G-Sync and ULMB at the same time is in fact possible!

Ask about motion blur reduction in gaming monitors. Includes ULMB (Ultra Low Motion Blur), NVIDIA LightBoost, ASUS ELMB, BenQ/Zowie DyAc, Turbo240, ToastyX Strobelight, etc.
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masterotaku
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G-Sync and ULMB at the same time is in fact possible!

Post by masterotaku » 12 Jun 2016, 03:06

Edit: There are easy known ways to enable it currently. The easiest one is making a custom resolution with +5 (or +1 if 5 doesn't work) Vertical Total than default (like 1530 or 1526 instead of 1525 for 1440p monitors), or doing the same for the base resolution using Custom Resolution Utility. Check the last pages of this thread to read some tests and confirmations.

tl;dr: synchronized single strobing between 40 and 120 fps. Lower than 40fps means double strobing. With some overclocking (check the ULMB at 60Hz thread: http://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3501), I could push it to 125Hz. With a 240Hz monitor, some user managed to do it up to 151Hz, IIRC.

List of confirmed monitors for now (as of 2017-10-03):

- Dell S2716DG
- Asus PG278QR
- Asus PG279Q
- Acer XB271HU
- ViewSonic XG2703-GS
- Dell S2417DG
- Acer Predator XB272

Video with Skyrim (DX9) working with it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Hj-GNztJfE

phpBB [video]


Video with G-Sync Pendulum demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e52T8d8mhfk

phpBB [video]


The video descriptions are outdated, with info about the old method.



Old content of my post, showing my first finding and shocked status :lol: :
What the thread title said. I could do it with my Dell S2716DG. The hard to get requirement for that is making the monitor be stuck in Lightboost (not ULMB) mode even if you try to disable it. That can happen if you have a 3D Vision 2 kit and play in 3D.

I can't say how to get into that state because I don't know how I did it, and after trying to replicate it I've failed, so I lost this secret G-Sync + ULMB mode.

I randomly decided to try Octodad with G-Sync (I hadn't used G-Sync for some time), so I enabled it in the Nvidia Control Panel (the monitor stayed at ULMB mode in desktop (not Lightboost)) and booted the game. "Hey, wtf? This is still strobing.... but wait! It's strobing at 60Hz!". The game is capped at 60fps and I reached the cap, so I didn't realize then what happened.

I was suspicious, so then I started playing Skyrim. And then I was really amazed. It was running in ULMB and synchronizing with the refresh rate! The image quality was perfect. No crosstalk, no tearing, no double image, no extra stuttering, etc. It was G-Sync but without motion blur. I think it synchronized perfectly down to around 30fps. I don't mind flickering, so 40fps with strobing has nothing wrong for me. Brightness was a bit variable, but not as much as you would expect.

Here is the video proof of that (Skyrim with unlocked fps), where you can see the variable strobing (recorded with my Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini camera at 30fps): https://www.dropbox.com/s/u1mhybhc7u2l2 ... b.mp4?dl=0

Around 90fps when looking at the sky (black bars rolling up in the video), and below 60fps when looking at the scenery (black bars rolling down). At exactly 60fps, the bard don't move in the video.

However, there are some things that make the monitor go into normal G-Sync, like games that force a refresh rate change at startup.

Games I tried that worked: Octodad, Skyrim, Castlevania LoS, The Witcher, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Redux.

After that, I tried to replicate the unlocking of this mode but failed, because now Lightboost is behaving normal (disabling itself when I choose to only enable it in fullscreen applications). Maybe I shouldn't have done that. I would love if Nvidia let us enable this mode.
Last edited by masterotaku on 03 Oct 2017, 11:57, edited 8 times in total.
CPU: Intel Core i7 7700K @ 4.9GHz
GPU: Gainward Phoenix 1080 GLH
RAM: GSkill Ripjaws Z 3866MHz CL19
Motherboard: Gigabyte Gaming M5 Z270
Monitor: Asus PG278QR

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lexlazootin
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Re: G-Sync and ULMB at the same time is in fact possible!

Post by lexlazootin » 12 Jun 2016, 04:18

You're joking... Do you have any custom res that might of caused it?

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masterotaku
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Re: G-Sync and ULMB at the same time is in fact possible!

Post by masterotaku » 12 Jun 2016, 05:25

lexlazootin wrote:You're joking... Do you have any custom res that might of caused it?
I was using the default 2560x1440@120Hz mode (my GPU doesn't allow 144Hz with this monitor). I had created two custom resolutions of lower resolution, but I wasn't using them. Lightboost had been stuck at least for many days, so I have no idea about what triggered that state. Perhaps I need a game to crash or something.

And no, I'm not joking, this isn't fake, etc. I would have recorded a longer video if I had known I would lose that mode :(. And with Skyrim, some people may be skeptical and think I was using that black frame insertion feature of ENB (I wasn't using it).
CPU: Intel Core i7 7700K @ 4.9GHz
GPU: Gainward Phoenix 1080 GLH
RAM: GSkill Ripjaws Z 3866MHz CL19
Motherboard: Gigabyte Gaming M5 Z270
Monitor: Asus PG278QR

Glide
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Re: G-Sync and ULMB at the same time is in fact possible!

Post by Glide » 12 Jun 2016, 13:24

I wish that NVIDIA would just enable this as an option.
Put up big disclaimers before activating it, but this would get me to buy a G-Sync display.

The fact that we have to choose between one or the other, and that ULMB can only work above 85Hz really limits the benefits of the display.
There are a lot of games which are capped at or below 60Hz which only look good on a CRT.

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masterotaku
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Re: G-Sync and ULMB at the same time is in fact possible!

Post by masterotaku » 12 Jun 2016, 13:47

Glide wrote:I wish that NVIDIA would just enable this as an option.
Put up big disclaimers before activating it, but this would get me to buy a G-Sync display.
I agree. I hate how some good discoveries are only found due to bugs (like 60Hz Lightboost in Castlevania LoS2 that sometimes happens when I alt tab outside and then inside the game). And this time it's even better than expected. Here at blurbusters it has been discussed how strobing should be done to work with G-Sync, and it seems that Nvidia had already figured it out (unless it's 100% an accident that works alright by coincidence). Aside from brightness variety (and flickering to people that can't endure it), there isn't any other problem with what I discovered.

I want to get it back :( . But well, I play mostly in 3D so I can entertain myself with other things until this bug happens again. It would have been great to see it with The Witcher 3, for example (which I'll play in 3D anyway).
CPU: Intel Core i7 7700K @ 4.9GHz
GPU: Gainward Phoenix 1080 GLH
RAM: GSkill Ripjaws Z 3866MHz CL19
Motherboard: Gigabyte Gaming M5 Z270
Monitor: Asus PG278QR

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lexlazootin
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Re: G-Sync and ULMB at the same time is in fact possible!

Post by lexlazootin » 13 Jun 2016, 08:44

I probably spent a hour last night trying to switch settings on my monitors OSD and driver at the same time trying to something too stick and now my ULMB wont turn on :lol:

If someone finds a way to enable both in Nvidia inspector or something i will love you long time.

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masterotaku
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Re: G-Sync and ULMB at the same time is in fact possible!

Post by masterotaku » 27 Sep 2016, 12:09

I accidentally enabled a custom resolution that works at G-Sync+ULMB!

I have recorded and uploaded two videos (details of how I did it are in the description):

https://youtu.be/8Hj-GNztJfE

https://youtu.be/e52T8d8mhfk


I will record and post more details when I discover more things (I want to do a video that shows proof of how the drivers are in G-Sync mode while the game shows ULMB and how that game profile wasn't modified). This time it's better than the last one. Almost everything works (exclusive fullscreen games that accept that 2389x1344 resolution).

I hope that with enough proof and if more people are able to repeat it, Nvidia will officially add this mode in the drivers.
CPU: Intel Core i7 7700K @ 4.9GHz
GPU: Gainward Phoenix 1080 GLH
RAM: GSkill Ripjaws Z 3866MHz CL19
Motherboard: Gigabyte Gaming M5 Z270
Monitor: Asus PG278QR

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lexlazootin
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Joined: 16 Dec 2014, 02:57

Re: G-Sync and ULMB at the same time is in fact possible!

Post by lexlazootin » 27 Sep 2016, 14:18

Dude, that's INSANE!

I was testing it out on my XL2420G switching between G-Sync/ULMB modes and games on 2389x1344 and i couldn't get it to stick. I don't have 3D Vision glasses and i never installed the '3D Vision' app in the driver, Do you need 3D glasses?

I was also assuming it's 2389x1344 at 120hz with default timing done in Nvidia's control panel right?

I would LOVE to get this to work on my monitor!

> Nvidia will officially add this mode in the drivers.

you have the power to do that?

Edit: I saw you changed your youtube descriptions. Will try.
Last edited by lexlazootin on 27 Sep 2016, 14:23, edited 1 time in total.

spacediver
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Re: G-Sync and ULMB at the same time is in fact possible!

Post by spacediver » 27 Sep 2016, 14:22

Read the quote again, lex :)
...hope that with enough proof and if more people are able to repeat it, Nvidia will officially add this mode in the drivers.

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masterotaku
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Joined: 20 Dec 2013, 04:01

Re: G-Sync and ULMB at the same time is in fact possible!

Post by masterotaku » 27 Sep 2016, 14:37

Steps (I have finally confirmed them with another custom resolution):

How to do this (having a 3D Vision kit is necessary):

1- Enable 3D Vision and make sure Lightboost (not ULMB) is enabled in the desktop, using the "always" option.
2- Create a 120Hz custom resolution. I have tried 2389x1344 and 2528x1422.
3- Switch to G-Sync in the Nvidia CP without disabling 3D Vision first.
4- Now that custom resolution is locked into this G-Sync + ULMB mode (the monitor OSD will say "ULMB 120Hz").
CPU: Intel Core i7 7700K @ 4.9GHz
GPU: Gainward Phoenix 1080 GLH
RAM: GSkill Ripjaws Z 3866MHz CL19
Motherboard: Gigabyte Gaming M5 Z270
Monitor: Asus PG278QR

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