NVIDIA GPUs Can be Tricked to Support AMD FreeSync

[btarunr]

Newer generations of NVIDIA GPUs such as "Pascal" and "Maxwell" meet or exceed the hardware requirements of AMD FreeSync, as they feature DisplayPort 1.4 connectors that include the features of DisplayPort 1.2a, required for VESA adaptive sync. In a bid to promote its own G-SYNC technology, NVIDIA doesn't expose this feature to monitors or software that support FreeSync. Redditor "bryf50" may have found a way around this. The trick is deceptively simple, however, you'll need games that support on-the-fly switching of rendering GPUs, and an AMD Radeon graphics card at hand.

When poking around with system settings in "Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth," bryf50 discovered that you can switch the "rendering GPU" on the fly, without having to physically connect your display to that newly selected GPU. You can start the game with your display connected to VGA1 (an AMD Radeon GPU), and switch the renderer in-game to VGA2 (an NVIDIA GPU). FreeSync should continue to work, while you enjoy the performance of that NVIDIA GPU. In theory, this should allow you to pair your high-end GTX 1080 Ti with a $50 RX 550 that supports FreeSync, instead of paying the $200+ G-SYNC tax.



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[cucker tarlson]

no ULMB, no thanks.

 

[SetsunaFZero]

do I see a NGreedia Hotfix driver incoming

 

[londiste]

No, Nvidia GPUs cannot be tricked into supporting FreeSync.
Image rendered by Nvidia GPU can be output using Radeon GPU that inherently supports FreeSync.

 

[eidairaman1]

do I see a NGreedia Hotfix driver incoming

Forced firmware update on GPU.

 

[londiste]

I do not really see a good way for Nvidia to "fix" this without shooting themselves in the foot. Improved support for multiple GPUs including selecting the rendering GPU separately from output GPU should be a standard Windows (10) feature.

There is a slightly increased input lag - completely irrelevant at around 7ms more according to PC Perspective's tests and possibly a slight performance hit - so far, all the solutions of output buffering through a different (i)GPU have had one. Other than that, awesome!

 

[StrayKAT]

Even if someone wanted to do this, it sounds like a good waste of a [precious] PCIe slot.

 

[eidairaman1]

I do not really see a good way for Nvidia to "fix" this without shooting themselves in the foot. Improved support for multiple GPUs including selecting the rendering GPU separately from output GPU should be a standard Windows (10) feature.

There is a slightly increased input lag - completely irrelevant at around 7ms more according to PC Perspective's tests and possibly a slight performance hit - so far, all the solutions of output buffering through a different (i)GPU have had one. Other than that, awesome!

Nvidia would do it to force gsync.

 

[cucker tarlson]

We don't know if this thing really works or the guy thinks it does. The monitor can show it's working in freesync mode, but is it really ?

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

seems cheesy.

 

[HimymCZe]

... never understood that tax... ???
you see >4h of conference full of $h!t that their HW will support
..., but IF you wanna utilize that you need to MULTIPLE $200 "DLC"

 

[notb]

Even if someone wanted to do this, it sounds like a good waste of a [precious] PCIe slot.

Not really. If Intel IGP supported freesync (being built on AMD chip or not), you could do this without the second card.

 

[cucker tarlson]

They'll nip it in the bud soon.

 

[Shamalamadingdong]

You could also do it with an APU like 2400G.

 

[StrayKAT]

Not really. If Intel IGP supported freesync (being built on AMD chip or not), you could do this without the second card.

Sure (and I wish they did), but I'm just talking about the topic at hand. Nvidia. These slots don't grow on trees!

 

[cucker tarlson]

what is the cheapst used gpu that supports freesync ?

btw you can connect it to x1 via riser

 

[StrayKAT]

what is the cheapst used gpu that supports freesync ?

btw you can connect it to x1 via riser

R7 260 I think? Could be wrong... edit: Apparently Hd series support it, but only for video or power saving features.

 

[ShurikN]

GCN 2 and newer
The cheapest one should be 7790

 

[cucker tarlson]

You mean gcn 1.2 ?

 

[Dammeron]

Forced firmware update on GPU.

Yep. Already did it once, when people were pairing a high-end radeon card with a cheap geforce to handle physx. Then nV blocked the drivers, so they would not work if an AMD card is detected.

 

[cucker tarlson]

Yep. Already did it once, when people were pairing a high-end radeon card with a cheap geforce to handle physx. Then nV blocked the drivers, so they would not work if an AMD card is detected.

can't do it now when multi gpu is working in several games and amd has apus

 

[Octopuss]

Yep. Already did it once, when people were pairing a high-end radeon card with a cheap geforce to handle physx. Then nV blocked the drivers, so they would not work if an AMD card is detected.

What.
That's next level of being assholes.

 

[TheDeeGee]

So it's not "Free" cuz you need to buy a second GPU.

 

[medi01]

Even if someone wanted to do this, it sounds like a good waste of a [precious] PCIe slot.

If you'd read OP you'd notice it is done using graphic card integrated into APU.

What.
That's next level of being assholes.

You must be new here. nVidia has it's own level, named after it's CEO.

 

[GreiverBlade]

well, duh... of course they can.. and i am 100% sure, even without needing a AMD gpu to do the trick ... well ... unlike G-Rapsync errrr G-Sync, Freesync is royalty free open standard so Nvidia could even support it if they weren't total greedy @$$

So it's not "Free" cuz you need to buy a second GPU.

uh? ... well ... with G-Sync you don't even need a second GPU to pay more

If you'd read OP you'd notice it is done using graphic card integrated into APU.

and here i was about to answer to that : what waste? if not used (SLI/CFX aren't technically useful lately ) PCIeX X16 slot are a waste of space... well i do have 2 X16 and 3 X1 completely free well i don't like SLI and i don't need a soundcard, PCIeX SSD are too expensive and not many daughter card use a X1 and are useful to me.