Safe to use 144 Hz monitor with a second 60 Hz monitor?

So I'm interested in buying this monitor.

However, doing some research on Gsync monitors led me to find a bunch of threads of people using 144 Hz gsync monitors with standard 60 Hz monitors. They all had the same problem of experiencing video lag or stuttering while playing a game on the 144Hz monitor while displaying something animated on the secondary monitor, whether it be youtube, twitch, or even discord. Its not clear if this is because of G-sync, the difference in refresh rates, or a certain windows 10 update.

If I were to buy a new monitor, I would definitely want to use one of my old 1080p 60Hz monitors as a secondary for youtube and discord. Can anyone confirm if this issue is still around? All of the complaints I found seem to be from a year ago or more, so I'm hoping it's been patched if it was a widespread thing. Any insight is welcome.

First off: get the Predator, it's a great monitor (I own the 271HU and HK, which is the 4k GSync in the same product line).

Second: the microstutters are a noted issue that NVidia has been seeking to resolve in recent hotfix drivers - you might notice a lower incidence rate of problems with stutter after installing it (I did.) I'll say that borderless gaming still hasn't been as good as it used to be before the last few Win10 updates (I'm no longer able to get above 60hz refresh rates in games that still support that no problem in fullscreen mode), but I also no longer see jank or judder when running borderless fullscreen.

I don't use a second monitor with mine, but a friend of mine does. He does have some issues every now and then where a game will just stop displaying the 144hz and revert to 60hz. It usually seems to work fine for him though. I'm thinking he said restarting may cause it? But yeah I think this issue does still exist, but I'm not 100%.

I have a 240hz G-sync and a 60hz 4K monitor and have no problems at all. Both are using DisplayPort so I can’t speak to HDMI though. I sometimes have a Twitch stream on while playing Overwatch and it doesn’t cause any issues.

I’ve never run into this issue before.

Yup. I was going crazy when I first ran my setup and noticed it. There is microstutter that is evident in game when playing video on the second monitor. Id the second monitor isn’t playing there is no microstutter. At one point I thought the problem was someone solved by turning monitors and pc on in specific order but I think it was just placebo.

It doesn’t help that a lot of games that have a setting for “fullscreen,” are not actually exclusive fullscreen but borderless fullscreen and people may have gaync set to activate for only exclusive fullscreen games. So they have no microstutter and think gsync is active causw they think their game is “fullscreen,” but really the only reason there’s no microstutter is cause the game is technically in borderless fullscreen and gsync isn’t working.

Anyway, yes, the setup your describing can have problems with gsync if you play games with a video playing on the second monitor.

Yes, I experience the same thing on Windows 7. It's not necessarily with playing video on the other screen, as it also happens when there is a notification of an incoming Skype message, or some websites with media-heavy content. I suspect it has something to do with programs trying to sync something to the 60Hz display which is then blocking the refresh on the G-Sync monitor. Closing the website or clearing the Skype notification makes it fast again.

I sometimes have this issue but it very much depends on the game I am playing. Most games are fine but I have been playing a lot of WOW recently and that causes really bad stuttering on the 60hz display showing a video while I'm playing WOW on my gsync 144hz display. I think it's down to WOW no longer having a true full screen option.

I don't have a G-sync 144hz but on my non-g-sync one, I've never noticed an issue with my other monitors. Both of which are 60hz and I'm running Windows 10

i get weird stutter when playing a youtube video from time to time on my 60 hz monitor when gsync is turned on, on my 166hz gsync monitor, most of the time a refresh will fix the problem.

Thanks for the replies. It sounds like this is more manageable than it first seemed. Although for $600, should I really have to put up with this? I do have multiple display ports on my video card so I'm curious to try @drzing's suggestion.

I have a 1440p 144hz gsync monitor and a 4K 60hz monitor, never had any issues. I regularly watch youtube videos/netflix on my second monitor while gaming on my gsync monitor.

@mobiusfun: If the microstutter bothers you, or you ever do encounter any other issues while gaming, fix is as easy as disabling the secondary monitor while gaming.

@flashflood_29: That's a tough compromise for me to make. I've grown too fond of having multiple monitors.

@ateatree Thanks for pointing out those patch notes. Its reassuring that Nvidia is at least still working to fix this.

Alright, I think I'll take a chance on this monitor then. Thanks everyone!

I will also second DrZing's advice that 2x DisplayPort is probably the best setup for multiple monitors these days, especially since most monitors use older HDMI ports which limit their usefulness when used with a high-end monitor.

No, you're gonna DIE!

@dan_citi: I will die, but not before I become one of those assholes that thinks 60fps isn't enough!

@mobiusfun: it isn't enough "I NEED MORE FRAMES!"

@mobiusfun: I'll just chime in as someone else who does have this issue.

Main Monitor: Asus ROG Swift PG278QR (1440p 165hz)
Secondary Monitor: 1080p 60hz
Windows 7 Ultimate

Not only do I get the microstutter or the framerate tanking (way more than when I had two 60hz monitors) when I put something else on the second monitor, but often when I try to click and drag something from the main monitor to the second one while also playing a game on the main monitor, the window I'm dragging will freeze as soon as it tries to start drawing it on the second monitor. It doesn't seem to be related to video or high-usage applications on the second monitor, but even things like Chrome or Discord or a Steam chat window will cause it as well.