Eye Strain For Months After PC Upgrade

LBenny91

New to this sub but thought I'd make a post looking for advice! I'm desperate for help with this it has ruined my life…

I upgraded my PC in February of this year from a pre-build that I bought back in 2020. The pre build was a i3-9100f CPU paired with a GTX1650 running on Win10. I used it daily for years (6+ hours) without issue. The monitor I used with it was a BenQ XL2411P (TN, 144Hz) and it was a flawless experience without any eye strain whatsoever.

I treated myself to an upgrade this year and built it myself. It is an i5-12400f paired with an ASUS RTX3060Ti. I also upgraded the monitor. I went from the BenQ to an LG27GP850, then to an MSI, both IPS fast panels that seemed to destroy my eyes. I returned them both and rebought my old BenQ XL2411P and still it hurts my eyes. It's a little better than the LG/MSI, but after i come off of the PC i feel dizzy for days. I am infact concerned I did long term damage with the previous MSI monitor as it gave me an extreme bout of vertigo which is also why I returned it. I am feeling dizziness on and off for months now.

Does anybody here have any idea what is causing this? Is it my GPU? Win 11? Can it even be motherboard related as I've seen some people say on other posts? I just want to be able to enjoy my PC again…

I would greatly appreciate any advice. I'm willing to test other GPUs, if there's anything anyone can recommend. I am tired of it and just want to use my PC again without issue. I have bags under my eyes from eye strain. It's destroying me and I don't know what to do.

Thanks for reading and i hope someone who has experienced similar can offer some advice.

qb74

LBenny91
You might be experiencing KSF-related eyestrain, since the LG you mentioned is part of it.
Take a look at this topic
However, please keep in mind that nobody can pinpoint eyestrain with 100% certainty, it's a matter of trial and error

Another general guideline:

Disable VRR (can cause flicker)
Adjust room ambient light accordingly (don't use monitors in pitch black, check if lights flicker)
Don't use a extremely high brightness level (100-120nits is ok)
Avoid using DyAc (or any strobing) for now
Don't use OLED phones

I will not go into the health aspect however, as that can also be a major contributor to eyestrain.
Take a look at my post history for some monitor recommendations.
Hope this helps

simplex

LBenny91 and still it hurts my eyes

I already sold z690 MB + 12600k + rtx3080ti, z390 ( and intel 9 gen ) + rtx20 gen ( non Ti version ) is the key

LBenny91

qb74

Thanks for the response and advice. Yes I believe I did experience some severe eye strain from the LG monitor which is why I returned it, then went for the MSI-MAG274QRF-QD which is an IPS quantum dot and that was pretty much just as bad as the LG. Both returned.

My original monitor on my old build (that gave me no eye strain for years) was the BenQ XL2411P. I am now using it again on my new build, and it is better than the LG and MSI but still i feel dizzy and unwell after using it. However I can focus on it better but it's still not sustainable long term.

So my question is this - could my issue arise from something hardware related within my system? Would it be a good idea to buy an older GPU? (I was thinking a 1660 super as I've heard they're good cards for eye issues) or can you recommend anything else?

I've seen all kinds of posts about how it can be caused by motherboards, OS, GPUs etc so i am pretty much at a loss of what to do, but common sense tells me the GPU is the most likely culprit.

The worst possible thing for me to consider is that my extreme bouts of vertigo on the MSI monitor have caused me long term eye damage. But I can still watch TV and use my phone mostly without any eye strain at all so it has to be something in my PC…

I'm just desperate to get this sorted so i can enjoy my system again. It has been getting me down for months and I'm honestly at a loss for what to do about it.

qb74

LBenny91
I would take a look at raw monitor specifications over the potential software issues you're exploring (most people fall in the category of just disliking subtle flicker or color gamut of new displays)
Consider going for WOLED (OLED) or WLED (LCD) monitors, preferably 240hz since 144hz is archaic.
For example, XL2411K, EX240, EX2510, 24G2ZU(Z or ZE), XG2431, VG259QM, MAG251RX, PG259QN, AW2521H, AW2523HF if 1080p LCD
(check post history for 1440p high hz section)

LBenny91

simplex

My motherboard is a b760 chipset. And yeah my CPU is 12th gen and my current card is 3060ti.

Do you think it's worth trying a different graphics card or do you think the issue is more likely to be motherboard/cpu related?

simplex

LBenny91 motherboard

this. I think LGA1700 uses some kind of colortransform to achieve wide colorspaces

GPU also problematic. I tried many times/settings to marry z390 + rtx30 gen, no success. z690 increase strain with rtx30 gen compared for z390 ( in details, pixel moving or image stutter increase your eye-pressure, then it goes to pain in temples and migraine )

After half-year I sold almost all uncomfortable equipment

LBenny91

simplex

So you think there's a chance that just changing the GPU will solve my issue?

For me the issue is more neurological (dizziness, vertigo, brain fog) rather than actual pain.

Tomorrow I will buy a 1660 super to test it. I can return it within 14 days so I should good to test it out. If the problem still persists maybe I'll change my motherboard and stuff too…what a pain!

simplex

LBenny91 just changing the GPU will solve my issue

According to this forum, 1660s is good. It helps you. But in my setup, 1151v2 also was more comfortable than 1700 keeping same comfortable GPU

LBenny91

simplex

I will try the 1660s and see how it goes.

So you had more comfort still in lga1700 with rtx 20gen than 30gen though? Also I know for sure my screen is not my problem as I used it previously for many years with no issues. It is definitely something in my PC. Just hope that changing my GPU will solve it.

simplex

LBenny91 lga1700 with rtx 20gen than 30gen though?

My ranking:

z390 > z690

gtx1060, rtx2070s > rtx3080ti/3080

old 1080p benq > new 2k165hz

and win10 1809 build 17763.1098, of course

LBenny91

simplex

Well I have the 1660s in my hands now. Will begin to test it soon.

My monitor is old 1080p benq as well. But I am on windows 11…

I am praying that the 1660s will just be enough that I don't have to change anything else.

simplex

LBenny91

you need to clean nvram also, remove CMOS battery for 30 min to clear rtx30 rendering settings

LBenny91

simplex

Ok I removed the CMOS battery. Will wait 30 minutes and try to boot the system with 1660s inside.

I did try the 1660s in there already for 10 minutes or so, and i don't know if it felt any different 😐. Should I download latest nvidia drivers also?

simplex

LBenny91 Should I download latest nvidia drivers also?

Use DDU to completly uninstall old driver + card settings, after that reboot and install driver again ( check flag "clean install" activated )

LBenny91

simplex

Well I didn't use DDU but i did uninstall the driver already.

I have removed the battery for now. When I reboot i will download new driver for the 1660s and see how it goes.

How do I check this flag thing? I am bad at computers sorry …

simplex

LBenny91 How do I check this flag thing

when you install driver, select non-auto installation, and then check the flag in bottom

simplex

LBenny91 DDU

DDU made it much better, all registry records

LBenny91

simplex

I have installed the driver now. Did it without DDU…is that a really big problem? Shall I do the whole process again?

simplex

LBenny91 is that a really big problem

depends on your eyes 🙂

LBenny91

simplex

Will test for a few days like this. Not sure yet how I feel. Will take the rest of today off and go back to it tomorrow.

Will keep you updated. Thanks for the help 🙂