Over the past few weeks we've been looking into and exploring the world of FreeSync ii. At present this isn't a new technology – information technology was appear at CES 2022 – just it's but now that we're starting to run across the FreeSync 2 ecosystem expand with new display options. Every bit HDR and wide-gamut monitors become more of a reality over the side by side twelvemonth, there'south no meliorate time to discuss FreeSync 2 than now.

And there'southward a fair fleck of confusion around what FreeSync 2 really is, how it functions, and how it differs from the original iteration of FreeSync.

This article will explore and explain FreeSync 2 as the engineering science currently stands, as it's a lilliputian different to the tech AMD announced more than a year ago. Our detailed impressions of using a FreeSync 2 monitor will come next calendar week.

What is FreeSync?

Hither's a quick refresher on the original FreeSync. The proper name FreeSync is a brand name that refers to AMD'south implementation of adaptive synchronization engineering science. It essentially allows a display to vary its refresh rate to friction match the return rate of a graphics processor, so that, for example, a game running at 54 FPS is displayed at 54 Hz, and when that games bumps upward to 63 FPS the display as well shifts to 63 Hz. This reduces stuttering and screen tearing compared to monitor operating at a fixed refresh rate, say 60 Hz, displaying a game running at an unmatched render rate similar 54 FPS.

FreeSync requires a few modifications to the display'due south internal controllers, and besides a compatible graphics processor, to function. Nvidia'south competing technology that achieves similar results, G-Sync, uses an expensive proprietary controller module. FreeSync is an open standard, and was adopted as the official VESA Adaptive Sync standard, so whatever brandish controller manufacturer can implement the technology.

The core technology of FreeSync is just this 1 feature: adaptive sync. Display manufacturers are able to integrate FreeSync into their displays through whatever means they like, provided it passes adaptive sync validation.

A monitor certified as FreeSync compatible only ways that monitor supports adaptive sync; at that place'southward no actress validation for screen quality or other features, so just because a monitor has a FreeSync logo on the box doesn't necessarily mean it'south a high quality production.

What is FreeSync 2?

And this is where FreeSync two comes in. It'south not a replacement to the original FreeSync, and it's not really a directly successor, and so the name 'FreeSync 2' is a flake misleading. What it does provide, though, are additional features on top of the original FreeSync feature prepare. Every FreeSync two monitor is validated to take these boosted features, so the idea is that a customer shopping for a gaming monitor can buy one with a FreeSync 2 badge knowing it's of a higher quality than standard FreeSync monitors.

Both FreeSync and FreeSync 2 will coexist in the market. While the naming scheme doesn't advise it, FreeSync 2 is effectively AMD'south brand for premium monitors validated to a higher standard, while FreeSync is the mainstream option.

Y'all're not getting old technology past purchasing a monitor with original FreeSync tech, in fact the way adaptive sync works in FreeSync and FreeSync 2 is identical. Instead, FreeSync monitors simply miss out on the more premium features offered through FreeSync 2.

What are these new features? Well, it breaks down into three main areas: high dynamic range, depression framerate compensation, and low latency.

FreeSync 2: High Dynamic Range

Let'south tackle HDR back up start. When AMD originally announced FreeSync 2 they went into detail on how their implementation of FreeSync 2 was going differ from a standard HDR pipeline. FreeSync two's HDR tone mapping was supposed to use scale and specification data sent from the monitor to the PC to simplify the tone mapping process.

The idea was the games themselves would tone map straight to what the display was capable of presenting, with the FreeSync 2 ship passing the information straight to the monitor without the need for farther processing on the monitor itself. This was in contrast to standard HDR tone mapping pipelines that see games tone map to an intermediary format before the display then figures out how to tone map it to its capabilities. Having the games do the majority of the HDR tone mapping work was supposed to reduce latency, which is an issue with HDR gaming.

That'due south how AMD detailed FreeSync 2's HDR implementation back at CES 2022. While information technology sounded nice in theory, 1 of the key issues raised at the time was that the games themselves had to tone map specifically to FreeSync two displays. This meant games would demand to integrate a FreeSync 2 API if this HDR implementation was e'er to succeed, and we all know how difficult it is to convince a game developer to integrate a niche engineering.

As FreeSync 2 stands correct now, that original HDR implementation isn't quite ready even so. AMD's website on FreeSync 2 simply lists the engineering equally including "back up for displaying HDR content," and at that place is no mention anywhere of FreeSync 2 supported games. And when you actually use a FreeSync ii monitor, HDR support relies entirely on Windows x's HDR implementation for now, which is improving slowly merely isn't at the same level AMD's original solution is ready to provide in an ideal environment.

The reason for this is FreeSync 2 support was only introduced in AMD'due south GPU Services 5.1.1 in September 2022, so game developers have only had the tools to implement FreeSync ii'south GPU-side tone mapping for a fleck over seven months now. Getting these sorts of technologies implemented in games can take a long fourth dimension, and right now there's no give-and-take on whether any currently released games have used AGS 5.i.1 in the evolution process.

One of the features AMD mentioned as part of their HDR implementation was automatic switching between HDR and SDR modes, so yous could game using the full HDR capabilities of your brandish while returning to a comfortable SDR for desktop apps. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be functional at the moment either, instead FreeSync 2 once over again makes use of Windows' standard HDR implementation that doesn't handle the HDR to SDR transition too well.

However, while the implementation might not exist anything special at the moment, FreeSync ii does guarantee several things relating to HDR. All FreeSync two monitors support HDR, and so you're guaranteed to become an HDR-capable monitor if information technology has a FreeSync 2 badge. FreeSync two also ensures you tin run both adaptive sync and HDR at the aforementioned time for an optimal gaming experience. And finally, AMD states that all FreeSync two monitors crave "twice the perceptual colour infinite of sRGB for better brightness and dissimilarity."

It's unclear exactly what AMD means by "twice the perceptual color space," but the thought is a FreeSync two monitor would support a larger-than-sRGB gamut and higher brightness than a basic gaming monitor.

And it does announced that AMD's FreeSync 2 validation process is looking for more than just a basic HDR implementation. Then far, every FreeSync ii monitor that'due south bachelor or has been announced meets at least the DisplayHDR 400 specification. This is a fairly weak HDR spec but we take seen some non-FreeSync 2 supposedly HDR-capable monitors fail to come across even the DisplayHDR 400 spec, so at least with FreeSync 2 you're getting a display that meets the new minimum manufacture standard for monitor HDR.

Of course, some monitors will exceed DisplayHDR 400, like the original set of Samsung FreeSync 2 monitors such as the CHG70 and CHG90; both of these displays meet the DisplayHDR 600 spec. Ideally I'd have liked to see FreeSync 2 stipulate a DisplayHDR 600 minimum, but 400 nits of peak brightness from DisplayHDR 400 should be fine for an entry-level HDR feel.

FreeSync two: Low Input Latency

The second master FreeSync 2 characteristic is reduced input latency, which we briefly touched on before. HDR processing pipelines have historically introduced a lot of input lag, peculiarly on the display side, all the same FreeSync two stipulates low latency processing for both SDR and HDR content. AMD hasn't published a specific metric they are targeting for input latency, still it'due south condom to say 50 to 100ms of lag like you might become with a standard HDR Goggle box would not be acceptable for a gaming monitor.

How FreeSync 2 is achieving low latency support in 2022 appears to be more on the display side than the original implementation announced at the kickoff of 2022.

As nosotros mentioned when discussing FreeSync ii'south HDR implementation, the original thought was to push button all tone mapping into the game engine to cut downward on display-side tone mapping, thereby reducing input latency every bit the display's slow processor wouldn't need to get involved equally much. As games haven't started supporting FreeSync 2 even so, today information technology seems this latency reduction is purely coming from better processing hardware in the display, for instance current Samsung FreeSync ii monitors include a 'depression latency' mode that is automatically enabled when FreeSync 2 is enabled.

FreeSync ii: Low Framerate Bounty

The last cardinal feature is low framerate compensation. This is a characteristic that goes hand-in-manus with adaptive sync, ensuring adaptive sync functions at every framerate from 0 FPS up to the maximum refresh charge per unit supported by the display.

There is one uncomplicated reason why we need low framerate compensation: displays can only vary their refresh rate within a certain window, for instance 48 to 144 Hz. If you wanted to run a game beneath the minimum supported refresh rate, say at 40 FPS when the minimum refresh is 48 Hz, normally you'd be stuck with standard screen violent or stuttering issues like yous'd get with a fixed refresh monitor. That's because the GPU's render charge per unit is out of sync with the display refresh rate.

Low framerate compensation, or LFC, extends the window in which you tin sync the return rate to the refresh rate using adaptive sync. When the framerate falls below the minimum refresh rate of the monitor, frames are but displayed multiple times and the display runs at a multiple of the required refresh rate.

In our previous example, to brandish xl FPS using LFC, every frame is doubled and and so this output is synced to the display running at 80 Hz. You can even run games at, say, 13 FPS and accept that synced to a refresh rate; in that case the monitor would run at 52 Hz (to exceed the 48 Hz minimum) and and so every frame would be displayed four times.

The end result is LFC finer removes the minimum refresh rate of adaptive sync displays, but for LFC to be supported, the monitor needs to have a maximum refresh rate that is at least double the minimum refresh rate. This is why not all FreeSync monitors support LFC; some come with just 48 to 75 Hz refresh windows, which doesn't encounter the criteria for LFC. However in the case of FreeSync ii, every monitor validated for this spec will support LFC and then you won't have to worry about the minimum refresh rate of the monitor.

Electric current FreeSync 2 Monitors

This wouldn't exist a look at FreeSync 2 in 2022 without exploring what FreeSync 2 monitors are actually available right now, and what monitors are coming.

Currently there are only iii FreeSync 2 monitors on the market, and all are from Samsung's Quantum Dot line-up: the C27HG70 and C32HG70 as 27- and 32-inch 1440p 144Hz monitors respectively, along with the stupidly wide C49HG90, a double-1080p 144Hz monitor. All 3 are DisplayHDR 600 certified.

Set up for release this year are several other options. We have the BenQ EX3203R, a 32-inch curved VA panel with a 1440p resolution and 144Hz refresh rate, certified for DisplayHDR 400. The AOC Agon AG322QC4 appears to use the aforementioned panel, and then it has the same specifications. Then there'due south the Philips 436M6VBPAB (seriously, who named that monitor) which is a 43-inch 4K 60Hz display sporting DisplayHDR 1000 certification.

The last thing I'll mention hither is GPU back up: FreeSync 2 requires an AMD graphics card as y'all might expect of an AMD applied science, and according to this listing, everything from AMD'due south RX 200 serial or newer with the exception of a few products is supported. At that place are as well a bunch of APUs with integrated graphics that work.

If you lot have an Nvidia GPU, FreeSync two monitors volition work, and you will get nigh of the benefits including support for HDR. What you lot won't become is adaptive sync support; if you want that, you'll demand to detect a monitor with Nvidia'south equivalent K-Sync HDR technology.

Adjacent week nosotros'll follow up with our easily-on impressions on FreeSync two monitors, thoughts on using FreeSync and what needs to exist improved.

Shopping Shortcuts:

  • Samsung C27HG70 on Amazon, Newegg, BestBuy
  • Samsung C32HG70 on Amazon, Newegg
  • Samsung C49HG90 on Amazon, Newegg, BestBuy