Nvidia has been struck hard by AMD announcing their processors and GPU that outperform them in the majority of third party benchmarks, and have been conceding ground to AMD in terms of what gamers are opting to put into their PC’s. Today, many may find that Nvidia has finally struck back with the world’s first 360hz monitor at 1080p.
There’s a difference between the hertz that a monitor runs, and it’s resolution. Resolution enhances clarity, increasing the amount of pixels per square inch. This is why you’ll see PPI as a defining trait for many monitors, standing for pixels-per-inch. Higher resolutions can make your games gorgeous, although Windows 10 can struggle to properly deal with applications that need 1080p on a 4K monitor. So if you’re more looking at RPG’s that immerse players in the story, such as the critically acclaimed Witcher 3 (and soon, Cyberpunk 2077), you’ll likely be interested in a higher resolution.
Standards change drastically when you’re looking to compete, and even further on a professional level, and that where the hertz identifier comes into play; named after Heinrich Hertz. Hertz is a frequency that determines the number of cycles that can occur, per second; applied to monitors, it’s safe to assume 1 hertz equals one frame per second. 60 hertz, a standard for the majority of monitors (even those that scale to 4K), can offer no more than 60 frames per second.
When you’re looking at competing in Counter-Strike, for example, and playing on a 60-hertz monitor, the game can update 60 times per second. Note that we aren’t talking about tick rate, which is how the server processes data, but what the individual players see. Now, say you’re competing against another player that has a 144 hertz and is cruising along at a steady 120 frames-per-second; they’re are receiving twice as much data from the game as you, allowing them precious microseconds to react before you even know they’re there.
The top-of-the-line monitors boast a 240Hz refresh rate, but they stay at 1080p. The problem with having both 4K and 240Hz (besides the egregious price tag that would come with it) is that display cables can’t transfer that much data simultaneously. The DisplayPort 1.4 can handle 4K with 144Hz, but that’s tapping the upper limit. The cable becomes a straw for your monitors to pull data from, and 4K requires a lot of data to be pulled. As does 240Hz. Doing them both simultaneously isn’t feasible yet.
Hence the statement, frames win games. Nvidia ran a test in Overwatch testing player performance at increased frame-rates if you’re still not a believer. Note the difference between the flick shot from 60fps to the one at 120fps.
GeForce via Nvidia.com
This isn’t to say that if you’re oblivious to tactics, and can’t shoot straight to save your life, purchasing a higher monitor with a higher refresh rate will miraculously turn you into ZywOo, but you can die in a much smoother fashion at the very least. It’s also worth noting, that once you play at a higher refresh rate, it is tremendously difficult to go back to 60fps, and 30fps is unplayable. So if you’re looking at taking the plunge, be wary that it’s very much a one-way trip that will require a beefy GPU to match.
It’s worth knowing that when it comes to a monitors refresh-rates having an impact in performance, the sky is almost the limit. Blur Busters has found that there is a noticeable difference in the human eye up to 1,000 frames per second, meaning we’re about a third of the way there to maximum efficiency in terms of hertz.
With all of the technical data explained, let’s move on to what Nvidia has just unveiled; a 1080p 360Hz monitor catering to the Esports crowd that demands every advantage they can find. Powered by ASUS ROG with the AU Optronics panel, the screen measures 24.5 inches and looks to come equipped with a unique V-shaped stand.
Nvidia closes its impressive showing by stating that the prices have yet to be discerned, although some websites are throwing estimates that range from $1,200 to $400. In this case, it’s far better to patiently wait and see what the price would be.