AW2521HF overdrive settings with VRR off and on..and a few questions.

[maestroo]

So I bought this monitor because for a long time I've been wanting 240hz because I play valorant, anyway I already know if i realy wanted the best performer I should've went with either the XL2546K, the Acer 390hz or the ViewSonic XG2431, but the first 2 are outside of my budget and the Viewsonic I am unable to get on my country.

Now my previous monitor was the BenQ XL2411z so I think this AW2521HF is a decent upgrade over it, anyway I was checking out the different overdrive settings and some things are just confusing to me.

1) With VRR off, the results I observed go hand to hand with what is said in RTings, basically Fast has no overshoot, but tbh in my opinion you can get away with using Very fast, the thing is whats the absolute best setting in terms of giving u advantage ingame? Cuz in the tables the total response of Fast is lower than Very fast? But shouldnt the input lag of Very fast be lower than Fast?

2) With VRR on, theres virtually no difference between the 3 overdrive settings, does it mean that with VRR on i'm getting a similar overdrive setting as Fast with VRR off?

3) What is the difference between input lag and pixel response time?

4) Also when they test input lag in RTings it says this monitor has a 2.7ms input lag but with what overdrive setting is that tested with?

Thanks guys, hope u guys can help me understand more about monitors in general.

[jorimt]

2) With VRR on, theres virtually no difference between the 3 overdrive settings, does it mean that with VRR on i'm getting a similar overdrive setting as Fast with VRR off?

99% of FreeSync G-SYNC Compatible monitors do not support variable overdrive, as it is very difficult to implement without hardware (aka a module). This means most FreeSync monitors lock overdrive to a single value when VRR mode is engaged, regardless of the current effective refresh "rate," since it can't adjust it on the fly per Hz. This can result in more/variable ghosting at lower framerates with VRR due to the fact that it's locked to the optimal overdrive tuning for a physical 240Hz refresh rate, not 220, 200, 142, 120, 60, 47, what have you.

3) What is the difference between input lag and pixel response time?

4) Also when they test input lag in RTings it says this monitor has a 2.7ms input lag but with what overdrive setting is that tested with?

"Input lag," where displays are concerned, typically refers to processing latency, which determines how long it takes a new frame to start scanning in after input has been made.

Pixel response time, however, determines how fast each pixel fully transitions from one shade to another. This varies depending on what shade is being transitioned to which.

"GtG" is the native average of all the transition times of the given monitor.

Overdrive is the attempt to speed up the native GtG of the display by overvolting the transitions, and each preset uses different amounts of overvolting to achieve it; too high and you get overshoot/inverse ghosting, too little, and you get more smearing/ghosting, a reason the middle or upper middle setting is considered best (not too much, not too little).

So while the majority of display reviewers count GtG as "input lag," with the levels we're talking about on modern gaming monitors, pixel transition speeds aren't so much delaying the appearance of new information as they are determining how clear it is in motion.

[maestroo]

So the overdrive settings affect the GtG but not input lag?

[jorimt]

So the overdrive settings affect the GtG but not input lag?

Overdrive is an "overclock" of the native GtG of the given monitor to decrease smearing and ghosting artifacts during horizontal and vertical pans, and has nothing directly to do with traditional "input lag," which typically refers to the delay between when a user makes an input and when the frame(s) reflecting that input is displayed on-screen.

[maestroo]

So the overdrive settings affect the GtG but not input lag?

Overdrive is an "overclock" of the native GtG of the given monitor to decrease smearing and ghosting artifacts during horizontal and vertical pans, and has nothing directly to do with traditional "input lag," which typically refers to the delay between when a user makes an input and when the frame(s) reflecting that input is displayed on-screen.

Is fast gonna give me the most competitive advantage?

[jorimt]

Is fast gonna give me the most competitive advantage?

If the presence of more overdrive artifacts distract you from tracking targets as well, and "Fast" has less smearing and ghosting than the other overdrive presets on that monitor, probably?

[maestroo]

I played with superfast and on superfast its not realy that noticeable, only on extreme.

But my main question is do I use gsync + extreme or no gsync + super fast? I dont think there is data for pixel response time with VRR on.

[Chief Blur Buster]

Is fast gonna give me the most competitive advantage?

If the presence of more overdrive artifacts distract you from tracking targets as well, and "Fast" has less smearing and ghosting than the other overdrive presets on that monitor, probably?

Sometimes, in certain cases, more overdrive artifacts becomes like a tracer bullet feature, if you're a stationary camper.

This is a very unique use case, very specific competitive advantage where you're very stationary (camping sniper) and use the overdrive artifact feature to quickly detect motion on the screen (e.g. moving camouflaged enemy).

The super-blatant overdrive artifact spikes suddenly and you see the enemy quicker in a stationary scene, because you've got exaggerated motion artifact from the overdrive.

That's why BenQ uses extremely strong overdrive (AMA Premium). Some esports snipers love this feature as a 'motion tracer' feature.

However, super-excessive overdrive can be very distracting if you do any strafing/turning, as the whole screen all goes semi-kaleidoscope of bright-fringing or dark-fringing or both.

Also, overdrive can indirectly affect human perception of lag, depending on how quickly the human reacts (or gets distracted) by the overdrive artifacts, which is like an earlybird signal of motion -- which can be used to advantage (motion tracer feature) or disadvantage (distraction).

More images of LCD artifacts can be found at LCD Motion Artifacts and LCD Overdrive Artifacts.

[maestroo]

I am using this mainly to play valorant. Anyway my main question is do I use gsync + extreme or no gsync + super fast? I dont think there is data for pixel response time with VRR on.

[jorimt]

I am using this mainly to play valorant. Anyway my main question is do I use gsync + extreme or no gsync + super fast? I dont think there is data for pixel response time with VRR on.

Honestly, overdrive presets are one of those things you should able to tell the difference from just by trying them. Data isn't really needed in this context, since its contribution to actual input delay on modern LCD gaming monitors is virtually zero (at least where one 240Hz LCD is compared to another 240Hz LCD).

As the Chief noted, what overdrive preset is used can instead be situational and come down to the personal preference of the individual user on the given monitor in the given game.