Are FreeSync And G-Sync Compatible? - BenQ

Change your region to view content applicable to your location and shop online.

Sorry, our service is not available in your location.

Change Language Change We use cookies and similar technologies to process personal information for the operation of our website, statistical analysis, and providing targeted advertising. We share information about your use of the site with our advertising partners who may further share it with additional parties. You may opt out of performance cookies here, and learn more about how we use cookies here”  I understand Cookie Setting Find More

Get FREE shipping in the US for orders over $35 + FREE returns within 30 days

Get FREE shipping in the US for orders over $35 + FREE returns within 30 days

In this article Shared Heritage

• Shared Heritage
• Worth a Shot
• Not Officially Supported
• The Bottom Line

Are FreeSync and G-Sync Compatible?

• BenQ
• 2020-07-16

In this article Shared Heritage

• Shared Heritage
• Worth a Shot
• Not Officially Supported
• The Bottom Line

FreeSync

AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync both originated with VESA Adaptive Sync. That means gaming monitors with one variable refresh rate tech may support the other unofficially. Give it a try!

This is a good news/bad news sort of situation, mixed with a healthy dose of “yes and no”. The good news is that AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync both derive from VESA Adaptive Sync technology. As such, there’s a lot of overlap between the two technologies and they’re essentially identical. Both act to prevent framerate de-sync between the graphics card and the monitor, both have a framerate range based on resolution, both won’t allow framerates to drop below that minimum, and so on. If you have a gaming monitor that features FreeSync or G-Sync, you’ll get excellent variable refresh rate performance and are very unlikely to encounter unsightly phenomena such as screen tearing or very low framerates.

The bad news? FreeSync and G-Sync employ proprietary chipsets on the monitor side and driver elements on the graphics card side to differentiate themselves, so by definition they’re not compatible. AMD means for FreeSync to work with…AMD Radeon graphics cards. While NVIDIA, to no one’s surprise, intends G-Sync for GeForce graphics cards (hint: that’s where the G comes from).

However, due to their inherent similarities we find ourselves in an “it doesn’t hurt to try” scenario. Let’s explain.

Shared Heritage

Multiple models of BenQ gaming monitors have official AMD FreeSync implementation. That means FreeSync is guaranteed to work on those monitors, and is especially nice to have in high framerate models that go up to 144Hz or 165Hz. Once more, when we say guaranteed to work we mean with AMD Radeon graphics cards.

But what if you have a GeForce graphics card instead? Here enters the no harm in trying part. Because FreeSync and G-Sync are so similar and so closely related to VESA Adaptive Sync, FreeSync monitors may very well work with your GeForce graphics card. You may not get the more premium aspects, but the basic screen tearing prevention could operate just fine. You could try turning G-Sync on in the NVIDIA control center and see what happens.

We can say that FreeSync monitors are also “G-Sync possible”. Claiming G-Sync support or compatibility would be going too far. Rather, it would be more correct to explain that G-Sync is very possible on FreeSync displays, and vice versa.

Worth a Shot

So, if you’re a gamer in search of stable framerates and have a mixed setup that uses a BenQ FreeSync monitor with a GeForce graphics card, you have nothing to lose by trying to “force” FreeSync. It can’t possibly damage the monitor, graphics card, or anything else. Worst case scenario is…nothing will happen. You’ll just have a free-floating framerate as per normal, with no variable refresh rate support. That’s it. You can’t break your stuff by trying, so why not give it a go?

Not Officially Supported

Onwards to the really serious part! If you own a BenQ gaming monitor, and we think everyone should have one of those, please know that we currently only support FreeSync officially. While G-Sync could work on our FreeSync screens, it’s not officially supported. We can’t promise it’ll work nor encourage you to have high expectations. But since trying won’t void your warranty or damage anything, we also think there’s no harm in experimenting a little. It’s fun and could be rewarding.

The Bottom Line

AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync share so much that they are cross-compatible to an extent by default. However, that compatibility isn’t guaranteed, and be wary of manufacturers who claim official support for both. Sure, such compatibility is possible, but the monitor’s price will reflect that. Since nowadays both FreeSync and G-Sync cost monitor makers money to implement, a budget monitor can’t possibly support both without losing money, and those cheapo monitors are created to make quick cash. So just do your due diligence. It’s better to go with a monitor from a good brand that supports FreeSync or G-Sync officially, then experiment at your own pace. It’ll be fun and who knows, it may actually work!

FreeSync

Was this article helpful?

Yes No

Thanks for your feedback!

Related Articles

See all

30/12/2025 Buyer’s Guide to Choose the Best Monitor for Photo Editing Resolution Color gamut 4K Color management Digital creations 19/11/2025 Best Black Friday Deals 2025: Gift Guide for Everything You Need to Know Resolution 4K Movie night Connectivity Mac compatibility USB-C Short Throw Low Input lag MoonHalo BenQ AQCOLOR Technology BenQ HDR-PRO Nano Matte Panel Laser LED 12/09/2025 Football Watch Party Made Easy with a Home Projector 4K Living room Sports 12/09/2025 Make Your Family Movie Night Better with Google TV Projector 4K Movie night Living room 12/09/2025 8 Creative Projector Uses: Lifestyle Ideas for Home Projector vs TV 4K Outdoor Movie night Camping Living room Home decor 12/09/2025 Host’s Secret: IRL Watch Parties with a Movie Projector 4K Movie night Living room 05/06/2025 When Do I Need HDMI 2.1 or Is HDMI 2.0 Sufficient? HDMI 2.1 4K HDMI Connectivity Game Console See all

Recommended Products

• Save {{currency}}{{item.saveAmount| numberThousandsCommas | numberDecimalPoint}} Save {{item.savePercent| numberThousandsCommas | numberDecimalPoint}}%

  {{item.productWordingTag}}

  {{item.title}}

  • {{point}}

  {{currency}}{{item.finalPrice| numberThousandsCommas | numberDecimalPoint}} Save {{currency}}{{item.saveAmount | numberThousandsCommas | numberDecimalPoint}} Save {{item.savePercent | numberThousandsCommas | numberDecimalPoint}}%

  new device price{{currency}}{{item.regularPrice| numberThousandsCommas | numberDecimalPoint}}

  Buy Now Pre-order Add to Cart Buy Now Notify Me Out of stock Discontinued Learn More