NVIDIA Gsync - driver comparison 347.88 vs 340.52

[MrBrown]

So after receiving the Acer predator 144hz IPS gsync monitor recently, Ive noticed that Gsync doesnt work on custom resolutions. The monitor has 2560x1440 native resolution.

So Im talking about custom resolutions like 2560x1280, which would be a 16:8 resolution. Gsync also doesnt work if you use a centered 1920x1080 resolution for example (non scaled to the full screen). However if you scale 1920x1080 to full screen, gsync will work with the latest driver, which is the 347.88 ATM. I found it suspicious, because a custom resolution of 2560x1280 used to work WITH GSYNC with my Asus ROG Swift PG278Q back when I had it. So I decided to give an old driver a try, exactly the same driver that I was using when I got the ROG Swift in Aug 14, which was 340.52.

Ive noticed a couple of things. The old driver 340.52 works with Gsync:

1- when using custom resolutions like 2560x1280

2- when you dont scale the image to full screen, i. e. centered 1920x1080 the monitor itself allways reports full 2560x1440 in the OSD, even when you use a centered 1920x1080.

The downside of the old driver however is, that during loading screens ingame (0.00 FPS), the mouse cursor stutters more and there is more flickering because of that, although I cant confirm flickering.

The newest driver 347.88 shows 144fps during loading screens, so it looks like gsync is beeing disabled temporarily whenever the framerate drops under certain fps limit (probably 25) and the mouse cursor stutters less.

Also the older driver feels more responsive to me overall in terms of input lag (fps_max 135 ingame) and the framerate seems to stay more stable during GSYNC and drops less. I didnt do any direct comparisons, its just the first impression of the 2 drivers.

Having noticed that, I though I will let you guy know, so that some of you hardcore pros can dig a little deeper, maybe Blurbusters Chief can jump in and compare the drivers closer.

So to make a conclusion:

old driver 340.52 pros:
- allows Gsync to be used with any resolution, any aspect ratio, centered/non-centered scaling
- feels a little more responsive overall in terms of input lag (fps limited to 135 ingame) and the framerate seems to be more stable
old driver 340.52 cons:
- during loading screens with 0 fps, the mouse cursor will stutter heavily and the image will probably flicker more technically (althout I didnt notice it myself)

new driver 347.88 pros:
-during loading screens with very low fps, it seems like it switches automatically to vsync, the mouse cursor stutters less, there probably is less flickering technically (althout I didnt notice it personally)
new driver 347.88 cons:
-GSYNC isnt possible with custom resolutions like 2560x1280, unless you scale the image to full screen (which will introduce stretching and breaking the native Aspect Ratio)
-GSYNC isnt possible with centered resolutions like 1920x1080, unless you scale it to full screen
-subjectively it feels a little worse in terms of input lag and framerate stability

[Danybonin]

How does that acer screen is vs rog swift? Is ips so much better then tn?

[MrBrown]

yes its way better. The difference is big in viewing angles and color. Also the Acer doesnt have any issues with pixel inversion or flickering, which many ROG Swift users reported they have with their Asus.

[Danybonin]

Thanks your your reply. I did not noticed inversion exept when doing 3d vision.
If you sit at center of the screen of the rog swift, does it still look worse than the acer one? I know as soon as your not 100% centered, you start to see color shif, but when centered, how is it?

Also how are the black with acer monitor? I mean when gaming in a total dark room with a game that is dark too.