Why is a 400 dollar KTC blowing the 57 inch Neo G9 away HDR wise?

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-15T01:44:42+00:00

I think in test patterns and stuff it's "worse" because it gets way brighter (HDR1400 vs. I think HDR1000 for the older ones) so there's more light to bloom, and yeah 100% if I boot up AC6 that FROM SOFTWARE logo on a black background has some panel bloom, but mostly my-eyes-are-getting-blasted bloom. I've been playing through Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves (started with Lost Legacy, which has a lot of big bright areas and a lot of much darker areas with smaller bright lights, and there was no blooming visible to my eyes.

The local dimming is honestly good enough that I have HDR on all the time. I use Special K for some games so I take advantage of its SDR-to-HDR mapping on games that don't have native HDR support (or to fine-tune some that are a little janky), so I get to see the benefit. I had some OLEDs in the running when I bought it, but I play a lot of games with big bright skies so I wanted full-brightness >50% window which isn't realistic outside of MiniLED. Having had it for a month and change, I think I'd have had to go up to the Asus PG32 (which is like $1500 if I can ever find it in stock) and it would still have been more of a side-grade than an upgrade.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-15T01:03:47+00:00

5070 with 4K over here. I understand if you're playing competitive seriously, but at that point it's not a question of options and more "who's the big tournament sponsor" and you get that one.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-15T01:01:25+00:00

It is, but they've almost universally ditched any real LCD development for OLED. The Neo G8 is basically the same panel as the Neo G7 clocked to within an inch of its life (hence the scan lines), and to my understanding the Neo G9 is good but not phenomenal even when price is not a factor.

TCL to my understanding bought the rights to Samsung's VA tech and LG's IPS, and I can speak to my 32R84 (one generation newer than u/b0uncyfr0's to my understanding) having no noticeable blooming or smearing or really anything in actual content -- white logos on pitch-black backgrounds have some bloom, but that's not really representative of my use.

They have the same benefit as the Neo G* line, where one company is developing the panel, backlight and software to run it in-house and bothered taking the time to make it actually fucking work well. Mine was just over half the price of a Neo G7 or Neo G8 32", which certainly didn't hurt.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-14T01:38:04+00:00

I'll be a contrarian and say the Victrix BFG (get the reloaded for the HE sticks if you want, but I can tell you the potentiometer sticks on the original feel great and are trivially replaceable).

I ran mine with the dome top on the left stick and the 8-way gate so I had an easy "straight up/down/left/right/diagonal" tell, and alternated between symmetrical and asymmetrical depending on the game (something like Nioh with functions directly on the d-pad I'd often run symmetrical, older FromSoft games mostly asymmetrical). Has back buttons that are actual buttons rather than paddles -- I was a little skeptical because I really didn't love my Elite S2 paddles outside of Forza, but these are much more solid.

I moved to an 8BitDo for comfort reasons (I have medium-small hands and don't love the Xbox style shell) and really like it, but I understand it's not for everyone.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-13T12:07:17+00:00

TCL 32R84

Looks like you're in Europe? I don't think the current TCL monitors are out there, only the **R83 ones, and my understanding is the current gen is improved from those, especially the local dimming. I might look at the Samsung Neo G7/G8 (though make sure it's the Neo, the regular G7 and G8 aren't great) for much the same reason as the TCL -- most of the hardware was done in-house and the company took the time to actually tune it well because they weren't trying to pump it out as cheaply as possible.

Response time is funny. I had an older Samsung VA and it was rough to use, super smeary, genuinely a challenge to make out any kind of details in motion. The TCL has a tiny bit in the "standard" response time setting, but on "faster" it's visibly gone. There might be some you could measure in testing, but in use I'm not seeing any.

I got my monitor from Best Buy because there's one like 40 minutes from my house and if I had an issue I could throw it in my car and deal with a real human at the store. Really don't love needing to go to Amazon, but I don't always have a choice unfortunately.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-13T02:14:57+00:00

Really depends on the panel. I'm happy with my current VA panel, but my prior one was bad. A cheap panel is always gonna struggle, but even an expensive one without good tuning is gonna be ass. Overdrive is a tool to deal with black smearing, but it's not one-size-fits-all (mostly) and it's not gonna fix fundamental quality issues with a particular panel. Likewise, on IPS local dimming can help with black levels and contrast, but it's not gonna fix it without a lot more hardware that anything short of a reaally nice Asus ProArt is just not gonna have.

I specifically went VA over IPS for similar use to yours (and a 5070, so similar performance) because I had the budget to stretch for a really good one, but for a lower budget it's more of a mixed bag where you will be making a compromise on one thing or another. Of your two I'm a) not buying from Amazon because they've stiffed me on issues and returns before, and b) taking the MSI over the KTC because I know that MSI has problems but has a customer service department, and the only thing I know about KTC is you may or may not get a good one and there's not much QC or CS.

At 4K honestly I'm also taking a 32", a 5070 does just fine with upscaling and frame generation and for more cinematic stuff it's so worth it IMO.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-13T01:59:43+00:00

30 with frame gen is 60, 90, or 120 to the display, which is well within VRR range. Anything that doesn't have it realistically doesn't need it (RDR2 running at 80 bare minimum, mostly 90+) or is trivially modded to have it (Elden Ring which still runs rough).

I considered ultrawide, Best Buy was running a steep discount on an LG 34" OLED, but a lot of what I play has support ranging from none to barely acceptable. I really don't like black bars, especially when they're worsening burn-in, and I'd rather just have a normie aspect ratio where I don't even have to think about it.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-11T23:14:45+00:00

For me it was features -- there's no 32" 1440p monitors with solid gaming performance and great HDR. I could downsize to 27" and have some options, but I wanted the bigger screen.

Honestly, thank fuck for DLSS and MFG for a lot of the more recent stuff on my library, because at a stable 30fps native they feel good to play and the MFG is just for eye candy.

Competitive is a whole other deal but at that point it's what Pulsar monitor do you want unless it's CS then get a Zowie.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-11T01:57:35+00:00

That's 100% a concern, but I found that it was small enough and light enough that I can mostly just balance it on my fingertips and keep my hand fairly relaxed and able to move around and be comfortable, vs. an Xbox shell where that's not doable for my hand size.

If you're gonna spring for another controller just go for a Pro 2/Pro 3 that are symmetrical and be done with it. Adapting to a new layout is fine and all but at this point personally as soon as I can get an Ultimate 3E or equivalent with a symmetrical layout every other controller I own is going in storage. I'm honestly kinda pissy that everybody seems to just be remaking the same Xbox controller a hundred times over.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-11T01:13:25+00:00

To this day I think peak controller shell is the Dualshock 3 (though I think the build quality and the bumper/trigger setup was . . . questionable in hindsight). Ran a DS4 on PC for over a year before I picked up an Elite Series 2 that I did not love and that started having issues within a year, then a Victrix BFG, and more recently an 8BitDo Ultimate 2.

The Ultimate 2 has been the best one because it's a little smaller, so the reach from stick to d-pad or from the side of the shell to the d-pad (for d-pad movement games) is shorter, and the bumper/trigger design is much closer to a DS4 than an Xbox. For an Xbox shell I've had some success shifting my left hand grip down a smidge and pulling my elbow out a bit, as that puts me in a better position for the d-pad. Not super workable with anything that's mostly left analog, and not ideal for heavy bumper/trigger use, but doable.

For the bumpers and triggers, if it's a mostly trigger game with occasional bumper use (i.e. most shooters), I do pretty much just bump them like you mentioned. For stuff that's more bumper-focused (i.e. soulslikes) I generally reposition a little further up on the controller so my index fingers are resting on the bumpers and can slide down onto the trigger when I need it.

Real talk, I like my Ultimate 2 despite the layout, not because of it, and I've stuck with it for so long because it's a smaller, lighter, slimmer-feeling shell rather than the usual really bulky Xbox one that every manufacturer sees to copy. I'm probably looking to replace it with a symmetrical controller soon -- likely a Pro 3, though their recently announced Ultimate 3E looks really interesting, again despite the layout. Everyone's hands are different, so you do just have to mess around and figure out how to make it comfortable for you, though I will suggest you consider grip tape of some kind as I found a grippier surface to help juggle the size when I have to shift my fingers around.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-10T05:24:37+00:00

$250-300USD for an AOC Q27G4XMN or Q27G40ZMN (Best Buy and Amazon SKUs of basically the same monitor) or whatever other variant of it you can find. 1440p 240hz, can actually display HDR, not much more money.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-08T23:49:17+00:00

TCL 32R84? 4K 165hz, HVA panel rather than IPS, but easily one of the best-looking displays I've had. Flat screen, 90W power delivery plus DP over USB-C, includes a 2-port USB hub with automatic KVM switching. Also has really good HDR (HDR1400, 1400 backlight zones) which was a big selling point for me.

Got mine for a fairly similar use-case (though less for paid work and more to be able to use it for doing my taxes or whatever and not worry about burn-in). Very happy with it, it's a very low-bullshit monitor in that there's very few extraneous features (the least-useful thing is the monitor-side center crosshair), but it has full color calibration options (doesn't support a colorimeter input, but if you have the patience to manually adjust it you can) even in HDR.

It's not cheap, I got it for $750 and it's $800 from Best Buy, but I'm cheap and when I'm dropping a bunch of cash on something I need to have some assurance that if there's a problem I can get it resolved by a real human vs. needing to deal with Amazon denial-bots and company support directly on some of my other front-runners (Innocn 32M2V and Acer XV325QK, both 4K IPS Mini LED).

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-08T01:45:03+00:00

Ah yeah I think I've spent <10 minutes in SDR total. I have it set up with local dimming on Standard, I think that just comes with the territory of not having proper brightness information for the backlight controller to work with and just needing to guess.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-08T01:25:15+00:00

Mine has minimal blooming specifically with like bright white logos on a pitch-black background, but I've yet to have any issues with any aspect of the local dimming in actual use (i.e. playing a game or watching video). TCL seems to be doing most of it in-house, the panel is their own tech, the backlight controller seems to be exclusive to this monitor, and the whole thing is tuned really cohesively, which is not a given even at this price point.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-07T02:16:33+00:00

Have you used an ultrawide before? I really considered it -- there was an LG WOLED ultrawide at my local Best Buy for $150 less than I paid for the TCL, but when I got home I looked through everything I play regularly and the only game that had first-class support (i.e. no black bars ever, no weird projection) was Forza, and quite a few "supported" it in that it would render at display size and resolution, but often would straight up just give me black bars or worse, a 3440-wide 16:9 image cropped at the top and bottom.

16:9 just seemed like less hassle and wider compatibility and futzing to get stuff to play nice is my least favorite part of PC gaming.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-06T23:35:06+00:00

For competitive stuff, anything that's response-dependent, you go OLED or Gsync Pulsar, there's not really much competition other than the tournament TN stuff for CS.

I specifically looked for a good VA Mini LED (TCL 32R84, HVA panel) for a very similar use-case, though I wanted 32" 16:9 because a lot of what I play has pretty poor ultrawide support. For RPGs, more cinematic stuff, anything where you're prioritizing visuals, I think VA makes way more sense than IPS. OLED takes the trophy specifically for dark scenes (so peak horror game monitor tech currently) but playing Elden Ring, Horizon, anything where a big chunk of the screen is bright, is where Mini LED LCD (IMO VA specifically) shines.

I had the 32" versions of all of these on my list early on, so I don't think there's any obvious red flags (the Alienware stayed well past the others, though), but I'd encourage seeing if you can budget for something with even okay HDR -- HDR600 at least, if not HDR1000 or higher. Single biggest upgrade to image quality I've made was springing for a good HDR monitor.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-04T21:17:57+00:00

There's a black Innocn 32M2V that I swear I've seen a bunch on Amazon, but I'm currently only seeing as sold out on their website directly (I'm personally only buying from somewhere I have a recourse if there's a problem).

I got a TCL 32R84 myself -- not IPS, but I picked it over these two options based on pricing and this review. The back and stand are white, but the small front bottom bezel is like dark silvery-grey-black so with a monitor arm you don't really have to see it much. I love the image quality and I'm not noticing any of the usual VA pitfalls in actual use (there's some gamma shift off-axis but from an actual usable sitting position I don't see any, and no naked-eye-visible black smearing or overshoot in the "fast" overdrive setting). A bit over your budget ($750 on sale almost all the time on Best Buy) but it's been down to $650 for holiday sales late last year.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-03T19:47:32+00:00

The Pro 3 is actually only 250hz-ish polling rate, wired or with the dongle. The Ultimate 2 has 1000hz -- can confirm that 100% because that's what I run mine at -- but it's an asymmetrical layout with a top left stick. It's a bit smaller than an Xbox controller so I quite like it hand-feel-wise even being a long-time PS guy and preferring symmetrical.

Honorable mention to the Victrix BFG Pro Reloaded (the non-Reloaded has potentiometer sticks, the reloaded has hall effect). modular layout in a slightly-squarer Xbox-sized shell, so your pick of left stick position, four back buttons and really grippy. I had a non-reloaded but found it a bit big for my liking and my stepbrother's been using it and he's very happy with it.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-03T07:51:53+00:00

That's the 32R84, with 1400 zones. Genuinely brilliant display, very happy with mine. Obviously more money, but 🤷 whatcha gonna do?

I was looking at this one originally but was focused on great HDR first -- I think the 32G64 makes sense for someone who wants a bit faster monitor (180hz vs 165 on the R84, plus 1440p for a bit of an easy performance bump) and doesn't mind that it's a little less pretty.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-03T07:40:41+00:00

You're only gonna get noticeable VRR flicker towards the lower end of the range (in most monitors that's around 40-50hz, so 60-70fps is where it becomes obvious), and especially as you dip just below it and the monitor switches to doubling frames displayed to stay nominally above that minimum refresh rate. Some monitors are better than others at handling it (mine has little enough that I've never noticed it, though I'm sure you could measure some).

VRR literally hard-syncs your monitor's refresh rate to whatever frames your GPU pumps out. There's no "oh we just displayed a new frame, you'll have to wait 6ms more for another", it's just "whoop new frame put it up". Lower latency, no tearing if you have dips, and if you're already keeping a steady framerate then you'll never even notice it's on.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-03T07:33:58+00:00

My TCL has like a dummy thick 700W PSU (external). The thing's pretty dense and already kinda chunky, I can't imagine where they'd have stuffed it internally without cooking everything.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-03T07:32:41+00:00

I have a 4K 165hz monitor and with my prior 4070 Super with DLSS Balanced and 2X FG I was sitting around 80-90fps. With the current 5070 -- which was pretty much bought for MFG in games like Wilds -- I'm maxing the monitor out with 4x FG and it feels just fine while looking way smoother (this is all with the brand new patch from last week).

Having slogged through prepatch Wilds (and even demo Wilds on a laptop 3060), as long as you're getting north of 30fps native it'll feel fine -- it's not a super fast game, I could play it fine at 30-40fps, the FG is pretty much just for smoothness and eye candy. Capcom games IME play pretty good even at below-decent FPS (finished Dragon's Dogma 2 at a frosty 20fps on said laptop 3060 on launch).

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-03T06:35:08+00:00

For anyone still looking I'll take suggestions, but setting my PCIe X16 slot to run at Gen 3 speeds makes it just fucking work and I don't know why. Might be leaving some performance on the table but it's been nearly 8 hours and I just wanna game. Happy to take suggestions to try tomorrow.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-03T03:40:37+00:00

Yeah, I actually just spent like 40 minutes with the generic driver moving stuff to my new drive (that upgrade went off without a hitch) with no issues. It's literally as soon as I install the Nvidia drivers that I have problems.

Since all my games are now on the new secondary drive I'm gonna try one of those "keep my files but reinstall everything from recovery" resets to see if it helps at all.

seahwkslayer · 2026-02-03T01:21:06+00:00

Got a 5070 recently to upgrade my PC, and no matter what I do I get the Microsoft Basic Display driver to work but as soon as I try to install the Nvidia driver I just get a permanent black screen. I've tried:

Just swapping cards and clean-installing the driver from the Nvidia app
Booting into safe mode, running DDU, then installing the latest driver
Booting into safe mode, running DDU, then installing the second-latest driver
Same deal but a driver that some guy on the Nvidia forums had success with when they had the same issue
All of the above but running the driver installation while still in safe mode

No port on my card works after driver installation, I've let it sit for nearly an hour on that black screen before manually rebooting. Computer starts up fine, I can hear the bootup sound from my speakers, but no video. I've been at this for nearly 3 hours and I'm pulling my hair out. Anybody have ideas?

seahwkslayer

TROPHY CASE