Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

How Intel Arc graphics could finally fix V-Sync

Jacob Roach
By

Intel revealed its discrete Arc Alchemist mobile graphics cards on Wednesday, along with the announcement of two key features for PC gaming. Intel seems on a mission to kill one PC gaming’s oldest and most reviled features: V-Sync.

V-Sync, or Vertical Synchronization, prevents screen tearing in PC games. It essentially holds a buffer that feeds frames to the display so that there aren’t two frames showing up at the same time. It’s an antiquated solution, one that leads to input lag and locked frame rates in PC games. Intel has two new features to give V-Sync a makeover: Speed Sync and Smooth Sync.

A description of Intel's Speed Sync technology featuring a laptop on a purple background and definitions of Adaptive Sync and Speed Sync.
Intel

Speed Sync is basically V-Sync with the downsides excluded. It virtualizes the frame buffer, and it can adapt to your game in real time. Instead of waiting on frames to get through the buffer, which increases input lag as a result, Speed Sync can send the latest frame live as soon as the monitor refreshes. It also doesn’t cap your frame rate.

Related

It’s essentially a version of Nvidia’s Fast Sync, which is a bit of tech the company introduced with its GTX 10-series (Pascal) graphics cards. AMD has its Enhanced Sync feature, which functions in the same way.

Recommended Videos

Smooth Sync is a surprisingly simple bit of tech. It simply blurs the line where a screen tear occurs so it’s less noticeable. Intel uses a dithering filter right on the edge where the tear occurs, and although you can still see the split image, it’s not as jarring as a full-on screen tear.

An example of Intel Smooth Sync featuring a video game image on a laptop screen and an explainer.
Intel

This will likely be relevant in esports and other titles that can run at a high frame rate, such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. At higher frame rates, there are a greater number of less noticeable tears, so a feature like Smooth Sync could make those tears irrelevant.

V-Sync has slowly fallen out of favor as adaptive refresh rate monitors have hit the market. Nvidia’s G-Sync led the charge, with a proprietary module that increased the prices of monitors. AMD came back with FreeSync, an open-source adaptive sync technology that could work without dedicated hardware.

Most monitors fall under the FreeSync or G-Sync umbrellas these days, making V-Sync largely irrelevant. Not all monitors do, however. Speed Sync and Smooth Sync look to improve monitors that have a fixed refresh rate, as well as improve image quality in titles where you want to leave adaptive sync off.

It’s nice to see Speed Sync, but it’s hardly surprising considering AMD and Nvidia have competing technologies. Smooth Sync is something different. If done properly, it could be an elegant solution for esports titles running at high frame rates. As with everything when it comes to Intel Arc Alchemist, however, we’re reserving judgment until we have the cards in-hand.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jacob Roach
Jacob Roach
Senior Staff Writer, Computing
Jacob Roach is a writer covering computing and gaming at Digital Trends. After realizing Crysis wouldn't run on a laptop, he…
Does ray tracing work on the Intel Arc GPUs?
The backs of the Arc A770 and Arc A750 graphics cards.

Intel is the newest player in the GPU market now that the company has finally launched its Arc Alchemist GPUs. Since these are first-generation products from a company that has almost no experience in making desktop-grade graphics, you might wonder if GPUs like the Arc A770 and A750 support modern features like ray tracing.

Intel Arc does in fact support ray tracing, just like AMD and Nvidia does, and the performance might even surprise you.
Does ray tracing work on Intel Arc?

Read more
What is Intel XeSS, and how does it compare to Nvidia DLSS?
Intel XeSS visualized.

Intel XeSS is an exciting development in the world of upscaling PC games. This technology is finally out, and we've tested it extensively to give you a full overview of how it can improve your gaming experience.

While Intel XeSS is similar to the tech we already know well from AMD and Nvidia, it comes with its own pros and cons. We've rounded up everything you need to know about Intel XeSS, how it works, what games it supports, and how it compares to its rivals from AMD and Nvidia.
What is Intel XeSS?

Read more
Arc GPU drivers are getting better, but Intel says it’s challenging
Intel head of Graphics Raja Koduri explains Arc driver troubles

Intel Arc A770 and A750 graphics cards will be available to order on October 12, but Intel admitted it’s still struggling with drivers for DirectX games. Raja Koduri, Intel’s head of Accelerated Computing Systems and Graphics Group (AXG), discussed the challenges in a recent interview.

With reviews expected to start arriving today, the pressure is on Intel to either impress us with its recovery or rush to solve issues quickly. Intel has been creating graphics drivers for decades, but until this year, that has focused on integrated graphics built into the CPU, which come with much lower expectations. Koduri explained that the first generation of Arc GPUs was most difficult because programmers had to start with a completely new architecture. Pandemic challenges slowed development as well. Heading into the second generation it should be better.

Read more