Should i get a 120hz monitor for gaming?

iceo0orokz · Jun 9, 2013

should I get a 120hz monitor or am I better off getting one at 60hz? Opinions and advice?

heres the build I have:

CPU: Intel i5 3570k
Cooling: Corsair H70 Liquid cooling with 2 120mm fans
GPU: Nvidia GTX 660 (REG)
RAM: 12gb memory
HDD: 1TB
SSD: 256GB
PSU: 750 watt

swifty_morgan · Jun 9, 2013

vdeckerv · Jun 9, 2013

a gtx 660 wont be able to reach frame rates much higher than 60 on high ultra settings so its not the best investment unless you later plan on sli or upgrading the card.

manofchalk · Jun 9, 2013

^Agreed

Use the cash to upgrade your GPU before you add a 120hz monitor.

iceo0orokz · Jun 9, 2013

honestly I just finished building my rig on a budget last week. all I have left to buy is a good monitor to compliment the rest. Any recommendations? I only thought of a 120 hz monitor since the 660 comes with the 3D capabilities

bystander · Jun 9, 2013

I'd say go for it. Get one with lightboost for the near 0ms response times. http://www.blurbusters.com/zero-motion-blur/lightboost/

3D Vision is a lot of fun in my opinion, but make sure to learn how to adjust the depth and convergence, as by default, it does very little 3D. You will also want this to fix a lot of games not normally supported: http://helixmod.wikispot.org/gamelist

A single 660 may not be all that powerful now, but you'll likely be holding onto the monitor a long time, and can address the power issue another time.

iceo0orokz · Jun 9, 2013

and if I pick just to play on 2D will these monitors be just as good with a crisp picture and nice colors? I know, sorry its a lot of questions. just want to make sure I make the decision for my game play now and for the future if I decide to upgrade cards.

swifty_morgan · Jun 9, 2013

lets not forget how smooth motion will be in everything else you do. you're not going to be gaming every time you sit in front of your machine.

just because the 660 "can't deliver" the 120fps/blah, blah, blah........ I think those comments would be stifled if the users actually had the opportunity to try a 120Hz monitor.

like the tiger and the cereal.......... "they're GREAT"

bystander · Jun 9, 2013

iceo0orokz :

They have motion advantages, but not as good with color. For gaming, motion matters to me the most, at the desktop, color would likely matter more.

manofchalk · Jun 9, 2013

I have actually used a 120hz monitor before, admittedly not for long though.

As Bystander said, the 120hz monitor will seem a lot smoother, but in terms of image quality wont be any better than your standard TN monitor. If you are looking for good colour reproduction, you would want to be looking into something like an IPS or PLS panel.

Check the monitor guide in my sig.

mdrejhon · Jun 9, 2013

Yes -- LightBoost provides the CRT quality effect on an LCD display. (See LightBoost HOWTO)
It is a strobe backlight that can eliminate all ghosting/motion blur/overdrive artifacts. Originally designed for nVidia's 3D Vision (not everyone is interested in this), it also benefits 2D by eliminating practically all visible motion blur -- and gives you perfect CRT quality motion with zero motion blur. Which is great for us former CRT users!

New comparision -- PHOTOS: 60Hz vs 120Hz vs LightBoost:

Standard 60 Hz LCD

Standard 120 Hz LCD : 50% less motion blur

120 Hz LightBoost : ~90% less motion blur

And here's a chart from the same page:

There's been some good testimonials:

original post (Transsive)
Then yesterday I, for some reason, disabled the 3d and noticed there was no ghosting to be spotted at all in titan quest. It's like playing on my old CRT.

original post (Inu)
I can confirm this works on BENQ XL2420TX
EDIT: And OMG i can play scout so much better now in TF2

original post (TerrorHead)
Thanks for this, it really works! Just tried it on my VG278H. Its like a CRT now!

original post (Vega)
Oh my, I just got Skyrim AFK camera spinning (which I used to test LCD's versus the [Sony CRT] FW900) to run without stutters and VSYNC locked to 120. This Benq with Lightboost is just as crystal clear if not clearer than the FW900 motion. I am in awe. More testing tomorrow. Any of my doubts about this Lightboost technology have been vaporized! I've been playing around with this fluid motion on this monitor for like 6-hours straight, that is how impressive it is.

OCN post (Baxter299)
way to go vega enjoyed your review and pics ..thanks for taking the time .got my VG248QE last friday .replacing my fw900 witch is finally taking a rest in my closet .

OCN post (Romir)
Thanks for the timely review Vega.
I went ahead and opened mine and WOW, it really does feel like my FW900. I haven't tried a game yet but it's down right eerie seeing 2d text move without going blurry.

QuakeLive forum post (Cat)
With my Asus VG278HE at 120Hz and Lightboost (the Lightboost registry hack doesn't currently support 144Hz) playing at 1080p I am pretty much brutalizing my competition. Even with its 2-5ms input lag, which is worse than the 1ms of my old 120Hz monitor the difference with Lightboost is so huge the input lag literally becomes a non-issue. The only thing that matters now that I don't experience any motion blur is my true reaction time.

The FW900 is a famous 24" widescreen CRT that has been a long-time favourite of CRT die-hards. If you were used to CRT gaming in the past -- and is very sensitive to motion blur -- LightBoost solves motion blur much better than 144Hz does. There is a list of supported monitors in the LightBoost HOWTO, which also includes the VG248QE.

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Should i get a 120hz monitor for gaming?

iceo0orokz

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swifty_morgan

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vdeckerv

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manofchalk

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iceo0orokz

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bystander

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iceo0orokz

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bystander

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manofchalk

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mdrejhon

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