G-SYNC First Impressions

I have had G-SYNC for a few weeks and I wanted to give my opinion of it.  G-SYNC is NVIDIA’s new monitor technology that eliminates stutter, tearing, and reduces input lag. It’s a hard technology to demonstrate if you don’t actually own the hardware because your average monitor only updates at a fixed refresh rate. To read an in-depth article about G-SYNC, check out Blur Busters overview.

So far, I have enjoyed every minute of my upgraded monitor. I purchased the ASUS VG248QE in February of last year, but when NVIDIA announced a DIY kit for the VG248QE, I knew I would buy it. After purchasing the kit for $230 with shipping and Washington State tax, it arrived. Around the same time, NVIDIA released a walkthrough video showing how to upgrade the VG248QE.

The actual upgrade process wasn’t that hard. I wish the VG248QE had used screws instead of plastic mounting clips. It would have kept me from damaging the bezel. The entire process was supposed to take 20 to 30 minutes, but it ended up taking me three long hours, although I did take breaks throughout.

The VG248QE loses its built-in power supply with the upgrade so you have to use the included power adapter.  It also loses its other gaming features and display connections that the monitor originally came with.  The software setup was very simple – the GeForce experience detects the G-SYNC compatible monitor very quickly. The option to turn on G-SYNC from the NVIDIA Control Panel gives some information about when G-SYNC will be enabled.

I have been playing through the Witcher: Enhanced Edition lately to prepare for the Witcher 3 which is due to release this year. Even though it doesn’t support G-SYNC, it still supports NVIDIAs successor to Lightboost, ULMB. ULMB gets rid of motion blur and is used in all G-SYNC monitors. The Blur Busters article also explains this if you would like more detailed information.

I have also been playing Battlefield 4, Smite, and Rust lately. All of these games support G-SYNC and look fantastic although Open Broadcast Software seems to have a problem with Smite and G-SYNC. The Blur Busters article also mentions that if you get high frame rates in games, then using ULMB over G-SYNC may be recommended. I really want to try G-SYNC in a more controlled environment like with NVIDIAs Pendulum Demo with a FPS counter, but I have yet to get my hands on it. Once I do, I will update this blog post. As long as you can keep your FPS above 30 at all times, your gaming experience will be flawless. I can’t wait to try G-SYNC with a 4K monitor.

If you have questions about G-SYNC or want me to try different scenarios feel free to contact me on Twitter. The ABT Forums are also a great place to ask questions. Many of the ABT staff are constantly replying to questions and threads.