4K/G-Sync First Impressions/Review (Acer XB280HK)

[EpIcPoNaGe]

Not great. 3GB is going to be limiting at 4K, as well as the power needed to drive it. No single GPU solution (other than the Titan X Maybe) is enough for 4K at any decent settings. 

 

Darn, okay. Thanks for your input! 

[Psykomantis00]

@Oshino Shinobu

 

Do you have another 4k monitor to compare gsync to? I have a 4k @ 60hz monitor without gsync and just got a titan x so now I'm looking at gsync monitors. Is it worth it? 

[SkilledRebuilds]

Thanks for the review, good times ahead...

/So you play 1440p res on your 4K panel in some games..? <-- No blur or anything like that due to NON-native res? <-Same for 1080p?

[Psykomantis00]

Thanks for the review, good times ahead...

/So you play 1440p res on your 4K panel in some games..? <-- No blur or anything like that due to NON-native res? <-Same for 1080p?

4k can scale to 1440p or 1080p just fine with no distortion. 

[SkilledRebuilds]

4k can scale to 1440p or 1080p just fine with no distortion. 

Thankful, I thought it would be blurred in a way...

[Psykomantis00]

Thankful, I thought it would be blurred in a way...

No blurr that I've noticed. I played GTA5 at 1440 and 1080 when 4k didn't want to go above 30fps. This enables you to use a 4k desktop while still gaming at high fps by lower the resolution. 

[Fluffinator]

wow thats a mad expensive monitor, but man does it look nice.

[Xsinar]

Thanks for the review, good times ahead...

/So you play 1440p res on your 4K panel in some games..? <-- No blur or anything like that due to NON-native res? <-Same for 1080p?

No blurr that I've noticed. I played GTA5 at 1440 and 1080 when 4k didn't want to go above 30fps. This enables you to use a 4k desktop while still gaming at high fps by lower the resolution. 

 

There is a slight blur for 1080p vs 4K but if you sit far enough you will probably not notice.

 

For 1440p vs 4K there is Very very very slight blurring that you really have to sit real close to notice a difference.

 

So yea there is blurring but it's hard to notice.

[Xsinar]

Do you have another 4k monitor to compare gsync to? I have a 4k @ 60hz monitor without gsync and just got a titan x so now I'm looking at gsync monitors. Is it worth it? 

 

I would suggest to wait for something better to come out maybe a 4K @ 120hz G-Sync or a 4K @ 60hz IPS version with G-Sync which I heard will be coming relatively soon.

[Oshino Shinobu]

@Oshino Shinobu

 

Do you have another 4k monitor to compare gsync to? I have a 4k @ 60hz monitor without gsync and just got a titan x so now I'm looking at gsync monitors. Is it worth it? 

Nope. I can compare it to this monitor with GSync turned off though. It makes a HUGE difference. 

 

It's may not be instantly noticeable, but if it is disabled, you'll notice it straight away. I don't think I can go back to a non-GSync monitor now, that's how much better it is. It's kind of like trying to go back to a membrane keyboard after using mechanical for a long time. 

[blu4]

GPUs are not ready for a 4K G-sync panel... I understand 1440p and 1080p G-sync panels but 4K..? Nah.. You want 60FPS #pcmasterrace and anything lower is just crap. You need an insane setup for 60FPS+ for g-sync to make a difference. If I had a setup (that I doubt exists in practical terms) that would run games at 70FPS +/- 10% then I wouldn't be able to justify buying more premium monitor with g-sync when I can just turn on v-sync (minimum FPS is 60) and it wouldn't stutter.

 

I understand that some older games run at sub 100FPS in 4K but for this monitor caps out at 60Hz so what is the point of g-sync if you seek minimum 60FPS? If this monitor would be 144Hz then yes, G-sync yay but it's not... I hope you get what a mean.

[Oshino Shinobu]

GPUs are not ready for a 4K G-sync panel... I understand 1440p and 1080p G-sync panels but 4K..? Nah.. You want 60FPS #pcmasterrace and anything lower is just crap. You need an insane setup for 60FPS+ for g-sync to make a difference. If I had a setup (that I doubt exists in practical terms) that would run games at 70FPS +/- 10% then I wouldn't be able to justify buying more premium monitor with g-sync when I can just turn on v-sync (minimum FPS is 60) and it wouldn't stutter.

 

I understand that some older games run at sub 100FPS in 4K but for this monitor caps out at 60Hz so what is the point of g-sync if you seek minimum 60FPS? If this monitor would be 144Hz then yes, G-sync yay but it's not... I hope you get what a mean.

GSync is perfect for 4K because it takes a lot to push. Instead of having my games pinned at 60FPS, I have them running from 45-60FPS as it makes it feel so much smoother.

 

Having games run over the monitor's refresh rate doesn't cause stuttering, it's tearing. 

 

I don't think you quite understand what GSync does. Sure, it makes a difference above 60FPS (or whatever your monitor's refresh rate is), but it really makes a differences at FPS below that. It makes drops from 60FPS to 50FPS pretty much unnoticeable. With GSync, I've found that I don't look at my FPS, I just adjust settings until it feels smooth. 

 

To me, 1080p GSync is fairly pointless. Not all games suffer from tearing, and if you can't pin games at 60FPS+ on 1080p, your money is better spent on a better GPU. 

[blu4]

GSync is perfect for 4K because it takes a lot to push. Instead of having my games pinned at 60FPS, I have them running from 45-60FPS as it makes it feel so much smoother.

 

Having games run over the monitor's refresh rate doesn't cause stuttering, it's tearing. 

 

I don't think you quite understand what GSync does. Sure, it makes a difference above 60FPS (or whatever your monitor's refresh rate is), but it really makes a differences at FPS below that. It makes drops from 60FPS to 50FPS pretty much unnoticeable. With GSync, I've found that I don't look at my FPS, I just adjust settings until it feels smooth. 

 

To me, 1080p GSync is fairly pointless. Not all games suffer from tearing, and if you can't pin games at 60FPS+ on 1080p, your money is better spent on a better GPU. 

I might have written my post in a way that you didn't understand.. I know what g-sync does. All I'm saying is the premium isn't worth to (me) have a 10FPS drop from 60FPS to 50FPS. The fact that I would drop from 60FPS to 50FPS would annoy me in itself. Besides, I can't really put my opinion forward since I have never gamed on a 4k g-sync panel.

[exyia]

there are people who will always think 4K is some un-touchable resolution that doesn't really exist for normal folk  :rolleyes:

there's no sense in talking sense to them

 

it's surprisingly easy to run. main reason I got rid of it was constantly hitting refresh rate cap and my gpu's would get bored and downclock to baseclock (and be unprepared for dips in fps from explosions/etc)

[Oshino Shinobu]

I might have written my post in a way that you didn't understand.. I know what g-sync does. All I'm saying is the premium isn't worth to (me) have a 10FPS drop from 60FPS to 50FPS. The fact that I would drop from 60FPS to 50FPS would annoy me in itself. Besides, I can't really put my opinion forward since I have never gamed on a 4k g-sync panel.

See, I don't even have an FPS counter up anymore, because what I used to think (or know) no longer applies. Before, I would pin my games at 60FPS+, but I've found a lot of games I run are at around 50FPS.

 

IMO, to truly experience GSync, you need to completely ignore FPS and just focus on making the game seem smooth. The 60FPS PCMR crap becomes irrelevant with GSync, as below 60FPS feels very different. That's why I feel GSync makes perfect sense for 4K, because it allows you to turn up settings whilst keeping a smooth gaming experience. 

[blu4]

See, I don't even have an FPS counter up anymore, because what I used to think (or know) no longer applies. Before, I would pin my games at 60FPS+, but I've found a lot of games I run are at around 50FPS.

 

IMO, to truly experience GSync, you need to completely ignore FPS and just focus on making the game seem smooth. The 60FPS PCMR crap becomes irrelevant with GSync, as below 60FPS feels very different. That's why I feel GSync makes perfect sense for 4K, because it allows you to turn up settings whilst keeping a smooth gaming experience. 

True.. I never paid attention to the smoothness because I was always obsessed about the 60FPS and tearing...

[Oshino Shinobu]

True.. I never paid attention to the smoothness because I was always obsessed about the 60FPS and tearing...

It's one of those things that you need to use a for a while to understand it. Trying it at 1080p for a few minutes gives you an idea of what it can do, but using it on a day to day basis is the only way to really get a good feel for it. It's a bit like mechanical keyboards, in that it takes a while to see what a difference it makes, especially when you try to switch back.