The purpose of this article is to explain what is nvidia fast sync and how it can be enabled. There was a new feature with the Pascal and Maxwell GeForce GTX graphics cards released by NVIDIA, Fast Sync. In order to offer gamers a low latency and no tearing alternative to V-Sync, Nvidia Fast Sync may have the answer to their prayers. So what exactly does it offer gamers?
Manufacturers of graphics cards are always trying to push the envelope. To keep up with the competition and offer us something new, Nvidia had the upper hand for too long and innovation slowed down. The graphics card arms race is back on now that AMD is fully back in the game.
For people who cannot afford to drop $500 on a graphics card, Pascal and Maxwell are still affordable options while RTX cards are on the way.
What is Nvidia Fast Sync?
Nvidia Fast Sync is an improved version of V-sync, Fast Sync is Nvidia’s take on the feature. During times when a GPU is producing more frames than a monitor can handle, it’s best to use Fast Sync. The input lag in Fast Sync is much lower than that of V-Sync, making it the ideal option for first person shooters and eSports games.
When the monitor refresh rate is lower than the GPU’s frame output, Fast Sync instructs your system not to send each individual frame to the monitor. By scanning input at a faster rate than the frame rate, screen tearing is reduced without much lag.
It is best used when a game’s frames-per-second exceed the monitor’s refresh rate in order to eliminate graphical issues caused by discrepancies between GPU frame rates and monitor refresh rates.
For example, a 60Hz monitor trying to match 120 FPS in a game would make optimal use of Fast Sync’s capabilities.
In the past few years, Fast Sync has been introduced and has only been available on cards 9-Series and higher. The technology minimizes screen tearing and input lag issues as much as possible.
As a result, it does not eliminate these problems, but rather minimizes them to the point of barely noticing them.
How to Enable NVIDIA Fast Sync?
Our goal is to show you how to enable Fast Sync NVIDIA using the NVIDIA control panel in this post. It is compatible with GeForce GTX 960 or newer graphics cards. You don’t have to install the NVIDIA Control Panel separately from the graphics drivers.
- You need to open the NVIDIA Control Panel by right-clicking on a blank space on your desktop and clicking “NVIDIA Control Panel”.
- On the left side of the software, click Manage 3D Settings.
- Scroll down to Vertical Sync in the right pane of the software and click it. From the drop-down menu, choose Fast > Apply.
By following these three simple steps, you will be able to enable NVIDIA Fast Sync in your gaming system. However, make sure that V-Sync is disabled on ALL games, since some titles have V-Sync enabled by default.
How does Nvidia fast sync work?
By introducing an additional buffer between the Front and Back buffers, NVIDIA makes this possible. Once a frame has been rendered, it is immediately moved to the Last Rendered Buffer by the GPU. As soon as the GPU finishes rendering the frame, it moves the frame in the last rendered buffer to the front buffer while the next frame is rendered into the back buffer.
A frame from the back buffer is now waiting for the Last Rendered buffer to receive the next frame. Meanwhile, the Front buffer undergoes scanning, and the image is sent to the monitor. A frame is now sent to the front buffer for scanning and display, by the Last Rendered Buffer.
The result is that the game engine doesn’t lag since the Back buffer is always available for the GPU to render to, and you don’t experience screen tearing because the Last Rendered buffer is always available for scanning.
In order for Fast Sync to work, the GPU must render at a frame rate higher than the monitor’s refresh rate. If the GPU renders at a frame rate lower than the monitor’s refresh rate, you will still experience screen tearing.
By reducing the monitor’s refresh rate to the GPU’s rendering rate, G-Sync monitors eliminate screen tearing. It is important to note that G-Sync does not eliminate screen tearing if your GPU’s rendering speed exceeds your monitor’s refresh rate. Therefore, if you want to completely eliminate all screen tearing issues, you should also enable Fast-Sync.
How does NVIDIA Fast Sync work?
NVIDIA has developed a new technology called Fast Sync that synchronizes the frame rate with the refresh rate of your display. In games like Battlefield 4 or League of Legends, this frame-rate smoothing tech works best with a small number of fast action sequences onscreen at the same time.
It is their newest innovation, Fast Sync, that takes the pressure off desktop GPUs when playing graphically intense PC games. By syncing up graphics rendering rates with monitor refresh rates, it smoothes out those choppy gameplay we know so well from high FPS video clips. In particular, it’s great if you’re using a fancy notebook computer.
Should I Use Fast Sync?
Playing fast-twitch eSports games on a GPU that’s pushing more frames than your monitor can handle, especially if you’re experiencing screen tearing, is no reason not to use fast sync.
Fast Sync becomes less useful if your monitor can keep up with your GPU’s frame rate.
A 144Hz monitor displaying an in-game GPU frame output of 100 FPS would be an unsuitable scenario for using Fast Sync. You need to keep your GPU’s frame output continuously above your monitor’s maximum refresh rate to make Fast Sync work.
The Fast Sync tool is only available to Nvidia GPU users. If you happen to have a AMD GPU, for instance, you will have to use the Enhanced Sync tool instead.
You’ll have to switch graphics cards if you use AMD graphics cards since Enhanced Sync isn’t as good as Fast Sync.
Does Fast Sync cause Input lag
There are a number of other options you can use if you want to avoid screen tearing while gaming. But, enabling V-Sync can introduce additional input lag, which can lead to screen stuttering if your GPU can’t keep up with your display’s refresh rate.
FreeSync, G-SYNC, and HDMI 2.1 VRR monitors offer variable refresh rates – and paired with a suitable graphics card, they can eliminate screen tearing as well as input lag.
In addition to V-Sync, NVIDIA’s Fast Sync and AMD’s Enhanced Sync technologies can be used.
By showing the most recently completed full frame, Fast Sync prevents screen tearing, even at FPS (Frames Per Second) levels which exceed your monitor’s maximum refresh rate.
Unlike V-Sync, this increases input lag somewhat.
In order for Fast Sync to work optimally, gamers usually recommend that they use a frame rate at least twice as fast as their monitor’s refresh rate.
How NVIDIA Fast Sync Compares to V-Sync?
Input lag is one of the major disadvantages of V-Sync, especially in fast-paced games. As a result of the high latency of V-Sync, most gamers choose to disable it now. Fast Sync, on the other hand, has a minimized latency and is close to what you would get after turning off V-Sync, so this is not the case.
As a result, NVIDIA introduced the Last Rendered Buffer, which sits between the Front and Back buffers. When a frame is rendered into the Back buffer, it is then moved to the Last Rendered Buffer. A frame in the Last Rendered Buffer gets moved to the front buffer during rendering the next frame into the back buffer.
When the next frame comes from the back buffer, the Last Rendered Buffer waits for it, while the front buffer is scanned and the image is displayed. Once the frame has been sent from the Last Rendered Buffer to the front buffer, it is scanned and displayed.
Thus, gamers will not experience tearing of the screen because there will always be a frame in the front buffer to scan, preventing the game engine from get slowed down.
Fast Sync, however, only works when GPUs render at a faster frame rate than monitor refresh rates, meaning gamers can still experience screen tearing if their GPU renders at a slower frame rate than monitor refresh rates.
Using a G-Sync monitor will eliminate screen tearing by reducing the refresh rate to a level that matches the GPU rendering rate in order to eliminate screen tearing. G-Sync does not eliminate screen tearing if the GPU renders at a higher rate than the monitor refreshes.
In conclusion, a G-Sync-capable monitor needs to be enabled Fast-Sync to completely eliminate screen tearing issues.
Get rid of screen tearing issues with Fast Sync
With Fast Sync, screen tearing can be totally overcome with a normal monitor paired with a GPU capable of rendering at a frame rate that exceeds the monitor’s refresh rate. There is only a small amount of lag with NVIDIA Fast Sync. You don’t even need a G-Sync monitor to use Fast Sync.
You’ll likely experience screen tearing issues unless you enable Fast-Sync if you’re running a G-Sync monitor with a GPU that renders at a higher rate than the monitor’s refresh rate.
People Also Ask (FAQs)
Nvidia Fast Sync Not Working, What To Do?
Try turning off Game Bar.
In Windows: Settings -> Gaming
It’s worth a shot.
Where is Fast Sync Nvidia?
If you want to use Nvidia Fast Sync you will need to use it through the Nvidia Control Panel.
1. Right click an empty space on your desktop and select Nvidia Control Panel.
2. Select Manage 3D Settings.
3. Select Vertical Sync in the center pane.
4. Select the dropdown to the right and select Fast.
5. Select Apply.
Does Fast Vsync Cause Input Lag?
It may seem counterintuitive, but enabling VSync will eliminate ugly screen tearing. However, while enabling it will eliminate ugly screen tearing, it will also increase input lag, both of which are problems for competitive gamers.
