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shadowbird423

macrumors 6502
Sep 8, 2009
297
156
Chapel Hill
But this 120Hz seems a bit misleading for me now
If the screen is 120Hz but there is a huge delay between two updates, that kills completely the purpose of having a 120Hz screen no? What's the added value over a 60Hz with a faster refresh rate?

Idk enough to answer your question (which makes a lot of sense ) but hopefully someone will.

Interesting! Looks like the higher refresh rate does affect the response time, quite a bit.

Alright, let’s clear some things up since people are using terms interchangeably here.

Refresh rate just refers to the number of times the screen updates per second, that’s it. The number contains no information on how fast it does it. Response time dictates how quickly a screen goes from one frame to the next and is directly tied to refresh rate (1 sec /60 frames = 16.6ms, 1 sec / 120 frames = 8.3ms and so on). Any additional delay in displaying an image is either caused by input lag from the display or post processing. Crucially, said delay moves the entire image sequence back by that amount from when the signal is first sent.

Now that that’s cleared up, let’s talk about the lag on these displays. Basically, there being so much does remove a lot of the benefit of having such a fast display. Sure, the screen refreshes 120 times a second but it starts doing so significantly later than any other screen in its class. Honestly, I’m not aware of a display with more than this. Poor specifications can also cause the smearing that people are seeing due to the G2G zone taking a while to clear but that’s a slightly more minor problem than the general lag IMO.

It’s like selling customers a Ferrari but saying “it takes a full second to go after you hit the gas” in a world where no other car works that way. People who just drive theirs down Rodeo Drive won’t care but Apple has made some serious claims about this display. They need to be honest about the drawbacks.
 

Love-hate 🍏 relationship

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Sep 19, 2021
3,057
3,235
Alright, let’s clear some things up since people are using terms interchangeably here.

Refresh rate just refers to the number of times the screen updates per second, that’s it. The number contains no information on how fast it does it. Response time dictates how quickly a screen goes from one frame to the next and is directly tied to refresh rate (1 sec /60 frames = 16.6ms, 1 sec / 120 frames = 8.3ms and so on). Any additional delay in displaying an image is either caused by input lag from the display or post processing. Crucially, said delay moves the entire image sequence back by that amount from when the signal is first sent.

Now that that’s cleared up, let’s talk about the lag on these displays. Basically, there being so much does remove a lot of the benefit of having such a fast display. Sure, the screen refreshes 120 times a second but it starts doing so significantly later than any other screen in its class. Honestly, I’m not aware of a display with more than this. Poor specifications can also cause the smearing that people are seeing due to the G2G zone taking a while to clear but that’s a slightly more minor problem than the general lag IMO.

It’s like selling customers a Ferrari but saying “it takes a full second to go after you hit the gas” in a world where no other car works that way. People who just drive theirs down Rodeo Drive won’t care but Apple has made some serious claims about this display. They need to be honest about the drawbacks.
Thanks for the explanation

So you believe that the new 27 and 32 displays will be faster panels (at least sth decent !) Given it's LG that manufactures them ?

I just don't rly get why apple does that on all devices.i mean it's not new,ipad with pro motion,or Mac and ipad with 60hz always had horrendous response times.why? To cut cost ?
 

shadowbird423

macrumors 6502
Sep 8, 2009
297
156
Chapel Hill
Thanks for the explanation

So you believe that the new 27 and 32 displays will be faster panels (at least sth decent !) Given it's LG that manufactures them ?

I just don't rly get why apple does that on all devices.i mean it's not new,ipad with pro motion,or Mac and ipad with 60hz always had horrendous response times.why? To cut cost ?

Probably not. Contrary to what was said earlier in the thread TVs are often slower than monitors because they do a lot more image processing (total input lag of ~50ms outside of gaming modes, which turn all this off). These days a slow external monitor has around 15-20ms of delay. The fastest monitor I have has an (actual, measured) delay of 5ms. Apple will likely make the the processing tradeoff again because no mainstream news outlet called them out for these screens. The likely logic is that a beautiful display will sell better than a faster one, and I can’t say they’re strictly wrong about that.
 

Love-hate 🍏 relationship

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Sep 19, 2021
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Probably not. Contrary to what was said earlier in the thread TVs are often slower than monitors because they do a lot more image processing (total input lag of ~50ms outside of gaming modes, which turn all this off). These days a slow external monitor has around 15-20ms of delay. The fastest monitor I have has an (actual, measured) delay of 5ms. Apple will likely make the the processing tradeoff again because no mainstream news outlet called them out for these screens. The likely logic is that a beautiful display will sell better than a faster one, and I can’t say they’re strictly wrong about that.
Again,why? What's the point ?

And like ,15-20ms is more okay than 50-100ms ...
 

Sanpete

macrumors 68040
Nov 17, 2016
3,695
1,665
Utah
Alright, let’s clear some things up since people are using terms interchangeably here.

Refresh rate just refers to the number of times the screen updates per second, that’s it. The number contains no information on how fast it does it. Response time dictates how quickly a screen goes from one frame to the next and is directly tied to refresh rate (1 sec /60 frames = 16.6ms, 1 sec / 120 frames = 8.3ms and so on). Any additional delay in displaying an image is either caused by input lag from the display or post processing. Crucially, said delay moves the entire image sequence back by that amount from when the signal is first sent.
I don't see anyone using the terms interchangeably.

Response time is the time it takes for changes to be made, i.e. for one color to change to another, and isn't necessarily tied to the refresh rate. It can be longer than the time between frame refreshes, as it for the MBP. It's not caused by input lag or processing delays but is measured from the time a change starts to the time it's completed.
 
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shadowbird423

macrumors 6502
Sep 8, 2009
297
156
Chapel Hill
I don't see anyone using the terms interchangeably.

Response time is the time it takes for changes to be made, i.e. for one color to change to another, and isn't necessarily tied to the refresh rate. It can be longer than the time between frame refreshes, as it for the MBP. It's not caused by input lag or processing delays but is measured from the time a change starts to the time it's completed.

Sorry, I know better than that. I have a monitor sitting on my desk that can do 60hz with a response time of 4.15ms (which is quite nice for retro consoles). That’s what I get for commenting before coffee.

However, wouldn’t Apple argue that those artifacts shouldn’t be counted when measuring the response time of the display? Most manufacturers avoid stating white to black or really anything to black for this reason.
 

Sanpete

macrumors 68040
Nov 17, 2016
3,695
1,665
Utah
However, wouldn’t Apple argue that those artifacts shouldn’t be counted when measuring the response time of the display? Most manufacturers avoid stating white to black or really anything to black for this reason.
Manufacturers with good response times are more likely to give them than others, I imagine. I haven't seen Apple address this, so I don't know what their official take on it is. It's been like this for years, though. The slow response time could possibly be a tradeoff for energy efficiency, or cost, or even color accuracy or some other virtue of these screens, but I haven't seen any good evidence for any particular theory.
 
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shadowbird423

macrumors 6502
Sep 8, 2009
297
156
Chapel Hill
Again,why? What's the point ?

And like ,15-20ms is more okay than 50-100ms ...
The problem is that normal laptops come in around 20ms already and apple was happy to ship this like they did. I can easily see them deciding to prioritize their processing/cutting cost on timing controllers etc.
Manufacturers with good response times are more likely to give them than others, I imagine. I haven't seen Apple address this, so I don't know what their official take on it is. It's been like this for years, though. The slow response time could possibly be a tradeoff for energy efficiency, or cost, or even color accuracy or some other virtue of these screens, but I haven't seen any good evidence for any particular theory.
All of them quote the BS 1ms g2g spec, pretty much as a rule. IPS panels have problems with black transition (at least compared to other more modern tech). Even with the monitor that I mentioned I just purchased which is class leading in terms of motion blur/lag they just quote 1ms g2g instead of w2b or a real world average. You really have to wait for competent reviewers (ie. a display blog not a tech blog) to figure out the real values unfortunately.
 

MrHollywood

macrumors newbie
Nov 7, 2016
8
1
late to the party, but my display on the M1 Pro MacBook Pro feels very fast. I also have a 165hz display for the pc with 1ms input lag, and it feels as good as that.
 

Rix__Mix

macrumors newbie
Jan 24, 2023
21
39
I got my M2 Pro 14" MBP last week. I can definitely see the slow response time. What doesn't particularly help is my Mac Mini is connected to an OLED display, which has a blazingly fast response time in comparison.

I'll be honest, I'm a bit shocked by how slow the MBP display is. This is my first Macbook and I really thought Apple prided themselves on having decent displays. The ghosting / slow response almost nagiates the 120hz refresh rate.
 
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MBAir2010

macrumors 604
May 30, 2018
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there
I got my M2 Pro 14" MBP last week. I can definitely see the slow response time. What doesn't particularly help is my Mac Mini is connected to an OLED display, which has a blazingly fast response time in comparison.

I'll be honest, I'm a bit shocked by how slow the MBP display is. This is my first Macbook and I really thought Apple prided themselves on having decent displays. The ghosting / slow response almost nagiates the 120hz refresh rate.
these MacBooks are supposed to be lightning fast, my MBAir 2020 M1 is very quick!
perhaps yours high have a defect or something that is not right like USB ports or external Displays something
that could be effecting the MBP
does everything work as the mini just with nothing attached?
if not I would contact  or stop by a store,
they are still honorable and will try to fix the macbook

hoped this helped!
 

Rix__Mix

macrumors newbie
Jan 24, 2023
21
39
these MacBooks are supposed to be lightning fast, my MBAir 2020 M1 is very quick!
perhaps yours high have a defect or something that is not right like USB ports or external Displays something
that could be effecting the MBP
does everything work as the mini just with nothing attached?
if not I would contact  or stop by a store,
they are still honorable and will try to fix the macbook

hoped this helped!

Ah no, no. The device itself is blazing fast, there's nothing wrong with the speed of the device. When I say the response time, I'm taking about the display on the MBP. The response time from turning a pixel from black to white. This is what is slow.
 

MBAir2010

macrumors 604
May 30, 2018
6,975
6,354
there
Ah no, no. The device itself is blazing fast, there's nothing wrong with the speed of the device. When I say the response time, I'm taking about the display on the MBP. The response time from turning a pixel from black to white. This is what is slow.
your MacBook Pro Display?
 
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jabbr

macrumors 6502
Apr 15, 2012
387
295
the 120Hz is still noticeable on these slower panels. Just switch the display to 60Hz and it's pretty obvious that 120Hz looks and feels better.

I've read (but have no idea if it's true) that the poor pixel response is a consequence of Apple tuning the panel for better color accuracy / wider gamut.
 
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