The huge PAX Prime gaming event is being held this weekend, and Dell seized the occasion to reveal a new addition in its hardware lineup: Its first-ever dedicated gaming monitor, the 27-inch Dell S2716DG. That alone would be newsworthy enough, but one tidbit really caught the attention of PC enthusiasts on the web. Dell claimed the S2716DG packs Nvidia’s “G-Sync Gen II” technology.
What magic is this? Nvidia’s never announced a follow-up to its sublime G-Sync game-smoothing solution. There’s a reason for that: It doesn’t exist.
When PCWorld emailed for comment, Nvidia’s Bryan Del Rizzo said “No, it’s not [accurate]. There is no version 2.”
Shucks. And here I was getting all excited.
Update: To clarify, Nvidia pulled a Microsoft here. “G-Sync” was also the name of an older Quadro option card that had nothing whatsoever to do with the stutter-killing display technology of today. The Dell blog post apparently confused the two, but has since been updated to include the correct information.
There’s still plenty to get excited about in the Dell S2716DG, though. It still supports G-Sync, just the G-Sync we’re already familiar with, and G-Sync can make PC games buttery-smooth for owners of Nvidia graphics cards. The S2716DG rocks a 2560×1440 resolution display humming at a stellar 144Hz with 1ms response times. You also can use the monitor’s tilt, pivot, and swivel options as well as its height-adjustable stand to get the viewing angles just right.
Dell’s post doesn’t mention whether the monitor’s using a TN or IPS panel, however.
Connectivity-wise, it rocks a single DisplayPort 1.2 connection (required to use G-Sync), HDMI 1.4a, four USB 3.0 ports, USB upstream, and both headphone- and audio-out. Look for it to hit the streets on October 20 for $800—just not with G-Sync Gen II.