AMD updates FreeSync minimum requirements — 144Hz or higher refresh rate needed for 1080p and 1440p displays

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By Aaron Klotz
published

AMD's new FreeSync requirements will reduce the amount of garbage gaming monitors that end up getting FreeSync support.

AMD FreeSync display
(Image credit: AMD)

After nine years, AMD is increasing its variable refresh rate Freesync technology requirements to account for the significant adoption of triple-digit refresh-rate panels in the modern monitor market. The new requirements now enforce a 144Hz refresh rate or greater on all 1080p or 1440p gaming monitors.

AMD decided to update its FreeSync requirements due to the enormous shift in mainstream gaming monitor performance from 2015 to 2024. When FreeSync was first introduced in 2015, 60Hz was considered the norm for mainstream gaming, with relatively few monitors sporting triple-digit refresh rates such as 120Hz or 144Hz. But now, 144Hz is one of the most common and affordable refresh rates you can buy today.

To recap, AMD's previous FreeSync requirements did not have a refresh rate requirement for the lowest FreeSync tier. The only requirements were low-flicker and low-latency support. AMD's mid-range Premium FreeSync tier was where a refresh rate limit was enforced, that being 120Hz at 1080p.

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AMD's new FreeSync Requirements
Row 0 - Cell 0 NotebooksMonitors and TVs
FreeSync™Max. Refresh Rate: 40-60 Hz< 3440 Horizontal resolution: Max. Refresh Rate: ≥ 144 Hz
FreeSync™ PremiumMax. Refresh Rate: ≥ 120 Hz< 3440 Horizontal resolution: Max. Refresh Rate: ≥ 200 Hz ≥ 3440 Horizontal resolution: Max. Refresh Rate: ≥ 120 Hz
FreeSync™ Premium ProAMD FreeSync HDR on top of FreeSync™ Premium requirements.AMD FreeSync HDR on top of FreeSync™ Premium requirements.

AMD's new FreeSync requirements now incorporate a minimum refresh rate limit across all three FreeSync Tiers depending on the horizontal resolution. For AMD's baseline FreeSync tier, AMD is enforcing a 144Hz refresh rate or greater for displays that have a horizontal resolution of less than 3440 pixels. For displays that exceed that resolution limit, a refresh rate limit is not enforced. This means that 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 gaming monitors must have a 144Hz refresh rate or greater to qualify for AMD's baseline FreeSync tier. High-resolution displays, such as 3840x2160 displays, can bypass this limit entirely.

AMD's mid-range Premium FreeSync tier takes these resolution and refresh rate requirements up a notch. Displays that have a horizontal resolution of less than 3440 pixels will need a 200Hz refresh rate or greater to qualify for AMD's FreeSync Premium plan.

Alternatively, any display with a horizontal resolution of 3440 pixels or greater will need a 120Hz refresh rate or greater can qualify for AMD's Premium tier as well. This means that 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 monitors will need a 200Hz refresh rate to qualify for AMD's Premium tier. It also means that high-resolution displays such as 3440x1440 ultrawide or 4K monitors will need a 120Hz refresh rate or greater to be eligible for AMD's Premium tier.

AMD's flagship FreeSync Premium Pro tier takes on the exact same resolution and refresh rate requirements as the Premium tier but requires HDR support on top of it.

AMD's new requirements are very different from its old requirements, but it is a very appropriate change for the times that we live in. The new refresh rate requirements should prevent bottom-of-the-barrel 60-75Hz gaming monitors from getting FreeSync support, and improve the overall monitor quality users can expect out of FreeSync-certified displays going forward.

Aaron Klotz
Aaron Klotz
Freelance News Writer

Aaron Klotz is a freelance writer for Tom’s Hardware US, covering news topics related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.

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19 Comments Comment from the forums
  • vanadiel007
    That is unfortunate. Now nobody will know if Freesync on a monitor is the old Freesync or new Freesync.
    They should have given it a new name, like Freesync 144 or something like that.
    Reply
  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    And yet it doesn't include the most important thing for an adaptive display: a minimum refresh rate. While especially true for notebooks if the cell phone type adaptive refresh rate will be brought to them for battery life improvements,
    what good is a Freesync monitor that can't handle dramatic dips? As we know with entry level cards like the 4060 and 4060 Ti, and their AMD equivalents, they can't handle 1920x1080 144fps or barely half that without drastic detail cutting or "AI frame generation". What's to prevent a manufacturer from using a garbage TN panel with a 144hz refresh rate and a minimum adaptive sync floor of, say, 120hz?
    Reply
  • DougMcC
    vanadiel007 said:
    That is unfortunate. Now nobody will know if Freesync on a monitor is the old Freesync or new Freesync.
    They should have given it a new name, like Freesync 144 or something like that.
    I presume starting with 2025 models you can assume that the trademark requirements mandate the update. So accept that 2024 models are already baked and buy a 2025 if you care.
    Reply
  • digitalgriffin
    This creates confusion.

    Old monitors like my Dell 32" which were freesync premium pro certified 1440 HDR 165 HZ are barely Freesync now. So vendors will have to update ALL their websites

    They should have created a new tier...like Free Sync Tier 4
    Reply
  • wcbhkids
    This has no impact on the functioning of existing monitors, right? My monitor is 3400x1440 but only 100hz. The variable refresh rate feature is very nice.
    Reply
  • DougMcC
    digitalgriffin said:
    This creates confusion.

    Old monitors like my Dell 32" which were freesync premium pro certified 1440 HDR 165 HZ are barely Freesync now. So vendors will have to update ALL their websites

    They should have created a new tier...like Free Sync Tier 4
    But they don't want a new tier. They want to raise the bar for the lowest tier.
    Reply
  • DougMcC
    wcbhkids said:
    This has no impact on the functioning of existing monitors, right? My monitor is 3400x1440 but only 100hz. The variable refresh rate feature is very nice.
    Your monitor is unchanged. But it would not qualify for freesync trademark branding any more, the manufacturer would have to improve it or stop selling it with 'freesync' on the box.
    Reply
  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    There is also nothing stopping manufacturers from staying "VESA Adaptive Sync Capability" or "VESA Variable Refresh Rate" either, so it just makes more confusion for the low end.
    Reply
  • 2Be_or_Not2Be
    Alvar Miles Udell said:
    And yet it doesn't include the most important thing for an adaptive display: a minimum refresh rate. While especially true for notebooks if the cell phone type adaptive refresh rate will be brought to them for battery life improvements,
    what good is a Freesync monitor that can't handle dramatic dips? As we know with entry level cards like the 4060 and 4060 Ti, and their AMD equivalents, they can't handle 1920x1080 144fps or barely half that without drastic detail cutting or "AI frame generation". What's to prevent a manufacturer from using a garbage TN panel with a 144hz refresh rate and a minimum adaptive sync floor of, say, 120hz?
    This standard is to identify that the monitor has to meet the 144Hz standard, not in how many frames the video card sends to it. So a 144Hz monitor can meet the new Freesync standard, even if the video card is sending a paltry 30 fps to it.
    Reply
  • thestryker
    Alvar Miles Udell said:
    And yet it doesn't include the most important thing for an adaptive display: a minimum refresh rate. While especially true for notebooks if the cell phone type adaptive refresh rate will be brought to them for battery life improvements,
    what good is a Freesync monitor that can't handle dramatic dips? As we know with entry level cards like the 4060 and 4060 Ti, and their AMD equivalents, they can't handle 1920x1080 144fps or barely half that without drastic detail cutting or "AI frame generation". What's to prevent a manufacturer from using a garbage TN panel with a 144hz refresh rate and a minimum adaptive sync floor of, say, 120hz?
    Minimum refresh has always been an annoyance as there's little transparency on the refresh ranges. I don't think it necessarily needs to be part of the spec, but they should absolutely mandate the range be clearly part of the specs if they want a Freesync approval.
    Reply