AMD Introduces ‘Enhanced Sync’ Framerate Synchronization Technology

AMD’s latest ReLive driver package introduces a new frame rate synchronization technology called Enhanced Sync that replaces VSync and improves FreeSync to offer a smoother gaming experience on any display. If your monitor supports FreeSync, Enhanced Sync works as an extra cushion to ensure that latency and tearing are kept to a minimum outside the FreeSync range.

Frame synchronization technology isn’t new, but in recent years the concept has been the subject of significant change. For years, VSync (read: vertical synchronization) was the only option available to help keep screen tearing to a minimum. The technology adds a software cap on the frame rate to match your monitor’s refresh rate so your GPU won’t try to deliver frames the display can’t reproduce.  This results in smooth visuals–provided the GPU can output a frame rate that meets or exceeds the display’s refresh rate–but VSync also introduces stuttering at low frame rates and increases input response time.

In 2015, in response to Nvidia’s G-Sync technology, AMD rolled out FreeSync to improve frame rate synchronization. FreeSync technology allows for dynamic refresh rates that synchronize with the frame rate output from the graphics card, which minimizes tearing and increases response time. FreeSync doesn’t work on all displays, though. You must have a FreeSync-specific display to take advantage of those variable refresh rates. FreeSync’s operational ranges are also limited. You still experience stuttering when your frame rate dips below the minimum threshold, and when the frame rate exceeds the upper limit, you may experience tearing.