PC World - USA (2019-02)

(Antfer) #1
FEBRUARY 2019 PCWorld 15

graphics cards as well, with no plans to
activate it in older GPUs.
And only Adaptive Sync displays certified
as “G-Sync Compatible” are guaranteed to
work well with Nvidia graphics cards. If you
try manually activating G-Sync on other
FreeSync monitors, “It may work, it may work
partly, or it may not work at all,” Nvidia says.
Unlike G-Sync displays, which are all fully
tested and certified by Nvidia, FreeSync
monitors are built around an open standard
with much less oversight.
Sometimes things can get ugly when you use
a GeForce GPU with a non-validated FreeSync
monitor (go.pcworld.com/nnfs), as you can see
in the video at go.pcworld.com/frvd.
Don’t expect such ghastly results with
most FreeSync monitors, though. The Nvidia
subreddit created a GeForce driver 417.


megathread and public Google spreadsheet
(go.pcworld.com/gf41) to crowdsource
compatibility details for FreeSync monitors.
Most work just fine. Don’t expect Nvidia to
bend over backward to support ones that
don’t, however—it’s still selling full-fledged
G-Sync displays, too. Nvidia maintains a
full list of G-Sync Compatible, G-Sync,
and G-Sync Ultimate displays (go.pcworld.
com/gsyn).
The Adaptive Sync driver wasn’t Nvidia’s
only CES debut. The GeForce RTX 2060
launched too, and it’s a great 1440p or
high-refresh rate 1080p graphics card that
brings ray tracing and other RTX technologies
to a much more palatable $350 price point.
Check out our GeForce RTX 2060 Founders
Edition review (go.pcworld.com/60fe) for
the full scoop.
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