PC World - USA (2019-02)

(Antfer) #1
14 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2019

NEWS NVIDIA DRIVER UNLOCKS FREESYNC MONITOR


It’s not quite plug-and-play, though—at
least in most cases. The driver will
automatically enable variable refresh rates on
FreeSync displays that meet Nvidia’s strict
“G-Sync Compatible” requirements. Yours
probably doesn’t though; of the 400
Adaptive Sync monitors that Nvidia says it’s
tested, only 12—yes, 12—earned the
certification.
But fear not. If your FreeSync display
didn’t make the cut, you can still manually
enable Adaptive Sync support using the
Nvidia Control Panel. Make sure your
monitor’s variable refresh rate capabilities are
enabled using the display’s own controls,
then do the following:


  • Right-click on the Windows desktop and
    select Nvidia Control Panel.

  • Expand the Display section of the
    left-hand navigation pane and select Set
    Up G-Sync.

  • Check the Enable G-Sync, G-Sync
    Compatible box and select the Active Sync
    display you’d like to use if you have more
    than one monitor.

  • Check the Enable Settings For The
    Selected Display Model box

  • Click Apply in the bottom-right.
    “If the above isn’t available, or isn’t
    working, you may need to go to Manage
    3D Settings, click the Global tab, scroll
    down to Monitor Technology, select G-SYNC
    Compatible in the drop-down,
    and then click Apply,” Nvidia’s
    announcement (go.pcworld.
    com/sncm) post says.
    There are a few caveats.
    Even though AMD Radeon
    GPUs and some FreeSync
    monitors support Adaptive
    Sync over HDMI, Nvidia says
    you’ll need to connect your
    GeForce GPU to your FreeSync
    monitor using a DisplayPort
    cable to activate variable
    refresh rates. (G-Sync monitors
    only work over DisplayPort as
    well.) Update: Adaptive Sync is
    only being enabled on GTX
    10-series and RTX 20-series


Enabling variable refresh rates on a FreeSync monitor using
Nvidia Control Panel.
Free download pdf