Quick Answer
Choose the lowest overdrive level that clears trailing without adding bright inverse ghosts. Test each setting at the refresh rates you actually use; the Lenovo Legion 27-2c has a listed 0.5ms MPRT figure, which measures motion blur rather than a grey-to-grey transition. The best overdrive option is the one that makes moving objects easier to follow in your real game, not the one with the most aggressive name in the monitor menu.
What overdrive changes
A pixel takes a small amount of time to change from one shade to another. Overdrive is a monitor control that pushes those transitions more strongly in an attempt to reduce visible trailing. It can make motion look cleaner when the setting is well matched to the refresh rate and panel behaviour.
More overdrive is not automatically better. At a moderate level, a moving object may leave a darker or softer trail behind it. At an excessive level, the transition can overshoot and create a pale or bright outline on the opposite side of movement. That unwanted outline is often called inverse ghosting or overshoot.
The right choice is therefore a balance. You want enough response assistance to reduce distracting trails, but not so much that the monitor creates a new bright artefact. Your eyes and game conditions are more useful than a preset name alone.
Compare gaming monitors by the settings and refresh range you will actually use, rather than treating one response figure as the whole story.
Start at the lowest useful level
Open the monitor's on-screen display and find its response-time or overdrive control. Begin at the lowest setting, then use a familiar game or motion test with a moving object against a mixed light and dark background. Look for a dark shadow that lags behind the object.
Move up one level only if the trail is clearly distracting. Repeat the same motion test. If the trail reduces while the object stays natural, the new setting may be an improvement. If a bright rim, flash, or reverse trail appears, go back down one level.
Do not make the decision from a still image or desktop cursor alone. Overdrive affects changing pixels, so use movement that resembles your normal play: tracking a target, panning the camera, or scrolling a high-contrast scene. Test more than one game if you play titles with very different pace and colour.
Test at the refresh rates you use
Overdrive behaviour can change with refresh rate. A setting that looks clean near the top refresh setting may be too aggressive when the game runs at a lower frame rate, and a gentle setting may leave more trailing when the frame rate is high. Test the range your GPU actually delivers, not only a theoretical maximum.
The Legion 27-2c is a 280Hz curved gaming monitor. Set the desired mode in Windows, then test it in the game. If your frame rate changes a great deal between a light practice scene and a demanding match, inspect both situations before locking in an overdrive preference.
The product's listed 0.5ms MPRT value describes a motion-picture response measurement. It should not be read as the same thing as a grey-to-grey pixel transition figure, nor as a guarantee that every overdrive setting will look identical. The setting test remains important.
Pair it with adaptive sync and sensible frames
The Legion 27-2c lists AMD FreeSync Premium and VESA Adaptive Sync support. Adaptive sync can help coordinate changing GPU frame delivery with the monitor refresh. Configure the relevant option for your system, then review overdrive during both steady and changing game performance.
Avoid turning several motion controls on and off at the same time. First confirm the connection and refresh rate. Then test adaptive sync. Then compare overdrive levels. A one-variable process tells you which change created the visible result.
A stable frame rate near your usual target also makes the comparison clearer. If the game is stuttering because of a CPU limit, background task, or very high graphics setting, it is easy to misread the problem as a panel-response issue. Use a trusted performance overlay or familiar test scene to understand what the system is delivering.
For a broader comparison of screens intended for high-refresh play, browse all gaming monitors after you know which motion behaviour you prefer.
Recognise the artefacts
Traditional trailing usually looks like a dim shadow that follows a moving object. Inverse ghosting can look lighter, brighter, or reversed, especially around sharp dark-to-light edges. Neither term requires you to become a display engineer. The practical question is simply whether the motion is clearer and less distracting in your own games.
Look at text while scrolling, moving HUD elements, a crosshair against contrasting backgrounds, and fast camera pans. If a setting looks impressive in one synthetic test but makes a favourite game look artificial, choose the setting that works in the game. Competitive readability is more valuable than a menu option that sounds extreme.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is monitor overdrive?
It is a response-time control that drives pixel transitions more strongly to reduce visible trailing during motion.
Should I always use the highest overdrive setting?
No. Start low and increase only until trailing clears. A high setting can create bright inverse ghosts or overshoot.
Does 0.5ms MPRT mean every pixel transition is 0.5ms?
No. MPRT is a motion-blur measurement. It is not the same as a grey-to-grey transition result.
Why test overdrive at different frame rates?
The visible balance can change as refresh and frame delivery change. Test the rates you actually reach in games.
Start with the mildest overdrive setting, compare moving scenes at your normal frame rate, and keep the option that clears trails without creating bright reverse ghosts.