We’ve covered what AMD’s Richard Huddy talked about with regards to Mantle during his presentation at PDXLAN. Do check out the article if you haven’t, as AMD has revealed a lot of exciting news about the scope of Mantle adoption, the public SDK for Mantle and how both Nvidia and Intel can leverage it.

Now we bring you even more exciting news with regards to FreeSync. The resident Gaming Scientist at AMD, Richard Huddy revealed that FreeSync monitors should actually start shipping in December. With market availability between December and January. Not only that but according to Huddy, AMD expects that FreeSync monitors will be approximately $100 less expensive than their Nvidia counterparts.

AMD FreeSync Monitors Will Come to Market Within The Next Two Months – Will Save You $100 Over Equivalent G-Sync Monitors

So just a quick reminder of what FreeSync is. Project FreeSync is AMD’s effort to bring variable refresh rate monitors to market through industry standards and by working with established ASIC and monitor manufacturers. AMD proposed the Adaptive-Sync standard earlier in the year to the VESA body. Which has since been adopted it and incorporated into DisplayPort1.2a.

Adaptive-Sync capable monitors solve three distinct issues in games. The first issue is tearing, tearing occurs mainly whenever the frame rate exceeds the refresh rate of the monitor. The second issue is somewhat related to the first, as stuttering can occur if the frame rate exceeds or falls behind the refresh rate. The third issue is input-lag, which occurs when you enable V-Sync to get rid of tearing and stuttering.
So before variable refresh rate monitors had existed, irrespective of whether they were G-Sync or FreeSync enabled. You had to choose between either tearing and stuttering or latency.

FreeSync can support any range of refresh rates, for example 24Hz-144Hz, 24Hz-90Hz or even 24Hz-240Hz. And depending on the monitor maker they can opt for whatever range they want. So you can have all sorts of FreeSync monitors that span from the very high end 4K models to the 120Hz/144Hz “gaming” 1440p monitors and the more affordable 90Hz 1080p solutions. Which means that you will more easily find something that fits your needs and budget.

Perhaps what’s quite fascinating is that according to Richard Huddy a number of monitors currently in the market only need a simple firmware update to support FreeSync/Adaptive-Sync. In fact monitor which was used in the FreeSync demonstration earlier this year wasn’t a prototype. It was an existing monitor which you could buy, only it had a firmware update to enable FreeSync.
He used this as an example of how FreeSync does not require any additional and perhaps expensive hardware, such as the G-Sync module deployed by Nvidia, to achieve this functionality. Which is why according to Huddy AMD anticipates that any FreeSync monitor will be $100 less expensive than an identical G-Sync enabled monitor.

Read more: http://wccftech.com/amd-freesync-monitors-shipping-decemberjanuary-driver-coming-december/#ixzz3J0QKyPQy

I honestly think that neither of these technologies will persuade most PC gamers to get one or the other cause I feel like that more people are waiting for better 4k ready monitors rather than 1080p monitors with hardware level V-sync enabled. I know that in-game V-sync as well as "adaptive" V-sync isn't always perfect but I really don't think that most people care enough to dish out a few hundred dollars just so they can have better V-sync where as they can spend a few hundred dollars and get a 4k ready monitor and just continue to use software V-sync

And I get that its also available for 4k monitors but 4k monitors are quite expensive as it is so spending more just for a better V-sync option still doesn't seem like it will take off just yet but hopefully in the future, it will

Are you a PC gamer? Because it doesn't sound like it.

The technology is well sought after and for someone who spends 500 bucks on a graphics card, spending another 500 for a new monitor is nothing. Tests showed that at least G-Sync is very well implememted and a huge improvement. I have n doubt that the free standard of free sync will make this technology a true innovation.

As soon as I find myself a fitting monitor and graphics card I will splurge. The technology is the dream of every PC gamer.

Well, to me, it doesn't sound like that G-Sync is what most people are focusing on atm when it comes to buying a new monitor cause I feel like that more people will be focusing on the 4k rather than G-Sync or Freesync until 4k monitors become very affordable for consumers. Now, I am not saying the technology is useless and I am well aware that its a big improvement over normal V-sync but I do think that if given the choice between 4k or G-Sync/FreeSync, I think people would rather choose 4k or wait for a true 4k level monitor with FreeSync/G-Sync rather than buy a 1440p or 1080p monitor with G-Sync/FreeSync

And sure, the "Enthusiast" Level PC gamers will buy it no matter as well as buy 4k monitors but I don't really think that they are the vast majority of the PC gamers out there

LOL these will be in 4K monitors as well.

Can't wait to see the tech in person!

Yes, hence why I said in the future... They will

I see no reason why some of the first ones wouldn't support it.  4K requires DP and so does Freesync.  Freesync will be a premium feature at first and 4k very much so is a premium feature now.  Expect to seem sooner rather than later.

There are 4k monitors already out and most dont support it so... And yes, when 4k becomes more affordable for consumers, then people would choose the ones with G-sync/FreeSync but it will be in the future...

No one is really caring to get one right now because they are barely available. The selection really bad. I probably wouldn't get a G-Sync monitor right now even if someone gave me the money for it.

Free Sync monitors don't even exist yet so it's hard to get many people excited about it.