AW17 - m290X w/120hz display upgrade?

Pondering keeping my AW17 and doing the 120hz upgrade. I don't intend to shoot for 3D, I just want a faster refresh for FPS games. Can I still receive 120hz benefits without an nvidia card?

 

120hz only works with NVIDIA cards.

 

Proven correct up to now but there is a possibility a newer AMD could work.

Brief (sort of) explanation: The panel for 120hz is a native 120hz panel. Not multisync like all PC monitors are. PC monitors can receive a 60hz signal and work. Send a 60hz signal to a native 120hz panel and it fails to display causing a POST error - it just beeps.

NV put 120hz microcode on their cards so 3D laptops could boot directly from their card. Because the on-chip Intel cannot sync with a 120hz display before any drivers load they had to come up with a way to bupass the intel. You use a different port on the MB and the iGPU never shows up. POST goes directly the the dGPU. No BIOS changes needed. I believe the MUX is bypassed but this goes a step beyond my knowledge .

Upshot, IF the new AMD's can boot at 120hz then it's a runner. It's never been tried as far as I can tell. Both AMD and NV have had to rewrite the BIOS microcode to support UEFI boot so maybe AMD included 120hz boot? Not very likely for such a small specific case but with NV promoting 3D they had to come up with a solution.

HTH

 

Rephrase, only NVIDIA confirmed to work since 2011

Would be interesting. You are saying these 120hz panels can't sync @ 60hz though? Why does Windows allow you to select 60hz as a sync option? It definitely changes the sync rate the cursor goes from moving really smooth to choppy.

 

Not at boot before a driver is loaded. The card microcode contains a VGA compatibility mode driver to provide output until windows loads. NV is 60hz or 120hz, Intel is 60hz only.

Once you have a windows driver loadded it can provide a 60hz signal that outputs on a 120hz panel. It's still refreshing at 120hz but updating at 60hz, so for some games response at 60hz will change.

 

So what you're saying is, I won't be able to get a 120hz "true" refresh rate with even an Nvidia card? I'm not at all interested in 3D so if that's the case I guess I know my answer?

No one knows of an m290x will boot in 120hz? That's surprising.

 

No I'm saying the opposite. With a 120hz panel it can only refresh at 120hz even if a driver is set to supply 60hz, it just half's the update rate.

Not really surprising since the rules have always been use an NV card for 120hz. The AMD cards can do 120hz with the driver, just not at boot - probably. It's getting past the POST test that is the problem.

 

I'd be willing to try this, the parts don't seem to run that high. At worst I sell my 290 and get something else. I just don't want to terminally mess anything up. Are there any guys on here who know their stuff and could help provide guidance on this?

 

Your very unlikely to cause any damage, as long as to never plug the wrong display into the wrong port. I have seen one guy trash his panel this way.

The 120hz panel upgrade thread (sticky at top of forum list) is the best place to research and ask questions. I'm not even sure if the new cable you need includes the 3D emitter (I know you're not going to use that with an AMD) or it's a one piece job? I do know the sockets on the MB are the same so label both cable and port before removing. No mix ups allowed .

Worse case scenario, it will just give 8 beeps and you'll need an NV card or put the panel back. Hope it does work, it will open up the 120hz panel to a lot more people .

 

Would be really interesting. I've always been an NVIDIA fan boy myself even though I hate their dev team with a passion with their constant driver gimps -_- I remember this cat and mouse game I played with them a few years ago getting 3D working on my Optoma projector and they kept blacklisting it forcing me to use modified INF's from a "certified" projector to get it working.

 

it would be nice if the display was able to detect and switch between 60hz and 120hz signals.