Can't Decide between Freesync and G-sync

gillmanjr

Member
Hello again guys. So the time has finally come where I am really itching for a monitor and GPU upgrade, its been a long time (you can see my current system in my signature). I have my heart set on going to a 21:9 1440p ultrawide but I just can't decide whether to save some cash and go Freesync + Vega 64 or spend it and go with G-sync + 2070. I've been pulling my hair out for the last month here trying to make up my mind. Is there any real reason to spend about $500 extra on the Nvidia route?

My other question is: how do you think the rest of my system (4670k) is going to handle this? Do I also need to consider an upgrade to 8600k at this point or can I get a couple more years of solid gaming out of my rig? Would adding a liquid cooler and taking my 4670k up over 4.0 GHz be worth considering? (I'm still running a Zalman air cooler that is nearly a decade old)

Just wanted to get some opinions here, what would you do in my position? FYI I am also planning the switch to Win 10 soon so I can play the new Forza games with my steering wheel setup.
 
Last edited:

_Kyle_

Well-Known Member
I think you should go with G-Sync at the moment and the RTX 2070. However, if I were you, I would wait for the AMD RX3080 to release and pair it with Freesync.

---

I'm not sure about how your system would handle the new cards, but I feel like it would probably bottleneck them. Somebody else can probably confirm that this is true or false.
 

beers

Moderator
Staff member
What performance goal are you targeting?

You could pay for a RX580 with the difference between Freesync and G-Sync :p
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
Freesync is the logical option from a price perspective but I can't really recommend an AMD GPU at the moment (as difficult as it is to say that). Midrange stuff is fine but on the high end not so much. :/

If you're able to be patient I'd wait for new AMD GPU's just to see what is out there. 390 isn't a slouch by any means still anyway.
 

gillmanjr

Member
Yea my R9 390 is fine for 1440p but only on a 16:9 60 Hz monitor. Anything beyond that and it'll surely fall apart. Right now I'm playing Prey, which is an amazing game btw. The 390 is doing just fine, but man would I love to be playing this game on an ultrawide...

When is this new AMD 3080 card supposed to come out? I hadn't heard anything about it.

Also, if you guys think my CPU is really going to bottleneck any new GPU than maybe I'll just buy a liquid cooler and take it up to 4.4-4.5 GHz. The coolers are pretty cheap and the OCing is free so really no reason not to. I'd rather not spend all that extra $ on an 8600k, new MOBO and RAM if it isn't absolutely necessary.
 

_Kyle_

Well-Known Member
Gonna be awhile, to be honest.

Release date is "rumored" to be from April all the way to September.
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
It's just a matter if $500 is worth it to you really. It wouldn't be for me I can assure you of that.

Personally I'd get a FreeSync now and keep the 390 until the new GPU's are out. If they're good then you saved a lot of money and can pick up a new GPU to match the monitor. If they suck you can flip the monitor at a minor loss (consider it the cost of having it for several months) and go the Nvidia route then. I just can't justify $500 for Nvidia's G Sync tax.
 

gillmanjr

Member
It's just a matter if $500 is worth it to you really. It wouldn't be for me I can assure you of that.

Personally I'd get a FreeSync now and keep the 390 until the new GPU's are out. If they're good then you saved a lot of money and can pick up a new GPU to match the monitor. If they suck you can flip the monitor at a minor loss (consider it the cost of having it for several months) and go the Nvidia route then. I just can't justify $500 for Nvidia's G Sync tax.

I agree with you and I'm leaning this way but what about a Vega 64? You don't think its a worth while upgrade?

BTW I've been looking at AIO liquid coolers and I'm going to pickup a Corsair H115i. I'll probably do that first and keep my eye out for a sale on monitors after X mas. The Viotek 1440p ultrawide is only $469 on Amazon right now but I'm hoping something might be even cheaper after the holidays.
 
Last edited:

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
Ehh the Vega cards aren't bad but I know they weren't exactly competitive at launch. Truthfully I haven't checked pricing/benchmarks lately so not sure where they stand. I love my 1080 but I bought it as a direct result of Vega's launch being not great. Really just depends on how much they cost.

Full disclosure I'm a long time AMD fan so take my advice with a grain of salt that there's a little bias towards AMD. All my previous cards were AMD.
 

gillmanjr

Member
When I first started with gaming PCs, which was basically around 2000 I think, I only bought Nvidia cards. But for the last 10 years I've gone with AMD exclusively just because I find them to be a better value. I like them too, never had any problems whatsoever and they've always seemed to provide the performance I expect.

FYI Vega 64 cards are now down to $399, which is why I am considering one. They benchmark fairly well against the 2070 with ultrawide 1440p gaming - in most games the 2070 outperforms it but there are a few that the Vega outperforms. Now that its $150+ cheaper it sounds like a good option for me. But I may take your advice and wait until the summer/fall until the new AMD cards comes out, but that is going to depend heavily on how my 390 does with the ultrawide.
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
Yeah you can just start with the monitor and throw in the Vega when it feels necessary. Yeah at that price that's not too bad.
 

beers

Moderator
Staff member
Yeah you can just start with the monitor and throw in the Vega when it feels necessary. Yeah at that price that's not too bad.
That's probably the best play, then you can also leverage freesync while you're saving for the next gen or dropping on a good deal on a vega card.
 

gillmanjr

Member
Ordered an NZXT Kraken X62 for my i5. Arriving tomorrow. This will be my first experience with water cooling...I'm pretty excited to see how far I can push it.
 

gillmanjr

Member
So guys, yesterday the Viotek GN34CB 1440p ultrawide was the "deal of the day" on Amazon. The price dropped to $375, which honestly is crazy cheap for a 1440p, 100Hz, ultrawide Freesync monitor with VA panel. You can't get any other brand for even close to that cheap. I was staring at it last night with about 4 hours left on the sale but just couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger on it. There are too many negative reviews, and it just seems like buying a no name monitor like that is a shot in the dark. I'd rather spend twice the money and get something nice. What do you think? Would you have taken the chance on the Viotek?

I am seriously struggling trying to decide what monitor to buy. I use monitors for a long time (my Dell is going on over 8 years) so I don't mind spending a lot and getting something good that will be future proof. I am looking in the $700 to $800 range, and in that range there are some nice G-Sync options too. Maybe I should have started a voting thread for this, but which one would you pick...

1. ASUS ROG Strix Freesync

2. Benq Freesync

3. Acer Predator Z35P G-Sync

4. AOC Agon G-Sync

I did not include the Dell Alienware G-Sync ultrawide ($799) in my list because its only 34". The above four options are all 35", and from what I've read that extra inch makes a noticeable difference. But I do have to say, I think the Alienware is the nicest looking of the bunch and its also overclock-able to 120Hz.

Merry Christmas!
 
Last edited:

beers

Moderator
Staff member
I almost bought that too but decided against it.

At that price you might as well go for a top tier gpu and the gsync variant, but it all depends on Vega 2
 
Top