1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,000 The tech industry has a funny way of trying to make things seem exciting. 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:08,320 If you've updated your product, just slap a bunch of impressive sounding words 3 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:15,360 to the end of the name. I'm looking at you, Apple, and your upcoming iPhone 12 Pro Max Ultra Signature Deluxe. 4 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:21,020 But this is just what AMD has done with the latest revisions of their FreeSync 5 00:00:21,020 --> 00:00:24,300 variable refresh rate technology. If you're unfamiliar with FreeSync, 6 00:00:24,300 --> 00:00:28,080 you can learn more about it up here. But in a nutshell, it's a method 7 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:32,000 for syncing up your graphics processor with your screen's refresh rate 8 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:36,640 in order to prevent the screen tearing and stutter that can occur as a result of your GPU, 9 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:40,600 not constantly pushing out the same amount of frames when you're playing a game. 10 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,720 And unlike NVIDIA's variable refresh rate technology, 11 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:47,120 G-Sync, AMD's FreeSync is an open standard 12 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:52,120 that's free to implement, hence the name, FreeSync. 13 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:56,920 Now, the original FreeSync standard you know and love is still around and is still quite useful. 14 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:01,440 However, it lacks support for high dynamic range or HDR, 15 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:06,320 which is increasingly popular for helping games look their best by providing better contrast 16 00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:11,280 and colors that pop. So in 2017, AMD came out with a revision 17 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:14,680 called FreeSync 2 HDR, which made it rather clear 18 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:18,620 that it was a second gen technology and supported HDR. 19 00:01:18,620 --> 00:01:23,420 But, confusingly enough, that label is no longer around. 20 00:01:23,460 --> 00:01:27,580 Instead, we now have three tiers of FreeSync. 21 00:01:27,580 --> 00:01:31,340 Beyond the base version we're used to, there's now FreeSync Premium, 22 00:01:31,340 --> 00:01:35,340 a label that indicates a monitor has a couple of specific additional features. 23 00:01:35,340 --> 00:01:41,980 First off, a monitor needs to support a minimum refresh rate of 120 Hertz at 1080p resolution 24 00:01:41,980 --> 00:01:46,660 rather than the usual 60. Secondly, the display has to provide something called 25 00:01:46,660 --> 00:01:50,860 low frame rate compensation or LFR. 26 00:01:50,860 --> 00:01:54,020 You see, a display can only turn its refresh rate down 27 00:01:54,020 --> 00:01:58,500 so much if your GPU is struggling. Let's say that your GPU is only spitting out 28 00:01:58,500 --> 00:02:03,060 around 30 frames per second, but your monitor can only go down to 48. 29 00:02:03,060 --> 00:02:07,740 This would render FreeSync ineffective, so what LFR does is force the display 30 00:02:07,740 --> 00:02:12,900 to show some frames more than once, essentially turning one frame into two, 31 00:02:12,900 --> 00:02:17,620 so those 30 frames coming from your graphics card are treated as 60 by the monitor, 32 00:02:17,620 --> 00:02:22,440 preventing stuttering and tearing. So any monitor you buy with FreeSync Premium 33 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:26,360 will be a 120 or greater Hertz model with LFR, 34 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:31,480 but there's a third, higher tier, called FreeSync Premium Pro, 35 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:34,680 which, guess what, is basically 36 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:38,320 a rebadged FreeSync 2 HDR, okay. 37 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:43,240 All right then. In addition to the refresh rates and LFR requirements 38 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:49,160 of FreeSync Premium, Premium Pro supports HDR without huge latency increases 39 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:55,120 and also requires what AMD refers to as meticulous color and luminance certification. 40 00:02:55,120 --> 00:03:00,000 I'd like to get me some of that. But yeah, those are some pretty vague words, 41 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,880 and it's not totally clear exactly what AMD means by that. 42 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:10,160 However, it seems like these displays should at least get between 400 and 600 nits of brightness, 43 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:14,900 not necessarily enough for true HDR, as we explained in this video, 44 00:03:14,900 --> 00:03:18,440 but still more than you might see on a more run-of-the-mill monitor. 45 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:22,240 So let's say you're interested. What do you need to get your FreeSync flavor 46 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:26,360 of choice up and running? Well, although FreeSync is an open standard, 47 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:32,200 it's still AMD's own implementation of the adaptive sync technology in the DisplayPort spec. 48 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:36,480 So you'll need an AMD graphics card, though it should be noted it'll work over 49 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:41,180 an HDMI port as well as DisplayPort. Of course, you'll need a compatible monitor as well, 50 00:03:41,180 --> 00:03:45,640 but while FreeSync and FreeSync Premium should work with just about any game, 51 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:49,120 FreeSync Premium Pro needs specific support 52 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:53,200 built into each individual game for the HDR features. 53 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:58,120 So check out the list of FreeSync Premium Pro compatible games on AMD's website 54 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:02,860 to make sure the title you wanna play is supported before you take the plunge. 55 00:04:02,860 --> 00:04:07,600 Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm really in the mood for a Premium Pro kind of lunch, 56 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:11,160 something like Applebee's. All right, that's it for this video. 57 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:15,800 Thanks for watching. Like the video if you want to. Dislike it if you want to do that. 58 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:19,560 Check out our other videos and comment below with video suggestions. 59 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:22,840 Also, don't forget to subscribe and follow. 60 00:04:22,840 --> 00:04:26,320 You almost forgot, didn't you? That's okay. 61 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:29,400 I forgive you. See you next time.