Skip to main content

FreeSync or G-Sync? VESA may soon solve that dilemma

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has announced the launch of the AdaptiveSync and MediaSync standards for monitors, which are aimed at streamlining the process of choosing a new display.

As they become more widely adopted, it could make shopping for a new monitor much easier and rid customers of dilemmas such as “FreeSync versus G-Sync.

Destiny 2 running the BenQ EX3410R monitor.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

Picking a new monitor is often not a very intuitive process, and that’s largely due to the number of specifications you have to consider when making your choice. Starting with the standard question of whether to buy a monitor optimized for AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync, you then have to wonder about refresh rates, response time, size, resolution, panel types, and more. VESA’s new standard has the chance to cut at least some of those dilemmas out of the equation.

Both FreeSync and G-Sync aim to accomplish a similar thing: A stutter-free user experience. The technologies sync the monitor’s refresh rate to your graphics card. This limits screen tearing and usually offers much smoother gameplay, which is exactly what VESA also seems to be aiming for with AdaptiveSync.

VESA has developed a new standard, called the AdaptiveSync Display Compliance Test Specification (AdaptiveSync CTS for short). According to VESA, this is the first open standard and logo program for monitors, including both stand-alone and laptop versions. In a way, it seems like the Intel Evo of monitors, with manufacturers being able to obtain certification and logo for their products if they meet all of VESA’s requirements — and those are not at all lax.

The standard is split into two tiers: The higher-end AdaptiveSync Display and the less demanding MediaSync Display. According to VESA, the MediaSync Display tier was made to ensure that the monitor meets the requirements for media playback at a high level. It focuses on removing frame rate drops and 3:2 pulldown jitter (and other kinds of jitter), and offering stable, flicker-free performance.

The AdaptiveSync Display tier is going to be found on some of the best gaming monitors. The displays that receive the logo will have a large variable video frame rate, low latency, and will be able to offer both gaming and media playback at a high quality.

A player drives in Forza using Monoprice's pro racing wheel on three monitors.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In order for a display to be officially AdaptiveSync Display certified, the screen will have to meet the requirements of over 50 automated display performance tests. These benchmarks put a lot of the monitor’s specifications to the test, including flicker, gray-to-gray response times, jitter, refresh rate, and frame rate drops. Every monitor will be tested with its default configuration prior to any adjustments.

AdaptiveSync Display CTS covers refresh rates ranging from 60Hz at the very least up to at least 144Hz, but of course, monitors that can do more will also be considered. Those screens (upon passing the other tests) will also be labeled as AdaptiveSync Display 240 or 360, referring to their maximum refresh rate. Obtaining MediaSync certification requires an AdaptiveSync range of at least 48Hz to 60Hz.

VESA is also introducing a number of other tests, including rigorous standards for jitter across the most common frame rates, response times of less than 5ms across over 20 tests, factory overdrive settings, and display temperatures.

All in all, this set of specs should make it much easier to pick a worthwhile monitor when shopping, as the certification will guarantee a certain level of performance when paired with a matching graphics card. VESA’s new standard will enforce greater transparency from monitor manufacturers, which can only be beneficial to customers.

Editors' Recommendations

Monica J. White
Monica is a UK-based freelance writer and self-proclaimed geek. A firm believer in the "PC building is just like expensive…
Best Lenovo laptop deals: Get a new workhorse from $180
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i on a desktop surface outside.

If you're looking for laptop deals with a focus on all things Lenovo, you're in luck. Below, we've looked specifically at Lenovo laptop deals so that you can save big on one of the best laptop brands around. The company is well known for making great Chromebooks, powerhouse laptops, and gaming laptops too. Because of that, we've looked at a bit of everything with regular Lenovo laptops separated from gaming laptops. If you read on, we'll take you through everything you need to know.
Best Lenovo laptop deals

In the past, Lenovo has been responsible for some of the best laptops as well as the best Chromebooks so you're in safe hands here. Lenovo makes some very affordable laptops along with some high-end workhorses that are quite the investment. It also develops some of the best 2-in-1 laptops. In all cases, when shopping direct from Lenovo, be a little wary of its estimated value system. It's usually overly optimistic which means the discount can look bigger than the reality. Despite that, the sales price is often very good even if the saving isn't entirely accurate. Most Lenovo laptops are built very robustly so that they'll last, often built to meet military standards.

Read more
The thinnest laptops you can buy
Fitbit Versa Lite Review

The thinnest laptops of today are paper-thin compared to their predecessors, and though they aren't literally that trim, they're getting pretty close. In recent several years, one of the biggest advances made to the modern laptop is that the chassis continues to shrink. Best of all, battery life and performance continue to improve. It's a no-compromise situation — and we love it.

One of the thinnest laptops around is the Apple MacBook Air M2 at just 0.44 inches thick. It's incredibly thin but provides awesome performance and battery life thanks to Apple's excellent M2 CPUs. There are some other excellent laptops that are also incredibly thin. Here are some of our favorites.

Read more
This HP gaming laptop is discounted from $1,099 to $699
HP Victus placed outside while displaying an attractive background.

One of the best gaming laptop deals is ending very soon at Walmart and if you're looking for a mid-range laptop for less, you seriously don't want to miss out. For now, you can buy the HP Victus 15.6-inch gaming laptop with a GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card for $699 reduced $400 from the usual price of $1,099. An exceptionally tempting deal, here's what else you need to know about it before you make your purchase.

Why you should buy the HP Victus 15.6-inch gaming laptop
As one of the best laptop brands, you're in safe hands with anything from HP. With the HP Victus 15.6-inch gaming laptop, you get an Intel Core i5-12500H processor along with 16GB of memory and 512GB of SSD storage space. The graphics card is an important component of any gaming system and this one has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 card paired up with a 15.6-inch full HD screen with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate and anti-glare properties. It's a great mid-range package but it also adds some neat extra details.

Read more