AMD Publishes More Open-Source FreeSync Code

AMD published a patch this week for prepping its X.Org driver for supporting FreeSync.

AMD FreeSync aims to address game stuttering and tearing by allowing the monitor's refresh rate to dynamically change with Low Framerate Compensation when used in conjunction with a newer AMD graphics card and a supported display.

The patch published this week won't magically bring FreeSync to the open-source AMD Linux driver stack, but it's working in that direction. The new patch is just about allowing the xf86-video-amdgpu X.Org driver to notify the OpenGL game when there is a FreeSync-capable application/client to enable/disable FreeSync when entering/exiting the full-screen game/application. The xf86-video-amdgpu driver patch is on the amd-gfx mailing list.

This patch doesn't do the heavy lifting for FreeSync support with the big piece of the puzzle being needed inside the AMDGPU DRM driver. The FreeSync support in AMDGPU DRM is contingent upon the DAL display abstraction layer code that has yet to be mainlined. It won't be until at least Linux 4.9 that the DAL code is merged in AMDGPU as it's a massive addition to the driver. However, the DAL support is already being prepped within the AMDGPU-PRO hybrid driver with its DKMS DRM driver.

Hopefully by the end of the year we'll see working AMD FreeSync/Adaptive-Sync support on the Linux desktop.