Hardware ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQL1A with a 120 Hz defect

[the_randomizer]

First of all, when you play an emulator in fullscreen it changes the refresh rate to match anyway.
Second, at least on Nvidia you can enable G-sync in windowed mode so even if you are playing in windowed mode, it should adjust to match the emulator.
Kind of the whole point of adaptive sync is that you can set your monitor to its native refresh rate and it will automatically adjust for whatever content is on screen.

So why did the refresh rate/UFO test report 120 Hz as "105 Hz" when it clearly shouldn't have done it. Also, I'm still wary on adaptive sync thanks to bad experiences I've had with my last Acer monitor and how there was a firmware defect with the sync module. Only solution was to send it in as firmware wasn't user upgradeable, which would have taken three weeks to do. So with this Asus one, I've just set it to 144 Hz and it's buttery smooth, but I'll try out emulators later anyway to see how they work, just hope my GPU doesn't freak out at 144 Hz.


I'm still not sure if I can RMA it, because they're out of stock on Amazon till October and I really don't want to use that Acer monitor in the mean time, like, at all.

Also this monitor isn't Gsync compatible, but "Gsync ready" but natively Freesync so it's only an afterthought, I don't think I can trust it after what happened.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

So why did the refresh rate/UFO test report 120 Hz as "105 Hz" when it clearly shouldn't have done it. Also, I'm still wary on adaptive sync thanks to bad experiences I've had with my last Acer monitor and how there was a firmware defect with the sync module. Only solution was to send it in as firmware wasn't user upgradeable, which would have taken three weeks to do. So with this Asus one, I've just set it to 144 Hz and it's buttery smooth, but I'll try out emulators later anyway to see how they work, just hope my GPU doesn't freak out at 144 Hz.


I'm still not sure if I can RMA it, because they're out of stock on Amazon till October and I really don't want to use that Acer monitor in the mean time, like, at all.

Also this monitor isn't Gsync compatible, but "Gsync ready" but natively Freesync so it's only an afterthought, I don't think I can trust it after what happened.

IDK, probably because you aren't getting a stable 120 FPS.
Also, G-Sync Ready isn't actually a thing, it has no meaning.
Adaptive sync isn't going to break your monitor though. Either it works without issues or it works with some issues.

 

[the_randomizer]

IDK, probably because you aren't getting a stable 120 FPS.
Also, G-Sync Ready isn't actually a thing, it has no meaning.
Adaptive sync isn't going to break your monitor though. Either it works without issues or it works with some issues.

So can a crappy/poor quality cable (or a bad connection) cause issues like that? I'm still on the fence about adaptive sync, as my PC will never
push more than 120 FPS given my weak GPU (RTX 2060 S), but I'll have to see. I'm not afraid of damaging anything, I just don't trust it after the bad experiences I've had on my other display.

Edit: But again, RMA is not an option as it would take weeks to get a replacement.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

So can a crappy/poor quality cable (or a bad connection) cause issues like that? I'm still on the fence about adaptive sync, as my PC will never
push more than 120 FPS given my weak GPU (RTX 2060 S), but I'll have to see. I'm not afraid of damaging anything, I just don't trust it after the bad experiences I've had on my other display.

I've had flickering issues from low quality cables, not exactly like what you're describing, but it's certainly possible.
In less demanding games such as indies, you might see >120 FPS. Anyway, it doesn't hurt to set it to 144 Hz as long as you have adaptive sync on.

 

[the_randomizer]

I've had flickering issues from low quality cables, not exactly like what you're describing, but it's certainly possible.
In less demanding games such as indies, you might see >120 FPS. Anyway, it doesn't hurt to set it to 144 Hz as long as you have adaptive sync on.

I don't know, maybe I just suck a properly describing what the glitch/flicker looks like. It's like half a 50% transparent image of a screen that flickers for a few frames and goes away. Yeah, not helpful, I know. I can't RMA it,
I don't want to spend yet another 500 dollars on a new display, I don't know what I can do other than updating monitor drivers (which won't do much good anyway). GPU is up to date, maybe my GPU has a defect, who knows.
HDMI also displayed the issue as well at 120 Hz. I'm at the end of my rope, other than adaptive sync which again, not a fan of.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

I don't know, maybe I just suck a properly describing what the glitch/flicker looks like. It's like half a 50% transparent image of a screen that flickers for a few frames and goes away. Yeah, not helpful, I know. I can't RMA it,
I don't want to spend yet another 500 dollars on a new display, I don't know what I can do other than updating monitor drivers (which won't do much good anyway). GPU is up to date, maybe my GPU has a defect, who knows.
HDMI also displayed the issue as well at 120 Hz. I'm at the end of my rope, other than adaptive sync which again, not a fan of.

It could also be a hardware issue with the monitor itself (or less likely the GPU), it's hard to say.
I suggest running the pendulum demo to make sure your monitor works well enough with G-Sync, if there are no issues and it looks smooth, then there's no reason not to use it.
https://www.nvidia.co.uk/coolstuff/demos#!/g-sync

 

[the_randomizer]

It could also be a hardware issue with the monitor itself (or less likely the GPU), it's hard to say.
I suggest running the pendulum demo to make sure your monitor works well enough with G-Sync, if there are no issues, then there's no reason not to use it.
https://www.nvidia.co.uk/coolstuff/demos#!/g-sync

So I'm stuck with this monitor if it's a defect? It's almost out of the 30 day return window from Amazon (not sure if Asus could save my bacon at this point, getting a hold of customer support is a joke, no real number.
Not sure how long their warranties are, may have to pay to ship it to Asus, I guess I could try plugging in my Acer monitor to see if I can reproduce it. What pisses me off, is that I didn't realize how to trigger it, much less narrow it down until like two days ago. So yeah, it's bullshit

That said, I just... don't know anymore. I seem to have every monitor I buy in the past six months turn to shit. And the worst part is, there's no guarantee the issue will be fixed if I sent it to Asus to replace it, so yeah, fun times. Not. I guess I can try Gsync, should I turn it to 120 Hz after that or keep it at 144? What's odd is when I tested adaptive sync at 120 Hz, the issue never appeared on that, but turn it off, and I can, so yeah. Which Gsync mode? Fullscreen and windowed?

 

[The Real Jdbye]

So I'm stuck with this monitor if it's a defect? It's almost out of the 30 day return window from Amazon (not sure if Asus could save my bacon at this point, getting a hold of customer support is a joke, no real number.
Not sure how long their warranties are, may have to pay to ship it to Asus, I guess I could try plugging in my Acer monitor to see if I can reproduce it. What pisses me off, is that I didn't realize how to trigger it, much less narrow it down until like two days ago. So yeah, it's bullshit

That said, I just... don't know anymore. I seem to have every monitor I buy in the past six months turn to shit. And the worst part is, there's no guarantee the issue will be fixed if I sent it to Asus to replace it, so yeah, fun times. Not. I guess I can try Gsync, should I turn it to 120 Hz after that or keep it at 144? What's odd is when I tested adaptive sync at 120 Hz, the issue never appeared on that, but turn it off, and I can, so yeah. Which Gsync mode? Fullscreen and windowed?

Amazon is pretty good with returns, from what I heard. It's hard to say if the monitor is the issue but if you return it and get something else then you can at least rule that out.
Leave it at 144 Hz, no reason to use 120.
Fullscreen and windowed or fullscreen only doesn't matter too much, I assume you're going to be playing your games in fullscreen anyway.

 

[the_randomizer]

Amazon is pretty good with returns, from what I heard. It's hard to say if the monitor is the issue but if you return it and get something else then you can at least rule that out.
Leave it at 144 Hz, no reason to use 120.
Fullscreen and windowed or fullscreen only doesn't matter too much, I assume you're going to be playing your games in fullscreen anyway.

But what should I get? It wouldn't be a new monitor, pretty sure Amazon would force me to use the same model/make and again, would have to wait till next month upon returning it for an RMA, so that's not really an option. I only have six days to return it. Then there's variable framerate with Gsync and trying to lock it to the Hz, RetroArch, many old games lock at 60 fps, other games freak out and aren't made for above 60 FPS (Star Ocean 4 HD for example, hates 120 fps). I know I sound like I'm bitching, and I am, but I'm not even sure what else I can do. I still have my Acer display I can test and see if I can swap between different rates and if I can't reproduce it, yeah, I have to return this or call Asus.

It pisses me off because I work my ass off at my job to pay for these things, and for it end up with a pretty significant defect like that is BS. I guess I'll try to use Gsync with the refresh rate and keep an eye on it, to only fullscreen mode

 

[The Real Jdbye]

But what should I get? It wouldn't be a new monitor, pretty sure Amazon would force me to use the same model/make and again, would have to wait till next month upon returning it for an RMA, so that's not really an option. I only have six days to return it. Then there's variable framerate with Gsync and trying to lock it to the Hz, RetroArch, many old games lock at 60 fps, other games freak out and aren't made for above 60 FPS (Star Ocean 4 HD for example, hates 120 fps). I know I sound like I'm bitching, and I am, but I'm not even sure what else I can do. I still have my Acer display I can test and see if I can swap between different rates and if I can't reproduce it, yeah, I have to return this or call Asus.

It pisses me off because I work my ass off at my job to pay for these things, and for it end up with a pretty significant defect like that is BS. I guess I'll try to use Gsync with the refresh rate and keep an eye on it, to only fullscreen mode

Return it while you still can and get another model, it might not solve the problem but at least then you'll know.
Especially as you are getting the same issue on HDMI and DP I think we can rule out the cable being the problem unless both cables are bad (which is possible but unlikely so it can't be entirely ruled out)
If the issue persists, then it has to be a hardware issue with the GPU itself or some weird compatibility issue with software/updates you have installed.

 

[the_randomizer]

Return it while you still can and get another model, it might not solve the problem but at least then you'll know.
Especially as you are getting the same issue on HDMI and DP I think we can rule out the cable being the problem unless both cables are bad (which is possible)

Shit, back to the shitty Acer monitor then, because that has a bad defect as well. I wished that Asus would send me the monitor, then I send this one back so I'm not without one, yeah right, like that'll ever happen. So far today though, it hasn't happened once, so I'm not even sure if I want to send it back. Still have the original box, and this is starting to flare up my anxiety, go f*cking figure. I need to think about this, I'm sorry for being such a noob an dragging you into this trivial crap

It hasn't been...the best few days for me.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Shit, back to the shitty Acer monitor then, because that has a bad defect as well. I wished that Asus would send me the monitor, then I send this one back so I'm not without one, yeah right, like that'll ever happen. So far today though, it hasn't happened once, so I'm not even sure if I want to send it back. Still have the original box, and this is starting to flare up my anxiety, go f*cking figure. I need to think about this, I'm sorry for being such a noob an dragging you into this trivial crap

It hasn't been...the best few days for me.

Some companies do that, but it's best to get a different model entirely, just in case it's a flaw in the product itself.

 

[the_randomizer]

Some companies do that, but it's best to get a different model entirely, just in case it's a flaw in the product itself.

Any suggestions? Like, how will I know it won't have any issues? Because a good display isn't cheap.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Any suggestions? Like, how will I know it won't have any issues? Because a good display isn't cheap.

There's no easy answer, prepare to spend hours going down the rabbit hole of looking up reviews for every available monitor in your price range. Remember to check Rtings, they have a ton of useful info.
What is your price range though? If you could get something with DisplayHDR 600 or better that would be perfect. But those aren't exactly cheap.

 

[the_randomizer]

There's no easy answer, prepare to spend hours going down the rabbit hole of looking up reviews for every available monitor in your price range. Remember to check Rtings, they have a ton of useful info.
What is your price range though? If you could get something with DisplayHDR 600 or better that would be perfect. But those aren't exactly cheap.

Not a fan of HDR, not gonna lie, I find it to be a gimmick, but that's just me. So far the monitor is working fine with Gsync, so I'll just stick to this. I don't want to spend 500 dollars right now, you know?

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Not a fan of HDR, not gonna lie, I find it to be a gimmick, but that's just me. So far the monitor is working fine with Gsync, so I'll just stick to this. I don't want to spend 500 dollars right now, you know?

You might have misunderstood what HDR is about. It's all about improving contrast. Previously improvements in display technology were all about blacker blacks and more accurate colors. Now that those are close to perfection, the focus is on whiter whites, and that's what the whole peak brightness thing HDR is focused around is all about. HDR itself is just a fancy marketing term for content which is created/mastered for a wider contrast range but in the context of displays, it means they're actually able to display that wider range, which is a rather important feature.

Improved contrast is something we can all agree is objectively an improvement.
But more than that, when you experience HDR on a decent display, everything looks so much more vivid, it's a lot easier to immerse yourself fully in.

4K though is largely a gimmick, very few of us have a display large enough or sit close enough to take advantage of it. But with HDR on a decent display, the difference is immediately apparent to anyone.

I can only assume you probably haven't experienced HDR on a display that's actually capable of displaying it (400 nits peak brightness doesn't even deserve to be called HDR, because while it can read a HDR signal, it can't display a wider contrast range than any SDR display can, which also commonly top out at around 400 nits)
When you look at bright sunlight on a HDR display, it actually looks like bright sunlight. Very bright and vivid colors look all the more bright and vivid. It's much closer to a 1:1 representation of real life, or even a 1:1 representation of what the artists/creators intended. That helps immersion a lot.
It's not the same thing as just turning up the brightness on your monitor though. That makes everything brighter. HDR only makes things brighter which are actually supposed to be brighter. It simply extends the high end of the RGB color spectrum past 255, giving you a wider range of usable colors on the high end, meaning colors can be much more vivid and whites can be more white.

HDR in movies is basically the closest you can get to the cinema experience at home, and works exceptionally well in movies with a lot of light/dark contrasts (when using a display with great black levels, either with dimmable zones or OLED), like a lot of scifi and horror. In games, I haven't had the chance to try it out as much because so few of the games I play support it. The games I have tried it in look so much more vivid though.

 

[the_randomizer]

You might have misunderstood what HDR is about. It's all about improving contrast. Previously improvements in display technology were all about blacker blacks and more accurate colors. Now that those are close to perfection, the focus is on whiter whites, and that's what the whole peak brightness thing HDR is focused around is all about. HDR itself is just a fancy marketing term for content which is created/mastered for a wider contrast range but in the context of displays, it means they're actually able to display that wider range, which is a rather important feature.

Improved contrast is something we can all agree is objectively an improvement.
But more than that, when you experience HDR on a decent display, everything looks so much more vivid, it's a lot easier to immerse yourself fully in.

4K though is largely a gimmick, very few of us have a display large enough or sit close enough to take advantage of it. But with HDR on a decent display, the difference is immediately apparent to anyone.

I can only assume you probably haven't experienced HDR on a display that's actually capable of displaying it (400 nits peak brightness doesn't even deserve to be called HDR, because while it can read a HDR signal, it can't display a wider contrast range than any SDR display can, which also commonly top out at around 400 nits)
When you look at bright sunlight on a HDR display, it actually looks like bright sunlight. Very bright and vivid colors look all the more bright and vivid. It's much closer to a 1:1 representation of real life, or even a 1:1 representation of what the artists/creators intended. That helps immersion a lot.
It's not the same thing as just turning up the brightness on your monitor though. That makes everything brighter. HDR only makes things brighter which are actually supposed to be brighter. It simply extends the high end of the RGB color spectrum past 255, giving you a wider range of usable colors on the high end, meaning colors can be much more vivid and whites can be more white.

HDR in movies is basically the closest you can get to the cinema experience at home, and works exceptionally well in movies with a lot of light/dark contrasts (when using a display with great black levels, either with dimmable zones or OLED), like a lot of scifi and horror. In games, I haven't had the chance to try it out as much because so few of the games I play support it. The games I have tried it in look so much more vivid though.

Yeah, I agree on 4K being a gimmick, like, for me, 2K is the sweet spot, good pixel density, good colors, etc as expected in an IPS display. I'm more worried about the GPU end of things, or rather, requirements for HDR properly implemented, I never really cared for it. But for now, I've decided to keep this, tentatively, and monitor it (ha!) to see how Gsync and 144 Hz holds, so far it looks amazing.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Yeah, I agree on 4K being a gimmick, like, for me, 2K is the sweet spot, good pixel density, good colors, etc as expected in an IPS display. I'm more worried about the GPU end of things, or rather, requirements for HDR properly implemented, I never really cared for it. But for now, I've decided to keep this, tentatively, and monitor it (ha!) to see how Gsync and 144 Hz holds, so far it looks amazing.

Thanks to the DisplayHDR certifications, it's pretty simple. All GTX 900 series cards and up and AMD RX 400 series cards an up as well as some 300 series support HDR, and it doesn't increase the system requirements of games notably, so you don't have to worry about that, just have to make sure the display is DisplayHDR 600 certified or if it lacks a certification, has at least 600-700 nits peak brightness (Rtings has that info for most displays) for a good experience.
Also, Windows 10 is required for HDR support in Netflix as well as some games (but not all), as the HDR settings are only available in Windows 10 so any software that goes by those settings, instead of having their own in-app/in-game HDR toggle, won't have HDR enabled.

Decent peak brightness on HDR displays comes at a price premium though. But definitely something to consider the next time you're in the market for a new monitor or TV. By that time the prices should have dropped considerably.
I only have HDR on my TV but it's completely changed my movie watching and gaming (for the games that support it) experience.