Gaming on a 120Hz monitor
- Thread starter MireMare
- Start date
Btw, 144hz is where it's at
Ha, I'd like to see that too!
unofficially you do, but you have to go 'unbranded korean monitor' to get it.
no brand names are doing it
Ok thanks for clearing that up
hehe not sure if troll/sarcasm
I don;t have a vast knowledge of it but that's how I understand it and kinda makes sense to me xD
ay i've heard of/seen advertised these 144Hz monitors... not really sure what their purpose is in the market place. 120hz came in for 3D stuff, does 144Hz allow for better 3d? or is it just manufacturers playing the numbers game?
numbers game: where a product is more appealing because it has a higher number
(bit like dynamic contrast values which don't really mean a lot as people measure them in different ways xD )
Cant say i notice a difference with 120hz. Ive gone from a 27" (cheapo) monitor to a 23" whizz bang 3d jobby and i cant say i can tell the difference unless the 3d is on which quickly gives me headache and/or nausea. Maybe im just not playing the right games with it.
yea the 3D put quite a strain on the eyes after play for extended periods....almost went blind playing farcry3
I found that I had to change the global application settings as in some games the monitor would drop down to 60Hz.
Nvidia Control Panel>Manage 3D Settings>Global Settings "Tab">"Preferred Refresh Rate (Name of 3d monitor here)> "Highest Available" option.
and by doing that it would always be in 120Hz mode
p.s. I also did the same thing xD bought a 27" asus monitor and the a few months later after lan bought the BenQ 24" 120Hz and use the 27" as my second monitor xD
Opinions are divided but what I can tell you is that in fast paced competitive games (FPS) there are some gamers that can benefit from high refresh rates. To me there is a pretty big difference between 75hz and 120hz in a game I am fully in tune with (Quakeworld) and if I was buying a monitor today I wouldn't even contemplate anything less than 144hz.
For something like Left for Dead I'd imagine the advantages are somewhat diminished and there could be an argument to suggest, bearing in mind the palette / lighting that game uses, that colour reproduction should be more important.
For something like Left for Dead I'd imagine the advantages are somewhat diminished and there could be an argument to suggest, bearing in mind the palette / lighting that game uses, that colour reproduction should be more important.
I think you're harder pressed to find the benefit sometimes of 120Hz compared to 1440p IPS or PLS.
1440p is something where there's always a benefit, you will notice it all the time. 120Hz may help sometimes in FPS games or Racing games as it will be smoother, but unless you're a competitive player or basically only play FPS games you'd be better off with IPS (that is just my opinion, it will differ from others). 120Hz is not going help you kill if you suck, nor is it going to make you top leader boards because you own one, yeah you may have a slight advantage over someone running 60Hz, but it won't be massively different unless you game at a high level where the slightest of advantages and a split second makes that much difference to if you kill or die.
Another thing to note is that you need more horsepower in your machine to run 120Hz in some games, which will cost more for the set-up.
Ask yourself, do you prefer eye candy in your games? Or do you want it to run smoother? If you like going into a game, looking around in awe at the graphics, then go 1440p, if you don't care how the game looks, you just want it to run as smooth as possible, then go 120Hz.
1440p is something where there's always a benefit, you will notice it all the time. 120Hz may help sometimes in FPS games or Racing games as it will be smoother, but unless you're a competitive player or basically only play FPS games you'd be better off with IPS (that is just my opinion, it will differ from others). 120Hz is not going help you kill if you suck, nor is it going to make you top leader boards because you own one, yeah you may have a slight advantage over someone running 60Hz, but it won't be massively different unless you game at a high level where the slightest of advantages and a split second makes that much difference to if you kill or die.
Another thing to note is that you need more horsepower in your machine to run 120Hz in some games, which will cost more for the set-up.
Ask yourself, do you prefer eye candy in your games? Or do you want it to run smoother? If you like going into a game, looking around in awe at the graphics, then go 1440p, if you don't care how the game looks, you just want it to run as smooth as possible, then go 120Hz.
I think even in Racing games 120hz isn't that much of a help, because the main advantage from high refresh rates comes in games where you need to reposition your view in reaction to 'unpredictable' events (e.g. aiming in a FPS game). In driving games, even at very high speeds, it is rare that you need to do this and the way the screen updates and the control inputs you will need to make are predictable the majority of the time. There may possibly be some slight improvement in smoothness, but because it isn't so closely related to your inputs, there is less feedback and thus I would likely find it hard to tell the difference between 75fps @ 75hz and 120fps @ 120hz for example.
I'm not a top level racer though so others may feel differently.
Regarding the horsepower argument, it is worth noting that 1440p should in most cases result in a lower framerate than 1080p. Anyone with a system to run 1440p at constant 60fps is going to be able to get more than 60fps at 1080p so there is a benefit from a monitor that does more than 60hz (whether one considers the resolution/fps tradeoff worth it is another debate of course). Some would rather have say 1080p/120hz @ 60fps than 1440p/60hz @ 50fps. The impact of running a 120hz screen at under 120fps is arguably less than the impact of running a 1440p screen at a lower (non-native) resolution, which might be required to bring the framerate up to a comprable level (i.e. drop to 1080p). Anyone who absolutely insists on constant 120fps almost by definition can't have 1440p as an option anyway, as it will be under 120hz, so buying hardware to maintain 120fps is their only option not an extra expense.
edit: I'd agree however that higher resolution is something that is 'better all the time' whereas refresh rate is more variable/subjective
I'm not a top level racer though so others may feel differently.
Regarding the horsepower argument, it is worth noting that 1440p should in most cases result in a lower framerate than 1080p. Anyone with a system to run 1440p at constant 60fps is going to be able to get more than 60fps at 1080p so there is a benefit from a monitor that does more than 60hz (whether one considers the resolution/fps tradeoff worth it is another debate of course). Some would rather have say 1080p/120hz @ 60fps than 1440p/60hz @ 50fps. The impact of running a 120hz screen at under 120fps is arguably less than the impact of running a 1440p screen at a lower (non-native) resolution, which might be required to bring the framerate up to a comprable level (i.e. drop to 1080p). Anyone who absolutely insists on constant 120fps almost by definition can't have 1440p as an option anyway, as it will be under 120hz, so buying hardware to maintain 120fps is their only option not an extra expense.
edit: I'd agree however that higher resolution is something that is 'better all the time' whereas refresh rate is more variable/subjective
Last edited:
True, but racing is the only other genre I could think of which would have some benefit for 120Hz, it is primarily FPS games.
I think what I meant with horsepower was that some people who own a 120Hz monitor think that unless their frame rate is hitting 120 FPS, it's kind of a waste of time, so will either drastically lower graphics settings or need much better kit to run games with good visuals and 120 FPS. I understand completely that there is benefit from 60 FPS all the way up to 120 FPS, but if you get into that mindset that you must have 120 FPS because of the smoothness then it will be a lot more power to keep at that constant frame rate, compared to running a game at 1440p @ 60 FPS. I probably should have explained that better.
I think what I meant with horsepower was that some people who own a 120Hz monitor think that unless their frame rate is hitting 120 FPS, it's kind of a waste of time, so will either drastically lower graphics settings or need much better kit to run games with good visuals and 120 FPS. I understand completely that there is benefit from 60 FPS all the way up to 120 FPS, but if you get into that mindset that you must have 120 FPS because of the smoothness then it will be a lot more power to keep at that constant frame rate, compared to running a game at 1440p @ 60 FPS. I probably should have explained that better.
120hz helps for most types of games, especially when it gets more competitive.
RTS and MOBA can benefit just as much as FPS games.
The only things I don't play on my 144hz monitor are games I do in surround which are mainly racing games or things for fun. But even for desktop stuff 144 is nicer than 60 imo.
Calibrated TNs can do a pretty good job of colour reproduction, for gaming colours are rarely an issue anyway. Wouldn't complain at a mainstream 120hz IPS though, but can't help but think they're still a logn way off.
RTS and MOBA can benefit just as much as FPS games.
The only things I don't play on my 144hz monitor are games I do in surround which are mainly racing games or things for fun. But even for desktop stuff 144 is nicer than 60 imo.
Calibrated TNs can do a pretty good job of colour reproduction, for gaming colours are rarely an issue anyway. Wouldn't complain at a mainstream 120hz IPS though, but can't help but think they're still a logn way off.
Soldato
- Joined
- 13 Jul 2004
- Posts
- 20,345
- Location
- Stanley Hotel, Colorado
Upto 460fps discernible by Jet pilots apparently. Most of us should be fine 100 or less I agree, Im fine if it just works at 60 but if I had the money 120 is nice Im sure.
The easy test anyone can do is turn sideways on to your monitor, I believe the vision is the corner of your eyes is most able to detect changes the quickest. I guess because its what helps you dodge a wrecking ball irl
Why that should help in games Im not sure, I guess if the monitor is so massive that some of the picture is viewable not dead on but in your peripheral vision then 120hz improves overall quality and realism vastly
Associate
- Joined
- 20 Jan 2013
- Posts
- 281
- Location
- Shropshire
I've got one of the BenQ 120Hz monitors and I must admit I can't see a difference myself, but taking it to a LAN my friend next to me was making a huge fuss over it and is now on path to get one himself.
You can tell when using it. I remember when i switched and first thing i tried was bf3. Movments and looking around looks a lot smoother than your used to but after a few weeks of using it then it just seems normal to you so the effect wears off
Having both a Hazro 27" IPS (60hz) and a Benq 2411t (144hz) I can see a big difference in anything gaming related.
True, IPS has better colours but that's little benefit when everything constantly blurs when you're turning, the TN has horrible colours but the image remains in focus during motion and I borrowed a Gretag eye1 calibrator from work to get the colours as good as possible. You also have the benefit of having far less screen tear with sync off. I'm using the Light Boost 2 feature in 2d and that helps even further with motion blur.
Were I buying now I wouldn't touch an IPS panel for fps although if I played rpgs or slower stuff then I might consider one.
True, IPS has better colours but that's little benefit when everything constantly blurs when you're turning, the TN has horrible colours but the image remains in focus during motion and I borrowed a Gretag eye1 calibrator from work to get the colours as good as possible. You also have the benefit of having far less screen tear with sync off. I'm using the Light Boost 2 feature in 2d and that helps even further with motion blur.
Were I buying now I wouldn't touch an IPS panel for fps although if I played rpgs or slower stuff then I might consider one.
Last edited:
This I find particularly interesting, I absolutely love the part of my Specsavers eye test when I look into the periscope type machine and press a button in reaction to little flashes that appear on the screen, in my peripheral vision. I take great pride in scoring highly on that bit because it's a bit like a FPS game.
It would be fascinating to find out what the average score was for people on that machine, to see if there was a connection to preference for higher frame rates, or not.
Associate
- Joined
- 17 Mar 2011
- Posts
- 2,119
- Location
- Snowdonia
It would require too much gpu grunt or turning down too many graphics settings to hit high frames. I'm sure it looks sweet but 60fps is plenty smooth for me.
Associate
- Joined
- 17 Jun 2012
- Posts
- 266
- Location
- North of Ireland
I think the main thing about using a 120hz monitor is turning off vsync. This proves to be the biggest advantage in gaining frame rate and all round playability.