When you move your mouse or camera in a fast-paced game, the image on your screen can become a smeary, blurry mess. That effect is motion blur, and it is not the artistic kind that game developers add for cinematic feel. It is a physical limitation of how your monitor displays moving content. The good news is that you can reduce this blur significantly by understanding two key concepts: response time and overdrive. This article explains what motion blur actually is, how overdrive settings work, and how to configure your monitor for the smoothest possible gaming experience. We will also look at practical recommendations for monitors available at retailers like Lazada Singapore, Shopee SG, Courts, and Harvey Norman.

If you are shopping for a new display, our complete guide to choosing a monitor in Singapore covers all the basics. But even if you already own a monitor, tweaking its overdrive settings can often yield noticeable improvements without spending a cent.

What Is Motion Blur on a Monitor?

Motion blur on a display is the perceived smearing or trailing that occurs when an object moves across the screen. It is different from the motion blur effect added by game engines. Monitor motion blur has two main sources:

  • Sample-and-hold blur, caused by the way LCD panels hold each frame steady until the next one arrives. Your eye tracks the moving object, but the static image stays in place, creating a blur.
  • Pixel response time, the time it takes for a pixel to change from one colour to another. If this is too slow, the pixel cannot keep up with rapid changes, producing ghosting or smearing.

Sample-and-hold blur is inherent to all LCD and even OLED monitors (though OLEDs have much faster response). It is why higher refresh rates, 120 Hz, 144 Hz, 240 Hz, appear smoother: they reduce the time each frame is held. However, even a 240 Hz monitor can show motion blur if its pixel response is too slow. That is where overdrive comes in.

Response Time and Overdrive Explained

Response time is usually advertised as a grey-to-grey (GtG) figure in milliseconds. A 1 ms GtG response time means the pixel can shift from one shade of grey to another in 1 ms. In practice, real-world response times vary depending on the colour transition. The response time guide on our site explains this in more detail.

Overdrive (sometimes called OD, Response Time Overdrive, or Trace Free on ASUS monitors) is a technology that applies extra voltage to the liquid crystals to force them to switch faster. This reduces the time a pixel takes to reach its target colour, thereby reducing ghosting. However, too much overdrive can cause a different artifact: overshoot or inverse ghosting, where the pixel overshoots its target and then corrects itself, creating a bright trail behind moving objects.

Most monitors offer several overdrive levels, usually labelled something like Off, Normal, High, and Extreme. The optimal setting depends on the panel type and the refresh rate you are running.

How Overdrive Settings Work

Modern monitors use a lookup table that applies different voltage boosts depending on the starting and ending colour. For example, a transition from dark grey to light grey might need a different boost than from black to white. Higher overdrive levels apply a stronger voltage, which can speed up slow transitions but may overshoot on fast ones. The goal is to find the level where ghosting is minimised without visible overshoot.

You can test this yourself using online tools like UFO Test (testufo.com) or the built-in ghosting test in many monitors. Simply set your monitor to each overdrive level and observe the moving UFO pattern. The ideal setting will show the sharpest image with minimal trailing.

Panel Types and Their Overdrive Behaviour

Not all LCD panels respond to overdrive the same way. The three main types, TN, VA, and IPS, have different strengths and weaknesses.

TN (Twisted Nematic)

TN panels are the fastest in terms of native response time. Many modern TN panels achieve 1 ms GtG without overdrive. Overdrive on a TN panel is usually mild, and overshoot is rare. However, TN panels suffer from poor viewing angles and washed-out colours. They are still popular among competitive esports players who prioritise speed over image quality. Our TN panel pros and cons article covers this in depth.

VA (Vertical Alignment)

VA panels offer excellent contrast (3000:1 typical) but have slower response times, especially in dark transitions. A VA pixel moving from black to dark grey can take 10-20 ms without overdrive. Overdrive helps, but VA panels are prone to overshoot if pushed too high. Many VA monitors show noticeable black smearing in dark scenes. The Samsung Odyssey G7 (27-inch, 240 Hz) was one of the first VA monitors to largely solve this, but most budget VA panels still struggle. For more detail, read our VA panel pros and cons.

IPS (In-Plane Switching)

IPS panels have improved drastically. Modern Fast IPS panels (e.g., LG Nano IPS, AUO Fast IPS) achieve 1-4 ms GtG. Overdrive on IPS is generally well-behaved, though overshoot can appear at the highest setting. IPS offers better colour accuracy and wider viewing angles than TN, making it a good all-rounder for gaming and productivity. Our IPS vs VA vs TN vs OLED comparison can help you decide.

OLED

OLED monitors are in a league of their own. Each pixel emits its own light and can switch on/off in under 0.1 ms. Overdrive is not needed because response time is effectively instantaneous. However, OLEDs can still exhibit sample-and-hold blur; they rely on very high refresh rates (120 Hz, 240 Hz) and sometimes black frame insertion (BFI) to reduce it. OLED panels are expensive, a 27-inch 1440p OLED model from LG or ASUS costs around S$1,200 to S$1,800 in Singapore, but they offer the best motion clarity.

Refresh Rate vs Response Time: Which Matters More?

Both refresh rate and response time affect motion clarity, but they address different parts of the problem. Refresh rate determines how many frames per second the monitor can display. A higher refresh rate reduces sample-and-hold blur by shortening the time each frame is held. Response time determines how quickly pixels can change to the next frame. If response time is slower than the frame interval (e.g., 8 ms response at 144 Hz, which has a 6.94 ms interval), you will see ghosting.

Our refresh rate explained guide breaks this down further. In short, you want both: a high refresh rate (at least 120 Hz for gaming) and a fast response time (5 ms or lower). Overdrive helps the latter.

How to Adjust Overdrive on Your Monitor

Every monitor brand uses different naming for overdrive. Here is a quick reference for common brands available in Singapore:

  • ASUS, Trace Free (0 to 100). 60-80 is usually optimal; 100 often causes overshoot.
  • LG, Response Time (Off, Normal, Fast, Faster). Faster can cause overshoot; Fast is often best.
  • Samsung, Response Time (Standard, Faster, Fastest). Fastest may overshoot; Faster is typical.
  • Dell, Response Time (Normal, Fast, Extreme). Extreme often overshoots; Fast is recommended.
  • Acer / Predator, Overdrive (Normal, Fast, Extreme). Fast is usually the sweet spot.
  • BenQ, AMA (Advanced Motion Accelerator), High or Premium. Premium can overshoot; High is safer.

To adjust, navigate to your monitor’s on-screen display (OSD) menu. Look for a section called “Game”, “Response Time”, or “Overdrive”. Change the setting while running a motion test (like UFO Test) to find the level where ghosting is minimal but no bright coronas appear around moving objects.

Other Technologies That Reduce Motion Blur

Overdrive is not the only tool. Many gaming monitors also offer black frame insertion (BFI) or backlight strobing. These technologies flash the backlight between frames, effectively reducing sample-and-hold blur. Examples include:

  • ULMB (Ultra Low Motion Blur), NVIDIA’s backlight strobing, available on some G-Sync monitors.
  • ELMB (Extreme Low Motion Blur), ASUS’s version.
  • DyAc (Dynamic Accuracy), BenQ’s implementation.
  • VRB (Visual Response Boost), Acer’s backlight strobing.

BFI can dramatically reduce motion blur, but it usually reduces brightness and can introduce flicker. It also cannot be used simultaneously with variable refresh rate (VRR) like G-Sync or FreeSync on most monitors. If you play competitive shooters at a stable high frame rate, BFI can be a great addition. For variable frame rates, overdrive is the more practical solution.

Practical Recommendations for Smooth Gaming in Singapore

Here are some monitor models available at Singapore retailers that offer good overdrive performance and motion clarity:

  • ASUS ROG Swift PG279QM (27-inch, 2560x1440, 240 Hz, Fast IPS), S$1,099 at Lazada. Overdrive setting at 60-80 yields excellent motion clarity.
  • LG 27GP850-B (27-inch, 2560x1440, 165 Hz, Nano IPS), S$599 at Courts. Set Response Time to Fast.
  • Samsung Odyssey G7 (LC27G75T) (27-inch, 2560x1440, 240 Hz, VA), S$799 at Harvey Norman. Set Response Time to Faster.
  • BenQ Zowie XL2546K (24.5-inch, 1920x1080, 240 Hz, TN), S$599 at Shopee SG. AMA High is optimal.
  • Dell S2722DGM (27-inch, 2560x1440, 165 Hz, VA), S$399 at Dell Official Store. Set Response Time to Fast.

Before buying, check our gaming monitor buying guide for more options. Also consider the resolution guide to match your GPU’s capabilities.

Common Overdrive Pitfalls

Even with the best intentions, you can run into problems. Here are three scenarios to watch out for:

  1. Overshoot at high overdrive, If you see bright coronas or inverse ghosting, dial the overdrive down one notch.
  2. Overdrive not working at low refresh rates, Some monitors disable overdrive below a certain frame rate. If you are running 60 Hz, overdrive may have no effect. Check your refresh rate setting in Windows or the OSD.
  3. Variable refresh rate (VRR) interference, G-Sync or FreeSync can sometimes interact poorly with overdrive. On some monitors, overdrive behaviour changes when VRR is active. Test your overdrive setting both with and without VRR enabled to see which gives the best result.

If you are unsure about your monitor’s capabilities, our monitor warranty comparison can help you understand your coverage before making adjustments.

Conclusion

Motion blur is not inevitable. By understanding the relationship between response time, refresh rate, and overdrive, you can significantly sharpen moving images on your screen. Start by setting your monitor’s overdrive to a moderate level and test with a motion test pattern. Adjust until you find the balance where ghosting is reduced without introducing overshoot. For most modern IPS and TN panels, the second-highest overdrive setting is the sweet spot. For VA panels, be more conservative. If you are shopping for a new monitor, prioritise models with fast pixel response and a well-tuned overdrive implementation. And if you have the budget, OLED offers the best motion clarity currently available. For further reading, check out our complete guide to choosing a monitor in Singapore.

Related articles

  • What Is Response Time?
  • Refresh Rate Explained
  • IPS vs VA vs TN vs OLED
  • Gaming Monitor Buying Guide
  • The Complete Guide to Choosing a Monitor in Singapore
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