AW2720HF abnormal overdrive artifact (horizontal text bleeding, and square shape alias ghosting)

Everything about displays and monitors. 120Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz, 4K, 1440p, input lag, display shopping, monitor purchase decisions, compare, versus, debate, and more. Questions? Just ask!
Post Reply
Arx
Posts: 14
Joined: 12 Jul 2020, 16:53

AW2720HF abnormal overdrive artifact (horizontal text bleeding, and square shape alias ghosting)

Post by Arx » 18 Jul 2020, 15:04

Recently, I bought a AW2720HF, motion clarity is quite good. But there is an issue with abnormal overdrive artifact.
For all other monitors I owned (AW2518HF, and others), the overdrive only cause inverse colored ghosting effect, which is what I expected. But this AW2720HF is completely different, it behaves really weird!

Background:
There are {fast, super fast, extreme} in overdrive setting.
Setting.........|.....G-sync Off.....|....G-sync On
Fast.............|.....minor...........|....no artifact
Super Fast.....|.....significant.....|....minor
Extreme........|....even more.....|....significant
(Following description will assume G-sync off)

1. In web browser, with super fast setting (or extreme setting with G-sync on)
when scrolling text vertically, text bleeding into the background "Horizontally"!
This can be noticed even with the lowest overdrive setting, just in much minor level.

2. In game, with super fast setting (or extreme setting with G-sync on)
edges/outlines with shape of diagonal line or circle, there are "square shaped alias ghosting", imagine stairs shaped ghost besides outline of objects. Those square are around 6x6 pixel size, and are actual square shape alias, NOT "something blur and looks similar to square alias".

Both two issues are quite a big deal, it completely blocks me recognizing text while scrolling, and the outlines look insanely weird in game. It is completely different from inverse colored ghosting, and probably hard to imagine if someone never had such issue.
Of course, if just turn down overdrive and use the lowest level, then the artifact is minor. But I occasionally want to use higher overdrive setting in games as preference, and expects the only draw back should be inverse colored ghosting.

I was using AW2518HF before AW2720HF, and it has no such weird overdrive artifact. (faster overdrive just cause more inverse ghosting, nothing like horizontal bleeding or square shape alias.)

So, here I need your help. I want to know, is this a common issue for IPS panel 240Hz monitors, or it is a common issue for all AW2720HF, or it is just me unfortunately got a defected one?
If this is a common issue, hopefully you will come in and confirm the issue to me. If I am the only one, then I will probably take a bit time uploading image or video of this weird artifact issue.

Nector
Posts: 12
Joined: 04 Dec 2019, 23:38

Re: AW2720HF abnormal overdrive artifact (horizontal text bleeding, and square shape alias ghosting)

Post by Nector » 19 Jul 2020, 20:22

Bad news: I have this monitor (AW2720HF) and indeed it does have block-like artifacts under the following settings: Freesync/Gsync off and response time set to Super Fast / Extreme.

It doesn't have it for my monitor under:
- Fast (G/FreeSync on or off)
- Super/Extreme (G/Freesync on).

FYI you might be seeing it with gsync on at the desktop because gsync is only active with certain games/apps. The gsync widowed mode is buggy and not reliable for engaging gsync. Try this: https://us.download.nvidia.com/download ... C_1.13.exe. It's the famous gsync pendulum demo and will let you test on/off with various FPS.

I agree the horizontal blockiness is very weird. The fact that it only occurs with super/extreme probably means the overdrive signal is just poorly configured or just plain too strong. As for other IPS 240hz monitors, they all have overdrive artifacts (all based on the same AU panel variants) but I haven't seen any reports on the blockiness.

Good news is that RTings did a review of this monitor (maybe you saw): https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/ ... e-aw2720hf and they found the response times under fast to be some of the best (with virtually no overshoot artifacts) for IPS 240hz (and first gen TN 240hz monitors).

EDIT: firmware ver M3B101, IIRC june 2019 manufacture date.

Arx
Posts: 14
Joined: 12 Jul 2020, 16:53

Re: AW2720HF abnormal overdrive artifact (horizontal text bleeding, and square shape alias ghosting)

Post by Arx » 21 Jul 2020, 16:10

After checked with a friend who owned the same monitor, I can confirm it is a common issue for AW2720HF.
Don't know if the same thing happens on VG279QM or other 27'' ips 240Hz panels. (Any VG279QM users?)

From the UFO pictures I saw on AW2521HF (check the link below), I don't see such square shaped artifact.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6666&start=250

Which leads me to think it might be a design flaw of control chips in AW2720HF.

Arx
Posts: 14
Joined: 12 Jul 2020, 16:53

Re: AW2720HF abnormal overdrive artifact (horizontal text bleeding, and square shape alias ghosting)

Post by Arx » 21 Jul 2020, 16:15

Nector wrote:
19 Jul 2020, 20:22
Bad news: I have this monitor (AW2720HF) and indeed it does have block-like artifacts under the following settings: Freesync/Gsync off and response time set to Super Fast / Extreme.

It doesn't have it for my monitor under:
- Fast (G/FreeSync on or off)
- Super/Extreme (G/Freesync on).

FYI you might be seeing it with gsync on at the desktop because gsync is only active with certain games/apps. The gsync widowed mode is buggy and not reliable for engaging gsync. Try this: https://us.download.nvidia.com/download ... C_1.13.exe. It's the famous gsync pendulum demo and will let you test on/off with various FPS.

I agree the horizontal blockiness is very weird. The fact that it only occurs with super/extreme probably means the overdrive signal is just poorly configured or just plain too strong. As for other IPS 240hz monitors, they all have overdrive artifacts (all based on the same AU panel variants) but I haven't seen any reports on the blockiness.

Good news is that RTings did a review of this monitor (maybe you saw): https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/ ... e-aw2720hf and they found the response times under fast to be some of the best (with virtually no overshoot artifacts) for IPS 240hz (and first gen TN 240hz monitors).

EDIT: firmware ver M3B101, IIRC june 2019 manufacture date.
For my monitor, and my friend's AW2720HF, with extreme (Gsync on), it is quite noticeable.
When the setting is Fast (with Gsync off) or Super (with Gsync on), it is almost gone. But if I take a very close look to the motion text or pictures, low level of such artifact still presents (text bleeding horizontally, and squared shape alias). Especially the text bleeding, once I realize it exists, I just notice it all the time, and this bothers me.

Post Reply