Is a G-Sync monitor what I need for the following symptoms
Posted: 27 May 2017, 19:03
I've upgraded my computer and have been messing around with settings in Overwatch. Here's what I've found:
With old computer, I used to use:
Lightboost 10% @ 120Hz, Vsync OFF, FPS uncapped
Then I realized this was giving me a "blurry" picture that was actually negatively affecting my aim.
So I went to:
Non-Lightboost @ 144Hz, Vsync OFF, 154fps cap in-game
And I got a sense of clarity/sharpness back to the picture, and my precision with the mouse improved (getting the crosshair right on top of a target when it's already close to it).
Now I can achieve stable FPS at any level, so I tried:
Non-Lightboost @ 144Hz, Vsync OFF, Uncapped FPS (300fps constant)
Which made my aim feel better, but needs a little getting used to.
I began fooling around and found that the following:
Lightboost 10% @ 120Hz, Vsync OFF, 120fps in-game cap
Actually gives me an amazingly clear sense of picture/motion and my mental/eye tracking ability improved considerably. This resulted in being able to hit flick shots with much greater ease and focus on fast-moving targets (Genji/Tracer/etc if you know the game). The clearness of the picture was such that I felt confidence in just aiming and hitting things, and I usually hit them and didn't miss as often as I used to. I could then also play more aggressively with far more sweeping mouse movements to turn around in game.
BUT, doing this:
Lightboost 10% @ 120Hz, Vsync OFF, Uncapped FPS (300fps constant)
Doesn't give that sense of clear picture/motion. I can sense lots of little tearing, not so much stuttering, throughout the picture which adds a bit of hesitation to my instinctive ability to aim since my brain takes more time to focus on a target.
So then I read some posts here and tried this:
Lightboost 10% @ 120Hz, Vsync OFF, 240 fps in-game cap
And it removed a lot, if not all, of the little tearing/stuttering/whatever I saw in the previous setting. However, the picture still looked a little blurry (it's almost as if high fps makes the game look blurry no matter what). Also, the mouse, though feeling less responsive for sure, still felt easier to aim with at [Lightboost 10% 120Hz/Vsync Off/120fps in-game cap] than 144hz (no Lightboost). In other words, the mouse was lagging, but I was aiming better in spite of that.
So, is this legitimately a thing? Setting FPS cap at multiples of your refresh rate? So 288 can work for 144?
However, I still see some tearing (like a line of tearing across screen, sometimes more than one depending on screen resolution) with 120Hz/120fps. Moving it to 119fps/121fps didn't help. But I can play in spite of the tearing and aim just fine. The problem for me has always been about this mysterious "blurriness" which knocks my mental game off and affects my ability to focus on targets quickly.
So... knowing all this, what does it seem like I should do? ULMB-type clarity and a synchronized display obviously help me. Will G-Sync help by making 120Hz/120fps completely synchronized so there's no tearing at all and make the picture even clearer?
If I enable VSync @ 120Hz/120fps, it feels noticeably laggy and weird.
I'm also looking into monitors that can do ULMB at higher refresh rates. Any suggestions?
Also, how can one calculate the total input lag of NonLightboost-144Hz/300fps to Lightboost-120Hz/120fps in order to compare them?
With old computer, I used to use:
Lightboost 10% @ 120Hz, Vsync OFF, FPS uncapped
Then I realized this was giving me a "blurry" picture that was actually negatively affecting my aim.
So I went to:
Non-Lightboost @ 144Hz, Vsync OFF, 154fps cap in-game
And I got a sense of clarity/sharpness back to the picture, and my precision with the mouse improved (getting the crosshair right on top of a target when it's already close to it).
Now I can achieve stable FPS at any level, so I tried:
Non-Lightboost @ 144Hz, Vsync OFF, Uncapped FPS (300fps constant)
Which made my aim feel better, but needs a little getting used to.
I began fooling around and found that the following:
Lightboost 10% @ 120Hz, Vsync OFF, 120fps in-game cap
Actually gives me an amazingly clear sense of picture/motion and my mental/eye tracking ability improved considerably. This resulted in being able to hit flick shots with much greater ease and focus on fast-moving targets (Genji/Tracer/etc if you know the game). The clearness of the picture was such that I felt confidence in just aiming and hitting things, and I usually hit them and didn't miss as often as I used to. I could then also play more aggressively with far more sweeping mouse movements to turn around in game.
BUT, doing this:
Lightboost 10% @ 120Hz, Vsync OFF, Uncapped FPS (300fps constant)
Doesn't give that sense of clear picture/motion. I can sense lots of little tearing, not so much stuttering, throughout the picture which adds a bit of hesitation to my instinctive ability to aim since my brain takes more time to focus on a target.
So then I read some posts here and tried this:
Lightboost 10% @ 120Hz, Vsync OFF, 240 fps in-game cap
And it removed a lot, if not all, of the little tearing/stuttering/whatever I saw in the previous setting. However, the picture still looked a little blurry (it's almost as if high fps makes the game look blurry no matter what). Also, the mouse, though feeling less responsive for sure, still felt easier to aim with at [Lightboost 10% 120Hz/Vsync Off/120fps in-game cap] than 144hz (no Lightboost). In other words, the mouse was lagging, but I was aiming better in spite of that.
So, is this legitimately a thing? Setting FPS cap at multiples of your refresh rate? So 288 can work for 144?
However, I still see some tearing (like a line of tearing across screen, sometimes more than one depending on screen resolution) with 120Hz/120fps. Moving it to 119fps/121fps didn't help. But I can play in spite of the tearing and aim just fine. The problem for me has always been about this mysterious "blurriness" which knocks my mental game off and affects my ability to focus on targets quickly.
So... knowing all this, what does it seem like I should do? ULMB-type clarity and a synchronized display obviously help me. Will G-Sync help by making 120Hz/120fps completely synchronized so there's no tearing at all and make the picture even clearer?
If I enable VSync @ 120Hz/120fps, it feels noticeably laggy and weird.
I'm also looking into monitors that can do ULMB at higher refresh rates. Any suggestions?
Also, how can one calculate the total input lag of NonLightboost-144Hz/300fps to Lightboost-120Hz/120fps in order to compare them?