Best G-Sync settings for single player games

[whosnick]

Hi all,

When reading through the Blurbusters "G-SYNC 101" and looking at all the comparison charts, I get the impression that the guide was written with mainly one thing in mind: Archiving the lowest latency possible (i.e., for competitive gaming).

I now wonder if any sacrifices were made regarding motion smoothness to archive the lowest latency.

Suppose I am a non-competitive gamer that does not care much about low latency (besides setting the TV to game mode). Are there any settings I can deactivate to get the smoothest G-Sync possible, ignoring any impacts on latency?

So can I leave the frame rate uncapped, turn off Nvidia low latency mode and Reflex, and stuff like that to get a better motion fluidity?

I am asking because, with your settings, my G-Sync for framerates around 55 - 70 never feel as smooth in games (when turning around with the controller) as they do with vsync 60 G-Sync off or in the Pendulum demo, which is perfect even when I let framerates fluctuate between the whole spectrum (30 - 120 FPS).

My Nvidia settings are:
4k 120
G-Sync on Windows + Fullscreen
V Sync on
Low Latency on
Frame rate cap 117

In-game

V Sync off
Reflex on (if applicable)

[jorimt]

Are there any settings I can deactivate to get the smoothest G-Sync possible, ignoring any impacts on latency?

Like what?

Base operational G-SYNC settings are merely comprised of:

1. G-SYNC fullscreen and/or borderless mode.
2. V-SYNC on or off with G-SYNC enabled.

So can I leave the frame rate uncapped, turn off Nvidia low latency mode and Reflex, and stuff like that to get a better motion fluidity?

For G-SYNC to function, the framerate must remain within the refresh rate at all times, so an uncapped framerate that can be sustain at or above the refresh rate 99% or more of the time = not G-SYNC, at which point it might as well be disabled.

As for settings like LLM and Reflex, those are secondary to G-SYNC operation and can be on/off based on preference/situation.

I am asking because, with your settings, my G-Sync for framerates around 55 - 70 never feel as smooth in games (when turning around with the controller) as they do with vsync 60 G-Sync off or in the Pendulum demo, which is perfect even when I let framerates fluctuate between the whole spectrum (30 - 120 FPS).

Your scenario descriptions aren't very clear.

Are you saying 60 FPS 60Hz standalone V-SYNC is smoother for you than 55-70 FPS 120Hz G-SYNC, or?

Because with G-SYNC, frametime performance is what determines how "smooth" things feel, since G-SYNC effectively becomes a 1:1 mirror of system performance, and will show any system-side fluctuations as-is, just without tearing.

Think of G-SYNC as tear-free V-SYNC off, since all it is responsible for is dynamically steering the tearline off-screen.

[whosnick]

Thanks for you quick and informative answer!

Are you saying 60 FPS 60Hz standalone V-SYNC is smoother for you than 55-70 FPS 120Hz G-SYNC, or?

Yes that is what I mean.

Because with G-SYNC, frametime performance is what determines how "smooth" things feel, since G-SYNC effectively becomes a 1:1 mirror of system performance, and will show any system-side fluctuations as-is, just without tearing.

Yeah that is probably it. So for single player games 60 Hz Vsync without Gsync might be best when you can ensure frame rate is always above 60.
My dilemma is that IF it goes below 60 it is very noticeable and annoying with Vsync without Gsync.

I have tried capping framerate at 60 with Gsync but it is still not as smooth as standalone Vsync. Could this be?

[jorimt]

My dilemma is that IF it goes below 60 it is very noticeable and annoying with Vsync without Gsync.

That's one of the very reasons G-SYNC was created. So, ironically, what you're asking for in that scenario is G-SYNC...so long as it isn't G-SYNC

I have tried capping framerate at 60 with Gsync but it is still not as smooth as standalone Vsync. Could this be?

What is your display model? I assume since it's 4k 120Hz, it's an LG OLED TV (C1, etc).

And what games are you trying to cap at 60 FPS with G-SYNC that you're experiencing your issues in? Because you want 60 FPS 120Hz for G-SYNC, not 60 FPS 60Hz, which you should only use for standalone V-SYNC (and technically with a decimal level FPS limit to avoid standard V-SYNC lag).

[whosnick]

What is your display model? I assume since it's 4k 120Hz, it's an LG OLED TV (C1, etc).

It is a Samsung TV with "Freesync Ultimate" support. So it is "Gsync compatible" but not certified.

I love the concept of Gsync / Freesync / VRR in theory, but I am not sure how smooth it actually is supposed to look like in-game since I do not have access to another compatible monitor / TV.

My options for gaming are:

120 HZ Gsync: This would be my preferable mode because it has LFC, and even 40 FPS look smooth. I was thinking about still locking the framerate around 60 for lower noise/thermals/watts and still enjoy the lower Gsync minimum due to LFC.

60 HZ Gsync: Here LFC does not work, and the Gsync minimum is 48hz in theory, but doing tests with the Pendulum demo, it actually starts to break up at 50 FPS/HZ, so 51 FPS is the lowest I can go.

In either mode, setting a frame cap induces stutter. For example:

Vsync only @ 60 HZ: Perfectly smooth if FPS above 60, under 60, unbearable stutter
Gsync (+Vsync) @ 60 HZ with no cap: Perfectly smooth if FPS above 60, noticeable stutter 59-51 FPS, under 51 FPS unbearable stutter
Gsync (+Vsync) @ 60 HZ with 57 FPS cap: Never smooth, noticeable stutter 58-51 FPS, under 51 FPS unbearable stutter
Gsync (+Vsync) @ 60 HZ with no cap: Perfectly smooth if FPS above 60, noticeable stutter 59-51 FPS, under 51 FPS, unbearable stutter
Gsync (+Vsync) @ 120 HZ with no cap: Perfectly smooth if FPS above 120 (almost never in modern games), noticeable stutter 119-30 FPS
Gsync (+Vsync) @ 120 HZ with 117 or less cap: Never smooth, noticeable stutter 117-30 FPS

So as you can see, while Gsync is smoother than just VSYNC when falling under native refresh (meaning it works), it is, in my opinion, far away from vsynced 60 in terms of fluidity.

I wonder if this is a problem with my TV or if this is normal GSYNC/VRR/Freesync behavior. Tempted to buy a cheap 1080p 144 hz Gsnc certified monitor just to try this out so that I can rest assured.

[jorimt]

What is your display model? I assume since it's 4k 120Hz, it's an LG OLED TV (C1, etc).

It is a Samsung TV with "Freesync Ultimate" support. So it is "Gsync compatible" but not certified.

Ah, never mind then. Generic TV VRR implementation is spotty, at best. I can't guarantee or predict any behaviors reliably there.

VRR is VRR, but not all VRR "capable" displays are created equally; once official/unofficial "G-SYNC Compatible" became a thing, consistency went down the drain. Wild west.

120 HZ Gsync: This would be my preferable mode because it has LFC, and even 40 FPS look smooth. I was thinking about still locking the framerate around 60 for lower noise/thermals/watts and still enjoy the lower Gsync minimum due to LFC.

60 HZ Gsync: Here LFC does not work, and the Gsync minimum is 48hz in theory, but doing tests with the Pendulum demo, it actually starts to break up at 50 FPS/HZ, so 51 FPS is the lowest I can go.

As I mentioned earlier, your first scenario is correct, your second is incorrect; you shouldn't even attempt to use a 120Hz monitor at 60Hz with VRR, especially one with unofficial G-SYNC/limited LFC support.

I.E. the physical refresh rate should not be reduced to match a desired max framerate with VRR, as it will only shrink your VRR range, potentially trigger LFC limitations on lesser VRR-capable displays, and slow frame delivery (increasing latency at the same framerates), regardless of achievable framerate.

Always use a framerate limit to reduce variable refresh "rate" instead. x FPS @max Hz, not x FPS @lower-than-max Hz.

60 FPS 120Hz VRR should look/feel virtually identical to 60 FPS 60Hz standalone V-SYNC, just with much less latency and it won't cause stutter if the framerate drops below it.

If you're experiencing otherwise, again, it's probably a VRR performance limitation on your particular display.

[EstherMaxwell]

Any update?

[EstherMaxwell]

Seems no

[RealNC]

Seems no

Update to what?

[Monsterasar]

Try leaving the frame rate uncapped. This can help your games feel smoother, especially in the 55-70 FPS range. Turning off Nvidia low latency mode and Reflex could also contribute to better motion fluidity.