Correct GSync setup ?

[PowerK]

I have a question regarding a correct G Sync setup. I searched internet on the correct usage of V Sync with G Sync and it seems to me that every person says a different thing.

Before I ask a question, I'd like to state two things based on my understanding. Please do correct me if I'm mistaken.
1. You only get 1/2 of frame rate *if* rendered frame rate cannot keep up with monitor's refresh rate. Eg. 144 -> 72 -> 36 -> 18
2. G Sync is inclusive of V Sync.

Based on the above points, I've been using G Sync set up as follows:
- In-game V Sync option = disabled.
- NVCP V Sync option = disabled.
- NVCP G Sync option = enabled.
- Frame rate limit to 144 FPS. (via RivaTunner or nVIDIA Inspector)

However, searching the internet, there also are many people who claim that V Sync in NVCP needs to be enabled for G Sync to work correctly.
Hence, suggested settings from those people seems to be:
- In-game V Sync = disabled.
- NVCP G Sync = enabled.
- NVCP V Sync = enabled.
In this case, I guess there's no need to set frame rate limiter.

Can anyone shed light on the correct G Sync setup ??

With that being said, there are exception for games like CS:GO where I can maintain constant 128 FPS almost all the time. (CS:GO's maximum tickrate supported is 128Hz) In these cases, I opt for ULMB rather than G Sync.
For games like this, I've been using the following settings:
- In-game V Sync option = disabled.
- NVCP V Sync option = disabled.
- NVCP G Sync option = disabled.
- NVCP ULMB option = enabled.
- Frame rate limit to 128 FPS. (fps_max 128 cvar)

 

[PowerK]

I've just learned that nVIDIA updated G-Sync in May 2015
http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/articles/g-sync-gets-even-better

According to the article,
Before the G-Sync update:
When G-Sync is enabled in NVCP, V-Sync was automatically enabled. Hence, input lag. http://www.blurbusters.com/gsync/preview2/
The Blurbusters article was written in January 2014 which was way before nVIDIA made an update to G-Sync.

After the G-Sync update in May 2015:
nVIDIA gave us an option to enable/disable V-Sync when G-Sync is enabled.

It does not really matter whether V-Sync in NVCP is enabled or disabled. If G-Sync is enabled, it works correctly. Only difference is that When V-Sync (NVCP) is enabled while G-Sync is also enabled, the V-Sync, in this case, works like a frame rate limiter.

ADD:
It definitely looks like G-Sync (NVCP) enabled with V-Sync (in-game & NVCP) disabled *with* frame rate limiter to around 140 is the best way.
And as per nVIDIA's article, using ULMB (rather than G-Sync) for games like CS:GO (and I guess Overwatch as well) is a good option as well.

Some G-SYNC monitors also include a NVIDIA Ultra Low Motion Blur (ULMB) display mode, which strobes the backlight of the monitor to eliminate motion blur and further reduce input latency. The quality of ULMB is tied to a player’s frame rate, however, meaning a high, consistent frame rate of 120 to 144 frames per second is required to avoid distracting and unsightly flickering.

In the new Game Ready driver, you can now select on a per-game basis whether to use G-SYNC or ULMB, if your monitor supports it. This allows for seamless switching between display modes, enabling players of Counter-Strike to use ULMB, before switching to G-SYNC for The Witcher 3, without any additional user input or use of the monitor's OSD.

Source : http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/articles/g-sync-gets-even-better

 

[gothuevos]

I had the same question recently and went with the option you did: v-sync off both in-game and in driver settings, g-sync obviously on, and a frame limiter at 140.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

I've done the same, my monitor can actually display current FPS and gsync status so that can be done to get a proper reference for me. I can confirm it works fine with vsync off everywhere.

 

[PowerK]

FYI, this video explains how Fast-Sync complments with G-Sync.