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It used to be that resolution was the most important metric for a gaming monitor, but today’s picky gamers care about refresh rate. The latest gaming monitors might offer refresh rates measured in hundreds of hertz, but Nvidia says that doesn’t guarantee the smoothest image. For that, you’ll need a monitor that supports Ultra Low Motion Blur 2 (ULMB 2), a new G-Sync technology that can deliver effective motion clarity of over 1,000Hz.
Modern LCD and OLED monitors are “hold” type displays, holding each frame until the next one is ready before transitioning. Older CRT and plasma screens are better for motion because they were “strobe” type displays. That means they display one frame, then display nothing, and then display the next frame when it’s ready. Your brain perceives these strobed frames as cleaner motion than the hold type. See below for a visual example of this effect.
Nvidia released the original ULMB technology in 2015 when monitor refresh times were much lower than today. ULMB 2 uses higher refresh rates in today’s hardware to boost clarity while keeping brightness respectable. That was a problem for the original ULMB because this technique turns the backlight off most of the time, counterintuitively making motion look smoother.
So, monitors with ULMB 2 are not refreshing at 1,000Hz, but they look as smooth as a 1,000Hz monitor, according to Nvidia. ULMB 2 uses a Vertical Dependent Overdrive feature to alleviate the low brightness problems that plagued the original while preventing crosstalk. G-Sync can control the response time based on the vertical scan, allowing the backlight to flip on at just the right time when all the pixels are ready. Nvidia says ULMB 2 displays are required to maintain 250 nits of brightness when operating at full speed with ULMB 2 enabled.
Most gamers will have to buy a new monitor to enjoy ULMB 2, but a handful of screens can support this feature with a firmware update. Currently, the Acer Predator XB273U F and ASUS ROG Swift 360Hz PG27AQN have firmware updates available, giving these 1440p 360Hz monitors the option of displaying smoother motion. In the coming weeks, another Asus monitor and an AOC unit will also get updates to enable ULMB 2. These are not cheap, and it might take time for ULMB 2 to arrive in more affordable displays. It requires 360Hz or higher, and those panels are still niche and aimed at esports gamers.
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