Freesync vs Gysnc: Asus PG279Q and Acer XB271HU vs MG279Q

[Schwartzinator]

I am in the market for a new monitor. The Acer CB280HK I have has been good to me, but I need something that is more suited to fast-paced games. Is the $220 price difference between the gysnc panels and the freesync version worth it? If I can attain the monitors refresh rate is there a point to having the variable refresh rate assistance anyway?

 

[ShakedG]

As for your first question: a lot of people actually prefer freesync over G sync, and you can read a lot about it online. However keep in mind that currently freesync is only supported on AMD GPUs, and G sync only on NVidia GPUs.
As for more suited for fast-paced games: you'll probably want to go with a TN panel, as it can produce higher refresh rates, and You would want a monitor that can do 120 or 144 hz or anything along those lines.
The variable refresh rate is used when the fps that the GPU produces are lower than the monitor's refresh rate, and then the monitor with variable refresh rate can adjust it's refresh rate to that of the GPU. In regular monitors, whenever the fps the GPU produces are lower than the refresh rate you will experience stuttering, especially with Vsync.
If you need it or not really depends on what games you will be playing and what GPU you have, and of course what you want to achieve.

 

[Schwartzinator]

As for your first question: a lot of people actually prefer freesync over G sync, and you can read a lot about it online. However keep in mind that currently freesync is only supported on AMD GPUs, and G sync only on NVidia GPUs.
As for more suited for fast-paced games: you'll probably want to go with a TN panel, as it can produce higher refresh rates, and You would want a monitor that can do 120 or 144 hz or anything along those lines.
The variable refresh rate is used when the fps that the GPU produces are lower than the monitor's refresh rate, and then the monitor with variable refresh rate can adjust it's refresh rate to that of the GPU. In regular monitors, whenever the fps the GPU produces are lower than the refresh rate you will experience stuttering, especially with Vsync.
If you need it or not really depends on what games you will be playing and what GPU you have, and of course what you want to achieve.

I want the color accuracy that IPS brings and these three monitors all have at least a 144Hz refresh rate. Most reviews seem to suggest the 4ms gtg response time is unnoticed when compared to the TN variant with actual transition times between colors being comparable. 980 Ti SLI should be more than enough for 1440p given my experience with gaming at 4k.

 

[ShakedG]

If you have 980ti s then you can only go GSync, Nvidia don't support freesync. So it's either the Asus or the Acer. Depending on the price, I would go with the Asus one since it has a bit of a higher refresh rate and Asus typically make better monitors. However if he price difference is big I would go with the cheaper option. Did you also consider perhaps an ultrawide (3440x1440)?

 

[Schwartzinator]

If you have 980ti s then you can only go GSync, Nvidia don't support freesync. So it's either the Asus or the Acer. Depending on the price, I would go with the Asus one since it has a bit of a higher refresh rate and Asus typically make better monitors. However if he price difference is big I would go with the cheaper option. Did you also consider perhaps an ultrawide (3440x1440)?

That was sort of my question, a 980 Ti SLI shouldn't have much of a problem reaching 144Hz/165Hz at 1440p which makes the necessity for gysnc/freesync useless from what I understand. If that's not the case though I guess it makes a difference. It just seems silly to spend an extra $220 for gsync if I'm not benefiting from it which lead me to consider getting the MG279Q. I obviously wouldn't be trying to run freesync on it though. The only Ultrawide I'd consider is the X34 which while tempting, is $1299 which is more than I want to spend on a monitor. If it dropped down to $800-900 I'd put it on the list, but as it stands ~$750 is what I'd be willing to spend.

 

[ShakedG]

How many 980ti's do you have and what games will you be playing? Even 3 980ti's would struggle to reach 165 hz at 1440p with AAA titles. So I think you indeed would see quite a benefit from the G Sync. But you say you have experience with 4k gaming, then perhaps you know better than I whether or not you will be reaching that.
And about the X34, I would stay away. While it is the only ultrawide IPS with G sync it has many bad reviews and many people have experienced numerous issues with it. Also in my opinion it is largely overpriced.

 

[Schwartzinator]

How many 980ti's do you have and what games will you be playing? Even 3 980ti's would struggle to reach 165 hz at 1440p with AAA titles. So I think you indeed would see quite a benefit from the G Sync. But you say you have experience with 4k gaming, then perhaps you know better than I whether or not you will be reaching that.
And about the X34, I would stay away. While it is the only ultrawide IPS with G sync it has many bad reviews and many people have experienced numerous issues with it. Also in my opinion it is largely overpriced.

I only have two 980 Ti. The two games I play the most that would benefit from the higher FPS are Titanfall and Star Wars Battlefront. I haven't actually bothered playing titanfall above 60fps but I know that Battlefront runs at 90 fps average with the cards at 1400Mhz. With some simple tweaks I'd bet that both of those games would easily hit 144/165Hz at 1440p.

 

[ShakedG]

going from 90 to 144 fps means a 60% increase in performance. If you manage to get that out of simple overclocking, then you should go for the world record. The reason people get 144hz or higher without variable refresh rate is either for non demanding games that can produce that kind of fps, or because the stutter at these high refresh rates isn't as noticeable as in 60 hz. Did you mean going from 4k to 1440p or do you play now in 1440p? I would recommend to go ahead and get the Gsync monitor, it will also give you a huge benefit in the future as games get more demanding, and you will still be able to play at lower fps.
Having said that though, I personally don't think that you will see that large of a benefit if you are currently playing at 90 fps. It is only when you get to around 60 fps and lower that you will see the huge benefit of variable refresh rate. So if you plan in the future to play more demanding games, then I would say the extra $200 are a worthwhile investment.
All in all a Gsync monitor with your SLI setup would be like paring a good aged steak with a nice full bodied Bordeaux wine.

 

[Schwartzinator]

going from 90 to 144 fps means a 60% increase in performance. If you manage to get that out of simple overclocking, then you should go for the world record. The reason people get 144hz or higher without variable refresh rate is either for non demanding games that can produce that kind of fps, or because the stutter at these high refresh rates isn't as noticeable as in 60 hz. Did you mean going from 4k to 1440p or do you play now in 1440p? I would recommend to go ahead and get the Gsync monitor, it will also give you a huge benefit in the future as games get more demanding, and you will still be able to play at lower fps.
Having said that though, I personally don't think that you will see that large of a benefit if you are currently playing at 90 fps. It is only when you get to around 60 fps and lower that you will see the huge benefit of variable refresh rate. So if you plan in the future to play more demanding games, then I would say the extra $200 are a worthwhile investment.
All in all a Gsync monitor with your SLI setup would be like paring a good aged steak with a nice full bodied Bordeaux wine.

Ohh yes sorry, I currently have an UHD monitor. It's the Acer CB280HK. Everything is in the CPU-Z validator. I'm not sure whether or not the 90fps in Battlefront is actually being utilized as the monitor is only 60Hz. Man, now I really want steak.

 

[ShakedG]

Well then it sounds like you will probably be able to do 165 fps on 1440p. You can also just change your resolution in the game settings and see what fps you get in 1440p. Keep in mind that any dips will be visible, so I wouldn't note the average fps, but rather the minimum fps. BTW let me just say your system makes me very very jealous.