G751 (980m) Display Port (TB) 1.2 SST Support @ 4k?

[joshindaphils]

Just wondering if anyone has a 4k monitor that utilizes SST in use with their G751.

I know technically this should not be a concern. I am getting ready to fork over for a Philips BDM4065UC - 40" 4K monitor. Return policies / consumer protection laws are practically non existent here in the Philippines, so it would make me feel much better about the purchase if someone could confirm everything works as expected from personal experience.

Many thanks -Josh

[Zombievac]

EDIT: Ok, I now know what you mean by SST. I believe that monitor does, read the user reviews, but...

Out of curiosity, if you're gaming, which you should be with this laptop... why not go for a G-sync monitor if you're going to spend that much money? You can get a 1440p IPS-panel with G-sync (Acer), and 1440p is much more appropriate for gaming anyway (unless you want to sacrifice a lot of graphical fidelity for extreme resolution).

If you haven't tried G-sync, well, it's worth it but you have to see it in person, unfortunately. You can use the hacked drivers mentioned elsewhere on this forum to try g-sync in most of its glory on the G751's built in display, actually! But it's not real g-sync, as it still gets "blackouts" when your framerate dips below 25 FPS or so.

[joshindaphils]

Zombievac wrote:
EDIT: Ok, I now know what you mean by SST. I believe that monitor does, read the user reviews, but...

Out of curiosity, if you're gaming, which you should be with this laptop... why not go for a G-sync monitor if you're going to spend that much money? You can get a 1440p IPS-panel with G-sync (Acer), and 1440p is much more appropriate for gaming anyway (unless you want to sacrifice a lot of graphical fidelity for extreme resolution).

If you haven't tried G-sync, well, it's worth it but you have to see it in person, unfortunately. You can use the hacked drivers mentioned elsewhere on this forum to try g-sync in most of its glory on the G751's built in display, actually! But it's not real g-sync, as it still gets "blackouts" when your framerate dips below 25 FPS or so.

That monitor definitely uses SST. That is why I am looking for someone using the same 😉

While I do game, it is not what I use the laptop for primarily. For me the G751 is a mobile workstation that I can play games on.

This monitor appeals to me as it is exactly like having 4 x 20" 1080p panels w/o any bezel in the way. No need to use any DPI scaling just a crap ton of desktop real estate at native rez for productivity. A 4k monitor usable at native resolution like this Philips has exactly 2x the desktop real estate of a 1440p monitor.

As well when it come to games while playing at 1080p there will be no funny scaling as the pixels are simply doubled so everything stays crispy. For less demanding titles you can still play at 2160p For games in between and where appropriate (i.e. FPS games) you can set up a custom res to get a 21:9 ratio (or some other ratio) and get two benefits from that, higher performance from pushing fewer pixels, and a more panoramic experience. I doubt I'll miss the pixels sitting in front of a monitor nearly 3ft (1m) wide hehe.

For my needs and wants this panel is more versatile and useful. And... it is a 40" panel, that gets my inner nerd's blood flowing haha.

[joshindaphils]

So pretty sure SST is not an issue like 99.95%, but getting ready to pull the trigger. Would love some confirmation from someone -Thanks!

[joshindaphils]

So no forum love on an SST @ 4k support...

Went ahead and pulled the trigger. Will update after it arrives in case someone else goes searching for an answer.

[joshindaphils]

So just for anyone searching for the answer, yes as anticipated 4k over SST works great.

On a side note I am very impressed how the 980m stands up to gaming at these resolutions. You are most certainly not playing DA:I with everything set to max, but there a point where lower setting at 4k is nicer to my eyes then high settings at 1080p.

I would imagine this isn't the case for all games, I've only tested a few. Older titles like L.A. Noir play spectacularly at 4k with setting just dialed down a bit, it is pretty amazing coming from a laptop IMO.

[Xehanort]

joshindaphils wrote:
So just for anyone searching for the answer, yes as anticipated 4k over SST works great.

On a side note I am very impressed how the 980m stands up to gaming at these resolutions. You are most certainly not playing DA:I with everything set to max, but there a point where lower setting at 4k is nicer to my eyes then high settings at 1080p.

I would imagine this isn't the case for all games, I've only tested a few. Older titles like L.A. Noir play spectacularly at 4k with setting just dialed down a bit, it is pretty amazing coming from a laptop IMO.

That's great news, thanks for sharing.

I also plan on getting a 4K monitor, i'm undecided between Asus PB279Q and Asus ProArt PA328Q, but what is this MST and SST? What is the difference between them, and what do they do?

[joshindaphils]

Basically SST or single stream transport is how things should be. DP supports multiple stream transports... in layman's terms one DP connection can provide output to multiple displays or MST multiple stream transport.

With early 4k displays the hardware did not exist to provide 4k @ 60Hz over a single stream. So the monitor presented itself as 2 'displays' or rather used a MST connection. This was effectively a standard for early 4k displays as SST was not available...

I am still adjusting to this monster... it is truly spectacular. I was running 3 x 1080p screens, though I had to put one aside as I don't have the desk pace for it with the new monitor... however with this and the 2 other displays (including the laptop) it provides more pixels than 3 x 1440p displays and 2x the pixel count I had before. It is a remarkable environment that works because there is no need for DPI scaling, I know some love the crisp hi-dpi look, but for me 111 DPI is still crisp and you get to maximize every pixel.

I anticipate the 38-42" 4k market really heating up within the next year due to this. If you are dead set on a IPS panel it may be worthwhile to consider waiting a few more months and seeing what other panels open up in this space.

[sdfsfede]

Stick to IPS, nothing else is worth it unless you're just pure focused on gaming like a kid with no life.
IPS screen with calibration offers so much more for accuracy, colour depth, and quality in visual pleasure.

[joshindaphils]

sdfsfede wrote:
Stick to IPS, nothing else is worth it unless you're just pure focused on gaming like a kid with no life.
IPS screen with calibration offers so much more for accuracy, colour depth, and quality in visual pleasure.

Very subjective. I can't complain about this VA panel for the size, quality, and price. Some of the less appealing VA qualities are enhanced by the size and pixel count of this 40"er but I knew the drawbacks before purchasing. Like all panel tech there are plus and minuses for each. For instance this panel has very good sRGB coverage that will beat many lesser IPS panels and a contrast ratio that IPS can only dream of today, well north of 4000:1 actual.

I have IPS when I need color accuracy as I do have that need in my work flow, then I have this VA for real productivity where I can look at and work with vast swaths of code and reference material compared to well really anything else on the market.

There simply exist no well known name brand monitors (even then Philips isn't exactly known for monitors) with warranty coverage that you can comfortably run 4k w/o DPI scaling. This should change in the coming months with IPS hitting as well. These will also likely cost more when they do hit.

If I were to be as dismissive as you I would state "Buy this VA panel if you need to do real work, buy IPS for looking at pretty pictures and generally acting like an art snob." This of course would be a simplistic and wrong view even if it is applicable to some.