** ASUS DO IT AGAIN: IPS, 144Hz & FREESYNC!!! Asus MG279Q thread **

[Marine-RX179]

The main selling point for me is the high refresh rate IPS panel. I've managed without freesync fine up to now so whats another month or two, like I said its a non issue.

Exactly. 2560 res 144Hz IPS monitor itself pretty much almost justify the price...the Freesync is like a bonus at no extra cost; the Swift on the other hand, I think it's embarrassing that it is only a TN panel monitor for the price it's asking...

 

[Baddass]

Plus you could always reduce game res to 1920 x 1080 and enjoy a high refresh rate IPS panel with FreeSync

 

[LtMatt]

I am fascinated to hear the technical reason for such a limitation tbh, it seems strange that a 120hz+ panel is limited to 90hz for Freesync. I suppose this is the downside to open standards - specifications are all over the place. It's pretty shady practice though if this is an artificial limitation due to this monitor being part of their "mainstream gaming" line opposed to "premium gaming" line.

It all comes down to the scaler used on the monitor.

 

[Relayer]

Freesync is a significant feature of the monitor. I wouldn't have bought the RoG Swift without GSync - in fact, I had 7970/7990 trifire when I first got it, waiting for the 980, and I hated it.

If you don't care about freesync, just buy one of the overclockable korean 1440p monitors.

£500 on a monitor with freesync that isn't really usable because AMD still can't write a driver doesn't seem good.

Since the BenQ runs at 144Hz with Freesync, it's not AMD's driver. You should be embarrassed trying to spread such FUD.

 

[SiDeards73]

Since the BenQ runs at 144Hz with Freesync, it's not AMD's driver. You should be embarrassed trying to spread such FUD.

He's referring to the fact AMD freesync still only works with a single GPU, as AMD are unable to get it working in Xfire.

Quite why they even released Freesync drivers without them being xfire compatible is laughable at best, then again this is AMD and their amateur hour driver developers.

Also if Asus have opted to use a scaler on this screen purely to either keep it behind the more expensive ROG premium screens then that also is a joke, would rather pay a bit more for a better freesync range.

Any other manufacturers watching this right now, produce a 1440p 144hz 27" IPS screen with minimal back light bleeds and a freesync range between 35 and 140 and you will sell them like hot cakes

 

[DrBombcrater]

Quite why they even released Freesync drivers without them being xfire compatible is laughable at best, then again this is AMD and their amateur hour driver developers.

The vast majority of people only have one card. Holding back Freesync capability until it works with Crossfire is hardly a sensible course of action.

I annoys me to see how unreasonable many people on forums like this have become. AMD get dammed for releasing Freesync without XFire, but if they held it back everyone with a Freesync monitor that only has one card (ie, most of them) would bitch mightily.

 

[SiDeards73]

While I agree somewhat, you have to remember Freesync screens were available before there was even a driver to support them. Sure it was only a few weeks later for the driver release, but that was also over 6 weeks or so ago.

Also AMD currently spam Twitter and other media sites promoting the 295x2 which relies on Xfire to work correctly. It's their top end card and yet if you own it you can't run it at its full potential on a freesync screen...

Sorry but I can't find that acceptable, that card is not cheap, especially when it was released, while I still won't buy Nvidia products if I can help it, I find it more and more insulting that AMD will not only sell but actively promote a card that barely runs correctly on many titles and does not work to its full potential on another of their flagship techs.

Bottom line is if you are going to release a tech, you better make sure you can support it fully as a minimum especially if it's proprietary, or you are going to lose credibility and customers as you are effectively ripping off people and lying to them

 

[mmj_uk]

The vast majority of people only have one card. Holding back Freesync capability until it works with Crossfire is hardly a sensible course of action.

I annoys me to see how unreasonable many people on forums like this have become. AMD get dammed for releasing Freesync without XFire, but if they held it back everyone with a Freesync monitor that only has one card (ie, most of them) would bitch mightily.

AMD have had well over a year to prepare drivers for when monitors would be available, it boggles the mind that they have waited until monitors were launched before lifting a finger they could have had the drivers ready months ago.

 

[Devrij]

While I agree somewhat, you have to remember Freesync screens were available before there was even a driver to support them. Sure it was only a few weeks later for the driver release, but that was also over 6 weeks or so ago.

Also AMD currently spam Twitter and other media sites promoting the 295x2 which relies on Xfire to work correctly. It's their top end card and yet if you own it you can't run it at its full potential on a freesync screen...

Sorry but I can't find that acceptable, that card is not cheap, especially when it was released, while I still won't buy Nvidia products if I can help it, I find it more and more insulting that AMD will not only sell but actively promote a card that barely runs correctly on many titles and does not work to its full potential on another of their flagship techs.

Bottom line is if you are going to release a tech, you better make sure you can support it fully as a minimum especially if it's proprietary, or you are going to lose credibility and customers as you are effectively ripping off people and lying to them

I don't really want this thread to get derailed, but I feel similarly.

With regards to the freesync limits, it's disappointing but not a deal breaker since I mainly wanted the higher refresh rate on a decent 1440p IPS panel. If it is intentionally gimped then I would be very mad indeed.

Still holding out for reviews.

 

[DrBombcrater]

AMD have had well over a year to prepare drivers for when monitors would be available, it boggles the mind that they have waited until monitors were launched before lifting a finger they could have had the drivers ready months ago.

There's only a limited amount of they can do until the actual hardware shows up. It's fine working with hacked together prototype panels for demo purposes, but AMD have had to make sure Freesync works fully and without any kind of glitching on the FS-capable scaler chips - and those were brand new designs just out of the fabs, so they probably would not have got them until a few weeks before the monitor manufacturers did.

And obviously that hasn't been enough time to get Crossfire support working well enough for release - leaving the choice of launching without XFire support or enduring an epic storm of complaints because FS monitors are on sale without any kind of driver to make them work . I sincerely doubt AMD's software engineers have been sitting on their backsides doing nothing.

 

[SiDeards73]

The point remains, freesync is a gamer type of tech, the people buying are people with the hardware to run it who know the benefits, most people know if your going to run a 1440p 144hz panel at full whack with all the bells and whistles a single 290 isn't going to cut it, you will need crossfire.

Again their premiere card is built on crossfire on a single slot unit, the fact they can't even support that is what my and others gripe is about, as much as I hate Nvidia atleast their kit works out of the box with their configurations

 

[Panos]

The point remains, freesync is a gamer type of tech, the people buying are people with the hardware to run it who know the benefits, most people know if your going to run a 1440p 144hz panel at full whack with all the bells and whistles a single 290 isn't going to cut it, you will need crossfire.

Again their premiere card is built on crossfire on a single slot unit, the fact they can't even support that is what my and others gripe is about, as much as I hate Nvidia atleast their kit works out of the box with their configurations

I have 295X2 and freesync (XL2730Z) is working fine on the games I needed Freesyc most, since they do no support CF or they are CPU limited. Named World of Tanks, World of Warships, Elder Scrolls Online to name a few. To do so I have to create custom profile at CCC to turn off CF. Something that Wargaming games need regardless or else you are faces with black flickering screens.

And those games, maxed out the single 290X 1100/1625 cuts them fine.

On games like Crysis 3, Tomb Raider, War Thunder and generally those that support CF and are well written, with max out graphics, the min fps is low 80s.(War Thunder never saw less then 100 fps)
And while you might see some times some issues like on a normal monitor, I can wait for AMD to get CF driver supporting Freesync. Is not the end of the world.

 

[andybird123]

Not so much of an issue as apparently freesync only works up to 90hz

http://techreport.com/news/28199/asus-144hz-mg279q-monitor-may-top-out-at-90hz-with-freesync

 

[pete910]

Not so much of an issue as apparently freesync only works up to 90hz

http://techreport.com/news/28199/asus-144hz-mg279q-monitor-may-top-out-at-90hz-with-freesync

That's their monitors limitation, not Async's. Shame though. kinda defeats the object to me

 

[SiDeards73]

Maybe once freesync has been out a while and we start seeing the 2nd batch of screens and the price drops from the early adopters we might start seeing panels like this Asus that actually have a freesync range from around 30 to 144. I'm pretty sure within the next 6 months we will see that.

As I only upgrade my monitor on average every 4 years I can wait a while longer for the perfect screen

 

[Devrij]

So what happens when you go over 90fps? Is there a horrible stutter or would normal vsync kick in? Presumably tearing at that high a framerate wouldn't be very noticeable (or is it?).

 

[YB2ndBEST]

You have a choice. You can set it to go in to normal vsync, cap the fps, or let it go as high as you want without any sync.

 

[PCM2]

So what happens when you go over 90fps? Is there a horrible stutter or would normal vsync kick in? Presumably tearing at that high a framerate wouldn't be very noticeable (or is it?).

It is noticeable, although less obvious and not something everybody would notice.

 

[Baddass]

So what happens when you go over 90fps? Is there a horrible stutter or would normal vsync kick in? Presumably tearing at that high a framerate wouldn't be very noticeable (or is it?).

FreeSync allows you to choose how the screen behaves outside of FreeSync range, either vsync on or off. Depending on your preference

 

[Goose]

But if you go over 90 FPS with Vsync on thats gonna dump back down to 60fps, no?