Fixed Monitor Input Lag But I Have Questions (AW2723DF)

[Mach]

I'm not sure what you mean by break but my monitor seems to work with G-Sync on while testing, even at low FPS. G-Sync Indicator is on, the G-Sync setting is active, and even at 20 FPS, it continues to work.

[Cosmostraveler]

I'm not sure what you mean by break but my monitor seems to work with G-Sync on while testing, even at low FPS. G-Sync Indicator is on, the G-Sync setting is active, and even at 20 FPS, it continues to work.

I thought we could break it that way, by getting out of it's range. Any other ways you've found that are working for you?

[Babluga]

I want to share something that might help others who are having desync and input lag issues in CS2, especially on very high refresh rate monitors.

My monitor is an AOC AGON PRO AG256FS (390Hz OC).
Since day one, I had noticeable desync and inconsistent input feeling in CS2. The game never felt truly 1:1, even at very high FPS.

Important detail:
On this monitor, FreeSync is OFF by default in the OSD, so I always kept it disabled.

At the same time, in NVIDIA Profile Inspector, I had manually set “G-SYNC Application State” to “Force Off” (I think this is IMPORTANT!), because I didn’t want any kind of VRR interfering with competitive play.

Here’s the key realization:

Because FreeSync was disabled in the monitor OSD, the G-SYNC option never appeared in the NVIDIA Control Panel. So I assumed everything VRR-related was fully off and irrelevant.

After reading more about this, I decided to test the following:

Enabled FreeSync in the monitor OSD

After doing that, G-SYNC finally appeared in NVIDIA Control Panel

I then unchecked / disabled G-SYNC in NVIDIA Control Panel

Left my usual competitive settings (V-Sync off, high FPS, etc.)

With this setup:

The game feels much smoother

Mouse input feels true 1:1

No more desync feeling

No noticeable input lag

So even though I am not using G-SYNC, simply enabling FreeSync at the monitor level (so the driver exposes G-SYNC properly) and then disabling it cleanly in the control panel seems to have fixed the issue.

It feels like forcing G-SYNC off at the driver level while the monitor reports no VRR capability might cause weird behavior or timing issues, especially at extreme refresh rates like 360–390Hz.

Just sharing this in case it helps someone else.

[Kal]

I want to share something that might help others who are having desync and input lag issues in CS2, especially on very high refresh rate monitors.

My monitor is an AOC AGON PRO AG256FS (390Hz OC).
Since day one, I had noticeable desync and inconsistent input feeling in CS2. The game never felt truly 1:1, even at very high FPS.

Important detail:
On this monitor, FreeSync is OFF by default in the OSD, so I always kept it disabled.

At the same time, in NVIDIA Profile Inspector, I had manually set “G-SYNC Application State” to “Force Off” (I think this is IMPORTANT!), because I didn’t want any kind of VRR interfering with competitive play.

Here’s the key realization:

Because FreeSync was disabled in the monitor OSD, the G-SYNC option never appeared in the NVIDIA Control Panel. So I assumed everything VRR-related was fully off and irrelevant.

After reading more about this, I decided to test the following:

Enabled FreeSync in the monitor OSD

After doing that, G-SYNC finally appeared in NVIDIA Control Panel

I then unchecked / disabled G-SYNC in NVIDIA Control Panel

Left my usual competitive settings (V-Sync off, high FPS, etc.)

With this setup:

The game feels much smoother

Mouse input feels true 1:1

No more desync feeling

No noticeable input lag

So even though I am not using G-SYNC, simply enabling FreeSync at the monitor level (so the driver exposes G-SYNC properly) and then disabling it cleanly in the control panel seems to have fixed the issue.

It feels like forcing G-SYNC off at the driver level while the monitor reports no VRR capability might cause weird behavior or timing issues, especially at extreme refresh rates like 360–390Hz.

Just sharing this in case it helps someone else.

Alienware doesn't have GSYNCE in the OSD.

[Babluga]

I want to share something that might help others who are having desync and input lag issues in CS2, especially on very high refresh rate monitors.

My monitor is an AOC AGON PRO AG256FS (390Hz OC).
Since day one, I had noticeable desync and inconsistent input feeling in CS2. The game never felt truly 1:1, even at very high FPS.

Important detail:
On this monitor, FreeSync is OFF by default in the OSD, so I always kept it disabled.

At the same time, in NVIDIA Profile Inspector, I had manually set “G-SYNC Application State” to “Force Off” (I think this is IMPORTANT!), because I didn’t want any kind of VRR interfering with competitive play.

Here’s the key realization:

Because FreeSync was disabled in the monitor OSD, the G-SYNC option never appeared in the NVIDIA Control Panel. So I assumed everything VRR-related was fully off and irrelevant.

After reading more about this, I decided to test the following:

Enabled FreeSync in the monitor OSD

After doing that, G-SYNC finally appeared in NVIDIA Control Panel

I then unchecked / disabled G-SYNC in NVIDIA Control Panel

Left my usual competitive settings (V-Sync off, high FPS, etc.)

With this setup:

The game feels much smoother

Mouse input feels true 1:1

No more desync feeling

No noticeable input lag

So even though I am not using G-SYNC, simply enabling FreeSync at the monitor level (so the driver exposes G-SYNC properly) and then disabling it cleanly in the control panel seems to have fixed the issue.

It feels like forcing G-SYNC off at the driver level while the monitor reports no VRR capability might cause weird behavior or timing issues, especially at extreme refresh rates like 360–390Hz.

Just sharing this in case it helps someone else.

Alienware doesn't have GSYNCE in the OSD.

Exactly — that’s why. It means it’s enabled by default, just like on mine now(ON). What actually matters is disabling it in the NVIDIA Control Panel and, in NVIDIA Inspector, setting “G-SYNC Application State” to “Force Off”.

On my NVIDIA Control Panel, under 3D Settings, the “Monitor Technology” option shows as “Not supported for this option”… but it’s still enabled on the monitor OSD. Input lag/desync finaly free.

[Kal]

Exactly — that’s why. It means it’s enabled by default, just like on mine now(ON). What actually matters is disabling it in the NVIDIA Control Panel and, in NVIDIA Inspector, setting “G-SYNC Application State” to “Force Off”.

On my NVIDIA Control Panel, under 3D Settings, the “Monitor Technology” option shows as “Not supported for this option”… but it’s still enabled on the monitor OSD. Input lag/desync finaly free.

Tried this and it doesn't make a difference for me.

[Cosmostraveler]

I want to share something that might help others who are having desync and input lag issues in CS2, especially on very high refresh rate monitors.

My monitor is an AOC AGON PRO AG256FS (390Hz OC).
Since day one, I had noticeable desync and inconsistent input feeling in CS2. The game never felt truly 1:1, even at very high FPS.

Important detail:
On this monitor, FreeSync is OFF by default in the OSD, so I always kept it disabled.

At the same time, in NVIDIA Profile Inspector, I had manually set “G-SYNC Application State” to “Force Off” (I think this is IMPORTANT!), because I didn’t want any kind of VRR interfering with competitive play.

Here’s the key realization:

Because FreeSync was disabled in the monitor OSD, the G-SYNC option never appeared in the NVIDIA Control Panel. So I assumed everything VRR-related was fully off and irrelevant.

After reading more about this, I decided to test the following:

Enabled FreeSync in the monitor OSD

After doing that, G-SYNC finally appeared in NVIDIA Control Panel

I then unchecked / disabled G-SYNC in NVIDIA Control Panel

Left my usual competitive settings (V-Sync off, high FPS, etc.)

With this setup:

The game feels much smoother

Mouse input feels true 1:1

No more desync feeling

No noticeable input lag

So even though I am not using G-SYNC, simply enabling FreeSync at the monitor level (so the driver exposes G-SYNC properly) and then disabling it cleanly in the control panel seems to have fixed the issue.

It feels like forcing G-SYNC off at the driver level while the monitor reports no VRR capability might cause weird behavior or timing issues, especially at extreme refresh rates like 360–390Hz.

Just sharing this in case it helps someone else.

Alienware doesn't have GSYNCE in the OSD.

Exactly — that’s why. It means it’s enabled by default, just like on mine now(ON). What actually matters is disabling it in the NVIDIA Control Panel and, in NVIDIA Inspector, setting “G-SYNC Application State” to “Force Off”.

On my NVIDIA Control Panel, under 3D Settings, the “Monitor Technology” option shows as “Not supported for this option”… but it’s still enabled on the monitor OSD. Input lag/desync finaly free.

It also had negative effects (hit reg not as good as well as mouse movement) on my side. Freesync Premium is enabled by default in my Monitor settings (just for reference). And yes, it did show “Not supported for this option” after doing it as you mentioned.

[fjoecs]

I have an Alienware AW2525HM 320 Hz monitor that doesn’t have a G-Sync toggle in the OSD. After buying this monitor, I experienced several issues, including screen tearing and ghosting, which made the game almost unplayable.

For me, the best image quality and gameplay feel occur when:
1. G-Sync is enabled in “Set up G-Sync.”
2. In CS2 3D settings, Monitor Technology is set to Fixed Refresh.
* If I untick “Enable G-Sync” under “Set up G-Sync,” the game feels terrible.

After some research, I assume that VRR/Adaptive-Sync monitors need G-Sync to be enabled to some extent in order to display the image properly and stay synchronized with the GPU. This topic definitely needs further examination.

[igorcard]

I use the AW2723DF (1440p, 280hz Overclocked Monitor, updated firmware/drivers) and for years, the input lag I experience has been inconsistent. I tried many different things to diagnose the issue over the years: graphics card drivers, Nvidia Control Panel tweaks, ReBAR, Process Lasso, etc. It's been bothering me so much that I've started looking into how to get or build an LDAT for myself just to be able to confirm the latency change. I've since reset my drivers and settings back to default settings.

Partially due to this, I think I've finally narrowed it down to being a monitor-related issue. For whatever reason, G-Sync would sometimes turn itself on in the NVCP upon restart. This monitor has no OSD setting to enable/disable G-Sync, so it all must be done in the NVCP. Because my main game Overwatch 2 was locked at a frame rate (300 FPS) above my refresh rate, and I didn't want to use G-Sync in the first place, I had the Monitor Technology setting for OW2 and other games set to Fixed Refresh. But now that I've gone back to the default settings, things have changed.

In order to fix my heavy mouse/input lag issue (and this is repeatable), I essentially need to turn G-Sync on and off again. I've got theories as to what's causing this but that's why I'm making this post. I don't really know. I wonder if the monitor is turning G-Sync on or off on its own in the background, I wonder if the displayport cable isn't able to handle the data, I wonder if it's just the way G-Sync is implemented for this monitor?

I'm confused. I've turned off G-Sync in the NVCP, The G-Sync Compatible Indicator shows that G-Sync is not active, the OSD's Framerate setting shows that G-Sync/VRR is not active, so how and why does it matter that the G-Sync Compatible Monitor Technology setting is on or not? Shouldn't the latency be the same as the Fixed Refresh setting if G-Sync is disabled and the FPS is above the refresh rate anyway? Does anyone have any familiarity with this issue or this monitor? Does anyone know how this could happen? Thanks to anyone who responds. In the meantime, I am replacing my DP cable just in case but I doubt that will change much.

Did you manage to solve this problem?
I’m having issues with G-SYNC on my Alienware AW2725DM. I swear, I’ve tested everything and swapped out almost every part in my PC, only to realize the problem lies with the monitor itself (which, incidentally, was already replaced under warranty due to a faulty DisplayPort port). This suggests it’s not just an issue with a few defective units, but rather a problem that likely affects this entire cursed Alienware product line.

[crack]

I want to share something that might help others who are having desync and input lag issues in CS2, especially on very high refresh rate monitors.

My monitor is an AOC AGON PRO AG256FS (390Hz OC).
Since day one, I had noticeable desync and inconsistent input feeling in CS2. The game never felt truly 1:1, even at very high FPS.

Important detail:
On this monitor, FreeSync is OFF by default in the OSD, so I always kept it disabled.

At the same time, in NVIDIA Profile Inspector, I had manually set “G-SYNC Application State” to “Force Off” (I think this is IMPORTANT!), because I didn’t want any kind of VRR interfering with competitive play.

Here’s the key realization:

Because FreeSync was disabled in the monitor OSD, the G-SYNC option never appeared in the NVIDIA Control Panel. So I assumed everything VRR-related was fully off and irrelevant.

After reading more about this, I decided to test the following:

Enabled FreeSync in the monitor OSD

After doing that, G-SYNC finally appeared in NVIDIA Control Panel

I then unchecked / disabled G-SYNC in NVIDIA Control Panel

Left my usual competitive settings (V-Sync off, high FPS, etc.)

With this setup:

The game feels much smoother

Mouse input feels true 1:1

No more desync feeling

No noticeable input lag

So even though I am not using G-SYNC, simply enabling FreeSync at the monitor level (so the driver exposes G-SYNC properly) and then disabling it cleanly in the control panel seems to have fixed the issue.

It feels like forcing G-SYNC off at the driver level while the monitor reports no VRR capability might cause weird behavior or timing issues, especially at extreme refresh rates like 360–390Hz.

Just sharing this in case it helps someone else.

This made a positive difference, I did the following:

Enabled FreeSync again (monitor comes with FreeSync enabled by default), enabled NVDisplay.ContainerLocalSystem service to boot up NVCPL, went to Setup G-Sync menu, unchecked the box. After this the GPU restarted, then I disabled FreeSync in the monitor OSD again, GPU restarted again and monitor was stuck at 60Hz, wtf? 1 restart later and fixed, set G-SYNC Application State to Force Off, disabled NVDisplay.ContainerLocalSystem and played for 2 hours, I already had mouse input feeling 1:1 by disabling DCOM (this is a repeatable behavior on any Windows version that has it), still a very noticeable improvement in lessening input lag, consistent so far and I'm willing to bet it will last unlike regedit tweaks or tweaking hidden settings in BIOS with SCEwin.

Still not perfect 0 input lag feeling like I had before COVID era where no matter what PC I played on it was perfect, mouse input wasn't 1:1 because of DCOM but input lag was nonexistent, even on a 2008 60Hz LCD the image was butter smooth and much better than on my current 240Hz IPS panel, after COVID that LCD is unusable on any multiplayer FPS game.