Issues with 240hz Alienware AW2720HF black screens with freesync/gsync enabled

[theitalianstallion13]

So I recently went out and purchased the AW2720HF which has one of the newer fast IPS panel's capable of 240hz and 1ms G2G response times with overdrive. The problem I've been having is that while gaming in fullscreen mode with gsync enabled, I'm getting intermittent black screens where it seems the monitor is losing signal for 1-3 seconds randomly. It's like when you change the resolution of your screen and it blanks out for a few seconds. This seems to be an issue with some freesync panels when enabling gsync but apparently this one is certified by Nvidia as "Gsync-Compatible" so I'm wondering if this is a driver issue maybe? Anyone else have this monitor and an Nvidia GPU, that has it working without any major problems? I'm using the most recent 441.87 game ready drivers for my 1080ti if that helps. Any tips or suggestions would be great because at this point I might just end up returning the monitor if I cant find a fix. Its super annoying to have the screen blank out on you while playing a competitive match in CSGO with some friends and you die because of it lol.

Also what are everyone's thoughts on the MSI OCULUX NXG252R which is supposed to have the .5ms G2G response times? Its on sale for 350$ at BestBuy and that's where I got the Alienware so I could exchange for it. There just isnt much info out there about it and I know MSI released a similar version that had 1ms response times so I'm wondering if they are even different panels or if its even worth it. Sorry I feel like I'm rambling on now but I've been up trying to find ways to either fix the monitor or just trying to find a suitable replacement haha.

[Nector]

Just some thoughts:
1. Try checking cables are snug and make sure to use displayport cable that shipped with the monitor. 1080p240f is a good way to find marginal cables.
2. Try disabling free sync (aka gsync) in both the nvidia driver and the monitor ui. If this fixes it, it could be a driver bug or monitor bug.
3. Leave free sync on, but limit fps to something like 100 fps. If this fixes it, it might mean something is wrong with your video card, like overheating (including VRMs, VRAM etc.) or bad dp port (rare).

I have this monitor with a geforce 2070 and haven't had any freesync issues with overwatch, csgo, Wolfenstein (id tech 5, 6) etc. games all fine. I just booted up csgo for a few minutes to check, all good.

[theitalianstallion13]

hey thanks for the tips, I literally just packed up the monitor back in its box and was about to go back and exchange it for something else...

So I know its not the cable that's causing the issue because I have already tried using a different quality cable from my other gsync monitor the LG 32GK850-G which never gave me any issues with signal loss or anything. I did use the DP cable that came with the Alienware too but would get the same intermittent black screens so I pretty much ruled out that. Disabling freesync has seemed to stop the black screens from occurring which leads me to believe its a driver issue, but its Gsync-Compatible so this shouldn't be happening in the first place! Also have you noticed how with freesync/gsync enabled the OD seems to limited to one setting even though you can change them? With freesync turned off there's a pretty noticeable difference with the ghosting and overshoot, like Extreme OD with freesync off is absolutely terrible but with freesync on its fine while gaming.

The weird thing is that there isn't a ton of info on this monitor on the forums, or even people bringing up issues with gsync-compatibility so its hard to know if this is just a driver issue or maybe my panel is just defective? Either way I haven't had any of these issues with the screen blanking out on my LG, and even though it has slightly more noticeable ghosting and motion blur, I would rather use it for now.

[Nector]

Yes, freesync on modifies the overdrive effect a lot. The fast/super/extreme still change the overdrive but only very slightly. Basically all freesync monitors except a couple use fixed overdrive for VRR. Gsync module monitors have the one clear benefit of variable overdrive.

Too bad you couldn't find a fix, goodluck finding the perfect monitor

[theitalianstallion13]

Yea the variable OD on my LG 32GK850-G is what makes it better than most VA panels when it comes to smearing and motion clarity. Don't get me wrong as there is still some smearing and OD artifacts, but they're really not bad unless you go looking for it. I really like this monitor, but would definitely like to have something smaller to game on as well with 240hz and gsync or a good gsync-compatible monitor that doesn't have any issues with the screen blanking out. Looks like I'm probably just going to return the Alienware and get store credit so I can wait for something else to go on sale and try it out. They do have the Hp Omen 27 X on sale which looks temping since its 1440p and 240hz.