In those good old days, when the owners of personal computers actively used huge CRT monitors, earning astigmatism for themselves, there was no question of the smoothness of the image. The then technologies did not really support 3D. Therefore, poor users had to be content with what happened. But time goes on, technology develops, and many are no longer satisfied with frame break (tearing) in a dynamic game. This is especially true of the so-called cyber-athletes. In their case, fractions of a second are everything. How to be
Progress does not stand still. Therefore, what previously seemed impossible can now be taken for granted. The same situation with the image quality on the computer. Manufacturers of video cards and other components for PCs are now working hard on the problem of poor-quality image output to monitors. And I must say that they have already moved quite far. Only a little remains, and the image on the monitor will become perfect. But this is all a digression. Let's get back to our main topic.
A bit of history
Many manufacturers of video cards and monitors actively tried to overcome tearing and improve the image. What they didn’t invent: they increased the “hertziness” of the monitor, turned on V-Sync. Nothing helped. And one fine day, the well-known manufacturer of video cards NVIDIA presents G-Sync technology, with which you can achieve "unreal" smoothness of the image without any artifacts. It seems to be good, but there is one small but very serious “but”. To use this option, monitors with G-Sync support are needed. I had to work hard for the manufacturers of monitors and “throw” a couple of dozen models onto the market. What's next? Let's look at the technology and try to figure out if it is so good.
What is G-Sync?
G-Sync - NVIDIA's digital signal output technology. It is characterized by a smooth change of personnel without any artifacts. There are no image breaks, no slowdowns. For the adequate operation of this technology, a rather powerful computer is required, since a rather large processor power is needed to process a digital signal. That is why only new NVIDIA graphics cards are equipped with technology. In addition, G-Sync is a proprietary feature of NVIDIA, so nothing shines for owners of video cards from other manufacturers.
In addition to a powerful PC, a G-Sync monitor is required. The fact is that such monitors are equipped with a board with a digital signal converter. Owners of conventional monitors will not be able to take advantage of this amazing option. It is unfair, of course, but such is the policy of modern manufacturers - to pump out as much money as possible from a poor user. If the configuration of your PC allows you to use G-Sync, and the monitor miraculously supports this option, then you can fully appreciate all the charms of this technology.
How G-Sync Works
Let's try to simplify the principle of operation of G-Sync. The fact is that a regular GPU (video card) simply sends a digital signal to the monitor, but does not count with its frequency. That is why the signal when displayed on the screen is "torn". The signal coming from the GPU is interrupted by the frequency of the monitor and looks ugly in the final version. Even with the V-Sync option turned on.
When using the G-Sync GPU itself adjusts the frequency of the monitor. That is why the signals reach the matrix when it is really needed. Thanks to this, it is possible to avoid image gaps and increase the smoothness of the picture as a whole. Since conventional monitors do not allow the GPU to control themselves, a G-Sync monitor was invented, in which a frequency regulating board from NVIDIA was introduced. Therefore, the use of conventional monitors is not possible.
Monitors supporting this technology
Gone are the days when users killed their eyesight for hours looking at ancient CRT monitors. The current models are distinguished by elegance and harmlessness. So why not add some new technology to them? The first monitor with NVIDIA G-Sync support and 4K resolution was released by Acer. Novelty made a splash.
High-quality monitors with G-Sync are still quite rare. But the manufacturers have plans to make these devices standard. Most likely, in five years, monitors with support for this technology will become a standard solution even for an office PC. In the meantime, it remains only to glance at these new products and wait for their widespread distribution. It is then that they will become cheaper.
After that, monitors with G-Sync support began to rivet everyone who is not lazy. There are even budget models with this technology. Although what is the use of this technology on a budget screen with a bad matrix? But be that as it may, such models do occur. The best option for this option is a 144 Hz monitor (G-Sync will work at full strength on it).
Best monitors with G-Sync
Monitors with G-Sync technology stand out in a special line of devices. They must have the characteristics necessary for the full operation of this option. It is clear that not all screens will cope with this task. Already, several leaders have been identified for the production of such monitors. Their models were very successful.
For example, the monitor ASUS RoG Swift PG348Q G-Sync belongs to the bright representatives of this line. This device belongs to the premium class. Why? Judge for yourself. The diagonal of the screen is 34 inches, the resolution is 4K, the contrast is 1: 1000, 100 Hz, the response time of the matrix is 5 ms. In addition, the screen is curved. Many would like to get this “monster" for themselves. It is clear that he will cheerfully cope with G-Sync technology. He has no analogues yet. You can safely call it the best in its class and not be mistaken.
In general, ASUS G-Sync monitors are now on top of Olympus. No manufacturer has yet been able to surpass this company. And it is unlikely to ever succeed. ASUS can be called a pioneer in this regard. Their monitors supporting G-Sync fly like hot cakes.
The future of G-Sync
Now G-Sync technology is actively trying to introduce into laptops. Some manufacturers even released a pair of such models. Moreover, they can work without a G-Sync board in the monitor. Which is understandable. Still, the laptop has several other design features. There is enough video card with support for this technology.
It is likely that soon NVIDIA G-Sync will take a fair place in the computer industry. Monitors with this technology should be cheaper. In the end, this option should become universally available. Otherwise, what's the point in developing it? In any case, so far everything is not so rosy. There are some problems implementing G-Sync.
In the future, G-Sync technology will become the same everyday thing that the VGA port for connecting the monitor used to be for us. But all kinds of “vertical synchronization” against the background of this technology look like a blatant anachronism. Not only can these obsolete technologies not provide satisfactory picture quality, they also “eat” a considerable amount of system resources. Definitely, with the advent of G-Sync, their place in the trash of history.
Reviews
According to experts, the effect that G-Sync produces is very difficult to describe in words. This is just from the category “it is better to see once”. But, judging by the reviews, using this technology, the smoothness of the picture is noticeable even with the naked eye. Of course, gamers are happy with this innovation. Some may not understand how to find out if the monitor supports G-Sync. Usually this is written on the monitor itself or noted in the accompanying documentation.
Most of the reviews about the new technology are purely positive. Some are not happy with just the high cost of the new kit. But it has always been and always will be. And there’s no getting around it. To see the price drop for this technology, you need to wait until NVIDIA G-Sync becomes a mass product. And you need at least a couple of years for this.
Alternative technology
In parallel with the G-Sync project, another way to solve video output problems is developing. It was developed by the notorious AMD company. It is called FreeSync and, unlike G-Sync, does not need any additional payment in the monitor. That is, the G-Sync monitor is completely unnecessary. Everything you need is already installed in the mini Display Port connector. The main advantage of this technology is that AMD does not hide its achievements, and anyone can use and modify FreeSync. AMD clearly aimed at mass.
But NVIDIA does not suffer from such altruism. Not only is the technology proprietary, but for it you still have to dump a considerable amount. The offer from AMD in this regard looks somehow prettier. Moreover, the technical results are completely identical. But who will win this fight will be seen a little later.
G-Sync Issues
What new development without problems? This does not happen. So G-Sync is not so rosy. So far, only one serious problem is known in this technology. Namely: the G-Sync adapter does not work adequately at high frequencies. And this also applies to high-frequency monitors, and the work of the GPU itself at higher frequencies.
Now the company is trying in every way to rectify the situation. So far, attempts are being made to fix the bug programmatically using driver edits. If this does not help, the company will proceed to modify the hardware of the adapter. Perhaps the G-Sync monitor itself is to blame. Since the technology has not yet been thoroughly studied, it is difficult to say what caused this problem. But NVIDIA will handle this, as always.
Summary
NVIDIA G-Sync technology definitely has a future. It will be popular with avid players and those who love high-quality images. Despite the efforts of competitors to create something similar, we can safely say that NVIDIA is a cut above them, as it does everything qualitatively. Better expensive, but better than cheaper and clumsy. While G-Sync is not a very common technology, but after five years, every computer will use it. Therefore, it is worth thinking about how to modify your PC right now and be among the “pioneers”. Of course, this will require considerable financial costs, but if you are a true connoisseur of high-quality images on your computer, then for you the game is worth the candle.