With an AMD card, the choice to use regular VSync is more consequential due to the potential to: 1) Cut your FPS in half, down to 30 FPS, and/or 2) Introduce input/mouse lag. AMD users need to pay special attention to these circumstances to ensure that they are not making things worse by using VSync.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/04/16/nvidia_adaptive_vsync_technology_review/#.VavqBPlVhBc

I am not sure what you are referring to regarding AMD. You have the option in AMD Catalyst Control Center to reduce your frame rate and vary it also. Not just restricted to 60fps etc. You can choose from 55fps and way up...

What you are referring to is framerate control, not the same as VSync. Framerate control can still result in screen tearing as it doesn't sync the frames with the monitor.

Quote:
"DFC doesn’t remove screen tearing so if you want to avoid tearing, either turn V-sync always on in RadeonPro Tweaks tab or use your in-game v-sync option."
http://www.radeonpro.info/features/dynamic-frame-rate-control/

 

[wa1]

Well, usually I play either with Vsync ON or OFF, depend on the game itself and the capability of my system to play that game. I don't like pushing my machine too hard just for Vsync. Well, I am not that hardcore gamer, I just want to play any games and enjoy them.

 

[CelicaGT]

Vsync on, I hate screen tearing, and that noise my 970's blower makes at 100% load..

 

[_Bata_]

If i have my fps over 60, i would go for vsync. I really don't have any troubble playing at 60fps limited if tearing is going away, it's worth it.

 

[Ferrariassassin]

On because having constant screen tearing does not look to sexy in my opinion.

 

[turbopixel]

But VSync Off does not always lead to screen tearing. Activating Triple Buffering or so can eliminate screen tearing too. At least, in CS:GO with 120-250 fps I don't see any tearing. But I agree, in most games it will be seen. So VSync On at default and set it off on some games.

 

[fudgecakes99]

I'm actually going to have to recant my vote. Now that i have a 6700k. Whenever i play a game without v-sync no screen tearing. Ever. I guess the updates since nehalem have really improved a lot.