“Advanced Motion Graphics, or AMA for short, controls the response time of a monitor. It is a technology developed by BenQ for its gaming displays. The primary function of this feature is to lower the screen latency so that competitive gamers can get the best possible performance.”
- Now, you might be thinking, what is response time?
Response time is the time taken for a monitor to shift from one color to another. This is determined by how much time the screen takes to go from black to white to black again. The unit of measurement for response time is in milliseconds (ms). It is also commonly referred to as “gray to gray” (GtG) response time.
As for latency, it is the delay between the source of an input and the action that happens in the monitor. For example, let’s say you are playing a fighting game. Here, the latency is the time it takes for you to press the kick button on your controller or keyboard and the character actually kicks on screen. Hence, the better the response time, the lower the latency.
What Does AMA Do?
As mentioned, the primary function of AMA is to reduce the overall response time of your monitor. Most gaming BenQ monitors come with 3 AMA modes:
- Off
- High
- Premium
Although BenQ claims that the response time is around 1-2 ms, in reality, when running your screen on High settings, the average response time is around 3.1 ms. Whereas if you turn it up to Premium, then you will get around 2.3 ms. This is a huge improvement over the typical response time you get from displays on default, which is around 8-10 ms. Overall, this technology gives a huge advantage to e-sports athletes who want the lowest possible response time and latency.
How Does AMA Work?
BenQ, who are the pioneers of this technology, has come up with a chip that accelerates the twisting speed of the liquid crystals of the display by increasing the voltage. This allows the crystals to align into place to produce an image much faster than standard monitors.
AMA works by reducing trailing and motion blur from rapid movements and action scenes. This is especially beneficial for game consoles as they suffer a lot from motion blur. Moreover, this technology also comes in handy for PC gamers who want a smooth gameplay experience from 144hz screens.
Are There Any Drawbacks to Using AMA?
Some people can experience overshoot while using the Premium AMA setting preset of the display. This is also referred to as “ghosting.”
If you are unfamiliar with the term, it is when an image appears as a trail of pixels, leaving behind an afterimage. This issue is most prominent in fast-paced games like first-person shooters or sports games. People can also notice it while scrolling through text or switching between different programs while multitasking. The primary reason behind this phenomenon is when the image is refreshed, sometimes the pixels lag behind, which results in the picture looking a bit smudged.
But unless you have a very keen eye, or keep track of each frame during an esports tournament, then this shouldn’t be much of an issue.
What AMA Settings Should You Use?
We recommend keeping your display AMA settings at High. As previously mentioned, if you notice ghosting or overshooting, then using the High AMA setting should resolve the issue.
However, you can play around with the settings panel and figure out what works best for you. If you don’t notice any issues with the Premium setting, then you should go ahead and use that as it will give you the lowest possible response time.
Or if you see that both High and Premium settings are causing your image to lose details, then just turning the feature off would be the ideal solution. The only annoying thing about this technology is that you will need to see how well it holds up for each game, as some games may run like butter with this feature enabled, while others may not.
BenQ is highly regarded for being the maker of some of the best gaming monitors in the market. And their AMA technology is definitely a step toward improving its users’ overall gaming experience. The manufacturer has set the benchmark for low response time display technology. And we are very excited to see what they come up with next in terms of gaming monitor innovation.
