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Which XMG laptops are compatible with G-SYNC and FreeSync displays?

G-SYNC vs. Adaptive Sync

External displays that support G-SYNC or AMD FreeSync via DisplayPort can be broadly classified into two categories:

  • A) Displays that use a proprietary G-SYNC module (introduced in 2013).
  • B) Displays that adhere to the VESA-defined "Adaptive Sync" standard (introduced in 2014).

The latter category includes monitors advertised as "FreeSync," "G-SYNC Compatible," or "Adaptive Sync." Additionally, displays labeled as "G-SYNC ULTIMATE" also support the VESA standard (see discussion here). Furthermore, monitors equipped with MediaTek's new vendor-agnostic G-SYNC module, introduced in August 2024, also fall into this category.

Product overview

A well-organized overview of compatible monitors can be found here:

Monitors listed under NVIDIA’s "G-SYNC" (not "G-SYNC ULTIMATE" or "G-SYNC Compatible") typically use the older proprietary G-SYNC module and require a laptop where the DisplayPort signal is directly connected to an NVIDIA GPU. This applies to all XMG laptops released since mid-2022. Some earlier models had exceptions.

Adaptive Sync and FreeSync

Monitors implementing the VESA standard (i.e., those without the older proprietary G-SYNC module) generally work best when connected to the NVIDIA GPU but can also be used via NVIDIA Optimus (MSHybrid) with a DisplayPort signal from the Intel iGPU—starting with Intel’s 11th Gen Core processors. They also function with AMD’s integrated graphics in Ryzen processors.

However, certain game engines may have limitations when using Adaptive Sync via Intel iGPU. More details on this topic are discussed in the following article: