High Refresh Rate G-Sync Question

Sorcerer_Tim

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 8, 2009
Messages
183
Good evening,

I am currently running a Samsung se790c 3440X1440 60Hz monitor and am trying to determine if I will gain any benefit from going to a high refresh rate, GSync curved monitor at the same resolution. The main benefits I am looking for are less tearing, smoothness, etc. I am running a Titan X Pascal on pseudo water (Predator 240 with CPU and GPU) so can get a bit of an OC on it, but my main question is will the Titan X push enough frames on the games I play (Destiny 2, probably BFV, etc.) on the highest or close to them settings to see any improvement over 60Hz? I almost pulled the trigger on a 2080ti, but would like some help determining if the high refresh, Gsync monitor is the way to go. Thank you for any assistance.
 
Yes, high refresh G-Sync is the best. Highly recommended.

Titan X Pascal will perform nicely, probably in the 90 - 100 fps range depending on the game and settings.

The Alienware should be a good choice. I was going to buy it, and still might, it seems like the best right now.
 
Any thoughts on the Dell vs. the newer AOC Agon AG353UCG6? It is 35" with 120hz without overclocking. The Dell is an IPS vs VA on the AOC. The price difference is $100, not a deal breaker, but a factor. Anyone have experience with both?
 
I only have experience with the Dell (have one). Not sure if 3440x1440 is technically even possible without "overclocking" due to Displayport bandwidth limitations, so that's not really a selling point in favor of the AOC.

The quality of the stand is way better on the Dell and the warranty is top notch. I really don't fuck around with other brands at this point.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DocNo
like this
Any thoughts on the Dell vs. the newer AOC Agon AG353UCG6? It is 35" with 120hz without overclocking. The Dell is an IPS vs VA on the AOC. The price difference is $100, not a deal breaker, but a factor. Anyone have experience with both?
The AOC is 100 Hz native like the Dell. I don't know where you read that 120 Hz was native.

Get the Dell. VA has a tendency to smear at high refresh rates due to the slower pixel response time. AOC also doesn't have the best reputation.
I only have experience with the Dell (have one). Not sure if 3440x1440 is technically even possible without "overclocking" due to Displayport bandwidth limitations, so that's not really a selling point in favor of the AOC.

The quality of the stand is way better on the Dell and the warranty is top notch. I really don't fuck around with other brands at this point.
Overclocking or not has to do with the panel, not bandwidth limitations. If DisplayPort didn't have the bandwidth then you couldn't use 120 Hz whether it was native or overclocked.

8 bpc * 3 colors * 120 Hz * 3440 hpixels * 1440 vpixels = 14.27 Gbps

DisplayPort 1.2 has 17.28 Gbps bandwidth available.
 
I just wanted to pop in and say 'Good evening' to you too! :-D

/tip hat

But seriously - if you're running a Titan Pascal I think in most apps you should be able to get high enough frames to make it worthwhile. I'm trying to decide on a new high FPS monitor myself though I haven't had the best of luck with AOC in the past.

To add to OP's question though - is IPS still the best monitor tech or is there something newer that I don't know about? The AOC mentions MVA.
 
I only have experience with the Dell (have one). Not sure if 3440x1440 is technically even possible without "overclocking" due to Displayport bandwidth limitations, so that's not really a selling point in favor of the AOC.

The quality of the stand is way better on the Dell and the warranty is top notch. I really don't fuck around with other brands at this point.

This always gets me.

My Asus PG348Q, it defaults to 60Hz. The "Overclock" is literally a drop down in the menu for 100Hz.. This isn't overclocking, its just a different mode. Its right there in Asus's menu and isn't any harder to get to than the brightness.

The ability to "Overclock to 100Hz!" is just marketing BS.
 
Good evening,

I am currently running a Samsung se790c 3440X1440 60Hz monitor and am trying to determine if I will gain any benefit from going to a high refresh rate, GSync curved monitor at the same resolution. The main benefits I am looking for are less tearing, smoothness, etc. I am running a Titan X Pascal on pseudo water (Predator 240 with CPU and GPU) so can get a bit of an OC on it, but my main question is will the Titan X push enough frames on the games I play (Destiny 2, probably BFV, etc.) on the highest or close to them settings to see any improvement over 60Hz? I almost pulled the trigger on a 2080ti, but would like some help determining if the high refresh, Gsync monitor is the way to go. Thank you for any assistance.

Oh for sure. I have a 2080 and the Alienware 3440x1440 G-Sync display. SOOO Sweet. I get 100+ frames all the time.
 
I just wanted to pop in and say 'Good evening' to you too! :-D

/tip hat

But seriously - if you're running a Titan Pascal I think in most apps you should be able to get high enough frames to make it worthwhile. I'm trying to decide on a new high FPS monitor myself though I haven't had the best of luck with AOC in the past.

To add to OP's question though - is IPS still the best monitor tech or is there something newer that I don't know about? The AOC mentions MVA.

Vertical Alignment has better contrast than IPS. Both IPS and VA have their flaws, it's just what flaws you don't mind.
 
This always gets me.

My Asus PG348Q, it defaults to 60Hz. The "Overclock" is literally a drop down in the menu for 100Hz.. This isn't overclocking, its just a different mode. Its right there in Asus's menu and isn't any harder to get to than the brightness.

The ability to "Overclock to 100Hz!" is just marketing BS.

It's is not marketing BS. I would not have gotten the Alienware if it wasn't able to do 120Hz and only 100Hz. Right now I wish it can do 144Hz because sometimes I get above 120fps in some games and have to limit the frames to 118 so it doesn't go above 120fps.
 
It's is not marketing BS. I would not have gotten the Alienware if it wasn't able to do 120Hz and only 100Hz. Right now I wish it can do 144Hz because sometimes I get above 120fps in some games and have to limit the frames to 118 so it doesn't go above 120fps.

I don't think you understood what I was saying. Your Alienware could do 120hz out of the box with a menu option, could it not? That menu option could just say "Refresh Rate Selection" and not "Overclock" and the same thing would have happened.
 
I just wanted to pop in and say 'Good evening' to you too! :-D

/tip hat

But seriously - if you're running a Titan Pascal I think in most apps you should be able to get high enough frames to make it worthwhile. I'm trying to decide on a new high FPS monitor myself though I haven't had the best of luck with AOC in the past.

To add to OP's question though - is IPS still the best monitor tech or is there something newer that I don't know about? The AOC mentions MVA.
IPS is probably the one with the fewest negatives, yes. The AOC uses an AMVA panel, which is another AU Optronics panel type. It offers faster response times than a traditional MVA panel, but contrast shift is nearly as bad as the gamma shift in TN panels. The subpixel matrix generally produces better contrast, as well, but not nearly as good as Samsung's PVA tech used in their televisions.
 
The Alienware showed up and looks great, but I cannot get it working with my Denon AVR-4320Ci receiver for audio via HDMI. As soon as I plug the HDMI cable from the video card to the receiver the screen flickers, I lose the audio icon in the lower right corner and nothing will open in full screen. I unplugged it and all comes back to normal. This is killing me. I have googled for two hours, tried everything I can think of and no luck. I thought it might be due to 100hz being the default refresh rate as that is the only difference between my old and new monitor so i lowered it to 60Hz, but no luck. Anyone using this monitor with an A/V receiver for audio via HDMI?
 
You probably want to be using DisplayPort for the monitor. Is there any other way to pass audio you can use?
 
I am using DP and have finally taken it for a spin and really like it. I went back to a Sound Blaster Z via optical out to my receiver and it works, but like the uncompressed sound over HDMI a little better. Not a deal breaker, but it pesters me to no end not to know why it does not work. Love the monitor though.
 
I don't think you understood what I was saying. Your Alienware could do 120hz out of the box with a menu option, could it not? That menu option could just say "Refresh Rate Selection" and not "Overclock" and the same thing would have happened.

Not quite that straightforward. The hardware vendor uses the expression overclock because certain hardware components of the monitor are running out of spec when 120hz is being set. In the case of the alienware the actual panel is running out of spec at 120hz (it is a 100hz panel) AND the gsync module is running out of spec @ 120hz. Because they are running out of spec there is a chance of failure. This gives the vendor an out in that they only have to guarentee 100hz operation.
 
I am using DP and have finally taken it for a spin and really like it. I went back to a Sound Blaster Z via optical out to my receiver and it works, but like the uncompressed sound over HDMI a little better. Not a deal breaker, but it pesters me to no end not to know why it does not work. Love the monitor though.

Are you trying to do surround, i.e. >2.1 channel?
 
Yes, 5.1. The only thing I cannot figure out is why as soon as I connect the HDMI cable from my video card to my receiver, the screen flashes on the monitor and no programs will open full screen no matter what I do. I had the setup working just fine on my Samsung 60hz ultra widescreen, but no go with this one.
 
Well, I can't really help with that- I know well enough not to try, personally. HDMI protocols are undefined voodoo.

One suggestion: if the monitor has HDMI, try plugging the HDMI from the receiver into it? Extra cable that does nothing, of course, but might get it to behave.
 
I finally figured it out. I had to set the HDMI output to pass through on the receiver. Not an easy find, but it did fix the problem.
 
I finally figured it out. I had to set the HDMI output to pass through on the receiver. Not an easy find, but it did fix the problem.

How do you like the additional refresh rate? I am in the same position as you, sort of. I have the 34" Dell 3415, bought in December 2015 (very nice but 60hz). I cannot decide between the Alienware 3418DW, so as to take advantage of gsync, or the larger U3818DW.

So, I can go the larger route with 60hz, which is enticing, as the additional real estate will be welcome (I am used to 60hz gaming as I know nothing else); or I can keep the same dimensions and resolution with the 3418DW, but get the much faster refresh, which, of course, many gamers seem to suggest is one of the best upgrades.

Thoughts?

Use would be gaming, internet, Netflix, and office productivity apps.
 
Good evening,

I am currently running a Samsung se790c 3440X1440 60Hz monitor and am trying to determine if I will gain any benefit from going to a high refresh rate, GSync curved monitor at the same resolution. The main benefits I am looking for are less tearing, smoothness, etc. I am running a Titan X Pascal on pseudo water (Predator 240 with CPU and GPU) so can get a bit of an OC on it, but my main question is will the Titan X push enough frames on the games I play (Destiny 2, probably BFV, etc.) on the highest or close to them settings to see any improvement over 60Hz? I almost pulled the trigger on a 2080ti, but would like some help determining if the high refresh, Gsync monitor is the way to go. Thank you for any assistance.

On high settings (not ultra) in Destiny 2 I can easily maintain 120fps minimums in 4k resolution with an OC Titan X Pascal. So yes you can drive the games that high and you will gain benefit from a faster refresh monitor.

The main benefit I would say to the gsync monitor is not gsync itself, but rather to use ULMB mode as strobing looks significantly smoother motion than non-strobing.
 
How do you like the additional refresh rate? I am in the same position as you, sort of. I have the 34" Dell 3415, bought in December 2015 (very nice but 60hz). I cannot decide between the Alienware 3418DW, so as to take advantage of gsync, or the larger U3818DW.

So, I can go the larger route with 60hz, which is enticing, as the additional real estate will be welcome (I am used to 60hz gaming as I know nothing else); or I can keep the same dimensions and resolution with the 3418DW, but get the much faster refresh, which, of course, many gamers seem to suggest is one of the best upgrades.

Thoughts?

Use would be gaming, internet, Netflix, and office productivity apps.

I just made the same jump - from 3415 to 3418DW. The question of whether to go 34 high refresh rate or 38 normal refresh rate really depends on what you need / use more often. If you are gaming alot, then go high refresh. If you are doing alot of spreadsheets or video / audio editing (with long horizontal time lines), maybe go larger.

For me, I also have a 40" 4K 60hz monitor for when I just need more real estate that's mounted up above my 34" so I upgraded my gaming monitor. The high refresh is nice - I never realized how nice until I got my new laptop (which has a 144hz screen). Made me want to upgrade my desktop.

So far, so good!
 
If you're used to 60h with no adaptive sync, a high refresh one, with or without G-Sync, will look amazing to you.
You might as well grab G-Sync while you're at it, with the budget levels mentioned, but high refresh alone is a godsend for tearing and smoothness.

Personally I like VA types more than IPS ones. I used an FW900 CRT as a main display for a while, and though CRTs are renowned for their insane response times, the contrast and problem free blacks are what I needed the most in an LCD monitor. So VA is what I use now.
Not to generalize, but the only 34" ultrawide I've seen in person had IPS glow out the ass, made even worse by the wider screen. If you're not troubled hugely by the white-black pixel transition times of your current Samsung, VA would probably be the safe choice
 
Thanks for the responses. I might just order the Alienware and see if the extra refresh rate is worth it to me.
 
I just made the same jump - from 3415 to 3418DW. The question of whether to go 34 high refresh rate or 38 normal refresh rate really depends on what you need / use more often. If you are gaming alot, then go high refresh. If you are doing alot of spreadsheets or video / audio editing (with long horizontal time lines), maybe go larger.

For me, I also have a 40" 4K 60hz monitor for when I just need more real estate that's mounted up above my 34" so I upgraded my gaming monitor. The high refresh is nice - I never realized how nice until I got my new laptop (which has a 144hz screen). Made me want to upgrade my desktop.

So far, so good!


Quick question: the 3415 is marketed by Dell as "UltraSharp" and mine is very crisp and clear for text. How is the 3418DW for general office work: text, internet, email, etc.?
 
I really like the monitor. The move to high refresh with Gsync is really nice vs. the 60Hz. There is an annoying stutter in FC5 that I cannot get rid of, but from what I have read is a game issue not a monitor issue. Destiny 2 looks great. I do not think this monitor has ULMB so I will miss that, but compared to my Samsung same resolution 60Hz no Gsync it is really great. I only using it for gaming and web browsing, so cannot speak to actual work on it, but the few documents and such I have looked at on it looked fine.
 
If you're used to 60h with no adaptive sync, a high refresh one, with or without G-Sync, will look amazing to you.
You might as well grab G-Sync while you're at it, with the budget levels mentioned, but high refresh alone is a godsend for tearing and smoothness.

Totally agree with this. I don't use the freesync on my monitor, but i will say that the 144Hz on my monitor is like night and day, i don't think i will ever buy another monitor with a 60Hz refresh rate. If you have the budget for the high refresh and g-sync/freesync I suggest going with both.
The high refresh is definitely worth it.
 
High refresh and adaptive sync should ideally go together.

For example, on a 144Hz monitor V-Synced, if you miss the update, you are dropping down to 72Hz for that frame, eliminating the advantage. Even if sporadic, those dips will cause brief stutter.

You can run V-Sync off, which removes the stutter, but replaces it with tearing. I'd be interested to see people test the new RTSS scan-line sync, as this could be a viable option in these cases, I haven't tried it.

Either way, you'll need G-Sync/Free-Sync to get the best experience (no stutter and no tearing).
 
Back
Top