Nvidia announces big G-Sync shakeup to combat AMD dominance

❘ Published: 2024-08-21T10:06:03

Nvidia

Nvidia is partnering with another chip manufacturer to bring its G-Sync to more monitors, as it lags behind AMD.

G-Sync is a variable refresh rate (VRR) tech that provides a smoother image on screen. This can be great for harder-to-run games, or older titles with an odd frame rate.

As VRR becomes more and more commonplace, it appears Nvidia is attempting to claw back some market share.

MediaTek will be joining up with Nvidia to build the technology into its chips. Currently, Nvidia’s G-Sync monitors require additional components and can drive up the price of monitors.

This isn’t the first time Team Green has tried to bring G-Sync to a wider audience. In 2019, it introduced “G-Sync Compatible” monitors that latched onto existing variable refresh rate chips already in FreeSync branded monitors.

The company plans to allow MediaTek to build the G-Sync tech straight into upcoming monitors’ scaling chips. This puts G-Sync right at the heart of the information center of the monitor.

AMD’s FreeSync has been so dominant simply down to cost. The modules that Nvidia required could cost upwards of $500, adding to the monitor’s overall price.

G-Sync Compatible screens now outweigh G-Sync and G-Sync Ultimate devices, as it’s simply a cheaper option.

Meanwhile, AMD’s FreeSync is compatible with all three brands of GPUs, unlike G-Sync.

While Nvidia is losing this hardware battle, it has dominated the software side of things. Its DLSS supersampling embarrasses the competition, with AMD only just catching up with FSR 3 this year.

Its suite of tools for those on its GPUs has also been a godsend for content creators. Shadowplay remains one of the best video recorders for games, and Broadcast provides excellent noise-canceling on almost any Nvidia-powered PC.

MediaTek’s new chips will support all the features expected from a G-Sync monitor. It’ll also be launching the following three monitors, but no pricing or date has been set: