Adaptive Sync or FreeSync is usually worth enabling for flight sims. See when to keep it on, how it differs, and how to fix tearing.
For PC flight simulators in general, keep Adaptive Sync or FreeSync on. It matches the monitor’s refresh timing to the simulator’s changing frame rate, reducing tearing and refresh-mismatch judder during cockpit pans. It does not increase FPS or remove CPU, scenery-loading or add-on stutters, and works only within the display’s effective VRR range.
Adaptive Sync or FreeSync on or off: which should you choose?
For most flight-simulation systems, on is the right setting unless variable refresh causes flicker, blank screens or a conflict with another monitor feature.
| Situation | Recommended setting | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| FPS varies within the monitor’s VRR range | On | Reduces tearing and makes uneven frame delivery less conspicuous |
| FPS sometimes exceeds maximum refresh | On, with a cap or V-Sync | VRR cannot control frames above its ceiling |
| FPS falls below the minimum and LFC works | On | Low Framerate Compensation keeps the display operating at a valid refresh multiple |
| FPS falls below the minimum without LFC | On, but tune performance | VRR still helps when FPS recovers, but cannot smooth the lowest periods |
| Brightness pulses, black screens or drop-outs appear | Off temporarily | Disabling VRR is the quickest way to confirm whether it is causing the fault |
| You use backlight strobing or a motion-blur-reduction mode | Choose one mode | Many monitors cannot run strobing and VRR together |
Even a simulator locked to a stable frame rate can benefit because VRR catches brief dips and transitions. If the display already supports it, enabling and testing it costs nothing.
What does Adaptive Sync do in a flight simulator?
Adaptive Sync tells the monitor to refresh when the GPU has completed a frame instead of refreshing at an unchanging schedule.
On a fixed-refresh display, a new frame arriving part-way through a refresh can produce a horizontal tear. Waiting for the next fixed refresh avoids that tear but may repeat a frame, creating judder and adding latency. Variable refresh rate, or VRR, adjusts each refresh interval to follow the simulator’s output.
This is especially useful in Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane, Prepar3D and other demanding simulators. Frame rate may be comfortable in cruise, then fall around a detailed airport, heavy weather, complex glass cockpits or dense traffic. VRR cannot create missing frames, but it prevents those ordinary fluctuations from fighting the monitor’s fixed timing.
Below the display’s native VRR minimum, Low Framerate Compensation may refresh each rendered frame more than once. For example, a low frame rate can be displayed at twice its frequency so the monitor remains inside its supported range. LFC does not generate additional motion information, so very low FPS still looks coarse during fast panning.
Adaptive Sync vs FreeSync: what is the difference?
FreeSync is AMD’s branded VRR implementation and certification programme, while Adaptive-Sync is the underlying standardised capability or the generic name many monitor menus use.
| Term | What it means | What the label does not guarantee |
|---|---|---|
| Adaptive-Sync | A standardised variable-refresh capability, commonly associated with DisplayPort; manufacturers also use the term generically in monitor menus | A wide operating range, LFC, low flicker or good overdrive behaviour |
| AMD FreeSync | AMD driver support and monitor validation using a compatible DisplayPort or HDMI implementation | Identical behaviour on every GPU, connection or console |
| FreeSync Premium | A higher AMD certification tier that includes additional high-refresh and LFC requirements | That the simulator itself will maintain a high frame rate |
| FreeSync Premium Pro | A tier with added HDR-related validation requirements | Good HDR image quality in every monitor or simulator |
| G-SYNC Compatible | NVIDIA’s mode or validation for running VRR on compatible Adaptive-Sync displays | The dedicated hardware used by full G-SYNC monitors |
FreeSync and Adaptive Sync are therefore not competing rendering features. A monitor can support Adaptive-Sync without carrying a FreeSync badge, and a FreeSync display may also work with a compatible NVIDIA or Intel GPU. The useful differences are the verified refresh range, LFC support, connection requirements and behaviour during rapid frame-rate changes.
Our explanation of the VRR monitor features that matter for flight simulation covers those buying criteria in more detail.
How should I enable FreeSync or Adaptive Sync?
A working VRR setup requires support from the monitor, connection, operating system and graphics driver; enabling only one switch is not enough.
- Check the usable range and input. Confirm which DisplayPort or HDMI inputs support VRR, the available minimum and maximum refresh rates, and whether LFC is included. These details can change with resolution, input mode or monitor overclocking.
- Use a suitable cable and port. Connect the graphics card directly to a supported monitor input where possible. Adapters, docks, receivers and some duplicate-display arrangements can prevent VRR from engaging.
- Enable it in the monitor menu. The control may be called Adaptive Sync, FreeSync, Variable Refresh Rate or Gaming VRR. Expect incompatible backlight-strobing modes to be disabled on many displays.
- Select the intended refresh rate. Check the operating system’s advanced display settings. A mistake we see constantly is a high-refresh monitor left at 60 Hz after a driver change, cable swap or Windows reconfiguration.
- Enable the graphics-driver control. Apply AMD FreeSync, NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible or the equivalent Adaptive Sync setting to the correct display. Some drivers distinguish full-screen operation from windowed or borderless applications.
- Match the simulator’s display mode. If VRR works in exclusive full screen but not borderless mode, enable the driver or operating-system option that permits VRR for windowed applications, where available.
- Use one sensible FPS cap. Set the limit slightly below the monitor’s maximum refresh so brief overshoots do not leave the VRR range. A lower cap that the computer can sustain may produce better frame pacing than repeatedly chasing the ceiling; our flight-simulator FPS cap guidance explains how to choose it.
- Verify that refresh actually changes. Use the monitor’s refresh indicator if it has one. Its figure should move with frame rate, although LFC can make the displayed refresh twice or three times the rendered FPS.
Do not rely on the monitor’s “FPS” counter as an exact performance measurement. Many such counters report refresh frequency rather than the simulator’s rendered frame rate.
Should V-Sync be on with FreeSync?
For civilian flight simulation, our usual low-tearing setup is VRR on, an FPS cap just below maximum refresh, and V-Sync enabled in one place as protection against overshoot.
Adaptive Sync controls refresh only inside its operating range. V-Sync determines what happens when the output reaches or exceeds the upper boundary. With V-Sync off, frames above that boundary can tear; with it on, the GPU waits when necessary, but sustained operation at the ceiling may add latency.
A reliable frame cap keeps the simulator away from that V-Sync boundary, so the extra latency is rarely invoked. Avoid stacking the simulator’s limiter, a driver cap and another frame limiter without a specific reason. Multiple controls can cause uneven pacing or an unexpectedly low limit.
Some simulators also use V-Sync selections as fractional-refresh caps rather than a simple on/off switch. Microsoft Flight Simulator users can consult our detailed explanation of V-Sync, VRR and frame caps in MSFS before combining driver and in-simulator settings.
Why can a simulator still tear or stutter with FreeSync on?
Tearing usually means VRR is inactive or the output has crossed its operating range; stutter means the simulator delivered one or more frames late.
- Tearing at high FPS: The simulator or an uncapped menu is exceeding maximum refresh. Add a cap below the ceiling or use V-Sync as a safety net.
- Judder at low FPS: Output is below the VRR minimum and LFC is unavailable or not engaging. Lower demanding settings or choose a sustainable frame-rate target.
- A fixed refresh reading: VRR may be enabled in the monitor but not the graphics driver, or it may not support the simulator’s borderless display mode.
- Regular hitching: Check for competing frame caps, traffic updates, scenery loading, shader compilation, glass-cockpit load and main-thread spikes. VRR cannot repair a frame that arrives very late.
- Brightness pulsing: Some displays alter brightness slightly as refresh rate changes, especially near the bottom of the VRR range or during loading screens. Rapid swings can make this visible.
- Black screens or signal loss: Test another supported input or cable, remove adapters and disable any monitor overclock. High resolution, refresh rate and HDR can expose a marginal connection.
- Frame-generation complications: Generated frames can raise displayed FPS into the VRR range, but they do not remove low base-frame-rate latency or CPU stalls. Limiters may also act at different points in the rendering chain.
If a pause looks identical with Adaptive Sync on and off, VRR is not its cause. Concentrate on frame-time spikes rather than average FPS.
MSFS 2024 screen tearing checks
For MSFS 2024 screen tearing, first prove that the display’s refresh rate is changing with the simulator rather than assuming the FreeSync switch has activated it.
- On PC, check both controls: Enable VRR in the monitor menu and the AMD, NVIDIA or Intel graphics control for that display.
- Watch the upper limit: Aircraft-selection screens, menus and less demanding views may run faster than the cockpit. Cap output below maximum refresh and retain one V-Sync control if tearing appears only at high FPS.
- Check borderless support: If exclusive full screen is unavailable or undesirable, ensure the driver and operating system permit VRR for windowed applications.
- Test without frame generation: Temporarily disabling it helps separate base frame pacing, generated-frame behaviour and limiter conflicts.
- Remove duplicate limiters: Keep one cap while testing. A simulator cap, driver limiter and external control acting together can create a repeating hitch.
On Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PS5 Pro, MSFS 2024 uses the console and display’s system-level VRR path rather than a PC graphics-driver panel. The console must report VRR as available on that HDMI input; a FreeSync badge alone does not prove compatibility with every console VRR format.
Is FreeSync worth it when buying a flight-sim monitor?
Yes, FreeSync or another reliable Adaptive-Sync implementation is worth prioritising for flight simulation, but the usable range and display quality matter more than the badge.
- Match the range to real performance. A high maximum is less useful if the simulator spends most of its time below the monitor’s VRR minimum.
- Look for LFC. It preserves VRR behaviour during the low frame rates common at complex airports, although it cannot make low FPS look like high FPS.
- Confirm GPU and input compatibility. Check the exact connection you intend to use, particularly when pairing a FreeSync display with an NVIDIA GPU or a console.
- Consider flicker and overdrive behaviour. Poorly tuned pixel overdrive can create inverse ghosting as refresh changes, while some panels show visible VRR brightness fluctuations.
- Do not buy on maximum refresh alone. A 120–165 Hz class display usually provides ample headroom for a demanding simulator, even when actual FPS is much lower. Our flight-sim monitor refresh-rate advice explains why high refresh can still help without triple-digit simulator FPS.
If two otherwise suitable monitors are similarly priced, choose the one with the wider proven VRR range, LFC and compatibility with your graphics hardware. If your existing monitor already supports Adaptive Sync or FreeSync, leave it on unless testing identifies flicker, signal loss or a monitor feature you value more.