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[SolidSnakeUS]

I'm sure this a stupid question, if I used G-Sync, would it have the same strain on a game as if I just turned on V-sync without a G-sync monitor or does it offload a lot of the performance loss to the G-sync chip built in? Like the performance with V-sync on and off is night and day with something like Wolfenstein The Old Blood. Would G-sync allow the V-sync to be (but better) on but be less taxing on the performance?

 

[Xcell Miguel]

Was there an update that made G-Sync work on windowed fullscreen modes? I remember it didn't on launch and that was a big complaint, but it seems to be working now.

With the new Nvidia drivers (since 350.12) G-Sync is always enabled.

Yes it's always enabled now, but it does not work, the screen's refresh rate is still the one selected, as Windows DWM renders at this rate.

So to run games with G-Sync you have to run it in exclusive fullscreen.

 

[CHC]

I'm sure this a stupid question, if I used G-Sync, would it have the same strain on a game as if I just turned on V-sync without a G-sync monitor or does it offload a lot of the performance loss to the G-sync chip built in? Like the performance with V-sync on and off is night and day with something like Wolfenstein The Old Blood. Would G-sync allow the V-sync to be (but better) on but be less taxing on the performance?

The work is done by the monitor / a separate part of the card. There should be no performance loss, the game just does its thing in terms of framerate and the monitor adjusts accordingly.

 

[Cizeta-Moroder]

Yes it's always enabled now, but it does not work, the screen's refresh rate is still the one selected, as Windows DWM renders at this rate.

So to run games with G-Sync you have to run it in exclusive fullscreen.

What if you switch to basic theme, where AFAIK DWM is disabled?

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

The work is done by the monitor / a separate part of the card. There should be no performance loss, the game just does its thing in terms of framerate and the monitor adjusts accordingly.

So no performance loss then in having G-sync? Damn I may have to get one then, not just to make it look smoother, but having something like that running with no performance loss.

Also, is this Asus monitor still hit and miss in quality?

 

[CHC]

So no performance loss then in having G-sync? Damn I may have to get one then, not just to make it look smoother, but having something like that running with no performance loss.

Also, is this Asus monitor still hit and miss in quality?

Well I should say no perceptible performance loss. It's like 2-3% by most estimates but even if that means occasional dips below 60 FPS, having G-sync is still going to make that a smoother experience than a locked refresh rate monitor.

 

[mm04]

So no performance loss then in having G-sync? Damn I may have to get one then, not just to make it look smoother, but having something like that running with no performance loss.

Also, is this Asus monitor still hit and miss in quality?

I will say this, running Witcher 3 with HairWorks on and most settings set to Ultra (all the important ones) at 1440p, I can't tell the difference when I'm getting 65 fps vs 55 fps. And I wouldn't even know it was dipping if I didn't have FRAPS on as a gauge. I don't bother with having it on anymore now that I know what the baseline performance is of my rig with the game.

 

[ss_lemonade]

I will say this, running Witcher 3 with HairWorks on and most settings set to Ultra (all the important ones) at 1440p, I can't tell the difference when I'm getting 65 fps vs 55 fps. And I wouldn't even know it was dipping if I didn't have FRAPS on as a gauge. I don't bother with having it on anymore now that I know what the baseline performance is of my rig with the game.

I must say, I wouldn't notice the difference as well between something like 55fps and 65fps unless I had a framerate counter on screen. Does this mean that I wouldn't really benefit much from getting a gsync monitor?

 

[mm04]

I must say, I wouldn't notice the difference as well between something like 55fps and 65fps unless I had a framerate counter on screen. Does this mean that I wouldn't really benefit much from getting a gsync monitor?

It is a very smooth experience. Even in other games when it drops to the 40fps zone. And zero tearing. You don't know how much of a godsend that is until you stop seeing tearing. I could never go back to that again.

 

[Xcell Miguel]

Since the latest Nvidia drivers (353.06), G-Sync now works in windowed, I tried a bit on some games and apps, and it works very well, but for some apps that render at 30 FPS or less, it's better to create a rule to not use G-Sync.

It also work with some video players, meaning that I can keep a higher refresh rate on the desktop and still play 24 and 30 fps videos without stutter.

 

[jotun?]

Since the latest Nvidia drivers (353.06), G-Sync now works in windowed, I tried a bit on some games and apps, and it works very well, but for some apps that render at 30 FPS or less, it's better to create a rule to not use G-Sync.

What kind of problems happen under 30fps? I would think that's where G-sync would provide the most benefit. Some kind of bug?


I'm eyeing this monitor to accompany my next build, but I'm a bit wary of the resolution. Does the 2560x1440 res cause a lot of annoyances where things designed for 1080p or less just end up being too small, particularly sprite-based games with fixed window size? If there was a 1920x1200 version of this I would buy it in an instant.. but I doubt that will ever exist.

 

[Zeyphersan]

The only thing I dislike about this monitor is that ULMB is limited to 100Hz. Otherwise it's perfect.

 

[jotun?]

The only thing I dislike about this monitor is that ULMB is limited to 100Hz. Otherwise it's perfect.

What happens if you have both that and G-sync enabled and a game is rendering faster than 100fps? Do you get tearing, or does it get capped at 100fps? If it gets capped, does it cause the same sort of input lag that normal v-sync causes?

 

[opticalmace]

The only thing I dislike about this monitor is that ULMB is limited to 100Hz. Otherwise it's perfect.

Am I right in thinking you can't use G-sync with ULMB? Under what circumstance would you want one over the other?

 

[icecold1983]

Am I right in thinking you can't use G-sync with ULMB? Under what circumstance would you want one over the other?

They cant be combined. If you can sustain a locked 100 and dont mind slightly off colors ulmb is sharper in motion but as a result any type of temporal aliasing is more pronounced

 

[Zeyphersan]

What happens if you have both that and G-sync enabled and a game is rendering faster than 100fps? Do you get tearing, or does it get capped at 100fps? If it gets capped, does it cause the same sort of input lag that normal v-sync causes?

You can't have g-sync and ULMB on at the same time. One or the other

Am I right in thinking you can't use G-sync with ULMB? Under what circumstance would you want one over the other?

Even at 144Hz and g-sync there would still be some LCD ghosting going on, which ULMB works to eliminate by strobing the backlight. However, you're losing 44fps which is a LOT. Because of that (and because LCD ghosting hasn't bothered me for basically my whole life so far) I'll probably just stick with G-Sync, but 120Hz or 144Hz ULMB would have made this monitor perfectly perfect. Now it's just mostly perfect.

 

[icecold1983]

You can't have g-sync and ULMB on at the same time. One or the other



Even at 144Hz and g-sync there would still be some LCD ghosting going on, which ULMB works to eliminate by strobing the backlight. However, you're losing 44fps which is a LOT. Because of that (and because LCD ghosting hasn't bothered me for basically my whole life so far) I'll probably just stick with G-Sync, but 120Hz or 144Hz ULMB would have made this monitor perfectly perfect. Now it's just mostly perfect.

The limitations of ips panels prevented higher hz ulmb ig i am rembering the tftcentral review correctly

 

[Zeyphersan]

The limitations of ips panels prevented higher hz ulmb ig i am rembering the tftcentral review correctly

I don't doubt they would have included it if they could

 

[Xcell Miguel]

What kind of problems happen under 30fps? I would think that's where G-sync would provide the most benefit. Some kind of bug?

What happen is that the mouse cursor gets refreshed at the app's framerate, so it can be weird and feels like your PC is struggling. Going from a window to another can make it switch from 144Hz to < 30 instantly.

I'm getting used to it anyway, it works really well

 

[jotun?]

You can't have g-sync and ULMB on at the same time. One or the other

Can you setup the drivers so that some games (high framerates like CS) use ULMB while others use G-Sync? Or do you have to manually fiddle with the settings to switch it?

 

[icecold1983]

Can you setup the drivers so that some games (high framerates like CS) use ULMB while others use G-Sync? Or do you have to manually fiddle with the settings to switch it?

you can now choose gsync or ULMB in the nv ctrl panel game profiles. no need to use your monitors interface

 

[Xcell Miguel]

Can you setup the drivers so that some games (high framerates like CS) use ULMB while others use G-Sync? Or do you have to manually fiddle with the settings to switch it?

Yes, it was added in the latest drivers, but with the XB270HU it forces 120Hz (so ULMB can't work), Nvidia is aware of this problem and will fix it. I think you can still force 100Hz in the game's settings.

 

[icecold1983]

Yes, it was added in the latest drivers, but with the XB270HU it forces 120Hz (so ULMB can't work), Nvidia is aware of this problem and will fix it. I think you can still force 100Hz in the game's settings.

set your desktop to 100 hz and change refresh rate to application controlled in nv cpl and enable v sync in the game

 

[vakarian32]

Can you setup the drivers so that some games (high framerates like CS) use ULMB while others use G-Sync? Or do you have to manually fiddle with the settings to switch it?

You can do that in the latest Nvidia drivers now, I have Gsync set as the global default and some older FPS individually set to ULMB.

 

[jotun?]

Alright, trigger has been pulled on this. Hopefully gsync and the high refresh rate are really all they're cracked up to be!

 

[epmode]

I haven't seen a screen tear since I got this monitor. Worth it.

edit: I tried out that ULMB thing and oh god the brightness goes way down. I assume that's by design? Something similar to the way the Rift DK2 works with its strobing tech?

Whatever the case, the brightness is distractingly low.

 

[cleveridea]

Man glad it doesnt support 3D vision

Would have been way too tempted if it had

 

[SpiceMelange]

I haven't seen a screen tear since I got this monitor. Worth it.

edit: I tried out that ULMB thing and oh god the brightness goes way down. I assume that's by design? Something similar to the way the Rift DK2 works with its strobing tech?

Whatever the case, the brightness is distractingly low.

Yeah it's how ULMB works. Have you noticed any appreciable difference with it on compared to GSYNC for screen blur?

 

[riflen]

Yeah it's how ULMB works. Have you noticed any appreciable difference with it on compared to GSYNC for screen blur?

There's no comparison. See tftcentral's pursuit camera tests. With ULMB enabled, moving objects are as clear as if they were static.

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/content/asus_rog_swift_pg278q.htm#pursuit

I haven't seen a screen tear since I got this monitor. Worth it.

edit: I tried out that ULMB thing and oh god the brightness goes way down. I assume that's by design? Something similar to the way the Rift DK2 works with its strobing tech?

Whatever the case, the brightness is distractingly low.

Change the pulse width if you want to increase brightness while strobing.

 

[Dartastic]

Serious question: what makes this monitor so worth it? Like, this thing seems ridiculously expensive. I was at my local Fred Meyer and I saw a Samsung 65" smart TV that was on clearance that was cheaper than this thing. What makes this monitor SO good that it's worth the cost? Is it just that it essentially removes screen tearing?

 

[epmode]

Yeah it's how ULMB works. Have you noticed any appreciable difference with it on compared to GSYNC for screen blur?

Blurring is noticeably lessened with ULMB. Unfortunately, brightness is so low that I don't like using it. I'll try the pulse width thing riflen suggested.

 

[d0g_bear]

Serious question: what makes this monitor so worth it? Like, this thing seems ridiculously expensive. I was at my local Fred Meyer and I saw a Samsung 65" smart TV that was on clearance that was cheaper than this thing. What makes this monitor SO good that it's worth the cost? Is it just that it essentially removes screen tearing?

TVs and 1080p TN monitors are commodity items with razor thin profit margins. They ship from dozens of manufacturers to big box stores with fierce price competition.

This monitor is 2560x1440, IPS, 144Hz, variable refresh rate with G-sync, and ULMB. It's literally the only one in the world with these extremely desirable features, so there's no price competition. If you play games on a monitor it is a tremendous upgrade that won't face with time like a GPU will.

Over time, this kind of panel will become more common and cheaper.

 

[trembli0s]

Can someone with this monitor give me a brief explanation of how the gsync tech works?

I currently have a 970 gtx but have been looking at gysnc for the last year I know it fixes tearing apparently but I've had an old BenQ for 8 years now so I imagine upgrading to this would be a night and day difference.

I plan on playing at 1080p still because I doubt a single 970 is going to have the beef to run Witcher 3 until I plop for an SLI or upgrade. Is that doable or am I stuck on 1440p?

 

[Jibbajabbawockky]

I plan on playing at 1080p still because I doubt a single 970 is going to have the beef to run Witcher 3 until I plop for an SLI or upgrade. Is that doable or am I stuck on 1440p?

I'm playing The Witcher 3 on a 970 and this monitor at 1440p with most settings on High/Ultra. The framerate is usually pretty steady around 30-50 FPS but that's the nice thing with Gsync is that even when its fluctuating, it still comes across as a fairly smooth image.

If you bump down to 1080p, the image is a little blurrier naturally but for me, you'll get a smooth 50+ FPS in TW3.

 

[icecold1983]

Can someone with this monitor give me a brief explanation of how the gsync tech works?

I currently have a 970 gtx but have been looking at gysnc for the last year I know it fixes tearing apparently but I've had an old BenQ for 8 years now so I imagine upgrading to this would be a night and day difference.

I plan on playing at 1080p still because I doubt a single 970 is going to have the beef to run Witcher 3 until I plop for an SLI or upgrade. Is that doable or am I stuck on 1440p?

Gsync syncs the monitors refresh rate to whatever fps your gpu is running at

 

[Bornstellar]

I'm playing The Witcher 3 on a 970 and this monitor at 1440p with most settings on High/Ultra. The framerate is usually pretty steady around 30-50 FPS but that's the nice thing with Gsync is that even when its fluctuating, it still comes across as a fairly smooth image.

If you bump down to 1080p, the image is a little blurrier naturally but for me, you'll get a smooth 50+ FPS in TW3.

So Gsync still works when upscaling the image?

 

[trembli0s]

Perfect! Thanks for the responses.

 

[Fahrenheit]

Waiting on the 21:9 75hz one going soon.

 

[Jimrpg]

Can someone with this monitor give me a brief explanation of how the gsync tech works?

I currently have a 970 gtx but have been looking at gysnc for the last year I know it fixes tearing apparently but I've had an old BenQ for 8 years now so I imagine upgrading to this would be a night and day difference.

I plan on playing at 1080p still because I doubt a single 970 is going to have the beef to run Witcher 3 until I plop for an SLI or upgrade. Is that doable or am I stuck on 1440p?

I have a G1 GTX 970 and this monitor. Settings on high (second highest), distanced foilage down slightly, hairworks off. getting steady 60-65fps.

 

[Dries]

I was wondering: how can you tell if a game is using the desktop color settings as the standard? When this is the case then even in Full Screen the game should be using the ICC profile from the desktop right?

I'm asking because I'm using a ICC profile and when I switch between Borderless Window and Full Screen mode, I don't see any difference at all. So I just assumed the game was applying my ICC profile whatever rendering mode I chose. I tried both TW3 and GTA V but never saw a difference.

The reason I want Full screen is because I want my G-sync. But I also want games to make use of my ICC profile, which I got from tftcentral btw.

I applied my ICC profile with help from this page: https://pcmonitors.info/articles/using-icc-profiles-in-windows/

They also talk a lot about ICC profiles and how games work with them.

 

[The_Poet]

Anyone know best/cheapest place to get this in the UK?

 

[Durante]

The reason I want Full screen is because I want my G-sync.

While I agree that color profiles should always work, G-sync now works in windowed mode.

 

[Dries]

While I agree that color profiles should always work, G-sync now works in windowed mode.

Yes, I see this now. Interesting. Thanks.

Still, is there a way to tell how a certain game handles it color settings? I toggled between Borderless and Fullscreen with GTA V and TW3. Couldn't notice a difference, so I assumed both games apply my ICC profile either way, but I'd like to know for sure.

 

[luffeN]

I'm sorry about highjacking this thread shortly, but does anyone have a good ICC profile for the LG 29EB73-P?

 

[tokkun]

I was wondering: how can you tell if a game is using the desktop color settings as the standard? When this is the case then even in Full Screen the game should be using the ICC profile from the desktop right?

I'm asking because I'm using a ICC profile and when I switch between Borderless Window and Full Screen mode, I don't see any difference at all. So I just assumed the game was applying my ICC profile whatever rendering mode I chose. I tried both TW3 and GTA V but never saw a difference.

The reason I want Full screen is because I want my G-sync. But I also want games to make use of my ICC profile, which I got from tftcentral btw.

I applied my ICC profile with help from this page: https://pcmonitors.info/articles/using-icc-profiles-in-windows/

They also talk a lot about ICC profiles and how games work with them.

This may vary depending on your OS.

In my experience using Windows 7, running an app in windowed mode does not guarantee it will honor your color profiles. I only got accurate colors in Firefox and Irfanview after doing an in-app configuration to tell them to use my color profile. I have yet to figure out a way to do this for Media Player Classic. Most games do not seem to honor the color profile at all, whether they are running in windowed or desktop mode.

I have a wide-gamut monitor, so it is very obvious when an app is not honoring the color profile. If you have a standard-gamut monitor, I wouldn't stress out too much over whether it is using your color profile in games; it's really only a big deal if you are dealing with photo-realistic imagery (people are sensitive to color accuracy with skin tones).

 

[RenegadeXV8]

In case anyone was looking for a cheaper alternative, the ASUS MG279Q uses the same panel and should be out soon.

TFTCentral review: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/asus_mg279q.htm

While it has some limitations compared to the XB270HU (no ULMB, slightly slower response times at lower Hz, upper FreeSync limit of 90Hz), in all other respects it performed quite closely and should retail for $200 less.

 

[MR ARCADE FOREVER]

Is there a good 1080p G-Sync ips 144hz monitor? Does it even exist?

 

[Derpcrawler]

My Asus MG279Q finally arrived. This is the best monitor I ever used. I sold off my Acer already, couldn't bare all the QA issues with it and backlight bleed. And it has HDMI input which is important since I play console games on my monitor.

Asus seems to be better on all fronts other than G-Sync. Not to mention overall built quality and calibration/additional options which all G-sync monitors are quite limited in right now.

 

[Durante]

In case anyone was looking for a cheaper alternative, the ASUS MG279Q uses the same panel and should be out soon.

TFTCentral review: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/asus_mg279q.htm

While it has some limitations compared to the XB270HU (no ULMB, slightly slower response times at lower Hz, upper FreeSync limit of 90Hz), in all other respects it performed quite closely and should retail for $200 less.

The RTC isn't as amazing as on the XB270HU, and that lag at <=90Hz is a bummer, but seems like a decent monitor otherwise.

It's currently 570€ as opposed to 750€ for the Acer, so it might be worth the tradeoff depending on your budget.

 

[xXxDieselxXx]

My Asus MG279Q finally arrived. This is the best monitor I ever used. I sold off my Acer already, couldn't bare all the QA issues with it and backlight bleed. And it has HDMI input which is important since I play console games on my monitor.

Asus seems to be better on all fronts other than G-Sync. Not to mention overall built quality and calibration/additional options which all G-sync monitors are quite limited in right now.

Wait! Are they released? Where did you buy it from? I have been hunting for this bad boy