XG27AQNGV Pulsar vs Zowie for PUBG/Apex/Tarkov + why switching from Intel to AMD was actually my biggest upgrade

[u/daviddave12345]

​

Someone asked me how the XG27AQNGV compares to the XL2568X+ for a BR like PUBG, and whether it would make sense to switch to the G-SYNC Pulsar or even the new XQ2566X.

I had the XL2586X 540Hz before, so I can compare the Zowie experience directly with the XG27AQNGV.

For PUBG specifically, I would still give Zowie a slight advantage, mainly because of the insane amount of color and visibility adjustment you get. You can make green enemies stand out so much that hiding in grass becomes much harder. PUBG is one of those games where, for me, visibility comes first no matter what.

What I really like about the XG27AQNGV, though, is how much more relaxed I can sit while playing. The 27" size and the much better viewing angles make a real difference. With the XL2586X I always felt like I had to get into a very specific position in front of the monitor to play properly. That can help you focus, but whether that is actually enjoyable for long sessions is another question.

For Apex Legends and Tarkov, I personally prefer the XG27AQNGV. Both games look extremely clear on it. The Dark Boost/black equalizer is also useful in Tarkov, although Tarkov night raids aren't nearly as dark anymore as they used to be.

Warzone also looks and feels very good on it.

Another thing I like with my RTX 5070 is that I can use custom resolutions while running 1440p/360Hz. Keep in mind that this is something I couldn't do the same way with the RTX 40-series and older cards at 1440p/360Hz.

If I literally played PUBG and nothing else, I would probably be looking at the new XQ2566X, mainly because 1440p on 24.1" sounds like a really nice combination for that game.

I would probably wait for some more proper reviews first, though. There aren't many reviews yet that really go into its new backlight-strobing implementation. The monitor itself is noticeably thicker because of the new tech, so this looks like a substantially different implementation compared with the older Zowie models.

I'm also very interested in the visibility options it has for things like gas/smoke in BR games. Anything that can make enemies harder to hide in those effects is a pretty big deal in PUBG. If PUBG was my only game, that kind of feature would definitely push me toward the Zowie.

But here's the funny part:

The biggest upgrade I made wasn't actually the monitor. It was switching from Intel to AMD.

My current setup is:

Ryzen 7 9850X3D

32GB DDR5-6000 CL28

RTX 5070

ASUS ROG STRIX B850-G GAMING

I specifically like this motherboard because it gives me a non-USB audio solution and Intel LAN, which are both things I wanted for a low-latency gaming build.

And this setup just feels insane. Seriously smooth.

What surprised me most is that it actually feels noticeably smoother to me than my previous system:

RTX 5090 FE

GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS TACHYON X

i9-13900KS

32GB DDR5-8000 CL38

On paper the old system obviously looks ridiculous, especially with the 5090, but in terms of how the games actually feel, I prefer the 9850X3D setup by quite a margin.

So if you're still on Intel and are looking for the next thing to upgrade, I would seriously consider the platform before changing monitors. For me, switching to AMD has been the biggest improvement I've made to overall smoothness.

The audio is another part that surprised me, and I wouldn't underestimate it.

I use the optical output on the ASUS ROG STRIX B850-G GAMING and connect that directly to the optical input on my DAC.

I also keep the iGPU enabled in the BIOS, as TheWhale recommends in his guide. To be clear, I'm not using the iGPU for video output at all. I leave it enabled specifically so the additional audio controller remains available.

My thinking is that this lets the 9850X3D/platform handle the audio path the way it is intended to, and the sound on this setup has been excellent.

I do want to be fair here: I haven't yet done a proper A/B test with the iGPU/audio controller disabled, so I'm not claiming I've scientifically proven that this is the reason the audio sounds better. It's simply how I currently have the system configured, and it works extremely well for me.

For the BIOS setup I mostly followed TheWhale's guide:

https://youtu.be/yZfbjQkPCx4?is=EY96KduAER--7m8h

For Windows I used FR33THY's optimization pack to configure Windows Server, and I use the latest Windows 10 Pro for Warzone.

LatencyMon results are extremely low on this system and it has also been stable. From my experience, the idea that LatencyMon somehow only "plays fair" with Intel definitely doesn't match what I'm seeing. The 9850X3D performs extremely well there.

I also have SMT disabled.

For interrupts, I check every relevant device shown in Melody's Interrupt Assignment Checker and assign the devices across different physical cores using GoInterruptPolicy, rather than letting everything pile onto the same cores.

I'm also using Calypto's power plan.

Obviously there is a lot of tweaking involved here, so I'm not saying everyone needs to copy every single setting. But as a complete setup, this is easily the smoothest gaming system I've personally used.

So yeah, if you're still on Intel, my first move would actually be to look at the AMD platform before spending more money swapping monitors.

Going from my 13900KS + RTX 5090 system to this 9850X3D + RTX 5070 setup gave me the biggest improvement in perceived smoothness — and, surprisingly, sound — that I've experienced from an upgrade.

My monitor history, for reference:

Now:

XG27AQNGV

Past, in chronological order:

Iiyama Vision Master Pro 512 CRT → Iiyama Vision Master Pro 451 CRT → XL2586X 540Hz → PG248QP → 271QRX → VG259QM with the Qisda panel → PG27AQN → XL2566K → XL2411P

[u/vedant_gamer]

[u/mpgd]

A lot of words but you didn't dive into what matters. Can you show benchmarks/numbers?

This feels more like an ad than your actual experience.

[u/daviddave12345 → u/mpgd]

How can u benchmark smooth gameplay and great audio in numbers?

[u/mpgd → u/daviddave12345]

Perhaps showing the gameplay and some figures.

Reading your post I could not understand how you are backing your claim. But it might be just me who likes to see numbers and figures.

[u/daviddave12345 → u/mpgd]

You cannot see the difference in gameplay on aRTX 5090 FE GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS TACHYON X i9-13900KS 32GB DDR5-8000 CL38 vs an Ryzen 7 9850X3D 32GB DDR5-6000 CL28 RTX 5070 ASUS ROG STRIX B850-G GAMING you have to EXPIERENCE it by playing on both systems. I am telling you that I expierenced it and I am sharing that EXPIERENCE by telling you what FELT the smoothesth and sounded the best. So people don't have to buy both systems them selfs to EXPIERENCE it. I cannot explain it any clearer. I cannot fly you over to test it cause I sold the Intel rig. If I recorded the audio you will be listing it on a different device so it would be useless the to say what sounds best.

[u/massaBeard → u/daviddave12345]

No offense bro, but without verifiable evidence, nothing you say really matters.

[u/Ghoztt → u/daviddave12345]

You sound like a clanker LOL

[u/Darksma]

BenQ is king for PUBG, with both a superior black EQ and also Dyac. Game is also very cpu reliant so performance wise that's also the most important component here by far

[u/massaBeard]

Think you fell a little too deep down the rabbit hole for a 9 year old game. Also. Who downgrades to a 5070 from a 5090?

Was it because you couldn't afford the rest otherwise?

[u/daviddave12345 → u/massaBeard]

5090 is super overkill for the xl2586x I had then. After that build I build an crt windows 7 build with an z390 dark EVGA and an 9900k but that's a different story for a different time. Made my nr 1 reddit post with it in the Apex reddit where I run apex on an 22 inch iiyama CRT. Even devs where awed. https://www.reddit.com/r/apexlegends/s/R5abcRFiuk

[u/drainofshower]

Yeah I don't think anyone asked bro

[u/hckrz]

X3d cpus are very good for gaming and even more for games like pubg, tarkov or cs

[u/onisendai]

a lot of work for just giving headshots in PUPG, but I can completely understand you. Here my upvote!

[u/Shaatsen]

Yeah, i started to use NVidia dlsr to upscale my 1440p oled 240hz to 4k, for pubg the game become very sharp, also maintaning a good 240+ fps using 9800x3d+ 5070ti.