Upgrade consideration

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by baka, Nov 1, 2016.

  1. baka

    If you have a "mid-range" machine like mine (save for the video card, mine is three years old) and are still playing on a generic off the shelf monitor, consider a gaming monitor instead of a video card upgrade. I originally was looking at a 1060 upgrade from my 960 (some reviews have put it at about an 80% improvement), though I do play with a mix of high and medium settings anymore and use adaptive v-sync to keep myself right about 60fps to minimize tearing.

    Last night I swapped my cheap-o Samsung 5ms LED monitor with an Acer XF240H 1ms 144Hz gaming monitor (I got a deal at $185 with a sale and using an Android Pay code for $15 off on $100 or more - ANDROID6 if it still works). It is cliche, but there is a night and day difference. I turned off v-sync and played for several hours last night anywhere from 75 to 135 fps. But the biggest visual impact is how smooth it all is, and I can't put it into words. "Buttery smooth" does not fit. I did not realize how used to crappy smoothness I had become.

    No, I still suck in CQC so it was not a game changer in that way for me - but if you have what should be a good computer and are looking at upgrades, you might consider the monitor first, then bump up other things as needed ... you may find you can put of the big upgrades for a while by letting your current rig run to it's potential. The bonus is the monitor will still be great when rig upgrade time comes.

    The caveat is that your current video card has DisplayPort of course. I do not think the other options handle the 144hz part, but the 1ms should be fine with DVI or HDMI.
  2. Towie

    Adaptive v-sync (eg. Nvidia G-Sync or AMD Freesync) will only work with monitors that support the technology coupled with a supporting video card.

    The 960 can support G-Sync but the Acer XF240H is Freesync - so without an AMD video card, it will not be using adaptive sync technology.

    If you turn v-sync off then the monitor will refresh just as soon as the next frame is ready - which means visual 'tearing' (exactly what adaptive sync fixes).

    So what you are seeing is - screen refreshes at anything up to 144Hz - but with tearing.


    I do agree that a new monitor can make a surprising difference - but wouldn't want someone to confuse the technologies available...

    (Lots of articles available on Freesync vs G-Sync - general consensus is that G-Sync is superior and provides a better experience BUT is more expensive and the ports will be limited to a single DP or 1*DP + 1*HDMI due to the G-Sync module)
  3. baka


    I was skipping out on the G-Sync vs FreeSync and that associated premium price on G-Sync. Since my machine (and probably a lot of the others here!) can not max out a steady 144, it is a moot point. My comment was just on the benefits of a gaming monitor over a standard one. I'd love to be able to afford a machine which could take full advantage of Free or G sync, but that is not going to happen! :)
    I had been using adaptive v-sync to keep my game from passing 60hz and guaranteeing tearing on the Samsung.

    However, with the cost of this monitor I can choose to stay with nVidia and have great visuals or change to AMD and gain whatever benefits FreeSync may offer. I think nVidia may push some users into team red simply because they may perceive a value gain with FreeSync and an AMD card vs paying the cost of an entire other video card to get G-Sync monitor.
  4. Towie

    Actually the benefits of adaptive sync technology is most noticeable when the frame rate drops - it does a remarkable job of smoothing it out without tearing (I have a 1060 with G-sync monitor). Failing that, a very high refresh rate will certainly help as any dropped frames will not be quite so noticeable so yes, gaming monitors are the way to go.

    The rest of your setup is pretty high spec to be honest - but if you're ok with screen tearing then you'll be having about as good an experience as PS2 has to offer (tearing drives me mad - I guess i'm just overly sensitive to it !)

    This review has videos that demonstrate adaptive sync - if anyone is interested: http://www.displaylag.com/benq-xl2420g-144hz-g-sync-gaming-monitor-review/