Adaptive Sync support on Framework 16 Panel?

Was just reading a little bit about the new panel for the Framework Laptop 16 and saw some of the topics here. The Framework Laptop 13 did not support Adaptive Sync. Or at least the panel did not. With swappable GPU’s being one of the big possibilities around the Framework Laptop 16, is there any indication that the panel might support Adaptive Sync? With the performance of GPUs likely to vary greatly depending on options chosen, alongside the general lower performance of mobile focused GPUs in the first place, Adaptive Sync would go a long way to having comfortable casual gaming in the 30-60FPS area without introducing screen tearing.

3 Likes

My guess is that they still cannot reveal this yet because which type of adaptive sync (AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync) would reveal the CPU and/or GPU used in the laptop, which hasn’t been revealed yet.

2 Likes

Not really. Nvidia supports Adaptative sync.

They could say if there is adaptative sync. And then in the future if the gpu is AMD leave it at that, or if the gpu is Nvidia they can say that it also has G-sync.

But they have not said anything so it seems we know the answer. If confirmed, it is a bit of an oversight, because the 165Hz seem to be targeting gamers, but a 120Hz screen with Adaptative sync would be better than a 165Hz without.

3 Likes

They mention “variable refresh rate up to 165Hz” which to me sounds like eDP Adaptyive Sync, like any laptop using VFR on modern hardware in the last few years.

Also, they can only claim g-sync if nvidia vetted the particular notebook configuration, which considering that the whole point of the FW16 is the modularity, will be really hard to be able to market on, so I would be surprised if they mention g-sync in official capacity at all.

Without them confirming, my concern with variable refresh rate without mentioning range could imply it’s just a power saving feature. Like 60Hz or 165Hz depending on if it’s in battery mode or plugged in. For Adaptive Sync to be useful for gaming in a laptop, it needs to be capable of Low Framerate Compensation (LFC) and needs to do so in an actually meaningful way. 30Hz would be ideal. That low side number can vary drastically. There’s plenty of VRR capable panels out there who’s low end is only 65Hz. But mobile GPUs are down cut, power gated parts, and they will not have anywhere close to the performance of their desktop counterparts. If it can’t manage an LFC at a minimum of 40Hz I don’t think this would actually be a good gaming laptop compared to alternatives, because it will be screen tearing all the time. For mobile gaming I’d rather have a 30Hz-75Hz panel than a 65Hz-165Hz.

1 Like