- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Vsync has a performance drawback if your card can barely maintain the FPS at the refresh-rate speed. Let's say that your refresh rate is 60 hz.. If your card can't maintain 60 fps, then it will lower the framerate to something like 1/2 or 2/3 of what your refresh rate is, whether your card can do higher than the divided amount or not. Particles can greatly cause this slow-down when it's just not what you want in an intense firefight.
With NoVsync, the framerate isn't divided; it just lowers however much the card can't handle. None of the cards power is "wasted", like with vsync. You will experience the "tearing", but it's not that noticable if you set the refresh rate to something higher than 60 hz. Something around 70-75 hz. will reduce the tearing enough to have very little of an annoying effect.
So my advice: go with NoVsync if the framerate with Vsync is constantly lower than your refresh rate.