NVIDIA’s 4K, 144 Hz G-SYNC HDR Monitors Are Pretty Sweet But Also Very Costly – New G-SYNC Module Adds Up To $500 US To The Product Cost

The first batch of NVIDIA’s latest G-SYNC HDR monitors has been sent to reviewers who have had a chance to provide an exclusive look at the next-gen displays. The new G-SYNC HDR monitors will be available to consumers in July and while they display absolutely beautiful visuals, they also do come at a really steep price point.

NVIDIA G-SYNC HDR Monitors Are Absolutely Spectacular, But Premium Quality Means Premium Price – Latest G-SYNC Module Alone Costs Up To $500 US

There are currently two models listed at Newegg which support NVIDIA’s G-SYNC HDR capability. The monitors which include the ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ and Acer Predator X27, both feature a 144 Hz, 4K, 27-inch panel. The monitors were expected sometime in April but have now been placed as pre-orders with launch/availability planned for July (2nd for Acer and 13th for ASUS).

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The backlight illuminates the screen, and with 384 individually-controllable LED backlight zones, the light will only be shown when and where it is required, enabling G-SYNC HDR displays to simultaneously produce bright bold colors and deep blacks, reminiscent of the very best plasma displays. Monitors with fewer backlight zones, edge-lit backlight zones, or with only a single global backlight are incapable of matching the contrast and image quality of the new 4K G-SYNC HDR monitors, and with 384 controllable zones we have unparalleled control over the picture, producing the best images you’ve ever seen on an LCD gaming display.

NVIDIA G-SYNC high dynamic range displays are able to reproduce more realistic images with high brightness, excellent contrast, saturated color and smoother motion than traditional standard dynamic range displays while offering stutter-free, tear-free, low latency gaming Not all displays claiming to be HDR provide the same visual experience. True HDR displays need a thoughtfully engineered combination of:

  • Higher Brightness
  • Greater Contrast
  • Wider color gamut
  • Higher refresh rate

To further enhance the monitor we have applied a Quantum Dot Enhancement Film (QDEF), to create deep saturated reds and greens out of the blue light produced by the 384 controllable LED backlight zones. First used on high-end HDR televisions, QDEF film is coated with nano-sized dots that emit light of a very specific color depending on the size of the dot, producing bright, saturated and vibrant colors through the whole spectrum, from deep greens and reds, to intense blues. This enables a far larger set of colors to be displayed, producing pictures that more accurately reflect the scenes and colors you see in real life. The end result is a color space 25% larger than the traditional sRGB color space, close to the DCI-P3 standard used in the best digital cinemas. via NVIDIA

We know that the new G-SYNC HDR panels would deliver better quality compared to the 1st gen displays with G-SYNC but they would also come at a higher price. For 27″ models, you’d expect a price of $2000 US which puts it out of reach of most customers.

NVIDIA G-SYNC HDR Monitors Take Gaming Experience To The Next Level – YouTube and Netflix HDR Works Superbly

Now with the first products shipping to reviewers, we can get an idea of what the performance and display quality of new G-SYNC panels look like. PCPerspective has got their hands on the ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ.

According to the review, the monitors deliver the best gaming experience which is unmatchable as there is no other competition out there with the same level of quality.

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I also played a bit of Destiny 2, one of the first games to implement HDR correctly. The very opening of the game, where you are in a dark space with burning fires all around you, is an immediate “holy shit” moment for HDR.

In the end, the gaming experience on the ASUS PG27UQ with G-Sync HDR is presently unmatched. And it should be, for the price! via PCPerspective

But premium quality comes at a high price as detailed above. The reason for that is also cited as it is related to the specific G-SYNC HDR module that is being used in the panels. Compared to the 1st gen models, the new panels come with an Intel Altera Arria 10 GX 480 FPGA module along with 3GB DDR4 memory up to 2400 MHz. This FPGA alone costs around $2000 US but considering that Intel is selling them in bulk to NVIDIA, the price comes down around $500 US. That $500 US is still a very high price that adds to the monitor cost, running up its cost.

NVIDIA G-SYNC HDR Module (Image Credits: PCPerspective)

We also know that NVIDIA is working to bring 65″ BFG (Big Format Gaming) displays which will be using the same modules to give true HDR playback in gaming and movies. We can expect the price on these parts to be outrageous considering the cost of 27″ models. AMD has also announced their own FreeSync 2 HDR technology for upcoming monitors, but they also don’t have any products out in the market yet.


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