Wednesday, March 29th 2023
MSI Intros G253PF, a Blistering 380Hz 25-inch Monitor if You Can Live with FHD
MSI today introduced the G253PF, a 24.5-inch Rapid IPS gaming monitor that offers a blistering 380 Hz refresh-rate and 1 ms (GTG) response-time, along with DisplayHDR 400, VESA Adaptive Sync and G-SYNC (compatibility); a mouthwatering package for e-sports gamers, if they can live with its Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution. The Rapid IPS panel offers TUV Rhineland-certified anti-flicker and low blue-light technologies, besides 178° viewing angles. Other panel specs include 1000:1 contrast ratio with dynamic mega-contrast; 10-bpc color (1.07 billion colors), and 320-400 nits maximum brightness. With its HDMI 2.0b connection, the monitor is limited to 240 Hz refresh-rate. You need the monitor's DisplayPort 1.4 connection to "overclock" the panel to 380 Hz from within its OSD settings. The monitor packs a passive cooling mechanism for the panel, which is what contributes to its thickness, despite being a planar (flat-screen) monitor. The company didn't reveal pricing.
25 Comments on MSI Intros G253PF, a Blistering 380Hz 25-inch Monitor if You Can Live with FHD
Some of us very much appreciate faster and faster refresh rates.
Good to see non-TN panels reaching up there in refresh rates. Seeing multiple options of 240+hz VA, IPS, etc. are tempting upgrades over my 144hz VA.
www.acer.com/us-en/monitors/gaming/nitro-xv2/pdp/UM.KX1AA.F04
I guess pricing and image quality will make or break it, for what it was, the Acer monitor was quite well reviewed.
I bought an ASUS PG259QNR for $306 USD with tax this past xmas (The extra desk mount is worth $50 alone)... Effectively making the monitor a $250 USD purchase.. PG259QN launched at $700 in 2020 w/o mount lol
It's okay (Build quality is really good), but I don't recommend unless you're pushing 300+ FPS in esports games. OD settings are limited due to GSYNC module.. and GSYNC helps with smoothness, but theres a slight gsync buffer delay. different feel than "real" monitor/input delay.
I prefer my 180hz 1440p LG for visuals/colors, but the only way to compromise between the two is to buy the new 1k+ USD 360hz ASUS.. which I wont do. lol. (I don't want that first gen LG 240hz OLED either)
Glossy screens more or less nullify the issue, but this isn't glossy. Only way to compensate is adapting to lower brightness.
The issue does stem from standard 3M matte coating.. Which works best with TN IMO.
Only work around on modern monitors is to lower brightness sub 150nits and get used to it over time. Your eyes will eventually adjust.
Does't impact everyone, but I understand where you're coming from. (I couldn't use most matte IPS screens for the longest time). Very annoying issue.
A 240hz OLED doesn't perform like a 240hz TN or 240hz IPS. They're all different in perceivable motion clarity based on how response tune/OD works.
There is no ceiling, just better vs worse implementations of current technology.
The seemingly factual statement of "...the human eye is incapable of seeing anything faster." is fundamentally incorrect (and, IMHO, a consequence of overly-trusting research over natural logic and personal observations.)
Biological vision is "analog", with infinite datapoints, and undefined/dynamic limits on speed-of-perception. The scientifically-defined limits are not actual limits, but 'normal, under given-conditions'.
*How could I perceive 900-3000+Ft/Sec projectiles in-flight, and 400+hz 'flicker' if I cannot possible perceive more than 240 refreshes per second?
I can directly look at and 'see' 60hz incandescent bulbs 'pulse'. Which, IIRC is a smooth and sinusoidal 120hz. (120hz Refresh Rate vs. 144hz Refresh Rate is a very noticeable difference for me, as well.)
In my peripheral vision, I can perceive 400+hz, and even kHz-range LED flicker sometimes.
This topic is a bit of a pet peeve for me, as it seems to undermine and de-value biological life.
Physics defines what we can perceive at any given moment, those limits are known and are not infinite.
There are far more (and often occluded) variables influencing and interacting within a given scenario than are observable under controlled conditions.
Ex. the studies of 'memory' and cognition in humans are especially a mess. Last I recall (unintentional pun) academia suggests memory is processed and made in the brain. Yet, an overabundance of anecdotal evidence suggests that, at minimum, memory is a whole being/body process.
To me, The Sciences are more useful guidelines for engineering, than proper explanations of the workings (and limits) of physical reality. One only needs to cursorily glance at 'hard science' of decades- and centuries- past, to know how very fallible and short-sighted it is.
360hz+ has innate benefits over 240hz in regards to absolute latency (this is measurable), but the latency will vary in terms of panel technology. (Averages and peaks for response rate/OD).
Signal latency depends on the controller MCU/FW in a individual unit and adaptive sync will add a layer/buffer based on the panels refresh rate.
Basically just saying "240hz is the ceiling" is nonsense as overall perception will vary from monitor to monitor, even of the same technology based on tuning.
I've personally used early 2nd gen 240hz IPS panels that felt and "look" worse than 144hz first gen TNs. (I've had too many monitors over the years). A panel being 60hz could mean a lot of things on the end user side of things, but response rates of IPS/TN/VA are going to be innately high on a 60hz panel. A lot of these panels are also RNG for signal lag for obvious reasons.
I will firmly disagree that 60hz is "good enough" but I used to play competitive games at a high level around the era where CRTs were still being used at LAN.. The latency alone is clearly perceivable coming from a high performance display, worse if you add adaptive sync at a 16.7ms buffer.
Visual perception is another thing, but thats subjective and it's pointless to argue, I agree.
For me, I personally think 200hz (5ms) is the point of diminishing returns if the panel can respond instantly (OLED), but it will trade off in latency to higher refresh displays. (OLED will be 100% consistent in peak response as its innately low)
A high speed camera will clearly show 360hz+ IPS as smoother, but also "ghost" more than a 200-240hz OLED.
tl;dr: it's a complicated mess and only appeals to people that know what they want/subjectively prefer.
If you subjectively cannot tell a difference, that's also fine. No one has a gun to your head.
I was arguing against your 240hz ceiling statement regardless. Nothing is really linear between LCD technologies, even if they share a specific refresh rate.