What is VSync in gaming settings and when do you need to enable it?
All or most video games have an option in the video settings menus called Vsync and many people wonder what Vsync is in game settings and when do I need to enable it. In this guide we will tell you all about Vsync and when you might need to enable it.
Vsync technology
VSync is an abbreviation for Vertical synchronization. This technology is closely related to the graphics card and displays, and is responsible for synchronizing the screen refresh rate with the frame rates produced by the graphics card to provide a consistent visual experience free of screen tearing or stuttering. For example, if you have purchased one of the best computer monitors for 2024 that operates at a refresh rate of 120Hz or 144Hz, when you activate Vsync technology from the game settings, the graphics card will begin to limit the frame rate production speed to equal the same refresh rate speed to be 120FPS or 144FPS.
Why you might need to enable Vsync is the most important question. When there is a discrepancy or mismatch between the refresh rates of the monitor and the frame rates produced by the graphics card, the game may start experiencing a phenomenon known as “screen tearing.” This phenomenon is an update due to the graphics card processing different parts of the image frames and trying to display them with the same screen as the current frames.
In simpler terms, the graphics card starts processing frames from the next scenes and trying to display them in the same scenes as the current ones, of course, assuming that the graphics card is capable of processing more frames than the refresh rate of the monitor. Then you will start to notice inconsistencies in the game image and diagonal lines appearing horizontally across the screen from the top or middle.
■ What is Vsync technology also known as vertical sync?
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| Everything you need to know about Vsync in gaming |
We'll try to simplify it a bit more to explain what VSync is and when you need to enable it. Simply put, let's say your monitor is running at a 120Hz refresh rate, but you have a graphics card that can produce 150 frames per second in a game. Then, the graphics card will start displaying frames from the next scenes within the same scenes that are currently on the screen. These extra frames appear as horizontal diagonal lines across the screen.
This is where Vsync comes in. When enabled, it tells your graphics card not to process or display the next frame during the current screen refresh cycle. That way, if your monitor refresh rate is 120Hz, when Vsync is enabled, your graphics card should only produce 120 frames per second. The same goes for a monitor with a refresh rate of 60Hz, 144Hz, etc.
However, this also means that enabling Vsync causes lower frame rates, but it does give the graphics card a better chance of working in better temperature conditions because the card no longer has to work at its maximum capacity as it is not forced to produce the maximum frame rate per second.
In other words, if your card is capable of producing 200 frames on a 120Hz monitor and the card reaches a temperature of 70C, then enabling Vsync to produce only 120 frames per second will drop the card temperature to 65C for example because it is no longer forced to work at its maximum capacity. This is a great feature and gives you a great visual experience and combats image tearing on the one hand, but on the other hand it helps reduce the effort and stress on the graphics card because it is no longer forced to work at its maximum capacity.
However, there are some instances where you should avoid enabling Vsync. These instances are when it becomes clear that your graphics card is not capable of producing a frame rate that matches the refresh rate of your monitor. For example, if your monitor is running at a 120Hz refresh rate, but your graphics card is only capable of producing 90 frames in a particular game, you should not enable Vsync, because whenever the frame rates drop below the monitor’s refresh rate, you will experience stuttering and a lag in the game for about two seconds.
■ So what is the solution?
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| The benefit of vsync technology in games |
The solution is Adaptive Sync, which avoids the problems of Vsync that occur when frame rates are not synchronized with refresh rates. The goal of adaptive Sync is to match or adapt the synchronization between frame rates and the refresh rates of the monitor. For example, if your graphics card is capable of producing 100 frames per second with a certain game, this technology will adapt the refresh rates of the monitor to run at 100Hz to match and synchronize them.
This automatic synchronization has two benefits: on the one hand, the image tearing issue that occurs when frame rates are higher than refresh rates is addressed, but on the other hand, the stuttering and performance lag issue that occurs when frame rates are lower than refresh rates is addressed.
■ What is Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)?
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| Benefits of variable refresh rates (vrr) in gaming monitors |
You've probably heard of Variable Refresh Rate technology, also known as VRR, which stands for Variable Refresh Rate. It's found in some TVs, and in computer monitors that support AMD FreeSync or NVIDIA G-Sync .
VRR dynamically changes refresh rates to match the same number and frame rates that the monitor is producing. In short, it’s the best of both worlds. To explain its benefits, let’s break down the problem from the beginning again. If the monitor’s refresh rates are not in sync with the frame rates that the monitor is producing, image tearing will occur. If we enable Vsync, this will result in frame rates being held back and some stuttering and performance lag will occur whenever the frame rates drop below the monitor’s refresh rates.
So, the best solution to address both issues is Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) technology which automatically changes the display’s refresh rates to sync with the same frame rates that the monitor is producing. This way, you won’t experience tearing, you won’t have to lock your frame rates to low levels, or experience stuttering and lag in your game performance when frame rates drop.
Some users prefer to enable Vsync with VRR if they have very powerful graphics cards capable of producing very high frame rates compared to the refresh rates of the monitor. But if it is the opposite, meaning that if your card is weak and unable to produce a frame rate equivalent to the same refresh rates of the monitor that supports VRR, then you should make sure that your monitor supports LFC technology known as Low Frame Compensation, which is unfortunately a rare feature and not available in all monitors.
■ When exactly do you need to enable Vsync?
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What is v-sync and when do you need to enable it? |
Whether or not VSync is enabled depends on many things. You should try the game yourself. If you start noticing tearing in the form of diagonal lines across the screen from the top to the middle or inconsistency in the image and visual experience. Then, you should enable Vsync. But if we assume that your graphics card will not be able to produce enough frame rates that are equivalent to the refresh rates of the monitor, then you should not enable Vsync because in some scenes you will experience tearing and performance lag.
Fortunately, most monitors now have variable refresh rate technologies that have addressed the shortcomings of Vsync. However, if you don’t have one, you shouldn’t bother enabling this technology for first-person shooters, real-time multiplayer online strategy games, or eSports games.
The reason for this is that enabling Vsync with these types of games will cause input lag, which hardcore gamers don’t like. But for story and single player games, you can try enabling it with them. In any case, you can experiment with enabling or disabling the technology to see for yourself what works best for each game.
In conclusion, this is all in detail about Vsync technology and when you need to enable or disable it inside the video settings in the game menus. It can be a very useful technology for people who have 60Hz refresh rate monitors and mid-range graphics cards because it will be very useful for them in this case. But if you are a fan of online multiplayer games, you should take care of the availability of VRR technology in your monitor to avoid all Vsync errors.