Soldato
Hi all,
I recently received an asus VG248QE monitor with the gsync module this morning and thought I'd share my experiences with you.
Firstly, I thought the monitor was faulty as the DP cable that comes with it (nvidia branded) was interfering with the gsync module, causing what looked like a memory error (when a gpu is dying) on the left hand side of the screen and menu. Rectified this with a spare DP cable I had lying around, so no issues now.
When I connected the monitor, the nvidia driver immediately recognised it as a gsync enabled monitor and automatically applied it. The vsync tab at the bottom of the 3d settings menu in the nvidia control panel now reads "GSYNC" and is listed as NV recommended. I was warned that if I was to use it with other displays, this would have to be the primary monitor for GSYNC to work with none gsync monitors, although they'd only have normal vsync displayed on them, so a bit of a "logical" yet "non issue".
First game I loaded up was diablo 3, which doesn't work with adaptive vsync at all. GSYNC works, but only with the frame limiter option. If you enable vsync on diablo 3 with gsync enabled, the fps locks to 9...
However, having said that. Locking the FPS to 144 (same fps as the refresh rate), its buttery smooth. Theres absolutely no lag, ghosting or tearing. Theres a really weird sense of motion that I'm just not use to, which is probably because I've always played with vsync enabled, which causes a slight stutter depending on the buffers used (2 or 3 step stutters, look on youtube for some high speed footage to understand it if you aren't sure what I mean).
Second game I tried was Titanfall and my word, its like night and day. The motion is beautifully smooth, absolutely no tearing or stuttering and you can never detect frame rate dips, regardless of how much it fluctuates. The very low latency and lack of ghosting means that you can read players names even when turning extremely quickly, which is definitely something I'm not use to since using LCDs! The level of immersion that gsync offers on this game is truly staggering!
Third game, Battlefield 4. Went on a 64 player server on TDM, ultra everything as usual and had a very similar experience to Titanfall. The frostbite engines animations are extremely fluid when using gsync and the level of immersion is crazy. The only weird thing I noticed is that the pixel crawl effect in the menu is far more noticable on this monitor than it was on my iiyamma 1440p one. Its probably just the difference in resolution, instead of a gsync specific thing, but worth noting. As ever though, the awful netcode on BF4 didn't exactly make it a fun experience, even though the graphics are the smoothest running experience I've ever seen, but thats for another topic.
Not sure I can actually capture the difference in gsync on and off scenarios with my 5D mk iii camera, but I'll have a go at the weekend!
Anyone want me to try any other specific games out with it and see how its affected, if at all?
EDIT:
After trying various games and pushing the extremes of the tech to expose potential flaws, I'll do a pros and cons list for clarity:
PROS
-absolutely no tearing, regardless of framerate (even when your FPS is over your refresh rate by a long way)
-stuttering compared to vsync on is like night and day in terms of improvement
-input lag GREATLY reduced compared to vsync on and the same, if not slightly more fluid, than vsync off
-game immersion due to how nice the picture is really is game changing for me. I don't say this lightly either, but when a game has proper animations that haven't been altered to account for vsync induced lag, theres a big difference in quality. Fast movement that normally causes blur is also massively reduced. Text is completely readable (so gamer tags etc) when moving quickly on the screen, which is a bonus!
-doesn't even require setting up as the driver does it all for you, including changing the settings in the nvidia cp automatically.
-best of both worlds, with a better image quality than vsync on with the input lag of vsync off, with the bonus of zero tearing
-disgustingly good for competitive games, especially FPS
CONS
-expensive, taking a ~£250 monitor and making it £450 isn't cheap
-displayport only. The gsync pcb replaces all monitor inputs and even the audio, meaning that monitors with speakers inbuilt will no longer work properly in regards to sound and you won't be able to plug your games console into the monitor due to a lack of HDMI/dvi etc.
-very limited choice at the moment, with one monitor being on the market at the moment (its excellent though, but still, just the one!) and the DIY kits are like unicorn faeces when trying to find them, then comes the warranty situation if you DIY...
-some games just don't see all the benefits, with assassins creed black flag still having stutter, regardless of gsync on/off. Might be something else on my PC as my opinion on this specific game clashes with reviewers especially, however its what I've experienced so worth noting.
-if you go under 35 FPS, the gsync is forced to replicate the previous frame, creating a stutter unique to the technology. I've experienced this on BF4 using 200% res scaling with ultra settings (including AA). Its very hard to describe what it looks like, but its very disorientating. This forces you to buy a GPU setup that is powerful enough to always remain above 35fps, which for most gamers, isn't too much of an issue, but worth pointing out.
I recently received an asus VG248QE monitor with the gsync module this morning and thought I'd share my experiences with you.
Firstly, I thought the monitor was faulty as the DP cable that comes with it (nvidia branded) was interfering with the gsync module, causing what looked like a memory error (when a gpu is dying) on the left hand side of the screen and menu. Rectified this with a spare DP cable I had lying around, so no issues now.
When I connected the monitor, the nvidia driver immediately recognised it as a gsync enabled monitor and automatically applied it. The vsync tab at the bottom of the 3d settings menu in the nvidia control panel now reads "GSYNC" and is listed as NV recommended. I was warned that if I was to use it with other displays, this would have to be the primary monitor for GSYNC to work with none gsync monitors, although they'd only have normal vsync displayed on them, so a bit of a "logical" yet "non issue".
First game I loaded up was diablo 3, which doesn't work with adaptive vsync at all. GSYNC works, but only with the frame limiter option. If you enable vsync on diablo 3 with gsync enabled, the fps locks to 9...
However, having said that. Locking the FPS to 144 (same fps as the refresh rate), its buttery smooth. Theres absolutely no lag, ghosting or tearing. Theres a really weird sense of motion that I'm just not use to, which is probably because I've always played with vsync enabled, which causes a slight stutter depending on the buffers used (2 or 3 step stutters, look on youtube for some high speed footage to understand it if you aren't sure what I mean).
Second game I tried was Titanfall and my word, its like night and day. The motion is beautifully smooth, absolutely no tearing or stuttering and you can never detect frame rate dips, regardless of how much it fluctuates. The very low latency and lack of ghosting means that you can read players names even when turning extremely quickly, which is definitely something I'm not use to since using LCDs! The level of immersion that gsync offers on this game is truly staggering!
Third game, Battlefield 4. Went on a 64 player server on TDM, ultra everything as usual and had a very similar experience to Titanfall. The frostbite engines animations are extremely fluid when using gsync and the level of immersion is crazy. The only weird thing I noticed is that the pixel crawl effect in the menu is far more noticable on this monitor than it was on my iiyamma 1440p one. Its probably just the difference in resolution, instead of a gsync specific thing, but worth noting. As ever though, the awful netcode on BF4 didn't exactly make it a fun experience, even though the graphics are the smoothest running experience I've ever seen, but thats for another topic.
Not sure I can actually capture the difference in gsync on and off scenarios with my 5D mk iii camera, but I'll have a go at the weekend!
Anyone want me to try any other specific games out with it and see how its affected, if at all?
EDIT:
After trying various games and pushing the extremes of the tech to expose potential flaws, I'll do a pros and cons list for clarity:
PROS
-absolutely no tearing, regardless of framerate (even when your FPS is over your refresh rate by a long way)
-stuttering compared to vsync on is like night and day in terms of improvement
-input lag GREATLY reduced compared to vsync on and the same, if not slightly more fluid, than vsync off
-game immersion due to how nice the picture is really is game changing for me. I don't say this lightly either, but when a game has proper animations that haven't been altered to account for vsync induced lag, theres a big difference in quality. Fast movement that normally causes blur is also massively reduced. Text is completely readable (so gamer tags etc) when moving quickly on the screen, which is a bonus!
-doesn't even require setting up as the driver does it all for you, including changing the settings in the nvidia cp automatically.
-best of both worlds, with a better image quality than vsync on with the input lag of vsync off, with the bonus of zero tearing
-disgustingly good for competitive games, especially FPS
CONS
-expensive, taking a ~£250 monitor and making it £450 isn't cheap
-displayport only. The gsync pcb replaces all monitor inputs and even the audio, meaning that monitors with speakers inbuilt will no longer work properly in regards to sound and you won't be able to plug your games console into the monitor due to a lack of HDMI/dvi etc.
-very limited choice at the moment, with one monitor being on the market at the moment (its excellent though, but still, just the one!) and the DIY kits are like unicorn faeces when trying to find them, then comes the warranty situation if you DIY...
-some games just don't see all the benefits, with assassins creed black flag still having stutter, regardless of gsync on/off. Might be something else on my PC as my opinion on this specific game clashes with reviewers especially, however its what I've experienced so worth noting.
-if you go under 35 FPS, the gsync is forced to replicate the previous frame, creating a stutter unique to the technology. I've experienced this on BF4 using 200% res scaling with ultra settings (including AA). Its very hard to describe what it looks like, but its very disorientating. This forces you to buy a GPU setup that is powerful enough to always remain above 35fps, which for most gamers, isn't too much of an issue, but worth pointing out.
Last edited:
