1440 G-Sync recommendations

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polonyc2

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looks my NEC 2490WUXi-BK LCD is dying (see previous thread https://hardforum.com/threads/static-line-down-center-of-monitor.1955514/ )

so I'm in the market for a new LCD...plus it's a good time to finally go G-Sync...I wanted to go 4K but then I would also have to upgrade my GTX 1070 which I'm not prepared to do at the moment...so looks like 1440p will have to tide me over...doing some research online it looks like these 2 1440p LCD's seem to be regarded as the best-

ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236660

Acer Predator XB271HU
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824106004

am I right that these are the 2 best ones?...any other ones I should be looking at?...which is the better LCD between the ASUS and Acer?...thanks for any help
 
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I have the Acer, and I do like it, but if you're coming from something with the picture quality of a decent NEC it might be a bit of a letdown. It still may be the best monitor, though, assuming no defects.

I'm personally waiting for 32" monitors to hit critical mass- beyond size and speed, I'd like to see 4k120, I really want good HDR support.
 
IdiotInCharge said:
I have the Acer, and I do like it, but if you're coming from something with the picture quality of a decent NEC it might be a bit of a letdown. It still may be the best monitor, though, assuming no defects.

I'm personally waiting for 32" monitors to hit critical mass- beyond size and speed, I'd like to see 4k120, I really want good HDR support.
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are there any G-Sync LCD's similar in quality to the NEC?...apparently NEC doesn't make G-Sync monitors
 
The challenge is not G-Sync- that's not hard- the challenge is speed.

I will tell you this- as useful as G-Sync is, you'll never want to give it up, you want high refresh rates just as much. And those panels are rarely of the highest quality.
 
IdiotInCharge said:
The challenge is not G-Sync- that's not hard- the challenge is speed.

I will tell you this- as useful as G-Sync is, you'll never want to give it up, you want high refresh rates just as much. And those panels are rarely of the highest quality.
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144Hz is not good enough?
 
polonyc2 said:
looks my NEC 2490WUXi-BK LCD is dying (see previous thread https://hardforum.com/threads/static-line-down-center-of-monitor.1955514/ )

so I'm in the market for a new LCD...plus it's a good time to finally go G-Sync...I wanted to go 4K but then I would also have to upgrade my GTX 1070 which I'm not prepared to do at the moment...so looks like 1440p will have to tide me over...doing some research online it looks like these 2 1440p LCD's seem to be regarded as the best-

ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236660

Acer Predator XB271HU
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824106004

am I right that these are the 2 best ones?...any other ones I should be looking at?...which is the better LCD between the ASUS and Acer?...thanks for any help
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Had several monitors (pg279q,xb270hu, acer x34, pg348q, pg278q,...). now i found my perfect monitor: lg 32gk850g - VA panel, 165hz, 2560x1440, gsync and 32inch. costs the same as pg279q and other ips variants.
 
That one is on my short list. It's not perfect (no HDR and has VA-typical shadow-smearing) but is as close as one can get.

It's also a little larger than the others...
 
I have tried out the Acer XB270HU, Acer X34A, HP Omen X35, and now I am also on the LG 32GK850G and I like it the most, would recommend it. Also keep in mind that just because those monitors listed are IPS does not mean it will share the same level of quality as your NEC monitor. Quality on those 27 inch 144Hz panels are atrocious with common problems ranging from excessive backlight bleed to color temperature uniformity issues. In fact the quality of the LG is above those of the 27 inch IPS panels. And best of all you get no nastyass IPS glow ruining dark scenes in games.
 
MistaSparkul said:
I have tried out the Acer XB270HU, Acer X34A, HP Omen X35, and now I am also on the LG 32GK850G and I like it the most, would recommend it. Also keep in mind that just because those monitors listed are IPS does not mean it will share the same level of quality as your NEC monitor. Quality on those 27 inch 144Hz panels are atrocious with common problems ranging from excessive backlight bleed to color temperature uniformity issues. In fact the quality of the LG is above those of the 27 inch IPS panels. And best of all you get no nastyass IPS glow ruining dark scenes in games.
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the LG sounds good but is a little too big...I'm looking for something in the 24-27" range...does the LG have a 27" model?
 
You're more or less looking in the same realm I would be if my monitor goes on the fritz. ;)

Look over the advice in the last post in your previous thread about your potential monitor issue just to be 100 percent sure.



https://www.viewsonic.com/us/xg2703-gs.html

This gets mentioned positively a lot for 27 inch 1440p G-sync.



LG doesn't have 27 inch G-syncs with the high refresh rate on them. At least not yet. They did a freesync at that size if I saw correctly.

That 32 inch LG is something even Vega thought highly of while making his rounds if the size and cost were do-able for you. I'd be taking a long hard look at it myself if my back were up against the wall right now.


^^ Overall, if my 2490wuxi dies today, these are probably my two top choices I'd start with.
 
bubulus said:
now i found my perfect monitor: lg 32gk850g
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Quick question for you, does that model include PIP (Picture in Picture) or PBP (Picture by Picture)? Been looking for something with g-sync that also includes that.
It'd be nice to play the odd mame game while staying awake during some of these conference calls or waiting on changes to complete without worrying about corporate spyware. ;)

Thanks.
 
Krenum said:
What about this one?

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Gaming-S2716DGR-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B0149QBOF0
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I've been seeing that pop up a lot in my research...sounds fairly solid but it's a TN panel...some people say it's also a 6-bit panel...color reproduction is also not that great...but for people looking for a solid TN monitor at an affordable price this sounds like a good buy...coming from my current NEC, color accuracy is important so I think I need an IPS or VA panel
 
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polonyc2 said:
I've been seeing that pop up a lot in my research...sounds fairly solid but it's a TN panel...some people say it's also a 6-bit panel...color reproduction is also not that great...but for people looking for a solid TN monitor at an affordable price this sounds like a good buy...coming from my current NEC, color accuracy is important so I think I need an IPS or VA panel
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This may be the one I end up getting if I can ever upgrade my 980 to push it. $500 is my cuttoff limit. I couldn't see spending anything over that for a monitor. Currently using a HP 2711x 1080p 60hz monitor.
 
Krenum said:
This may be the one I end up getting if I can ever upgrade my 980 to push it. $500 is my cuttoff limit. I couldn't see spending anything over that for a monitor. Currently using a HP 2711x 1080p 60hz monitor.
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lots of people seem to be happy with the Dell so it might be the best as far as TN panels go...I also don't like spending too much on a monitor but since I plan on using it for a long time it might be worth it...my current NEC monitor is 8.5 years old and I paid close to $1000 at the time so it definitely lasted a long time...
 
The Dell comes up favorably in a lot of feedback.

I'm not clear if it's a 6 or an 8 bit TN. I hope it's 8. I've seen people suggest a lot of tweaks and calibration tips for it that went some ways. I'm pretty leery of TN but if it's an 8 bit and all that positive feedback means something you might want to keep it somewhere on your shortlist.
 
I have the XB271HU. I have tried several others including the Dell S2716DG and a couple of those 200hz 21:9 VA panels (Predator Z35 I think?). To put it bluntly, there is no 'perfect solution' yet. You have to settle with some sort of downside - even if cost is no object.

I settled with the XB271HU because the general image quality was overall the best I experienced. With the TN panels (Dell S2716DG), you trade some image quality for response time. I never got to try the revised S2716DGR, which got rid of the atrocious AG coating and replaced it with a more sensible AG similar to other gaming monitors. With that being the case, I would still probably go towards the IPS option. The color reproduction is still going to be better. When the Asus PG279Q came out, there were endless reports of quality control issues, including terrible backlight bleed. It seems this has mostly been ironed out - I'd try the Asus first over the Acer, because the OSD 'joystick' solution is so nice to use. Really miss that feature on this Acer, although I so rarely use the OSD once the settings are to my liking.

I have not tried the 32" LG VA solution, but be wary of VA response times. Reviews almost always tend to downplay this for some reason, but I have found them to be unacceptable. White/light objects on a black/dark background will smear extremely bad.

edit: After browsing a bit, I didn't realize the IPS options still hold such a price premium. If the extra $200-300 is unbearable (and I agree it's a bit silly) then the S2716DGR would absolutely be my go-to choice.
 
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Colonel Sanders said:
I have the XB271HU. I have tried several others including the Dell S2716DG and a couple of those 200hz 21:9 VA panels (Predator Z35 I think?). To put it bluntly, there is no 'perfect solution' yet. You have to settle with some sort of downside - even if cost is no object...
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yup I agree...I've been researching monitors all weekend thinking that I would be able to find the 'one' holy grail...but there is no perfect monitor and it always involves some sort of compromise...it's all about finding that medium between what features you really need to have, how much you're willing to spend and what defects you can live with...I've narrowed my decision down to 2 monitors- ViewSonic XG2703-GS and ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q...the S2716DGR is an interesting monitor but I plan on keeping my monitor for another 8+ years so I don't know if I can live with a TN panel for that long
 
bigbluefe said:
It's so ridiculous that you have to make tradeoffs even when you're willing to spend a ton of money on these things.
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It most certainly is. I'm blown away by the panel roulette and BS I see people put up with even when the break the grand mark.

Unacceptable and the chief reason many of us are staying on the fence as long as we can get away with it.
 
polonyc2 said:
I've been seeing that pop up a lot in my research...sounds fairly solid but it's a TN panel...some people say it's also a 6-bit panel...color reproduction is also not that great...but for people looking for a solid TN monitor at an affordable price this sounds like a good buy...coming from my current NEC, color accuracy is important so I think I need an IPS or VA panel
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It uses the same panel as the PG278Q, so it's a true 8-bit panel with no dithering. People could be mistaking the pixel inversion issue on these panels with dithering. Color reproduction is excellent for a TN, but IPS colors will appear more vibrant due to the pixel matrix allowing more light to pass through.
 
thanks for all the help everyone!...after a ton of research I decided to go with the ViewSonic XG2703-GS...seems like the Viewsonic has excellent color accuracy to go along with G-Sync...I keep hearing how G-Sync is a game-changer so looking forward to seeing what all the hype is about...I don't think it will be as good overall in terms of color etc as my NEC but that's to be expected since the NEC is not really a gaming monitor

quality control seems excellent in terms of color bleed and dead pixels compared to the Asus PG279Q...only thing I don't like about the Viewsonic is those green accents on the top and bottom bezel...hopefully they are not too annoying...I could always put black tape over it...overall I'm satisfied with my purchase...I bought it for $688.12
 
polonyc2 said:
thanks for all the help everyone!...after a ton of research I decided to go with the ViewSonic XG2703-GS...seems like the Viewsonic has excellent color accuracy to go along with G-Sync...I keep hearing how G-Sync is a game-changer so looking forward to seeing what all the hype is about...I don't think it will be as good overall in terms of color etc as my NEC but that's to be expected since the NEC is not really a gaming monitor

quality control seems excellent in terms of color bleed and dead pixels compared to the Asus PG279Q...only thing I don't like about the Viewsonic is those green accents on the top and bottom bezel...hopefully they are not too annoying...I could always put black tape over it...overall I'm satisfied with my purchase...I bought it for $688.12
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I used G-Sync on a fairly mediocre TN for a day and I've never forgotten it. Let me put it to you that way.

I think you made arguably one of the best choice, pound for pound, in this current market situation. It's probably the one I would go for myself if my bluff got called right now.

I'll be watching for your take on the new toy after you have received it and taken it for a spin. :)
 
High refresh rate + Gsync gaming is one of those things where you just can't go back after experiencing it.

FYI, remember when you get your new display that you have to enable Gsync in fullscreen and windowed modes. By default it's set to only enable on exclusive fullscreen games/apps. There are a lot of games these days that use a borderless windowed display mode, like many Unity titles such as Subnautica. They won't work with Gsync unless it's set for fullscreen and windowed.

Also remember to keep vsync on for your games. It's a bit confusing but the vsync setting on a Gsync display controls what happens if your PC is capable of driving framerate beyond what your refresh rate is (in this case 165hz.) If vsync is set to 'on', it will cap your framerate at 165 and keep Gsync on; if vsync is set to 'off', it will allow you to go above 165 fps, but at the expense of disabling Gsync. The only people who are going to want to turn the Vsync mode off are hardcore FPS gamers who play games like CSGO at super high framerates to have absolutely zero input latency.
 
Colonel Sanders said:
High refresh rate + Gsync gaming is one of those things where you just can't go back after experiencing it.

FYI, remember when you get your new display that you have to enable Gsync in fullscreen and windowed modes. By default it's set to only enable on exclusive fullscreen games/apps. There are a lot of games these days that use a borderless windowed display mode, like many Unity titles such as Subnautica. They won't work with Gsync unless it's set for fullscreen and windowed.

Also remember to keep vsync on for your games. It's a bit confusing but the vsync setting on a Gsync display controls what happens if your PC is capable of driving framerate beyond what your refresh rate is (in this case 165hz.) If vsync is set to 'on', it will cap your framerate at 165 and keep Gsync on; if vsync is set to 'off', it will allow you to go above 165 fps, but at the expense of disabling Gsync. The only people who are going to want to turn the Vsync mode off are hardcore FPS gamers who play games like CSGO at super high framerates to have absolutely zero input latency.
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I thought G-Sync needed to be enabled in the Nvidia Control Panel...and VSync also needed to be enabled in the NVCM but disabled in-game...but what about the Fast Sync option in NVCM...people are saying to select that as the VSync method in NVCM

I still don't fully understand the GSync concept...so what it does it match your in-game frame rate to your monitor refresh rate (in my case 144) without any tearing or lag?...what happens if my frame rate average is under 100, say 80...is GSync not useful then?...and what happens if my frame rate goes above 144?...does GSync automatically get disabled?
 
polonyc2 said:
I thought G-Sync needed to be enabled in the Nvidia Control Panel...
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It does, that's what I was getting at - in the NVCP, there is a Gsync section and in there you can choose between 'Fullscreen' or 'Fullscreen and Windowed.'

and VSync also needed to be enabled in the NVCM but disabled in-game...
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That is incorrect. It works the way I described above. If you have Vsync forced on in NVCP, then it doesn't matter what you set in each game because the NVCP setting overrides the game (unless you have the Vsync setting in NVCP set to '3D application controlled,' in which case the game then controls that setting.)

but what about the Fast Sync option in NVCM...people are saying to select that as the VSync method in NVCM
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That would be the best option for the scenario I described, where you're playing a game like CSGO with settings low enough that you get like 300+ fps. FastSync basically acts like Vsync but it keeps input lag down to the same level as Vsync off, but only if your framerate is very very high.

I still don't fully understand the GSync concept...so what it does it match your in-game frame rate to your monitor refresh rate (in my case 144) without any tearing or lag?...what happens if my frame rate average is under 100, say 80...is GSync not useful then?...and what happens if my frame rate goes above 144?...does GSync automatically get disabled?
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It matches your refresh rate to your framerate. No tearing, no lag. As your framerate varies, so does your refresh rate. Gsync works effectively all the way down to 20fps or so. If you framerate goes above your max refresh, it behaves according to your Vsync setting as described above. Vsync off = Gsync on until FPS goes above refresh rate. Vsync on = Gsync always on and your FPS is capped to max refresh rate.
 
Just figured I'd chime in here with my experience using both the ASUS ROG Swift PG278Q and the Dell S2716G.

The Dell is my primary gaming monitor, I picked it up right when it dropped (a couple years ago or so), and I have a buddy with the Asus. We've done side by sides (after I played a bit with the color profiles) and I can tell you his blacks are a bit deeper then mine, and mine has a "colder" display, more of a blue hue by comparison.

The way I looked at it, I could have spent 50 bucks more at the time, but I didn't want to go through the lottery system (you guys have all heard the horror stories of 5+ RMA's to get one without BLB or dead pixels), but he ended up getting lucky, got a solid one.

If you manage to get a solid Asus one, the only difference I could see was in the color profiles, same smoothness and features otherwise.

I'm much more picky about smoothness then color output (to some degree) and honestly, been extremely happy with this monitor in this regard. A slightly better color profile would have been nice, for sure, but once you go G-Sync, you can't go back. I'm more wow'd by this than anything else.

EDIT: sounds like OP already pulled the trigger, congrats on the purchase, I'm sure you'll be very pleased with it!
 
bubulus said:
Had several monitors (pg279q,xb270hu, acer x34, pg348q, pg278q,...). now i found my perfect monitor: lg 32gk850g - VA panel, 165hz, 2560x1440, gsync and 32inch. costs the same as pg279q and other ips variants.
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I too have the 32GK850G, love it, :)
 
Colonel Sanders said:
It matches your refresh rate to your framerate. No tearing, no lag. As your framerate varies, so does your refresh rate. Gsync works effectively all the way down to 20fps or so. If you framerate goes above your max refresh, it behaves according to your Vsync setting as described above. Vsync off = Gsync on until FPS goes above refresh rate. Vsync on = Gsync always on and your FPS is capped to max refresh rate.
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thanks for the knowledge...so the main benefit of G-Sync is the lack of tearing and input lag?...so if one were to purchase a non G-Sync monitor with a 144hz refresh rate and enables V-Sync that would not be comparable because V-Sync would introduce lag?...I'm still not sure if the hype is warranted (nor the $200+ price premium for the G-Sync module) but maybe once I start using G-Sync the benefits will become obvious

as far as disabling V-Sync in-game...if the NVCP overrides any in-game setting then it won't really matter what it's set to in-game correct?...but everywhere I've looked online says to disable it in-game...the NVCP does override it but it could sometimes cause compatibility issues
 
AlphaQup said:
Just figured I'd chime in here with my experience using both the ASUS ROG Swift PG278Q and the Dell S2716G.

The Dell is my primary gaming monitor, I picked it up right when it dropped (a couple years ago or so), and I have a buddy with the Asus. We've done side by sides (after I played a bit with the color profiles) and I can tell you his blacks are a bit deeper then mine, and mine has a "colder" display, more of a blue hue by comparison.

The way I looked at it, I could have spent 50 bucks more at the time, but I didn't want to go through the lottery system (you guys have all heard the horror stories of 5+ RMA's to get one without BLB or dead pixels), but he ended up getting lucky, got a solid one.

If you manage to get a solid Asus one, the only difference I could see was in the color profiles, same smoothness and features otherwise.

I'm much more picky about smoothness then color output (to some degree) and honestly, been extremely happy with this monitor in this regard. A slightly better color profile would have been nice, for sure, but once you go G-Sync, you can't go back. I'm more wow'd by this than anything else.

EDIT: sounds like OP already pulled the trigger, congrats on the purchase, I'm sure you'll be very pleased with it!
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How are the Dells S24 and S27 now? Still problems with banding/gamma ?

I just sold my 240hz AOC and it was pretty good. I just felt the need to upgrade so I don't know if I should get 1080 or 1440p.... but I do know I want gsync. I am pretty picky about backlgiht bleeding and so on but don't mind TN
 
HiCZoK said:
How are the Dells S24 and S27 now? Still problems with banding/gamma ?

I just sold my 240hz AOC and it was pretty good. I just felt the need to upgrade so I don't know if I should get 1080 or 1440p.... but I do know I want gsync. I am pretty picky about backlgiht bleeding and so on but don't mind TN
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Honestly never noticed it, but then again, I've never specifically looked for it either. I feel like that's something that would jump out at me, especially when it comes to blacks.

For the most part I play RL/CS:GO/PUBG/KF2, and of all of them, KF2 would be the one to show the banding the easiest I would think, pretty dark game.

I do also use VibranceGUI when playing, and usually go an additional 20% or so (if that's the right way to state that). Default I think is 50, so I usually run around 60-70 on GTA/KF2 for example, and 90 or so in RL/GO, etc.

I'll be on it tonight for a bit, know of anything to really put it test? I'll follow back up.
 
polonyc2 said:
thanks for the knowledge...so the main benefit of G-Sync is the lack of tearing and input lag?...so if one were to purchase a non G-Sync monitor with a 144hz refresh rate and enables V-Sync that would not be comparable because V-Sync would introduce lag?...I'm still not sure if the hype is warranted (nor the $200+ price premium for the G-Sync module) but maybe once I start using G-Sync the benefits will become obvious
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No, it's much more than that. With Gsync the monitor is doing one refresh exactly for every one frame, thus frame pacing is highly consistent (assuming the game is as well) and your eye perceives a much smoother appearance, even though framerate may be fluctuating. Most people find Gsync to be a game changer, although I have seen the occasional person insist they can't even see a difference. IMO, some people are just not capable of 'seeing' enough detail in an image, such as those who insist there is no visual difference between 60fps or 165fps on 165hz display.

as far as disabling V-Sync in-game...if the NVCP overrides any in-game setting then it won't really matter what it's set to in-game correct?...but everywhere I've looked online says to disable it in-game...the NVCP does override it but it could sometimes cause compatibility issues
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There is a lot of misinformation on Gsync out there, often because the first few driver iterations supporting it worked very differently from how it does now.

By the way, there is another bonus with Gsync displays that doesn't get mentioned often - with a Gsync display, there is absolutely no delay between changing resolutions and refresh rates. So gone is the annoying flicker to black 'no signal' screen during when booting into BIOS and stuff like that. Or if you're playing a game in fullscreen at 1080p or some other resolution and you alt tab out of it, there's no delay, just an instant switch to whatever your desktop res is. It's one of those things that's small, but you appreciate having it whenever you go back to using a normal monitor for whatever reason.

And going along with this, almost every Gsync monitor turns on instantly. My Acer has a dumb logo that shows up for a second first, but the Asus ones I've had are literally instant. The second you press the power button, your display is up and running. Can't remember if the Dell had a splash screen or not, but either way it's still faster than a regular monitor.
 
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I got a Viewsonic XG2703-GS for this and I'm pretty damn happy. Same panel as the ASUS and Acer I think, but I trust Viewsonic support more and their menu options are quite nice (like gamma adjustment and such). Needs a bit of tweaking to get good color out of the box but then looks quite nice.

I find the 2D/static image quality to be satisfactory compared to the NEC PA301W it is replacing. No, it isn't as good, but good enough that I'm not fussed about it and the gains of Gsync and the high frame rate make it worth it.
 
Viewsonic used to have a zero dead pixel policy but it looks like they changed that now...
 
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