FreeSync or nah?

[eldren]

It's been a while, and I've been out of this game for a loooong time.

I'm still running a R9 280X and don't have plans or the budget to upgrade for some time still, but I do need a new monitor.

Given that my graphics card doesn't support FreeSync, and given that I'd probably be sticking to 1080p gaming until I upgrade my system some day, is it worth getting a 23"/24" 1080p IPS FreeSync-capable [144Hz?] screen with DisplayPort today, or just an ordinary 23"/24" 1080p IPS screen with DisplayPort, decent response times, and low input lag?

Are there any specific monitors I should be looking at either way?

[DanceswithUnix]

It should be part of the mix, but probably not the highest priority.

The thing is, if you get a decent monitor with displayport then it will probably have Freesync anyway. Even some Dell monitors seem to have it. When you do come to upgrade, any card you buy will support Freesync.

For specific monitors, what is your budget?

[eldren]

I'd prefer to keep the budget south of £200. Forgot to say, but curved monitors are also out.

[PC-LAD]

I'd prefer to keep the budget south of £200. Forgot to say, but curved monitors are also out.

what is wrong with the curved monitors? also there are plenty of 24 inch va offerings under 200gbp. particularly the revised version of my monitor which can be bought for £180 but samsung who supply their va pannels have the better quality panels with less bleed (not that i can tell even with lots of black)

[eldren]

what is wrong with the curved monitors?

For instances where you're the only viewer and it's your only monitor, then maaaaybe they're okay. I can even support the case where it's a 27"+ TN panel and a single viewer sitting close enough would start having colour distortion issues towards the edges of a flat panel. But given that I plan to have multiple monitors, I'll likely be watching streaming with my girlfriend, and I hope to stick to IPS, curved monitors just don't make sense to me.

[PC-LAD]

Yeah, 2 person viewing is not their strong point. But I still do Recommend VA pannels as if you are watching alot of online content, the colour accuracy and viewing angles of a VA are really close to that of an average IPS. The 200 squid budget will get you a good 27 inch 60hz ips though

[PC-LAD]

Just thought I'd update you on a good deal I have found.https://www.box.co.uk/Acer-H257HU-25...&siteid=116019

[eldren]

Thanks for the lead, but I suspect upscaling 1080p to 1440p will result in blurriness and input lag, given that my current system wouldn't be able to push 1440p smoothly.

I'm currently leaning towards ignoring high[er] refresh rate/FreeSync displays entirely for now, and rather sticking with a good 60Hz 1080p IPS panel for now and revisiting things when I have the funds to upgrade my system.

[PC-LAD]

just drop the render scale in games to 70%?

[Zak33]

Freesync IS worth having. You need to check the spec it varies it's Sync from and too, but on the whole, it really is noticable.

[DanceswithUnix]

Even without Freesync, a high framerate monitor is a huge step up if you are after smooth gameplay. It means you don't get that vsync cliff edge where if you miss 60fps you have to wait a whole frame giving you more like 30fps.

I also find scaling up to 1440p isn't that bad given the dots are nice and tiny. It isn't like the nasty mess you get at lower resolutions. As a surface to work on, 27" 1440p is awesome. I only had an R9 285 2GB when I got my 1440p panel, it coped surprisingly well.

[eldren]

I understand that FreeSync is desirable in the long term, but I'm just wondering if it's worth getting a high framerate display now when all the ones around my budget seem to be pretty poor; 1080p non-curved monitors all seem to cap out at 75Hz on IPS, with or without FreeSync.

All the latest FreeSync advancements seem to be in 27" 1440p displays, where 144Hz IPS panels are starting to emerge, but they're 2x to 3x more than I wanted to spend.

Wouldn't it make more sense to get a good 60Hz 1080p IPS 23"/24" display for now, and then, when I'm in a position to upgrade my graphics card, look into getting a then-state-of-the-art FreeSync panel, which may be even better than the ones currently on the market?

[Mr_Jon]

I understand that FreeSync is desirable in the long term, but I'm just wondering if it's worth getting a high framerate display now when all the ones around my budget seem to be pretty poor; 1080p non-curved monitors all seem to cap out at 75Hz on IPS, with or without FreeSync.

All the latest FreeSync advancements seem to be in 27" 1440p displays, where 144Hz IPS panels are starting to emerge, but they're 2x to 3x more than I wanted to spend.

Wouldn't it make more sense to get a good 60Hz 1080p IPS 23"/24" display for now, and then, when I'm in a position to upgrade my graphics card, look into getting a then-state-of-the-art FreeSync panel, which may be even better than the ones currently on the market?

If you're expecting to be round and about 60fps, or even lower, then freesync is worth it. If you're surpassing that and on a 60hz monitor, there's no point. I'd even say there's no point in freesync if your hardware will be capable of putting out over 60fps on a higher refresh rate monitor - there gets a point when one doesn't notice a drop in frame rates if they're high enough. I went from a 75hz freesync monitor to a 144hz non-freesync, and don't miss it at all. I'd rather have that higher frame rate than freesync, it seems to offer a better experience.

Likewise, there's no point in getting a high refresh rate monitor if your gpu won't utilise it, which your current card might not (depending on what you're using it for)...but your next one could. Might be best suited by just a good 60hz display right now, especially if it's going to be a while before the gpu is upgraded.

[DanceswithUnix]

A curveball and slightly over your £200 budget...

£114 on a cheap 75Hz Displayport monitor with FreeSync: https://www.ebuyer.com/838787-aoc-24...-monitor-24v2q
£125 on a 4GB RX 570 graphics card that should drive it fast enough: https://www.ebuyer.com/875302-sapphi...d-11266-04-41g

I haven't looked up any reviews for that monitor, but shows the sort of price you can get a Displayport+Freesync screen for.

[Jhart94]

Dunno if this will help, found this 24.5 inch 144hz monitor earlier today!

[siqbal198911]

there's no point in getting a high refresh rate monitor, if it broke dont fix it