AMD Vastly Improve Freesync Monitor Info Page

👤by Tim Harmer Comments 📅05.11.2017 23:45:11



FreeSync, AMD's implementation of the VESA Adaptive Sync specification for monitors, has been one of the most well-received technologies implemented by the Red Team in the past few years. We were lucky enough to have a preview of the technology prior to launch in 2015, and it's only become more widely adopted amongst monitor manufacturers since then. However it's fair to say that knowing the exact capabilities of any given FreeSync monitor has been a little tough to discern in the past.

AMD FreeSync isn't a blanket label of support for the suite of AMD technologies, but a minimum endorsement of support for Adaptive Sync with AMD GPUs released since 2013. Beyond that, FreeSync monitors can also support FreeSync over HDMI, FreeSync Low Framerate Compensation (LFC), and FreeSync 2 (LFC + HDR); it's a little bit of a minefield.

This week AMD have updated their official monitor support page, and it's now both easier to navigate and a touch more detailed in the information it presents. Over 200 monitors are now listed in a searchable database, from a diverse set of manufacturers including AOC, ASUS, BenQ and LG, as well as refresh rate operating ranges, resolution and LFC support. The listing can also be searched and filtered, allowing you to target just the monitor or manufacturer you're interested in.



The most important information listed is probably whether the monitor supports LFC. Support is dependent on the monitor's refresh rate range, and only possible if the maximum refresh rate is at least 2.5 times the minimum. A very important feature for gamers (it significantly improves the FreeSync experience at frame rates below the minimum range), LFC is often not explicitly acknowledged by manufacturers who sell primarily to businesses and mainstream consumers.

You can find the FreeSync Monitor page here, and a more detailed explanation of FreeSync here. If you're buying a new monitor and already own an AMD 200-series or newer GPU, we really would urge that you at least consider the technology.