G-Sync Monitor & Video card for Emulation - retro Games

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Scumbum
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G-Sync Monitor & Video card for Emulation - retro Games

Post by Scumbum »

Can you guys recommend a G-Sync monitor and video card for playing retro games using emulators ?

NES, SNES , Genesis , MAME..........

I don't play modern PC games , just retro games , so I don't wanna pay for really high end stuff if I don't need it . I don't really get how the whole G-Sync setup works . So a basic run down would be cool .

Thanks a bunch for the help :D
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bobrocks95
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Re: G-Sync Monitor & Video card for Emulation - retro Games

Post by bobrocks95 »

Since you don't need a really high-end card, I'd say AMD + a Freesync display would give you better bang for your buck, but if you'd like to stick with nVidia start by looking here for what card you need: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia_G- ... abled_GPUs

A GTX 950 would probably do it. You could probably go even lower (emulation is almost all CPU bottlenecked), but once you start getting much older, prices start rising just because the cards aren't available anymore.

I won't bother with monitors, I don't follow G-Sync ones. I will ask though- does G-Sync work well with emulation? I heard lots of stories early on about it not really helping, or people having to enable v-sync anyway.
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Blair
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Re: G-Sync Monitor & Video card for Emulation - retro Games

Post by Blair »

it was either on here or the OSSC forums but one of the users posted a pretty neat video showing how smooth and natural Street fighter Alpha looked with G-Sync enabled. looked impressive to me. can freesync actually do the same thing?
Scumbum
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Re: G-Sync Monitor & Video card for Emulation - retro Games

Post by Scumbum »

cool , thanks for the help so far ,

I'm not stuck on getting nVidia , just looking for stuff thats good for emulation and not buying stuff that I don't need , like super high refresh rates ,
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Re: G-Sync Monitor & Video card for Emulation - retro Games

Post by Scumbum »

So the GTX 950 seems to go for $150 .

Then I get a G-Sync monitor ?

Does the connection from video card to the monitor need a special cable to get the G-Sync to work ?
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Blair
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Re: G-Sync Monitor & Video card for Emulation - retro Games

Post by Blair »

I think it has to be the display port cable, HDMI and DVI won't pass the G sync signal (but they will display normal 60 Hz video)
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Ed Oscuro
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Re: G-Sync Monitor & Video card for Emulation - retro Games

Post by Ed Oscuro »

You can look at a number of regular TVs which support FreeSync over HDMI. Otherwise, FreeSync and G-Sync support DisplayPort.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FreeSync includes a list of supported TVs/monitors, and GPUs/APUs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-Sync includes a big list of supported monitors and GPUs.
You can search up dedicated reviews for any that looks interesting to you, of course.

Unfortunately it's a bit hard to make universal recommendations because what you want is actually an "unusual" request to make of these monitors. Sure, FreeSync and G-Sync are both designed to work at 60Hz or even lower. But any LCD screen works better at high frame rates, with respect to motion blur / ghosting. (There are some methods to make 60Hz work at 120Hz but I'm not sure how good that is, and only RetroArch and GroovyMAME seem to have anything for this at the moment, or even good support for non-60Hz framerates.) At the same time, the better panels should be faster across the board. Likewise, not all that many monitors are known to have the really good input lag numbers of the latest high framerate gaming screens - and all this stuff adds up to hamper your quick response to what's onscreen. Sure, I've been using a high-end gaming screen, but I also use it a lot for 120/144Hz stuff, not just 60Hz things. It also cost a mint. I've been really happy with my combo - my GTX 960 was only around $150-160 after rebate, but the monitor was $800, and still is, and it's only 27".

There's a bit more to it, though. The main knock against FreeSync is the "FreeSync range." For LCD screens (not OLED), the amount of time it takes for a pixel to change is determined by voltage levels, called "overdrive." Apparently the appropriate overdrive amount changes when framerates change. G-Sync puts a module inside the display which, among other things, can change the overdrive setting so you get good-looking screens all the time. FreeSync's standard is simpler, and has to do with a set FreeSync "range." I've read a complaint about screen ghosting (though it's not clear if that's at low or high FPS). Additionally, if FPS drops below the FreeSync range, you probably get tearing.

The only thing that should matter for 60Hz is whether the overdrive setting is good enough. Otherwise, it seems that all FreeSync displays (minus one LG TV) support FreeSync at 48Hz or higher, and many go much lower, so you should always get smooth emulation of older consoles. Many FreeSync TVs will sync to 75Hz or so, though all do at least 60Hz. At this range you should get good performance (assuming overdrive isn't tweaked more for high framerates) and support for any classic console, so long as it's not (much?) over 60Hz.
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Re: G-Sync Monitor & Video card for Emulation - retro Games

Post by ZellSF »

Main problem I have with FreeSync is lack of support for window applications.
bobrocks95 wrote: I won't bother with monitors, I don't follow G-Sync ones. I will ask though- does G-Sync work well with emulation? I heard lots of stories early on about it not really helping, or people having to enable v-sync anyway.
G-Sync works well with emulation. It won't really get you and advantages for 60hz titles though, just support for games that use weirder refresh rates. When I got my G-Sync monitor first things I tested were DOSBox, Raiden and Wonderswan games.
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Re: G-Sync Monitor & Video card for Emulation - retro Games

Post by Fudoh »

what's the refresh rate of Wonderswan games ?
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Re: G-Sync Monitor & Video card for Emulation - retro Games

Post by Scumbum »

Ed Oscuro wrote:You can look at a number of regular TVs which support FreeSync over HDMI. Otherwise, FreeSync and G-Sync support DisplayPort.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FreeSync includes a list of supported TVs/monitors, and GPUs/APUs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-Sync includes a big list of supported monitors and GPUs.
You can search up dedicated reviews for any that looks interesting to you, of course.

Unfortunately it's a bit hard to make universal recommendations because what you want is actually an "unusual" request to make of these monitors. Sure, FreeSync and G-Sync are both designed to work at 60Hz or even lower. But any LCD screen works better at high frame rates, with respect to motion blur / ghosting. (There are some methods to make 60Hz work at 120Hz but I'm not sure how good that is, and only RetroArch and GroovyMAME seem to have anything for this at the moment, or even good support for non-60Hz framerates.) At the same time, the better panels should be faster across the board. Likewise, not all that many monitors are known to have the really good input lag numbers of the latest high framerate gaming screens - and all this stuff adds up to hamper your quick response to what's onscreen. Sure, I've been using a high-end gaming screen, but I also use it a lot for 120/144Hz stuff, not just 60Hz things. It also cost a mint. I've been really happy with my combo - my GTX 960 was only around $150-160 after rebate, but the monitor was $800, and still is, and it's only 27".

There's a bit more to it, though. The main knock against FreeSync is the "FreeSync range." For LCD screens (not OLED), the amount of time it takes for a pixel to change is determined by voltage levels, called "overdrive." Apparently the appropriate overdrive amount changes when framerates change. G-Sync puts a module inside the display which, among other things, can change the overdrive setting so you get good-looking screens all the time. FreeSync's standard is simpler, and has to do with a set FreeSync "range." I've read a complaint about screen ghosting (though it's not clear if that's at low or high FPS). Additionally, if FPS drops below the FreeSync range, you probably get tearing.

The only thing that should matter for 60Hz is whether the overdrive setting is good enough. Otherwise, it seems that all FreeSync displays (minus one LG TV) support FreeSync at 48Hz or higher, and many go much lower, so you should always get smooth emulation of older consoles. Many FreeSync TVs will sync to 75Hz or so, though all do at least 60Hz. At this range you should get good performance (assuming overdrive isn't tweaked more for high framerates) and support for any classic console, so long as it's not (much?) over 60Hz.
Thanks for all that info ,

I'll do some research about what monitor or TV to get .
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Ed Oscuro
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Re: G-Sync Monitor & Video card for Emulation - retro Games

Post by Ed Oscuro »

ZellSF wrote:Main problem I have with FreeSync is lack of support for window applications.
Oh yeah, that's still a thing. Apparently it won't be fixed.

If an emulator can be run in exclusive fullscreen mode, it won't be a problem, but anything running windowed (including windowed fullscreen mode) won't be using FreeSync.

In G-Sync this simply isn't an issue; you can run anything in a window or fullscreen and it just works.
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Re: G-Sync Monitor & Video card for Emulation - retro Games

Post by WelshMegalodon »

Fudoh wrote:what's the refresh rate of Wonderswan games ?
A rather unconventional 75 Hz, which is one of the reasons higan no longer lets you sync to video.
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Re: G-Sync Monitor & Video card for Emulation - retro Games

Post by Scumbum »

Ed Oscuro wrote:
ZellSF wrote:Main problem I have with FreeSync is lack of support for window applications.
Oh yeah, that's still a thing. Apparently it won't be fixed.

If an emulator can be run in exclusive fullscreen mode, it won't be a problem, but anything running windowed (including windowed fullscreen mode) won't be using FreeSync.

In G-Sync this simply isn't an issue; you can run anything in a window or fullscreen and it just works.

Wow , thats good to know . So G-Sync seem to be the way to go .
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orange808
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Re: G-Sync Monitor & Video card for Emulation - retro Games

Post by orange808 »

I prefer ULMB for emulation. G Sync helps with games that push the hardware, but ULMB delivers a much more natural (CRT like) experience.
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