why does Vsync lock frame rate at 60?

[LiveOrDie]

I didnt know that Vsync locked my frame rate at 60 untill i ran fraps, i like having it on because takes out the lines goin though the screen while moving fast

 

[btarunr]

Because 60 Hz is the refresh rate of your display.

VSYNC is a method for avoiding frame-tearing caused due to the FPS being too high for your display to catch up (a sort of tearing noticed on the output). V-sync makes the GPU wait for the monitor to finish displaying each frame it generates. In essence caps the FPS at the monitor's refresh rate. With v-sync the highest FPS your GPU can churn out is the display's refresh rate, there's no minimum limit though. This results in a smoother display.

 

[alexp999]

I didnt know that Vsync locked my frame rate at 60 untill i ran fraps, i like having it on because takes out the lines goin though the screen while moving fast

Vsync synchronises the FPS with the Vertical refresh rate of your monitor (hence Vsync).
It means that the monitor doesnt refresh at a different time to the Graphics card causing you to have effectively two or more frams on the screen at any one time, which is what gives the tearing effect. (or lines as you call it ).

i have noticed some games treat Vsync in different ways. it will often cap the FPS at your refresh rate (more often than not 60 - especially for LCD's), and allow any FPS below that.

but some games, Cap at divisibles of 60. So as the graphics card is unable to make 60, it will drop something like this:

60...45...30...20...15 etc.

 

[oli_ramsay]

I always use Vsync in games that garuntte 60+ FPS (like CSS, but not Crysis ) becasue it stops those annoying horizontal lines in the centre of the screen.

It also eases the load on the GPU.

 

[alexp999]

I always use Vsync in games that garuntte 60+ FPS (like CSS, but not Crysis ) becasue it stops those annoying horizontal lines in the centre of the screen.

It also eases the load on the GPU.

Crysis is really wierd. It wokrs crap if it starts up with Vsync enables. Always seems to cap my FPS at 20 or 15. but if I disable it and then re-enable it while in game, it works like it should, and doesnt affect my FPS at all, but gets rid of lines.

Another tip, if you have the option of triple buffering while using Vsync, turn it on, as it helps keep the framerate at 60 (or as high as poss). (Turn it off for no vysnc though or it will waste gfx ram)

 

[Asylum]

Also increase your refresh rate to 75 .Then your can get 75 fps with vsync on>

 

[alexp999]

Also increase your refresh rate to 75 .Then your can get 75 fps with vsync on>

Doesnt work on 99% of LCD screens.

Usually only CRT's can go beyond a 60hz refresh rate.

 

[MilkyWay]

i dunno but my old banger CRT is stuck at 60hz with 1280x1024 as its max resolution

it can impact on performance but with older games its good to enable, games with tearing problems enable it but other games like crysis and bioshock id leave it off unless needed

i use it i get a drop in frames if im not even reaching 60fps in the first place

 

[yogurt_21]

Doesnt work on 99% of LCD screens.

Usually only CRT's can go beyond a 60hz refresh rate.

resolution based, most lcd's will crap out at above 75 though. but mine will run 75 on 1440x900 and 1280x1024. it's just It looks better at 1650x1080.

my old ViewsonicG810 would run 120hz at 1600x1200 and 75hz at 2048x1536, I really miss that screen, impossible to find one anymore. Huge and heavy but damn that thing was the best gaming screen I've ever seen.

@ Live OR Die I'm curious as to what you mean by horizontal lines, I don't notice any on my screen. maybe and LG thing?

 

[alexp999]

resolution based, most lcd's will crap out at above 75 though. but mine will run 75 on 1440x900 and 1280x1024. it's just It looks better at 1650x1080.

my old ViewsonicG810 would run 120hz at 1600x1200 and 75hz at 2048x1536, I really miss that screen, impossible to find one anymore. Huge and heavy but damn that thing was the best gaming screen I've ever seen.

@ Live OR Die I'm curious as to what you mean by horizontal lines, I don't notice any on my screen. maybe and LG thing?

Forgot it could increase refresh rate at lower res than native.

but still, you wont see a difference between 60 and 100Hz on a LCD cus of the way it operates. (as long as the response time is upto scratch)

60hz looks pretty bad on a CRT on the other hand.

 

[Tatty_Two]

I never enable VSync, only because I am lazy, dont wnat to enable it for the most demanding games cayse often if you are doing less than 60FPS you will get a performance hit and I can be bothered to change it either in game or control panel when moving between say Assasins Creed and something a little less demanding like Sourse.

 

[alexp999]

I never enable VSync, only because I am lazy, dont wnat to enable it for the most demanding games cayse often if you are doing less than 60FPS you will get a performance hit and I can be bothered to change it either in game or control panel when moving between say Assasins Creed and something a little less demanding like Sourse.

thats why i moved to nvidia, cus their drivers make it so easy to do different settings for different games!

 

[MadClown]

I always use Vsync in games that garuntte 60+ FPS (like CSS

I never get Horizontal tearing in css or any source game when my framerate goes above my refresh rate, some games have more tearing than others despite framerates and refresh rates.

 

[btarunr]

Also increase your refresh rate to 75 .Then your can get 75 fps with vsync on>

If his monitor doesn't support it, he's in for trouble.

 

[alexp999]

If his monitor doesn't support it, he's in for trouble.

Shouldn't be selectable, unless he forces it, then I wouldnt like to say what would happen...

 

[LiveOrDie]

Thanks not all games do this i remember farcry did this but most game are capped at 60FPS max , but why games like COD4 can run at 100FPS and don't get any lines?

 

[alexp999]

Thanks not all games do this i remember farcry did this but most game are capped at 60FPS max , but why does game like COD4 can run at 100FPS and don't get any no lines?

maybe your just not noticing them? Some games are worse than others. HL2 is awful without Vsync, but its really hard to see tears (that how you spell it? not lol) on crysis.

 

[LiveOrDie]

yer sucks though i think in games like COH running more than 60fps makes the game run alot better

 

[newconroer]

I never enable VSync, only because I am lazy, dont wnat to enable it for the most demanding games cayse often if you are doing less than 60FPS you will get a performance hit and I can be bothered to change it either in game or control panel when moving between say Assasins Creed and something a little less demanding like Sourse.

This is only true for SOME games and higher demanding isn't necessarily the prescription.

Vsync in AoC, Crysis and Mass Effect do nothing to the framerates when using GTX 280, 9800 GTX and 8800 ULTRA and I think there's plenty of other cards that fare the same.


I like the divisibles some games use as already mentioned in this thread. Crysis does it. When I'm rolling around 32 or 33, it caps at 30.