Nvidia G-Sync DIY Kit - Review

[Gomenasai]

Okay! Hello everyone. So today, I just got my package from Nvidia containing my G-Sync DIY kit for my VG248QE monitor.

 

So here is some background. I am a bit of a system enthusiast. I have several monitors including two Korean panels. I have:

-Basic Acer 1080p TN Panel (I don't remember the model number)

-QNIX QX2710 LED 1440p Monitor (Samsung PLS Panel)

-Achieva Shimian 1440p Monitor (LG IPS Panel)

-HP Elite 2201x MVA 1080p Panel (Awesome slim monitor!)

-ASUS VG248QE (Soon to be modded with G-Sync)

 

My current system/testing system:

- ASUS Maximus V Formula

- Intel Core i5 3570K cooled with a custom water cooling loop. Overclocked to 4.8 GHz

- 16GB of Corsair Vengeance RAM

- ASUS Geforce GTX 770 Graphics Card

- ASUS Xonar Phoebus Sound Card

- Corsair GS800 Power Supply

- OCZ Agility 3 120GB SSD - Boot Drive

- Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5 TB - Mass Storage

 

 

I received the DIY Kit after winning the G-Sync Module Giveaway that Linus had earlier. So here are my observations and thoughts:

 

Unboxing Video:

 

Unboxing Phase

 

So when I unboxed this, I was somewhat disappointed at what I would be sacrificing by modding my monitor. What comes included is a whole new PCB for the monitor. I honestly thought it would be a module that would just attach to the monitor's PCB. The PCB does not include the power circuitry, so the kit also includes a power brick. You are also losing your HDMI and Dual-Link DVI ports. Essentially, if you watched Linus's video on G-Sync, the end product is that, minus the full G-Sync decorative backing and the scratches that will occur when installing the module. The kit also comes with two metal brackets that will be used to cover the HDMI and DVI ports... or rather where they would be after you install the module and to cover the remaining area of the new power plug. You also get a plastic shim tool for installation, some G-Sync stickers, a fairly well written installation/warranty guide (yes, it comes with a warranty.) And that's all she wrote!

 

From this unboxing, I was already feeling that this will be a regrettable upgrade. You are going to be losing the ability to plug the monitor into three different sources and you must have DisplayPort to run the display. I just bought a ChromeCast, thinking I would be using it with my monitor while I'm in bed at my dorm. I actually started using it before my G-Sync package came in and fell in love with it. It was a short-lived relationship, however.You also have a fairly bulky power brick to hide away now. So... are these trade-offs worth the upgrade in the end? Well I'm about to find out..

 

Requirements:

 

So you want to run G-Sync, do you? G-Sync has a few requirements for it to run. You will need an Nvidia Geforce GTX GPU. It must be a GTX 650Ti BOOST or higher. That includes:

-TITAN

-780 Ti

-780

-770

-760

-690

-680

-670

-660 Ti

-660

-650 Ti Boost

 

You also need some tools:

1. Philips head screwdriver

2. Flat head screw driver (I recommend a multi-bit screwdriver)

3. Hand pliers (this is to remove the DVI port)

4. Pair of tweezers (I actually didn't use this at all ...)

5. "Metal surface or dry erase" marker (I totally read this as a "metal surface" or a "dry erase marker" initially)

6. Plastic shim tool (included)

 

Disclaimer

When doing this mod, you need to be very careful! A lot of the cables are very fragile! In addition, you will end up having marks on the sides of your monitor from prying it open. And most importantly, even though you get a module warranty, you are effectively voiding the warranty of your VG248QE monitor. Be patient and FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY... except for two steps that weren't actually possible or easily possible.

 

Installation Phase:

 

 

So, here are a few thoughts on the installation process. You need a lot of patience. A lot of the cables and ports will break easily. They are extremely thin and its extremely easy to become impatient with plugging them in. You need to follow the instructions exactly or you may have to backtrack several steps because you missed something a while back. In the end, I felt it was easy, however, I don't think I would want to do it again. Many steps were tedious, confusing, and I ended up scratching parts of my monitor. Luckily, most of the visible parts are left untouched (except the glossy parts that I had to touch to turn over the monitor.) I will most likely elaborate in this section as time goes on. I have to look back at my own video and think about the installation as a whole.

 

Gaming Phase:

 

So I received this kit on December 31. New Year's Eve. So I didn't have too much time to myself since we got some celebrating to do! But here are my initial thoughts. I played a few games including Crysis, Crysis 3, Assassin's Creed IV  Black Flag. I must say... cinematic look SOOOOO much more realistic. I was able to instantly pick up how fluid and smooth the experience was going to be when I watched the opening cinematic of Crysis 3 and played through the first level. Everything just happened so fluidly and without stuttering or tearing that I wanted to say screw New Year's celebration, I'm playing through the entire game. Fortunately, I have some persistent friends and family members.The first level is in the pouring rain with lots of stuff going on around. This is pretty demanding on your graphics card.  The game play in Crysis and Crysis 3 were sooo nice. These games usually destroy your system and cause all these graphical issues. I felt like I just upgraded my system when all I changed was my monitor. Playing League of Legends on the monitor actually made me do horribly. I used to experienced lots of tearing or input lag in game depending on whether or not I have V-Sync on or off. With the G-Sync Monitor... I was just staring at all of the little animations and just admiring them... and this isn't really a good thing when you're trying to win >.<

 

Like the installation phase, I will elaborate more on this as I continue to test this out.

 

My Likely Verdict/Conclusion (Likely to change)

 

The G-Sync experience is definitely something. Even though this is a TN panel and I have beautiful 1440p PLS and IPS panels, the fluid and clean response from G-Sync is pulling me in even more than those displays. I've always been an advocate for better visuals and more resolution, but... I may have to reconsider.

 

HOWEVER...

 

With this upgrade, I have sacrificed the HDMI and Audio ports of my monitor, something that I thought was important. I also stay at a dorm in school with about 4 monitors and a full tower desktop on my desk. Another power brick is another inconvenience. I also need to find another display to work with my ChromeCast. So while the G-Sync experience is really cool... I think I might have to transition back to the stock VG248QE experience.

 

So as of now... do I think you should buy the DIY kit?

 

Absolutely not. Even with G-Sync, I feel you are paying extra to lose some of the value of your monitor. You lose the ability to change most of the monitor settings (other than brightness). You lose the ASUS feel (no splash screen or menu operated settings). You lose the speakers (normally not important but if you have an HDMI Blu Ray drive, you could plug in headphones). You lose the ability to plug in three different sources at the same time. And you are voiding your warranty. The installation wasn't... particularly hard.... But I enjoy this kind of work. Others won't. I also took great care of my monitor before getting this kit... now I have have all the marks on the outer sides from prying it open.

 

Verdict:

 

Wait for better displays with G-Sync pre-installed.

 

So... what do you guys think?

 

The reason I am posting an incomplete review is because I want to get some feedback on how I should test this new upgrade. I would appreciate questions and comments and even criticism of my review. How else should I test this system? I plan to get a GTX 650 TI BOOST to see if a 650 TI Boost G-Sync experience is worth more than a 770 1440p experience to me. I've only had about 4 hours with the package, and even less time gaming, so I wonder how this thing will grow on me.

 

Oh yeah, and Happy New Year Everyone!

[nixproducer]

this is cool but i hope that they make DIY Kits for other monitors rather than just that one or just Asus monitors in general

[Gomenasai]

Just another update. I've been playing with V-Sync, G-Sync, and all Vertical Sync off. I'm never going Vertical Sync off. I'm soooo past tearing and stuttering now. V-Sync helps a lot... but the 60fps limit kinda hurts a bit. G-Sync means no stuttering or tearing at frames about 60 fps. I'm going to do a test in which I'll stay with G-Sync off for a day, then back on, and then going back to 60Hz with V-Sync on my PLS panel., then back to G-Sync. I'm really torn between the awesome game play at 144Hz with no tearing and the better color replication and quality of my 1440p PLS monitor.

 

The struggle >.<

 

Just as a note. The DIY kit is a COMPLETE PCB change. You lose two outputs and the integrated Power Supply of the monitor, as well as the audio jacks. You even have to rip off a metal stand-off for the original PCB.