Does Xbox Series X Support FreeSync?

When you step into the market to buy a suitable TV or monitor for your Xbox Series X, you will be bombarded with tech jargon that can literally confuse you. This is especially true if you haven’t kept yourself updated with the display technologies lately.

One novel technology that helps with the overall smoothness of the motion quality is AMD FreeSync and you will often find this being offered on many gaming monitors out there.

This leads many Xbox Series X owners to bed the question, “does Xbox Series X support FreeSync?”

The short and simple answer is yes! Xbox Series X DOES support FreeSync. However, you need to have a TV or a monitor with FreeSync support in order to enjoy this feature.

TV and monitors have not only advanced in terms of color production, panel types, and curved displays for immersion, but they have also advanced in delivering smoother motions and technologies like FreeSync help in achieving this.

In the following text, I will explore AMD FreeSync technology and also talk about how Xbox Series X supports AMD FreeSync.

What is AMD FreeSync?

Gaming is as multifaceted as it is immersive. Graphics, resolution, frame rates, and other technical aspects all intermingle to form the crux of this virtual realm.

Among these ever-evolving technologies is adaptive synchronization technology. This is an umbrella term that defines technologies that aim to fix the issues caused by the refresh rate and the frame rate mismatch between the monitor and your gaming console.

FreeSync is one such adaptive synchronization technology by AMD.

It aims to solve two very annoying issues that occur where this a mismatch:

• Screen Tearing: When the gaming hardware is producing MORE frames than the maximum supported refresh rate of the monitor
• Screen Stuttering: When the gaming hardware is producing a FEWER frames than the maximum supported refresh rate of the monitor (often referred to as lag).

notably FreeSync, has gained considerable attention. This article aims to uncover the truth about Xbox Series X and its support for FreeSync, a fascinating technology that has revolutionized the gaming industry.

So Does Xbox Series X Support FreeSync?

The short and simple answer is a Yes. Xbox series X DOES support AMD FreeSync technology.

However, in order to enjoy the benefits of this technology, you NEED to have a monitor or a TV that supports this technology as well.

You will note that this technology is far more readily available on monitors than it is on TVs.

The only way to tell if your TV or a monitor supports AMD FreeSync technology is to either check its specifications or to check its labels physically.

Many AMD FreeSync TVs and Monitors have distinct labels either physically inscribed on them or shown distinctly on their listing highlighting that they support this technology.

What about G Sync?

G Sync is the proprietary adaptive sync technology from NVIDIA – a rival brand to AMD.

Unfortunately, Xbox Series X does NOT offer support NVIDIA G Sync. Therefore, if you want to experience the effectiveness of adaptive sync technology, choose to go with a monitor or a TV that features FreeSync.

Alternative to FreeSync: VRR Over HDMI 2.1

Another alternative to AMD FreeSync that the Xbox Series X features is the Variable Refresh Rate (aka VRR) technology. 

Specifically, VRR on Xbox Series X is actually referred to as HDMI VRR as there are different types of VRR including DisplayPort VRR.

VRR also works to eliminate the same pressing issues of screen tearing and screen stuttering as FreeSync does.

However, there are two MAIN important aspects here to understand.

VRR ONLY works over HDMI 2.1.

The first main issue with VRR is that it only works if your TV or monitor has an HDMI 2.1 port.

As such you will need to have a TV or a monitor that offers HDMI 2.1 port in order for HDMI VRR to work and unfortunately, as the current market stands, HDMI 2.1 is offered mostly on monitors and TVs with 4K @ 120Hz or beyond.

4K @ 60Hz or QHD @ 120Hz unfortunately often have HDMI 2.0 ports and hence would not support HDMI VRR. Hence having AMD FreeSync on these monitors would be more beneficial.

AMD FreeSync Builds up on VRR

Secondly, AMD FreeSync builds up on VRR by offering new proprietary technologies.

This includes ELBM Anti Motion Blur, Anti Flicker, Overdrive Mode, etc which the HDMI VRR does not offer.

If you choose to go for a monitor with AMD FreeSync PREMIUM level, then you can expect to find technologies like Low Framerate Compensation (LFC) which enables adaptive sync to work on a very low frame rate.

You wouldn’t need to worry about premium technologies like LFC though on gaming consoles since console games are optimized for frame rates.

Final Words

The short answer to the question “does Xbox Series X support FreeSync?” is a yes. Xbox Series X DOES support this technology BUT you need to have a monitor or a TV that supports this technology too.