ULMB 2 Released

[Rbk_3]

I see in the monitors unboxed video the higher overdrive settings can be used now, but I didn't quite get why they are using PWM 50 instead of brighter.

That vastly improved overdrive is what finally got me to order it. It is finally a worthy upgrade to my AW2721D on paper at least.

[daviddave1]

I sold my XL2566K then I bought the PG27AQN. On first sight the AQN is very nice. But the ULMB 2 makes the screen darker, plus the AQN cannot make custom resolutions. Custom resolutions are kinda of a must in Apex and PUBG.
I returned it for a refund after a week of testing. I just bought the VG259QM (same monitor dat Faide have in Apex) for 130 euro second hand with the right panel. Thats literally 10 x times less then the PG27AQN here in Europe. I played some games on it and it felt very good.

[birdbot]

I sold my XL2566K then I bought the PG27AQN. On first sight the AQN is very nice. But the ULMB 2 makes the screen darker, plus the AQN cannot make custom resolutions. Custom resolutions are kinda of a must in Apex and PUBG.
I returned it for a refund after a week of testing. I just bought the VG259QM (same monitor dat Faide have in Apex) for 130 euro second hand with the right panel. Thats literally 10 x times less then the PG27AQN here in Europe. I played some games on it and it felt very good.

what custom res do you need for PUBG that you can't make in nv control panel?

[jorimt]

what custom res do you need for PUBG that you can't make in nv control panel?

The PG27AQN does not support creation or application of custom resolutions in the NVCP when DSC (display stream compression) is enabled, which is the only way to achieve 360Hz at 1440p on that monitor due to current DisplayPort bandwith limitations.

As of the most recent firmware update, you can disable DSC and use custom resolutions, but with DSC disabled, the max achievable physical refresh rate at 1440p is 240Hz.

[daviddave1]

I sold my XL2566K then I bought the PG27AQN. On first sight the AQN is very nice. But the ULMB 2 makes the screen darker, plus the AQN cannot make custom resolutions. Custom resolutions are kinda of a must in Apex and PUBG.
I returned it for a refund after a week of testing. I just bought the VG259QM (same monitor dat Faide have in Apex) for 130 euro second hand with the right panel. Thats literally 10 x times less then the PG27AQN here in Europe. I played some games on it and it felt very good.

what custom res do you need for PUBG that you can't make in nv control panel?

2304 x 1440 that is equivalent to 1728 x 1080 on 1080P

[teo]

I had planned on purchasing the PG27AQN since its announcement, but wasn't in a rush due to already owning a PG279QM, but the new firmware including ULMB 2 and variable overdrive improvements piqued my interest, so I ordered one and should have it sometime this week.

I will be using my PG279QM as a secondary monitor.

have you spent some time with the aqn yet? I’m also curious what your experience is compared the the qm

the overdrive tweaks have me a little more interested in departing from my aw2721d, but I’m still wondering if it’ll feel like a meaningful uplift.

[jorimt]

have you spent some time with the aqn yet? I’m also curious what your experience is compared the the qm

the overdrive tweaks have me a little more interested in departing from my aw2721d, but I’m still wondering if it’ll feel like a meaningful uplift.

I have been "maining" the AQN for the past week and a half and have compared it side-by-side with my 9QM. Basically, it's better than the 9QM where it counts for me:

1. There is much less backlight bleed on my AQN than on my 9QM (granted, this can vary from unit to unit).
2. Measured contrast ratio is slightly better on my AQN than my 9QM (also can vary from unit to unit).
3. The AQN's specific IPS-type panel seems to afford it less IPS glow than the 9QM.
4. Panel coating, text rendering, and G-SYNC operation seem equivalent between the two.
5. The AQN's overdrive looks as good or better at 360Hz directly compared to the 9QM at 240Hz; "Normal" and up presets have no issue keeping up with 360Hz in the majority of transitions (overdrive is significantly better/faster than the first/second-gen 360Hz 1080p monitors due to the new "Ultra" fast IPS panel-type from AUO).
6. While neither have "true" HDR support, the AQN's HDR mode is notably brighter/better than the 9QM's.
7. I have yet to hear the AQN's fan during normal operation.
8. ULMB 2 is a nice bonus.

However there is one general consideration with the AQN vs. the 9QM; the AQN uses DSC to achieve 360Hz 1440p, which prevents custom resolutions and Nvidia DSR/DLDSR usage at 360Hz. It also causes multi-monitor issues due to bandwidth limitations (my 9QM was not playing nice as a secondary).

However, if you always play at native resolution, and don't require a secondary monitor configuration (like me), then it's not a deal breaker.

Also, you can disable DSC in the monitor OSD at any time if you need any of the aforementioned at the expense of dropping to 240Hz, but then that's all you get with the 9QM anyway, so I just consider the AQN a 2-in-1 in that respect.

Finally, whether it's a "meaningful uplift" is subjective and will vary from person-to-person. It's unquestionably the best performing (and highest resolution + ULMB 2-supported) 360Hz LCD monitor currently available though.

[lyrill]

I see in the monitors unboxed video the higher overdrive settings can be used now, but I didn't quite get why they are using PWM 50 instead of brighter.

lower pulse width improves motion clarity because it gives more time for the pixels to change while the backlight is turned off

pulse width.png

difference between pulse 0-100 is not really that noticeable.

Pulse 10 might look the best if u zoom in closely, but the brightness is not usable

oh wow this is typical splitting hairs at this point. but isn't 100 obviously the best?

[lyrill]

what custom res do you need for PUBG that you can't make in nv control panel?

The PG27AQN does not support creation or application of custom resolutions in the NVCP when DSC (display stream compression) is enabled, which is the only way to achieve 360Hz at 1440p on that monitor due to current DisplayPort bandwith limitations.

As of the most recent firmware update, you can disable DSC and use custom resolutions, but with DSC disabled, the max achievable physical refresh rate at 1440p is 240Hz.

what a load of bs for 2k pedaling. ..

[jorimt]

what a load of bs for 2k pedaling. ..

How is it "bs" that this monitor uses (perceptually lossless) DSC to achieve 360Hz at 1440p when it otherwise couldn't using DisplayPort 1.4a? Would you rather them avoid releasing a 360Hz 1440p monitor until we have DisplayPort 2.1 ports on monitors and Nvidia GPUs (which may be a year or more away still)?

To be clear, you can use existing lower-than-native resolutions from the EDID with DSC enabled (2368 x 1332 all the way down to 800 x 600), you just can't easily create or edit them through the NVCP when it's enabled.