Are there any reasons to turn off vsync in games?

[kid41212003]

I don't see any point of turning this off.

Extra frames only waste system resources and power.

 

[NdMk2o1o]

I don't see any point of turning this off.

Extra frames only waste system resources and power.

The way I understand it, your GPU does not work any less when vsync is enabled its just that the display driver is forcing the fps to be locked at a constant 60fps.

There are numerous reasons for having it on or off, one being that if you dont always get 60fps it can have a negative effect, here this says it much better than me:

Enabling VSync tells your graphics card to synchronize its actions with your monitor. That means the graphics card is only allowed to swap its frame buffer and send a new frame to the monitor when the monitor says it is ready to repaint a new screen - i.e. during the VBI. Your graphics card and monitor do not have to be in sync; they can still operate properly when VSync is disabled, however when VSync is disabled, you can experience a phenomenon called Tearing in periods when your graphics card and monitor go out of sync, precisely because the graphics card and monitor are acting without regard for each other's limitations.

Source

 

[kid41212003]

According to EVGA Precision and GPU tools, gpu usage will not reach 100% with Vsync on.

 

[fenurch]

I tend to turn of V-sync in ever game as it locks your FPS to a certain number which in some cases could bring down your performance.

 

[NdMk2o1o]

According to EVGA Precision and GPU tools, gpu usage will not reach 100% with Vsync on.

Well try and find out and let us know if it does as I said its mostly preference though there are reasons to have it on and off, best leave it to let the program decide and switch it on/off in game if you like.

BTW, do you have your i7 underclocked? you really dont need all that power it only wastes extra system resources

 

[Melvis]

Vsync is there to prevent tearing in games, the only reason you would turn it off is if you cant keep above the 60FPS, because otherwise it will try its hardest to keep it at 60FPS but if ya hardware isn't up to the task then you will get alot of slow down/chogging, i never have it on unless i get a lot of tearing.

 

[REALIN]

60 FPS is not smooth enough in alot of games, thats why I need more then 60 fps. Mostly FPS-based games.

Edit: Forgot to say that I always keep v-sync off.

 

[t77snapshot]

I never once turned v-sync on I had no idea what it did, thanks for the info guys!

 

[Soylent Joe]

60 FPS is not smooth enough in alot of games, thats why I need more then 60 fps. Mostly FPS-based games.

Edit: Forgot to say that I always keep v-sync off.

Unless you're some sort of mutant, a constant 60fps is going to look exactly the same to your human eye as 100 or 150fps. This is old news.

The way I see it, if you're not getting any tearing at all, leave it off. If you're getting tearing, turn it on unless it lowers your performance to the point of unplayability. If it does, put up with the tearing.

 

[Kreij]

When playing Sacred 2 : Fallen Angel at 2560x1600 resolution I would experience some tearing with VSync off, but the game ran smooth. When I turned VSync on, the tearing was gone, but I would get occasional stuttering.
Dropping the res. to 1920x1200 eliminated both problems, but then I didn't have 2560x1600 bliss :/

I opted to live with the occasional tearing

 

[NdMk2o1o]

I tend to turn of V-sync in ever game as it locks your FPS to a certain number which in some cases could bring down your performance.

Most LCD's are 60hz so anything over 60fps is unnecessary as you wont even notice the difference, so no you dont really lose performance

 

[douglatins]

IN BC2, without vsync get 80-160 (at least used to with 5850 added), with it, 40-60

 

[kid41212003]

Well try and find out and let us know if it does as I said its mostly preference though there are reasons to have it on and off, best leave it to let the program decide and switch it on/off in game if you like.

BTW, do you have your i7 underclocked? you really dont need all that power it only wastes extra system resources

When I said "according", it meant that I have tried them myself using those programs.

I have all power saving options on with non-OC cpu.

I don't see the need of overclocking my CPU yet because all my games ran well above 60FPS.

 

[EastCoasthandle]

Some of us don't have or notice any tearing issues to warrant it's use. And as others pointed out they get a better gaming experience with it off. Here's the deal, if you notice no difference with it on or off then I really don't see the need to turn it on.

 

[erocker]

I never use V-Sync in FPS multiplayer games as it gives you mouse lag. Kill or be killed and with mouse lag you can end up with being killed. Otherwise I just leave it on. I don't understand why anyone with a GTX 480 would be concerned with resources and power.

 

[ShRoOmAlIsTiC]

I never use V-Sync in FPS multiplayer games as it gives you mouse lag. Kill or be killed and with mouse lag you can end up with being killed. Otherwise I just leave it on.

never thought about that, the only games I leave it off on are css and dirt2, everything else I leave it on. I get alot of tearing in almost every game I own.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

I too usually disable vsync unless I see a fair amount of tearing. Smooth gameplay is very, very important to me and vsync prevents that from happening in a lot of cases.

 

[Kreij]

Same here. I can live with a little tearing, but stuttering drives me nuts.

 

[newconroer]

A healthy system with relative tier components (meaning strong GPU, RAM and CPU working together) should not suffer noticeably if Vsync is on, but you're not achieving 60fps consistently.

It depends more on the software's engine.

You are right, running 120fps constantly will draw more power and 'waste' frames, though the % is negligible.

A smarter solution would be to lower your GPU clocks. Use a low clock profile for general Windows use and non demanding games, and then a high/standard clock profile for taxing 3d software.

 

[Champ]

I've never had a setup where I could disable it, but with todays cards, 60fps should be easy to hold at almost any resolution.

 

[RoutedScripter]

Just knowing what monitor HZ actually means , debunks one of the most massivest noob facts and discussions ever, "FPS bragging" , it doesn't matter at all over 75 FPS , it's fast enough for your eyes and topping the most popular hz of 75 in LCD desktop monitors , I know what you're thinking but FPS dependant physics engine are really a history now , so that's out, where's that important is good ol COD2 and surprisingly a lot of people are still playing it , it actually surpassed CODMW2 on xfire.

So like nvidia's +10% FPS edge didn't got anything significant improvement and meaning to it , oh except 60% of people believing those things and of course the overclockers.

Personally i don't use VSYNC , since i have 75HZ monitor , but my brother got a 26 incher with 60HZ , and THAT SUCKS ; it was the best monitor with TV card ,but people have been saying it's overpriced , i think it's samsung T260HD , it has really a bit shoddy LCD panel since 60HZ is like stoneage for games , and the problem , of course , TEARING is present , and it's quite noticable , so Vsync helps , but then the screen looks like it's lagging to each frame , but at least only in certain games, maybe certain games like HAWX have crappy PC support or what (yeah that's an xbox port afaik)


Funny thing was , I always enable dual-video cards , in cod4 and other shooters , with an HD4870 (sinlge core, no crossfire) , I don't have idea how or wth , but it boosts my FPS by 10 rock solid FPS , with everything maxed out , with AA disabled the FPS boost is like 15 FPS , with only shadows disabled , it's something in between , from 70 to 80 , that's quite something , since it drops down to 55 sometimes, but now it keeps it above 60 always , who would have thought.

This just proves how drivers and optimize software make a total difference , and that's what a lot of companies miss.

 

[mertox]

I apologize for necroing such an old thread, but I do believe that turning off Vsync does not enhancer your performance. Why? Because if your GPU is pumping out 180FPS, it still isn't displaying more than your monitor can do. If your monitor is only capable of 60, that is all you are going to see. The reason you sometimes see tearing when it is disabled is because your monitor can't keep up with the card. Now on some of the newer 4K displays that are 240hz, disabling Vsync can help. But a standard monitor that is just 60 or 70 hz, no.

 

[Athlonite]

V-Sync off and freesync on on my 75Hz monitor works well for me no tearing at all on games the I can get to run over 75fps

 

[NdMk2o1o]

I apologize for necroing such an old thread,

Apology not accepted, your reply still doesnt warrant necroing an nearly 8 year old thread no matter what kind of eureka moment you had internally that caused you to find this thread let alone go and tell the whole world about it....

 

[jboydgolfer]

Obviously I can't speak in regards to every game in the world ,but I have had situations where disabling vsink caused 100+ FPS and temperature increases beyond what it would've been with Vsync on.

again I can't speak for every title, but in Grandtheft auto five ,I've had issues with stuttering or other video related issues ,and when I disabled vsink it cleared them up.