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I'm considering X'sync next year with my next build as well.

Having used G-Sync (not freesync, though G-Sync is supposed to be tecnically a marginally better option), I would say that adaptive sync is nice, but not as nice as fast framerates on a 144/120Hz screen.

If your PC can maintain over 90fps in your games, a high-frequency monitor (even with just regular V-Sync) makes the gap between animation frames so small that you won't ever detect the judder or inconsistency that adaptive sync addresses.

Given that Adaptive sync monitors are a few hundred dollars more expensive than their fixed-refresh brethren, I feel you should spend the difference on a better GPU which will give you higher absolute performance and sidestep the whole adaptive-sync debate in the first place.

Chrispy_ wrote:

but not as nice as fast framerates on a 144/120Hz screen.

1920x1080 TN?

End User wrote:

Chrispy_ wrote:

but not as nice as fast framerates on a 144/120Hz screen.

1920x1080 TN?

There are IPS G-Syncs around. The ROG Swift PG279Q is a 1440p 165 Hz IPS G-Sync monitor, though you'll pay dearly for the privilege.

I'm using a more plebeian PG278Q (144 Hz TN), but even for a TN, it's about as good at color reproduction as my acer AHVA secondary monitor. Vertical viewing angles are not the best, dark scenes in movies can lose contrast at the top or bottom if I'm slouched down low, but not a problem in daily use or gaming.

Yes I'm beginning to see that even TN now is doing better for basic use/gaming. I don't plan to be anywhere other than right in front of the monitor, so that PG278Q might be a good choice.

Sputnik7 wrote:

Yes I'm beginning to see that even TN now is doing better for basic use/gaming. I don't plan to be anywhere other than right in front of the monitor, so that PG278Q might be a good choice.

Yeah, I was impressed by the TN Panel on the '278 (an AU Optronics panel); it's a true 8-bit TN panel with 10-bit FRC. This is from someone whose past few monitors had been AHVA, IPS and PVA, and I'm also into photography and shoot RAW. Never had the tools or time to do a proper color calibration on any of my monitors, though.

The Dell S2716DG uses a similar panel, and can be found for usually cheaper than the ROG Swift; it was ~$500 recently, and I have seen if for as low as $489 new ( I got my Swift for $479 refurb). I wouldn't pay the current full asking price for a 1440p 27" G-Sync monitor (typically in the $600 range), but they can be a great buy when they're on sale, hence my advice to OP to wait until either the GPU or monitor goes on sale, and snipe whichever comes first.

End User wrote:

Chrispy_ wrote:

but not as nice as fast framerates on a 144/120Hz screen.

1920x1080 TN?

Get out! You know I hate TN with a passion

AMVA is the new hotness, They go up to 200Hz and nothing beats those inky blacks or contrast ratios outside of OLED. The don't have IPS glow, either, so it's win-win-win.

AMVA??

I thought it was AHVA?

Anovoca wrote:

Beautiful. Can replace with any piece of PC hardware (unless it's actually broken and needs to be replaced).

PSA: The sale cometh!

Amazon has the Dell S2716DG G-Sync monitor for $520 new and $420 used.

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Gaming-S2716DG-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B0149QBOF0/

OP,
I can't bring myself to live with IPS glow, and unfortunately everything non-TN is IPS/PLS/AHVA in today's market. If you like your Korean 1440p, then you're OK on this front.


1337ness tempered only by the file format chosen.

Anovoca wrote:

The price premium for VESA standard adaptive sync ("FreeSync") is now small enough (about $30 vs. monitors without adaptive sync) that you might as well consider FreeSync as the default for any new gaming monitor purchase, unless you are vendor locked to an expensive proprietary scheme. G-Sync still costs about $150 more than FreeSync does for similar monitors.

JustAnEngineer wrote:

The price premium for VESA standard adaptive sync ("FreeSync") is now small enough (about $30 vs. monitors without adaptive sync) that you might as well consider FreeSync as the default for any new gaming monitor purchase, unless you are vendor locked to an expensive proprietary scheme. G-Sync still costs about $150 more than FreeSync does for similar monitors.

When I got my G-Sync monitor I noticed the price premium on larger (27") monitors actually seemed to be much smaller than the price premium on smaller monitors. My Gsync monitor was about $70-80 more than the cheapest "equivalent" 27" 144hz monitor I could find without Gsync, whereas when I looked at 24" it was more like $150-200 premium. Basically the 24" 144hz Gsync 1080p were barely cheaper than the 27" 144hz Gsync 1080p. Luckily I wanted a 27" anyway, but the Gsync options for people on more of a budget and/or want a smaller monitor really are pretty bad/overpriced.

Keep your current monitor until they figure out this G-Sync, FreeSync, Nsync, kitchen sync stuff. I like to be able to use my monitor with any video card and just have it work without paying a premium. This is why they made standards. When they figure out a standard then I migrate as the need arises. Till then, for this cat, it's NoSync.

ThatStupidCat wrote:

Keep your current monitor until they figure out this G-Sync, FreeSync, Nsync, kitchen sync stuff. I like to be able to use my monitor with any video card and just have it work without paying a premium. This is why they made standards. When they figure out a standard then I migrate as the need arises. Till then, for this cat, it's NoSync.

To be fair Gsync/Freesync monitors will work fine with the other vendor's cards, just the adaptive refresh part won't work. IMO high refresh rates make a much bigger difference than Gsync anyway so I wouldn't worry too much about getting a Gsync/Freesync monitor. Focus on getting a fast graphics card and high refresh before Gsync. Low framerates still look bad whether you have Gsync/Freesync or not. It just looks slightly less bad with Gsync/Freesync.

I wanted a new monitor anyway so I figured I might as well spend a bit more and get Gsync too but honestly it doesn't really make much difference. The difference between 60hz and 144hz is amazing however.

So I sold my old Korean IPS monitor and bought the Dell S2716DG.

Oh man, where have you been all my life VRR? G-sync works great with my 970, and the monitor also comes with ULMB if i ever start maxing out my frame rates with a 10xx or 11xx series card down the road.

I will have to investigate more about G-Sync vs. ULMB and where both shine, but I give this monitor a big thumbs up. I'm already seeing stutter looking at my fiance's 60hz monitors while we play D3 together.

Sputnik7 wrote:

So I sold my old Korean IPS monitor and bought the Dell S2716DG.

Oh man, where have you been all my life VRR? G-sync works great with my 970, and the monitor also comes with ULMB if i ever start maxing out my frame rates with a 10xx or 11xx series card down the road.

I will have to investigate more about G-Sync vs. ULMB and where both shine, but I give this monitor a big thumbs up. I'm already seeing stutter looking at my fiance's 60hz monitors while we play D3 together.

Congrats on your purchase, glad you're enjoying it.

Yeah, one of the biggest downsides to getting a VRR is noticing the drawbacks of 60 Hz FRR once you've experienced VRR. And it doesn't take long, either.

If you watch a lot of video, I recommend setting your desktop refresh to 120 Hz, as that plays well with both 24p and 30p video sources. MPC-HC will work correctly on a 120 Hz display but there may be a few hoops to jump through. Check 'Reinitialize when changing display' in Playback --> Output to ensure the player isn't locked at 60 fps when launched on a different monitor. Also, if you select D3D fullscreen and have v-sync enabled for windowed apps, you can even get VRR to sync with MPC-HC, giving you a clean 48 Hz refresh when playing movies, but I don't use it because it has some UI drawbacks.

I found ULMB to be quite nice, but never use it because I am too lazy to toggle settings all the time. YMMV.