3D Refresh Rate Override (LCD improvement)

[nicoliani]

LCD screens run at 60 Hz. For desktop application there is nothing you can do to improve it. Driving the Hz up will result in bad tearing. For games although there is an option to increase the refresh rate called "3D Refresh Rate Override" and have it look beautiful ingame.
If you have an ATI or Nvidia card there is an option in the control settings software CCC and ForceWare where you can choose a higher refresh rate than 60 Hz. So when you start your game your LCD auto goes int 75 Hz.
When I first used it I was impressed. I never was a fancy of the qulity for games with LCD screens but now it is magnificent. Games look so beautifully, lively and you feel like you're inside the game.
It's the same difference what you noticed when you went over from analog to digital TV, or when you first saw a movie or trailer in HD format.
I haven't tried any rate over 75 Hz as I don't know if my screen supports that. But setting it to 75 Hz wouldn't give any LCD any issues and is safe for your LCD but I now when someone does runs over 100 Hz it can happen that games don't start.

Please let us now if you experienced what I have experienced and if you got even better picture qulity going over 75 Hz.

[nd4spdbh2]

LCD screens run at 60 Hz. For desktop application there is nothing you can do to improve it. Driving the Hz up will result in bad tearing. For games although there is an option to increase the refresh rate called "3D Refresh Rate Override" and have it look beautiful ingame.
If you have an ATI or Nvidia card there is an option in the control settings software CCC and ForceWare where you can choose a higher refresh rate than 60 Hz. So when you start your game your LCD auto goes int 75 Hz.
When I first used it I was impressed. I never was a fancy of the qulity for games with LCD screens but now it is magnificent. Games look so beautifully, lively and you feel like you're inside the game.
It's the same difference what you noticed when you went over from analog to digital TV, or when you first saw a movie or trailer in HD format.
I haven't tried any rate over 75 Hz as I don't know if my screen supports that. But setting it to 75 Hz wouldn't give any LCD any issues and is safe for your LCD but I now when someone does runs over 100 Hz it can happen that games don't start.

Please let us now if you experienced what I have experienced and if you got even better picture qulity going over 75 Hz.

i would make sure your lcd could run at 75hz @ the resolutlion your playing at... i have seen lcds go bad from running a to high of a refresh rate. ALSO you can completly get rid of tearing by forcing vsync in the nvidia or catalyst control center.

[UglyChild]

I dont see that option in ForceWare Control Panel. Could be just ATI thing.

[pdehn]

Tearing is a product of an unsynchronized signal going to LCD's, which don't operate based on refresh rate. In the case of LCD's, the image itself is updated only as fast as the pixels change colors. Refresh rate only determines how often it takes input regarding what image it should be trying to display. Basically, think of a buffer between two systems operating independently.

The computer puts a new image into the buffer at some rate, while the LCD is independently looping through the buffer, displaying as it goes.

When the computer updates the buffer while the display is partially through it, the display is continues through its loop, but with the new image. You effectively see a fraction of two separate images, an effect most noticeable in things like games where the image on screen is frequently changing.

V-sync fixes this by forcing the two systems to synchronize and not update the image until the previous one has been fully displayed.


In theory, motion may appear more fluid if the LCD is given more images to display per second, but only to the extent of the capability of the display - only recently have LCD's started becoming fast enough to take advantage of a higher refresh rate. Most displays will see little to no advantage. Consequently, it's only recently that some LCD's have been designed to really handle higher refresh rates (Some will accept the signal, but most aren't designed to).


None of this in itself will have any effect on the image quality. Animation quality perhaps, but its rare amongst the vast majority of users to discern a noteworthy difference. CRT's make the refresh rate more important by nature of how they operate - they're effectively a high frequency strobe light. 60Hz just happens to be slow enough to be discernable while fast enough to cause eye strain - higher refresh rates seem to lessen the negative effect, but as with everything else, it is largely subjective and dependent on the individual.



That all said (sorry about the long-winded despite not being very technical explanations, its a bad habit of mine), if you see that profound a difference, I'm envious in a way - I personally can't see the difference, and am content with standard operation.

[MIAHALLEN]

Tearing is a product of an unsynchronized signal going to LCD's, which don't operate based on refresh rate. In the case of LCD's, the image itself is updated only as fast as the pixels change colors. Refresh rate only determines how often it takes input regarding what image it should be trying to display. Basically, think of a buffer between two systems operating independently.

The computer puts a new image into the buffer at some rate, while the LCD is independently looping through the buffer, displaying as it goes.

When the computer updates the buffer while the display is partially through it, the display is continues through its loop, but with the new image. You effectively see a fraction of two separate images, an effect most noticeable in things like games where the image on screen is frequently changing.

V-sync fixes this by forcing the two systems to synchronize and not update the image until the previous one has been fully displayed.


In theory, motion may appear more fluid if the LCD is given more images to display per second, but only to the extent of the capability of the display - only recently have LCD's started becoming fast enough to take advantage of a higher refresh rate. Most displays will see little to no advantage. Consequently, it's only recently that some LCD's have been designed to really handle higher refresh rates (Some will accept the signal, but most aren't designed to).


None of this in itself will have any effect on the image quality. Animation quality perhaps, but its rare amongst the vast majority of users to discern a noteworthy difference. CRT's make the refresh rate more important by nature of how they operate - they're effectively a high frequency strobe light. 60Hz just happens to be slow enough to be discernable while fast enough to cause eye strain - higher refresh rates seem to lessen the negative effect, but as with everything else, it is largely subjective and dependent on the individual.



That all said (sorry about the long-winded despite not being very technical explanations, its a bad habit of mine), if you see that profound a difference, I'm envious in a way - I personally can't see the difference, and am content with standard operation.

Great explaination, I've been curious about this for a while now.:beer: