Is it safe to run a BenQ XL2430T @ 30Hz?

[vertigho]

Hello all, I thought this post may be suited for the overclocking subforum, however given the nature of the topic, I'd figured I'd initially post it here. A moderator is welcome to move this thread into the overclocking subforum if they feel it belongs there.

I recently purchased a BenQ XL2430T as a multi-purpose/gaming monitor. I run the monitor at 144Hz while doing everything *but* flight simulation, where given the nature of the simulator, anything above 30 fps is unlikely to be achieved. Flight sim folks have found that while running their monitor(s) at 30Hz, coupled with triple buffering and v-sync enabled in the simulator, incredible smoothness is achieved. This was indeed the case for me -- my simulator ran incredibly smoothly.

However, after shutting down the sim for the night and returning to 144Hz, I noticed some aliasing around desktop icons, text, etc. Upon resetting my refresh rate to 144Hz in both NCP and Windows settings, selecting "true color" (32 bit) in both NCP and Windows settings, and rebooting my PC, the aliasing appears to be gone.

What I'm ultimately asking is the following: is it safe to run a BenQ XL2430T at 30Hz? If the aliasing is entirely aesthetic, and not a sign of hardware damage (or potential hardware damage), I don't mind having to tweak/reboot after using my flight simulator -- that's a minor hassle considering how much I gained from a 30Hz refresh rate. *However*, if I am damaging (or risking damaging) my fancy new monitor as a result of downclocking to 30Hz, I will discontinue doing it. I've only owned the monitor for ~12 hours, so I wanted to get an answer early on, before continuing to use a 30Hz refresh rate, so I know how to proceed.

Thanks very much,
Ben

*edit*
I will plan on contacting BenQ's customer support tomorrow if I'm not able to get a satisfactory answer here. I suppose that's the logical thing to do, although I don't know how knowledgeable their customer service representatives will be with regard to this particular question, as I've never dealt with them before. I figured I'd start here first.

[lexlazootin]

I've heard underclocking your monitor can be dangerous due to numerous reasons, that's why Freesync/G-Sync doesn't allow it and doubles up the frames.

I'm not to sure entirely what you mean by the desktop "aliasing" problem but couldn't you just use "Adaptive (Half refresh rate)"?

[vertigho]

Unfortunately, for the particular flight simulator I use, vertical sync is inoperative. I don't quite understand why this is the case, but numerous people within the community have tried unsuccessfully to get vertical sync to properly work (both within the simulator and via third party software) without success, so the solution has been to use 30Hz monitors, or manually underclock.

I spoke with someone at BenQ earlier today and he seemed quite confident that underclocking wouldn't damage the hardware/display. He said I may experience visual anomalies, odd visual effects, etc, but said he doubt it'd do any harm to the display itself.

*shrugs*

I suppose I will continue to underclock. At least I have some peace of mind, for whatever that's worth. Really appreciate the response, lexlazootin!

[Falkentyne]

Vert:
30hz is exactly the same scan rate to the monitor as 60hz.
I know this because I've tested it.
The video card does something to make it 30hz, but it's 60hz to the monitor.

25hz is 50hz.
I know this because if you try to enable blur reduction at 25hz, depending on the current OSD Brightness, the monitor will suddenly become very bright (because backlight voltage will increase by 1.8x whenever MBR is enabled), and if you exceed the internal safety limits, the monitor will shut itself off and reset. It does this at 50hz and 25hz, but not at 30hz, because 30hz is actually 60hz.

[vertigho]

Vert:
30hz is exactly the same scan rate to the monitor as 60hz.
I know this because I've tested it.
The video card does something to make it 30hz, but it's 60hz to the monitor.

25hz is 50hz.
I know this because if you try to enable blur reduction at 25hz, depending on the current OSD Brightness, the monitor will suddenly become very bright (because backlight voltage will increase by 1.8x whenever MBR is enabled), and if you exceed the internal safety limits, the monitor will shut itself off and reset. It does this at 50hz and 25hz, but not at 30hz, because 30hz is actually 60hz.

I see. I don't claim to understand the technical details of such things, however I have found that my simulator is running considerably smoother with my monitor underclocked to 30hz.

I sincerely doubt that this is a placebo effect, as when I reset my monitor to 60hz, my eyes certainly notice a difference. All that said, I suppose it doesn't much matter if what I'm noticing is grounded in science or merely a trick of the mind, so long as I'm enjoying my simming experience.

I know I already spoke to the guy at BenQ, but is it your understanding as well, Falk, that underclocking to 30hz via NCP is safe and will not damage the monitor? Notwithstanding whether or not I need to be doing it.