Internals and Documentation
Internals:
Since the G-Sync module and PCB are already, well, 'exposed', here are a few shots of the externals:
This side of the PCB holds the G-Sync module itself, along with the necessary logic to interface it with the ASUS LCD panel controls (power, brightness, etc).
The other side takes care of all of the power handling circuitry. Most of the work is done by an external power adapter, so things are sparse here.
The back of the PCB is mostly empty, save some leftover power handling components.
If you guys know me, you know I *have* to take apart *something* for a review. The G-Sync module seemed a fitting victim:
On the front of the PCB we have the logic and memory required to perform the G-Sync goodness:
I was sort of expecting a spiffy G-Sync logo here, but I'll take Altera instead. The back story here is that NVIDIA chose to go with a more expensive FPGA chip for this first round of G-Sync hardware, reason being is that it is faster to get a product to market in this manner. This is typical for first run hardware, and purpose-built ASICs would logically follow in future generations of G-Sync hardware.
The rear of the PCB contains minimal power / filtering circuitry, in addition to firmware.
Documentation:
I must say this is the best documentation I've ever seen for anything DIY – and it is absolutely necessary as this is not the sort of mod that most folks will be familiar with. Lets dive in and install this puppy!
my dream is to see this on
my dream is to see this on TVs..
My Sony has an Impulse mode
My Sony has an Impulse mode for gaming, which is essentially Lightboost. It’s terrific. It kills the intensity of the lighting to accomplish it (so you need to crank the backlight up) and it introduces flicker that some people notice to varying degrees (but seems fine to me – and I’m picky) and only really benefits you at 60fps, so should be disabled for sub 60fps content, but . . . man is it really fantastic.
Keep dreaming. It doesn’t
Keep dreaming. It doesn’t work in non-3d applications. Not to mention below 30fps it’s aweful.
Of course it works in non-3D
Of course it works in non-3D applications. I played with G-Sync at the recent SC2 Tournament in NYC where it was first debuted to the public and there was absolutely no indication that it was “awful” below 30fps. As far as I could tell, FPS had no ill-effect on the manner in which G-Sync worked (at least on the two demo-displays).
Are you calling Allyn a liar
Are you calling Allyn a liar ?
He has a half-page write up on the last page on it.
I’m not sure this would
I’m not sure this would benefit a television unless the source was a PC’s GPU.
There’s no point to this on a
There’s no point to this on a TV – TV content is a fixed framerate and latency doesn’t matter as long as the sound is in sync…
step 1. get 55″ good panel
step 1. get 55″ good panel quality tv with sub 1frame input lag
step 2. get 5$ hdmi cable
step 3. …
step 4. profit
now. if there was gsync in there, i wouldnt mind it. trust me when i say that playing BF4 on max settings on sony’s w905 55″ is not too shabby.
Please check your spelling
Please check your spelling before publishing the article.
Oh be quiet, you obviously
Oh be quiet, you obviously have no clue what you’re talking about… Allyn worked very hard to have this article ready for PCper fans before CES. Also, if you knew anything about PCper, you’d know that Allyn is not the Editor in Chief, Ryan is. So if you’d like to direct your comment towards someone, perhaps you should email Ryan.
stfu – gtfo
stfu – gtfo
I’m assuming this kit is only
I’m assuming this kit is only available for this one particular Asus monitor. Are there other kits for different monitors or brands?
Correct, and not at the
Correct, and not at the moment.
Whelp, my original post was
Whelp, my original post was blocked by the spam filter. I’ll make this a tad more concise.
Excellent and very thorough review Allyn.
Could you confirm whether or not LightBoost is built in?
Apologies, we are tweaking
Apologies, we are tweaking our spam filtering.
I haven't tested it personally, but the display should handle it with the gsync module installed – but not in gsync mode. It's either or.
I want this…but I am not
I want this…but I am not going back from 2560×1440. Not that I complain about IPS 2560×1440 @ 120Hz.
Also, what happened to thin
Also, what happened to thin bezels? Thin bezels are better looking than monitor thickness. I’ve taken my monitor apart and it sticks the panel to the bezel with an L bracket that makes requires a larger bezel. Why not use an L bracket and bring the bezel attachment BEHIND the panel for attachment, and reduce the bezel width. Then for multi-monitor users, make the front bezel detachable and then they only have the panel + <1mm bracket between monitors. To make it better, attach the brackets to the top and bottom of the panel. For either configuration they can place the OSD controls recessed from the panel and attached to the bracket for an even slicker profile.
AMD FREE-SYNC –> NVIDIA
AMD FREE-SYNC –> NVIDIA G-SYNC
Let wait and see; I’m
Let wait and see; I’m interested to see if latency is going to be a major problem with Freesync, given how AMD attempts to fix the problem in software. Nevermind most monitors don’t support dynamic Vblank intervals yet anyways. If NVIDIA gets its hardware in first…
This is a whole lot of work
This is a whole lot of work and way too expensive for what its trying to do. The article is well written if in need of a quick spell check/re-read. It is totally fair of readers to nitpick on spelling mistakes in a tech article. It also does not negate the content.
G-sync is a great idea, just save us all the cost and sell monitors that are G-Sync ready. Have a logo on the box or corner of the bezel that says G-Sync Inside or something. In my experience better drivers and tweaking settings can reduce or eliminate tearing almost every time.
I think this is really
I think this is really dangerous for the average person, and if someone gets killed.. Nvidia and PCPER and everyone else pushing this upgrade is liable to get sued by the dead persons family.
Monitors and especially TV`s are very dangerous, and should not be opened unless they are a qualified electrician. There is plenty of current stored in components well after its been switched off.. some components hold current for days and weeks that could easily kill you.
This is an accident waiting to happen.
Seriously? Apart from the
Seriously? Apart from the fact that LCD capacitors are signifcantly smaller and hold less power than the ones in a CRT, you feel that people should be able to sue a website for providing information that could used improperly?
Just purchased mine. One
Just purchased mine. One question though. Does it come with a display port cable or will I need to purchase one?
it comes with a display port
it comes with a display port cable. Installation is easy, just watch the orientation of the ‘Y’ style connector as mentioned in the article.
The posted YouTube video is a slightly different board than what ships to us.
The ribbon cable is also a pain to install.
Eagerly awaiting my kit! The
Eagerly awaiting my kit! The only thing that worries me a bit is that this kit is, by necessity, late-prototype engineering-sample production-candidate custom hardware and what goes in the new monitors (as Allyn says) will almost certainly be not this, but fully baked production ASICs. But, as we see here, the modules in these kits are FPGAs which makes me wonder (not knowing a whole lot about FPGAs) could these modules be ‘re-flashed’ or somehow patched in case something needs fixing before the retail monitors go live? (I do know this is bleeding-edge stuff and fully accept the risks the kits bring.) Either way, I still think it’s very cool of NVIDIA to let us in on at least a little bit of bleeding edge hardware hackery.
As someone that owns this
As someone that owns this monitor and GTX 760s in sli, I can usually push 100-120 fps in most games with max settings at 1080p. Would gysnc have any benefit for me? Or is it mainly beneficially when u can push 60fps?
Yes it would. Gsync even
Yes it would. Gsync even makes low framerates like 40fps feel way more fluid than they are. In fact you are likely to notice it a little less if you’re used to a high framerate with a 120 or 144hz monitor…but either way it’s going to be better, this should have happene din the monitor world a long time ago.
Does anyone know if the power
Does anyone know if the power brick with the kit is 100-240V ?
This is an old thread, but
This is an old thread, but does anyone know where you can actually buy a g-sync module? I’ve already invested in 3 VG248QE monitors because they were g-sync upgradable, but I can not find where to purchase modules.