AMD Launches ‘FreeSync’, First Supported Radeon Driver & Display Hit The Web

It might have taken a little while, but the first NVIDIA G-SYNC competitor is here – and who else to be behind it than AMD? Leveraging adaptive sync abilities made possible by the DisplayPort 1.2a spec, AMD’s ‘FreeSync’ shares the same goals as NVIDIA’s G-SYNC: Reducing (or removing) tearing, freeing you from a locked framerate, and improving input performance.

AMD touts FreeSync as being “free” or “open”, although at this time, it does require a Radeon graphics card to take advantage of, as AMD’s drivers will be what enable the feature. Is the FreeSync implementation as good? That’s something I should be able to find out first-hand in the coming weeks.

If you haven’t been following FreeSync’s development, or are not familiar with NVIDIA’s G-SYNC, I’d recommend you check out my look at ASUS’ ROG SWIFT PG278Q, and in particular, it’s ‘G-SYNC: What It Is & Why It’s Worth It’ section. In gist, it improves upon running a game with or without Vsync, by removing tearing and providing a much smoother result on the screen. As I mentioned in the above-mentioned review, adaptive sync is a feature I personally no longer want to be without – once you use it, especially for a while, the problem of not having it becomes very noticeable (something I experience every time I benchmark a GPU).

At the moment, I can only find one FreeSync monitor available for sale, BenQ’s $630 XL2730Z. It’s a 27-inch offering that supports a resolution of 1440p at 144Hz. Like the ASUS ROG SWIFT, it uses a TN panel, but unlike the ROG SWIFT, it offers more than just a single DisplayPort connector. This to me is notable, because while you’ll be required to use DisplayPort for adaptive sync, you’ll be able to make use of the other connectors (DVI, HDMI, VGA) for other things (personally, I like to have an available HDMI port for the sake of hooking up my NVIDIA SHIELD direct to the monitor – something I can’t do on the ROG SWIFT).

BenQ’s XL2730Z FreeSync Monitor

All of the launching FreeSync monitors look good, but one that really catches my eye is the ultra-wide LG 34UM67. It’s a 34-inch IPS monitor that sports a resolution of 2560×1080. Yes – the pixel width will be less ideal compared to the other monitors, but you do gain a wider perspective (which tempts me, as for gaming, it meets in the middle of a single big monitor and multi-monitor). This monitor is set to sell for $650.

LG’s 34UM67 FreeSync Monitor

Perhaps the most popular FreeSync choice will be Acer’s XG270HU, which seems to be spec’d identically to the BenQ mentioned above, but will cost $100 less ($499).

Acer’s XG270HU FreeSync Monitor

AMD has told me that we can expect a FreeSync monitor to hit our lab soon, so as soon as we’re able to relay some personal experience, we’ll do just that. Until then, let’s hope it doesn’t take too much longer for all of the launch FreeSync monitors to hit e-tail.