AMD FreeSync And LG 34UM67 Widescreen Monitor Review

Just in case it wasn’t obvious coming into this conclusion, we’re pretty fond of adaptive refresh technologies like NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync. Their benefits aren’t a panacea for all of PC gaming’s ills, but they do ultimately enhance the experience and are worthwhile upgrades if you’re in the market for a new display.

If we focus specifically on AMD FreeSync, the technology delivers. It does exactly what it was designed to do and worked as expected. The particular monitor we used for testing—the LG 34UM67—didn’t wow us like some other monitors we have evaluated lately due to its relatively low pixel density, limited dynamic refresh rate range (48-75Hz), and a few other minor quibbles, but at $649 for 34” of real estate, an IPS panel, and FreeSync support, we can’t really complain. The LG 34UM67’s 2560x1080 resolution is also “low enough” that you won’t need monstrous amounts of GPU horsepower to game smoothly at its native resolution.  

The LG 34UM67 AMD FreeSync Display, Find It At Amazon.Com

There are a number of other AMD FreeSync enabled displays coming down the pipeline as well. AMD expects 11 FreeSync compatible displays to hit the scene in the next few weeks, starting with the LG 34UM67 we showed you here and a couple of 27” 1440P displays from Acer and BenQ with 144Hz max refresh rates (priced at $499 and $599, respectively). Additional models from Viewsonic, Samsung, and Nixeus will come later.

From what we’ve seen on pricing, AMD FreeSync compatible displays don’t carry much of a price premium at all. Because the technology doesn’t require any proprietary monitor hardware, if a manufacturer already has compatible panels and scalers in their supply chain, incorporating FreeSync is only a matter of updating the necessary firmware and qualifying the panel. The additional qualification and validation necessary and the AMD FreeSync bullet point may add a few bucks to the final cost, but it seems obtaining a FreeSync compatible display won’t break the bank.

Ideally, we’d like to see AMD, NVIDIA, and Intel all adopt the same, open, adaptive refresh rate technology across the board so there’s no consumer confusion between G-SYNC, FreeSync, or the generic DP Adaptive Sync, but that probably won’t happen for a while—perhaps until the next DisplayPort spec is finalized. For now though, fans of both discrete GPU manufacturers have dynamic refresh rate technologies at their disposal and that is a welcome step forward in our book.

 
LG 34UM67 AMD FreeSync Monitor

AMD FreeSync Support Ultra-Wide Aspect Easy To Use Controls IPS Panel Affordably Priced Thin Bezels	Somewhat Low Pixel Density 75Hz Max Refresh Rigid Stand