Can't get 60hz on 4K monitor Philips 276E8VJSB

Vlaai

Member
So I recently bought the Philips 276E8VJSB and I immediately noticed some kind of mouse lag. Later I found that the refresh rate was only 30hz.

I connected this monitor to 2 of my laptops to figure out if one of the laptops was causing the trouble, but nothing changed. So I'm not sure if both of them lack the ability to give me a 4k resolution and 60 hz at the same time...
Graphics card of laptop 1: GTX 860M (HDMI and VGA port)
Graphics card of laptop 2: Intel UHD Graphics 620 (HDMI and VGA port)

I updated the monitor drivers on both laptops, I used the standard HDMI-cable from the monitor AND I tried the HDMI-cable of my 4k television. Still no improvement.

When I go to Advanced display settings > Display adapter properties for Display 2 > Monitor, I can select only up to 30 Hertz.

Can anyone tell me if there's a way to get 60hz in my situation?
Or should i go for plan B: a 27" monitor that supports up to 1080p? I can still return the monitor, so this is still a good option for me.

Thanks!
 

polycrac

Rising Star
Neither of those cards looks fit for 4K gaming, not even close. They could maybe display a 4K image of a potato, given time to think about it.
 

Rakk

The Awesome
Moderator
Neither of those cards looks fit for 4K gaming, not even close. They could maybe display a 4K image of a potato, given time to think about it.
Though would that mean it wouldn't even give the 60Hz option at all? Or would it just be really really slow and laggy at doing anything?
 

polycrac

Rising Star
Though would that mean it wouldn't even give the 60Hz option at all? Or would it just be really really slow and laggy at doing anything?

I don't know, though they certainly wouldn't be good cards to test a 4K screen with. I'm not even sure if the 620 could handle 1080p, though the 860M should.
*edit* here's a review: https://laptoping.com/gpus/product/intel-uhd-620-graphics-review/
and the 860M does better than I thought, sometimes above 50fps in BF4:
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
It’s only HDMI 2.0 that can carry 4K 60, otherwise it will be limited to 24hz.

Display port would manage 4K 60.

But yeah, if the purpose is for gaming, the 860m would struggle to push 1080p at mid settings, the other is not a gaming gpu and wouldn’t even manage 1080p at low really.
 

Vlaai

Member
Laptop 1 with the GTX 860M is equiped with a 15.6" Full HD (1920x1080) screen. So 1920x1080 works fine for gaming.

I do have to say, I found a way to get 60hz on the 27" 4K by setting the resolutions to 1920x1080. While gaming it seems okayish (like less smooth than playing on the 15.6" laptop screen.

But to summarize your comments, this 4K screen was just an overkill for the laptop specs I have?

What would you recommend me to do? Gaming is not my priority at all. I just want to be able to work smoothly (and sometimes game to kill the time). Buying a full HD 27"? Or rather go for a full HD 24" or smaller?
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
As above:
1) the laptop's HDMI port needs to be HDMI 2.0 for 4k 60hz, even just for displaying the desktop. It's almost certainly not an HDMI 2.0 port - probably 1.4. Which is why 30hz is the max refresh rate you're offered at 4k. It's basically unusable, as you're found.
2) The 860M isn't going to perform well in gaming at 4k at all.
3) some people find that running a monitor below native resolution doesn't look as good as running a lower resolution monitor at its native resolution. i.e. some people find that running a 4k monitor at 1080p looks worse than running a 1080p monitor at 1080p.

If you want an external monitor for your laptop, and you're gaming on it, a 1080p monitor is probably the best fit.

You could consider 1440p - if the HDMI output supports it. You'd need to establish that it does first. For most gaming you'll be gaming below native resolution, but for office work the extra resolution could be nice.
 

SlimCini

KC and the Sunshine BANNED
Laptop 1 with the GTX 860M is equiped with a 15.6" Full HD (1920x1080) screen. So 1920x1080 works fine for gaming.

I do have to say, I found a way to get 60hz on the 27" 4K by setting the resolutions to 1920x1080. While gaming it seems okayish (like less smooth than playing on the 15.6" laptop screen.

But to summarize your comments, this 4K screen was just an overkill for the laptop specs I have?

What would you recommend me to do? Gaming is not my priority at all. I just want to be able to work smoothly (and sometimes game to kill the time). Buying a full HD 27"? Or rather go for a full HD 24" or smaller?
If you're just doing work on it then why do you need 60hz? Just work at 4k at 24hz and if you want to game, then unplug from screen and game on the laptop screen.
 

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
Make sure the cable you are using is a HDMI 2.0 cable. Might not be the interface causing the limitation.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Just work at 4k at 24hz
I suppose it's subjective to a degree, but for many people 4k 60hz is basically unusable. Just trying to move the mouse around feels stuttery and awful.

Make sure the cable you are using is a HDMI 2.0 cable. Might not be the interface causing the limitation.
They may have already ruled that out.

It's also extremely unlikely that their 860M laptop has HDMI 2.0 output.

AND I tried the HDMI-cable of my 4k television. Still no improvement.
Assuming the 4k TV's HDMI cable is indeed the right kind. Also afaik there's no such thing as an HDMI 2.0 cable (not withstanding all the cables being sold as such). Any high speed HDMI cable should handle the requisite bandwidth.
 

Vlaai

Member
As above:
3) some people find that running a monitor below native resolution doesn't look as good as running a lower resolution monitor at its native resolution. i.e. some people find that running a 4k monitor at 1080p looks worse than running a 1080p monitor at 1080p.

If you want an external monitor for your laptop, and you're gaming on it, a 1080p monitor is probably the best fit.

You could consider 1440p - if the HDMI output supports it. You'd need to establish that it does first. For most gaming you'll be gaming below native resolution, but for office work the extra resolution could be nice.

So you could say I would better go for a 27" 1080p monitor? Maybe a stupid question, but does size matters then? I mean, a 22" 1080p monitor vs a 24" 1080p monitor vs a 27" 1080p monitor: would the quality be affected? Like pixels being stretched out because the screen is bigger.
(I assume by asking this question you know for sure that I am a noobie in this matter 💩)
 

Vlaai

Member
If you're just doing work on it then why do you need 60hz? Just work at 4k at 24hz and if you want to game, then unplug from screen and game on the laptop screen.

Because now it was 4k but 30hz, and it felt so stuttery like Oussebon said. I can't stand it.
Unplugging from the screen to game? No, if I buy a screen, I want to use it :)
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
So you could say I would better go for a 27" 1080p monitor? Maybe a stupid question, but does size matters then? I mean, a 22" 1080p monitor vs a 24" 1080p monitor vs a 27" 1080p monitor: would the quality be affected? Like pixels being stretched out because the screen is bigger.
(I assume by asking this question you know for sure that I am a noobie in this matter 💩)
For 1080p a lot of people will consider anything over 24" too large to the point where you start seeing individual pixels and it reduces sharpness.
 

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
I suppose it's subjective to a degree, but for many people 4k 60hz is basically unusable. Just trying to move the mouse around feels stuttery and awful.

They may have already ruled that out.

It's also extremely unlikely that their 860M laptop has HDMI 2.0 output.

Assuming the 4k TV's HDMI cable is indeed the right kind. Also afaik there's no such thing as an HDMI 2.0 cable (not withstanding all the cables being sold as such). Any high speed HDMI cable should handle the requisite bandwidth.

4k 60hz HDMI cables aren't the typical ones though. 4k 30hz are just the regular high speed cables. I believe the 4k 60hz ones are "Ultra" high speed, but not sure if that's the correct designation. When I need to purchase ones that I know will work I just search for 2.0b, I get that that's not the accurate cable reference but it always works for me.

Most of the HDMI cables I have will happily run 4k at 30hz but I only have a few that will run 60hz.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
High Speed HDMI cables support 4k 60hz

One of the points used to 'sell' HDMI 2.0 was that didn't need special cables for it (you need HDMI 2.0 on the output and input, but cables are fine!)

Though apparently since then, the HDMI forum has introduced a Premium and Ultra certification. Perhaps because a lot of high speed HDMI turned out to be too vulnerable to EMI.

But it's a bit of a moot point as the chances their 860M supports HDMI 2.0 are 0 afaik (first gen Maxwell - no HDMI 2.0)
 

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
It may be a moot point but I still believe it to be a fact.

It's not a special cable as such, it's simply a better rated quality. High speed HDMI cables are rated/guaranteed to 10.8gbps as per the HDMI 1.4 standard requirement, Ultra high speed are rated to 18gbps (may be 20mbps, I just recall 4k being 18). That's not to say that high speed HDMI cables won't manage 4k 60hz, just that they aren't guaranteed to.

By my own experience I know that most bog standard HDMI cables won't manage 4k 60hz, premium ones will.... even then there's a limit to their length. At 30hz it's a breeze for any old lead.

FWIW I just built a 4x 4K display system in work. I was tearing my hair out with cabling to drive the damn thing due to the lengths I needed so it's a very recent issue I have faced. Found a quadro with 4x DP output that did the job nicely though :D

Got some HDMI leads going spare now right enough.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Yeah, it's well known that some lower quality HDMI cables might not deliver what they're meant to.

But an "HDMI 2.0 cable" is a bit like a left handed screwdriver.

If your left-handed screwdriver works where your generic old one doesn't, it's because your old screwdriver was a rubbish/defective screwdriver (more or less)

Edit:

Don’t all current High Speed HDMI Cables work at 18Gbps?
Although current High Speed HDMI cables are designed to handle the increased bandwidth of 4K@60 video streams, we see a need for additional testing to ensure consistent performance at the higher speeds. We also foresee how higher bandwidth can result in increased EMI emissions, which can cause interference with wireless signals in home theater devices. This new program provides both testing and labeling to address both these issues for the manufacturer and the end user.

Which I would jargon bust as
"Q: Don't High Speed HDMI cables do 4k60hz?"
"A: Yes, but some don't so we're going to introduce a new standard you'll probably get charged more for that does what all the existing stuff ought to do already. For real this time". :)

High Speed HDMI is meant to handle 18gbps. That's why there's no "HDMI 2.0 cable" per se. There are just varying certifications, and certain poor quality cables that don't really deliver on the standards they're meant to.

The ones that meet the 'ultra' spec are apparently for 8k
Presumably designed with HDMI 2.1 in mind. Probably fair to call that an HDMI 2.1 cable since the older specs really aren't meant to deliver that kind of bandwidth!

Edit Edit: While this is a very valid topic of conversation I might suggest further replies/discussion go into a new topic?
Apologies to the OP for slight side-tracking of the thread.

The main point for @Vlaai being that whatever laptop/monitor pairing you settle on, make sure you have the appropriate cable.
 
Last edited:
Top