AMD Announces FreeSync 2.0 with enhanced features

JonasBeckman

2017-01-03 15:05

Interesting, borderless (windowed too?) support is going to be nice and that HDR technology might help with I'm guessing latency? Well it's nice to see them improving the FreeSync implementation in both software and hardware. 🙂 (Or well I guess both are kinda needed really or it wouldn't work at all.) EDIT: Ah so some of this will require compatibility from the actual software too and not just the driver. (That Deus Ex Mankind Divided slide for example about LFC and then a little corner note on how the game doesn't support LFC currently, well I guess that explains all the activity the game is seeing on Steam currently with daily updates to the various Q&A and development branches, heh.)

#5377657

rm082e

2017-01-03 15:20

Doesn't seem to address the biggest issue: the framerate window where FreeSync actually works. In a lot of monitors, it was topping out around 75hz, meanwhile G-Sync has worked up to 144hz since the beginning. People who really care about adaptive refresh rates want to have that work up to the full limit of their GPUs, rather than being bottlenecked by their monitor. Maybe I missed it, or it's just something that will be discovered when people start testing out FS 2.0 monitors, but this update doesn't seem to address that issue.

#5377670

Han2K

2017-01-03 16:01

Doesn't seem to address the biggest issue: the framerate window where FreeSync actually works. In a lot of monitors, it was topping out around 75hz, meanwhile G-Sync has worked up to 144hz since the beginning. People who really care about adaptive refresh rates want to have that work up to the full limit of their GPUs, rather than being bottlenecked by their monitor. Maybe I missed it, or it's just something that will be discovered when people start testing out FS 2.0 monitors, but this update doesn't seem to address that issue.

I got a massive downvote in r/nvidia for making the same complaint about Freesync :3eyes:

#5377671

Dekaohtoura

2017-01-03 16:02

FreeSync range has improved significantly via the latest (over 6mo actually) drivers. My XF270HU has a range of 40-144 and it's supported day-one (own it since Dec 2015). Other monitors have seen improvements (both low and high limit) as well.

#5377674

Corbus

2017-01-03 16:03

Sorry, i can't read the article now, i'm at work, do you need a freesync 2 capable monitor, or does it work with freesync monitors too?

#5377678

Denial

2017-01-03 16:10

Sorry, i can't read the article now, i'm at work, do you need a freesync 2 capable monitor, or does it work with freesync monitors too?

It's an extension for HDR - it really doesn't have much to do with Freesync although they are branding it under that badge. The borderless stuff is already supported by Freesync 1 monitors. Basically if your monitor doesn't support HDR, this doesn't effect you - its for new displays with HDR support that are probably going to be announced over the next several days at CES.

Doesn't seem to address the biggest issue: the framerate window where FreeSync actually works. In a lot of monitors, it was topping out around 75hz, meanwhile G-Sync has worked up to 144hz since the beginning. People who really care about adaptive refresh rates want to have that work up to the full limit of their GPUs, rather than being bottlenecked by their monitor. Maybe I missed it, or it's just something that will be discovered when people start testing out FS 2.0 monitors, but this update doesn't seem to address that issue.

I got a massive downvote in r/nvidia for making the same complaint about Freesync :3eyes:

I've made posts about this on /r/nvidia and /r/amd and got upvotes on both - so if anything its probably the way you worded your post. Either way AMD is stepping up the requirements for Freesync certification - the "Sync" range should be improving on newer monitors and more consistent in general - LFC mentioned in the article is actually part of this. I do agree though that it was a problem and still kind of is - Dell for example is selling a brand new Freesync branded monitor that doesn't even support the frame doubling feature (LFC) and the window ends at 45Hz. Hopefully the new certification will end these types of monitors.

#5377680

malitze

2017-01-03 16:17

FreeSync range has improved significantly via the latest (over 6mo actually) drivers. My XF270HU has a range of 40-144 and it's supported day-one (own it since Dec 2015). Other monitors have seen improvements (both low and high limit) as well.

Yeah, same here with the MG278Q. I think mitigating the lower limit is a great improvement.

#5377682

Agonist

2017-01-03 16:19

It's an extension for HDR - it really doesn't have much to do with Freesync although they are branding it under that badge. The borderless stuff is already supported by Freesync 1 monitors. Basically if your monitor doesn't support HDR, this doesn't effect you - its for new displays with HDR support that are probably going to be announced over the next several days at CES.

All I cared about was getting borderless freesync support. It worked with my 290x on relive drivers but we all know the mess that relive drivers are with 290(x). So I ordered a R9 Fury Nitro for $248 USD and gonna use that while I save up for Vega.

#5377688

EdInk

2017-01-03 16:34

I don't quite get this LFC. Any game/title that consistently dips into the high 30's (FPS) needs optimization or perhaps lower image Q to hit the ideal refresh rate of 60Hz and let freesync do its stuff.

#5377694

sverek

2017-01-03 16:42

I got a massive downvote in r/nvidia for making the same complaint about Freesync :3eyes:

People will downvote what they don't want to hear.

#5377697

Abc666

2017-01-03 16:45

So what monitors support freesync 2.0 ? Etc the new samsungs cf791 ? All sounds good, and the route is much better than what nvidia has for us with its anti consumer strategy.

#5377703

JonasBeckman

2017-01-03 16:57

At a guess once the CES 2017 event starts in a few days they'll probably have more info such as initial partnerships and examples / showcases about specific monitor models using the new 2.0 HDR functionality. (And hopefully something about the Vega GPU and Zen CPU line too but that's a different subject.)

#5377724

bemaniac

2017-01-03 17:34

So.............when do we get Windows 10 desktop in HDR?

#5377727

craycray

2017-01-03 17:35

Doesn't seem to address the biggest issue: the framerate window where FreeSync actually works. In a lot of monitors, it was topping out around 75hz, meanwhile G-Sync has worked up to 144hz since the beginning. People who really care about adaptive refresh rates want to have that work up to the full limit of their GPUs, rather than being bottlenecked by their monitor. Maybe I missed it, or it's just something that will be discovered when people start testing out FS 2.0 monitors, but this update doesn't seem to address that issue.

I am sorry, what are you talking about? I have had 144Hz limit on my 27" FreeSync BenQ since day 1, (which was in 2015). I switched my card to NVidia later on, but that is beyond the point 🙂.

#5377748

schmidtbag

2017-01-03 18:16

As a Linux user, I'm like "wait what's so special about fullscreen borderless mode?" *presses alt+F11* It kind of surprises me Windows has gone this long without having that as a built-in feature.

#5377768

Xendance

2017-01-03 18:56

As a Linux user, I'm like "wait what's so special about fullscreen borderless mode?" *presses alt+F11* It kind of surprises me Windows has gone this long without having that as a built-in feature.

It has been up to the games devs to use the windows API so that their games would run in borderless windowed mode. I mean, even browsers have supported that for ages 😉 Vsync on the other hand has been forced by the OS since in windowed mode the desktop has to be composited with the game view and this is where freesync hasn't worked.

#5377774

schmidtbag

2017-01-03 19:04

It has been up to the games devs to use the windows API so that their games would run in borderless windowed mode. I mean, even browsers have supported that for ages 😉

But that's exactly what I'm talking about - in Linux, you don't have to follow any API. You can make any program (not just web browsers) run in borderless fullscreen mode, whether that be your file browser, an office suite, or games, all using the same universal shortcut (which you can change). In some cases, you can even do borderless windowed mode, but as you can imagine, the benefits of that are a lot fewer.

#5377777

Denial

2017-01-03 19:15

But that's exactly what I'm talking about - in Linux, you don't have to follow any API. You can make any program (not just web browsers) run in borderless fullscreen mode, whether that be your file browser, an office suite, or games, all using the same universal shortcut (which you can change).

What does that have to do with synchronizing the refresh rate of that app with the monitor? AFAIK Freesync isn't yet supported in Linux and even when the updated driver hits, Mir was the only display manager that is set to support it - but I haven't really read anything about it since October. As far as Windows borderless/border support, in Win32 the application was required to render the "non-client" area - so devs had the choice to enable borderless or run it in full screen. In modern windows apps (UWP) it's the same as linux, the display manager controls it.

#5377780

schmidtbag

2017-01-03 19:24

What does that have to do with synchronizing the refresh rate of that app with the monitor? AFAIK Freesync isn't yet supported in Linux and even when the updated driver hits, Mir was the only display manager that is set to support it - but I haven't really read anything about it since October.

Not sure I understand. I wasn't implying or referring to refresh rates. Anyway, Freesync 1.0 is supported in the AMDGPU-PRO 16.50 driver.

As far as Windows borderless/border support, in Win32 the application was required to render the "non-client" area - so devs had the choice to enable borderless or run it in full screen. In modern windows apps (UWP) it's the same as linux, the display manager controls it.

Understood - that's what I find confusing. Windows' display manager doesn't give you control over this, but Linux's does, regardless of application.

#5377790

WhiteLightning

Moderator

2017-01-03 19:39

I really hope this HDR really takes off on PC. Ive seen Tombraider on PS4 with HDR and it was mindblowing