Please help - Best 144hz gaming monitor

[LaskoAA]

In short, I tried the ASUS VG248QE last month and it was causing some eye strain / pain and also giving me slight headaches.

I then switched to the BenQ XL2430 for the flicker free / PWM free technology. The 2430 monitor is good, however, the ASUS VG248QE had a little better fine detail in the graphics and the VG248QE also seemed to have a more dynamic feel to it (the graphic effects / game play seemed more interactive, almost 3D'ish but not quite).

I'm not a pro gamer but I do play competitively. Does anyone know of a fast response gaming monitor that is not harmful to the eyes and also has excellent graphics but is under $300 USD?

I'm running the following:

Video Card: Evga 970 GTW FTW
Processor: Intel i5
Ram: 16 Gig

Thanks!


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[RealNC]

If you don't want G-Sync, then it seems the LG 24GM77 has good reviews. It does use a double-strobe technique though when you enable motion blur reduction, which completely eliminates visible flicker (you get 200Hz/240Hz strobing instead of 100Hz/120Hz,) but can result in a double-image effect as a trade-off (since it's strobing at 200Hz when running at 100Hz, and at 240Hz when running at 120Hz.)

But IMO a G-Sync monitor is better. Yeah, you need to pay $200 more just for G-Sync, but overall it's very nice to have.

[LaskoAA]

If you don't want G-Sync, then it seems the LG 24GM77 has good reviews. It does use a double-strobe technique though when you enable motion blur reduction, which completely eliminates visible flicker (you get 200Hz/240Hz strobing instead of 100Hz/120Hz,) but can result in a double-image effect as a trade-off (since it's strobing at 200Hz when running at 100Hz, and at 240Hz when running at 120Hz.)

But IMO a G-Sync monitor is better. Yeah, you need to pay $200 more just for G-Sync, but overall it's very nice to have.

Thanks, which 24 inch G-Sync monitor would you recommend?


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[RealNC]

The cheapest should be the AOC G2460PG. But it's an AOC which has the reputation of being the cheapest brand. Reviews don't look bad though. It's still quite expensive though. But other g-sync monitors are even more expensive. That g-sync module doesn't come cheap.

If I was buying a 24", I'd probably go for an Acer XB241H or an Asus PG248Q.

The Acer can do 180Hz in overclocking mode, btw. But I'm not sure if the g-sync range goes up to 180Hz too. You'd need to research that yourself.

The AOC should be a good choice if you can't spare the money though.

In any event, all of these monitors use a non-PWM backlight so they're all 'flicker-free." (In fact, I think that if a monitor has g-sync, it's flicker-free by default simply because the g-sync module does not have PWM. But someone needs to confirm that.)

[RealNC]

Btw, with all that being said, since you mentioned that you didn't like the colors of the XL2430, you might want to drop g-sync and go for the LG 24GM77. According to some reviews and various comments, it has quite a good image quality (for a TN panel, that is.)

G-Sync *is* nice to have though if you currently play with v-sync on but hate the input lag of it and the stutter when FPS falls below the refresh. Personally, since I want both g-sync *and* good image, I went for an IPS g-sync, but that would heavily exceed your $300 target budget.

[LaskoAA]

The cheapest should be the AOC G2460PG. But it's an AOC which has the reputation of being the cheapest brand. Reviews don't look bad though. It's still quite expensive though. But other g-sync monitors are even more expensive. That g-sync module doesn't come cheap.

If I was buying a 24", I'd probably go for an Acer XB241H or an Asus PG248Q.

The Acer can do 180Hz in overclocking mode, btw. But I'm not sure if the g-sync range goes up to 180Hz too. You'd need to research that yourself.

The AOC should be a good choice if you can't spare the money though.

In any event, all of these monitors use a non-PWM backlight so they're all 'flicker-free." (In fact, I think that if a monitor has g-sync, it's flicker-free by default simply because the g-sync module does not have PWM. But someone needs to confirm that.)

Thanks again for your help! I might just have to dish out the extra money and go for the ASUS PG248Q. However, do you think my computer specs can handle it?

Processor: Intel Core i5-2300 Sandy Bridge Quad-Core 2.8GHz (3.1GHz Turbo Boost)
Power: CORSAIR CX Series CX600 600W
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 FTW+ w/ACX 2.0+
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z68AP-D3(R2.0) LGA 1155 Intel Z68
Memory: 16 gig (Two G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866)
Hard Drive: 500 gig SSD


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[RealNC]

With g-sync disabled, it will handle it the same way as the VG248QE. With g-sync enabled, it will handle it better, since FPS drops won't be as noticeable. With the VG248QE, if you play at 120Hz for example and the game drops to 90FPS, you get stutter. With the PG248Q and g-sync enabled in the nvidia panel, the monitor will match the game's frame rate, so you get no stutter. If the game runs at 90FPS, the monitor runs at 90Hz. It constantly changes its refresh rate to match the game's FPS.

So in the end, G-Sync helps a lot in games where you get FPS drops. Which is why it's a very nice feature to have.

More info here:

https://www.blurbusters.com/gsync/preview/
https://www.blurbusters.com/gsync/how-d ... -stutters/

[LaskoAA]

With g-sync disabled, it will handle it the same way as the VG248QE. With g-sync enabled, it will handle it better, since FPS drops won't be as noticeable. With the VG248QE, if you play at 120Hz for example and the game drops to 90FPS, you get stutter. With the PG248Q and g-sync enabled in the nvidia panel, the monitor will match the game's frame rate, so you get no stutter. If the game runs at 90FPS, the monitor runs at 90Hz. It constantly changes its refresh rate to match the game's FPS.

So in the end, G-Sync helps a lot in games where you get FPS drops. Which is why it's a very nice feature to have.

More info here:

https://www.blurbusters.com/gsync/preview/
https://www.blurbusters.com/gsync/how-d ... -stutters/

Ok that's excellent info. For some reason my FPS ranges drop constantly. Sometimes my FPS will be at 130 and then a couple seconds later my FPS will be at 50...

Do you think I should upgrade my CPU as well (which would mean I would need another motherboard as well)? I currently have the Intel Core i5-2300 Sandy Bridge Quad-Core 2.8GHz (3.1GHz Turbo Boost) https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6819115076

Thanks again for all of your help.

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[RealNC]

I would wait and see how G-Sync works out for you. It might do a good enough job at preventing stutters for you in the games you play.

But an i5 2300 is very weak. At some point you will need to upgrade, that's true. You might want to look for a used i5-2500K or i7-2700K. They might be cheap to find and are probably compatible with your mainboard. Especially the 2500K can be found for cheap on ebay. I use a 2500K myself at 4.2GHz (with a good cooler though) and have no issues in any modern game. So you do have a very cheap upgrade path if you can still find a 2500K or 2700K.

Btw, one thing I forgot to mention is that G-Sync monitors only give you a single DisplayPort input. The Asus also has an HDMI input, but that's only for 60Hz and g-sync doesn't work over HDMI.

This is a limitation of G-Sync in general. It only works over DisplayPort.

[LaskoAA]

I would wait and see how G-Sync works out for you. It might do a good enough job at preventing stutters for you in the games you play.

But an i5 2300 is very weak. At some point you will need to upgrade, that's true. You might want to look for a used i5-2500K or i7-2700K. They might be cheap to find and are probably compatible with your mainboard. Especially the 2500K can be found for cheap on ebay. I use a 2500K myself at 4.2GHz (with a good cooler though) and have no issues in any modern game. So you do have a very cheap upgrade path if you can still find a 2500K or 2700K.

Btw, one thing I forgot to mention is that G-Sync monitors only give you a single DisplayPort input. The Asus also has an HDMI input, but that's only for 60Hz and g-sync doesn't work over HDMI.

This is a limitation of G-Sync in general. It only works over DisplayPort.

Ok thanks, what if I could get a cheap Intel-Core-i5-3570K-3-4GHz? Would that work with my current motherboard?


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