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Future Article Idea- Screen Tearing/Mitigating Screen Tearing

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  • Tom's Hardware
  • Graphics Cards
  • Monitors
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a c 130 U Graphics card
a b C Monitor
April 25, 2013 5:55:41 AM

I would like to see an article that specifically addresses tearing and how to mitigate it.

What is tearing?
Until recently, I thought tearing was a visual experience that occurred when the video card's frame rate exceeded the monitor's refresh rate. The greater the difference, I'm guessing the more potential for the tearing to be perceived?

Nvidia released 'Adaptive V-sync' tech as a way to deal with tearing and is consistent with my initial belief of what tearing is (fps>Hz).

While I've never seen tearing by which the fps<Hz, some reputable posters on the Tom's site claim tearing is possible in this situation.

Also, since I've been using a 120Hz monitor, the only time I've witnessed tearing is in the HAWX benchmark by which my framerate exceeded 400fps. Why does my 120Hz monitor eliminate perceivable tearing?

I've tried switching to a 2560x1440 60Hz monitor and tearing became a big enough annoyance to me while gaming that I switched back to my 1080p 120Hz monitor. I even tried 3 1600x900 60Hz screens in surround and because of the tearing ended up back at my 120Hz monitor.

I refuse to use v-sync because of the input lag it introduces. I never need to use it with my 120Hz monitor. Why is this? Does the higher refresh rate allow for more possible "entry points" for frames sent to the monitor? Or am I just lucky?

If I am wrong about the fps>Hz causing tearing, at a general level, there must be some kind of synchronization that occurs between a video card and a monitor even if you don't use v-sync otherwise I'd be seeing tearing at fps lower than 120fps? And on top of it, if fps<Hz causes tearing, why would Nvidia even incorporate Adaptive V-sync?

Also, why is there no perceivable tearing in a fps<Hz situation? Is it just because it's not perceivable in that situation?

Further, there must be some type of handshake between the video card and monitor that allows you to not have to turn on v-sync all the time with all game titles, because at almost no point does fps=Hz exactly.

I personally thought I knew what caused tearing. I always thought it only had the potential to occur when the video card's fps exceeded the monitor's refresh rate. I want to know why I am incorrect.

I think there's some misinformation out there that Tom's could definitely clear up? A good article on this would clarify what tearing is and could incorporate methods for mitigating it with AMD and Nvidia cards either by incorporating eye candy to lower framerates on 60Hz monitor or by getting faster refresh rate monitors.

More about : future article idea screen tearing mitigating screen tearing

April 30, 2013 8:26:25 AM

I'll send it forward as a suggestion!
!