Screen tearing on the tv

I have an Alienware 17 r5 laptop and a Sony Bravia kdl-42w800b tv. Both of them have a 1080p 60hz screen. I am connecting the laptop to the tv by using an hdmi wire. I have been using the tv for 11 years.

I launched a game on exclusive full screen mode. Vsync is enabled in the game and I set it to 60fps. I noticed that if I run sideways and the camera moves sideways then there is screen tearing only the tv and not in the laptop. If I launch the game in windowed mode\borderless full screen then there is no screen tearing on the tv if I run sideways and the camera moves sideways.

I have seen the same problem in other games over the years when I run them in exclusive full screen mode. That's why I play games in borderless full screen mode and not in exclusive full screen mode.

Why I am getting screen tearing on the tv in some games when the camera is moving sideways and it's only happening in exclusive full screen mode and not in window mode or borderless full screen?

Is the fault because of the laptop or the tv?

Try enable triple buffering in your cards control panel if it isn't. Sometime apps are wonky and they work better in either full screen mode or window/bordered or vice versa.

Buffering will smooth out your frames with tearline where tearline is a result of inconstant or choppy frames. Vsync is also not a magic wand sometimes it might not be able to perform especially if there is big inconsistencies. Low frame rate or high frame time or any other which factor can still cause visible tearline with vsync on.

vsync tries to eliminate the line but that is keyword being try. Sometimes for what ever which reason it might no be able to.

Malneb said:

Sometime apps are wonky and they work better in either full screen mode or window/bordered or vice versa.

I figured out the problem. I am duplicating the laptop to the tv. https://i.imgur.com/WRmrfdb.png is the refresh rate of the laptop. it's 60.128hz. https://i.imgur.com/mrQGWmf.png is the refresh rate of the tv. It's 60hz. There is a refresh rate mismatch and it looks like that can cause a problem for some games when it's in exclusive full screen mode.

I extended the tv screen instead of duplicating it, I set the tv screen as the main screen and I ran the game in exclusive full screen mode on the tv screen. There was no screen tearing.

Why does the laptop screen have refresh rate 60.128hz? Is this normal? Unfortunately, I can't set the refresh rate of the laptop screen to 60.00hz. See https://i.imgur.com/6C9PuHY.png.

Why is the refresh rate mismatch causing screen tearing on the tv if I run a game in exclusive full screen mode?

"Why does the laptop screen have refresh rate 60.128hz? Is this normal?"

Yes, that is normal, my Laptop display panel gives me a "choice" of 59.959 Hz or 60.019 Hz in Windows 10, but in the Intel Graphics Control Panel it shows 59p Hz and 60p Hz so they just truncated the number to display 2 digits rather than rounding.

The 60 Hz is just rounding of both the numbers, a nominal Refresh rate.

"Is the fault because of the laptop or the tv?"

Neither is at fault, displayed numbers are often rounded/truncated for simplicity of display.