11 réponses à ce sujet

[luckybaer]

I'm just looking to start a discussion to get some feedback about monitors. I've never really paid too much attention to my monitor in the past - except that I cared about the size and the price.

I have a 5-year old LG 23" LCD monitor that has served me well for some time. Prior to that I owned some 17" Samsung LCD square looking thing. I would, however, like to upgrade to something else. My monitor is used for the following:

Basic web surfing: 20% 
Gaming (like Dragon Age Inquisition, Diablo III, Mass Effect 3, Civilization V, some FPS like Call of Duty series): 30%
Watching Videos (amazon.com Prime, videos I get from the Apple store, DVDs [I don't have Blueray]): 25%
Digital Photography and Video Editing: 15%
Office-like work (Microsoft Office suite - Excel, Word, PowerPoint; Quicken): 10%

What is most important to me when considering a monitor purchase:
Gaming
Digital Photography and Video Editing
Watching Videos
Web Surfing
Office Work

I have a EVGA NVidia GTX-970 (FTW) and an Intel i5-4690K processor along with 16GB of Corsair Vengeance RAM and 9TB of Western Digital storage space (all SATA, no SSD). It is all held together with an Asus Maximus VII Hero mobo sitting in a Corsair Carbide Series 400R case. I'm air cooling all the way with Scythe fans all controlled in a most anal manner by the Asus mobo.

Should I:

1. Splurge (prefer not to do so, but if the gaming experience is that much better, I'd consider it) and pick up a 27" 1440p monitor (Asus ROG Swift) for $799 + 8.75% tax (local merchant - easy returns)
2. Go for size and ignore resolution by picking up a 27" 1080p monitor (Acer XB270H Abprz) for about $499 + 8.75% tax (local merchant - easy returns)
3. Screw size and order a 24" 1080p monitor (BenQ XL2420G) from amazon.com for about $529 (returns are a little more of a hassle)
4. Screw size and G-Sync and pick up a 24" 1080p monitor without G-Sync (Asus VG248QE) for about $295 from amazon.com (my local merchant may have this, too)
5. Say, "To Hell with buying a gaming monitor, go get something with more faithful color representation and better viewing angles!!" and research IPS monitors.

Right now, I am leaning towards #3, but I'd really prefer to buy my monitor locally in case I have a dud with dead pixels or some other kind of imperfection. I guess my 2nd choice would be #1, but I'd probably agonize over spending that much. I can afford it, but just because I can, doesn't mean I should - know what I mean? 

It seems like the best of both worlds might be #2, but is 1080p really that bad for a monitor that sits about 18-24 inches from my face and is used the way I use a monitor as outlined above? I guess that's the big question.

Thanks for your patience and feedback.

[Kaiser Arian XVII]

Well. Is there diminishing in the quality of your monitor? If not, why buy a new one?

 

I think 24" is quite sufficient, just find a resolution more than 1920x1080 or 1920x1200. Still paying more than 400$ for a minor is stupid. Well, not if you have a treasury room.

 

Note: 1600x900 is perfect for 18"-20" monitors. 1920x1080 for 21"-23" and 2K or more for 24" and bigger.

 

Note 2: 4K is an over-consuming power hungry idea, it requires lots of cooling systems and much memory (MB) and speed (MHz) needed to play video games. Also There is not much movies, series and video games that have that huge resolution.

[luckybaer]

I've had the 23" monitor for about 5 years.  It isn't a bad monitor, but it doesn't have any height adjustment, no swivel, etc.  It just sits there, and I have to put it on a monitor stand.  I'd like something with the capability to be adjusted a bit more.

 

I've read quite a bit about how much a higher refresh rate helps the gaming experience.  I've also read that G-Sync is a pretty big leap forward for the gaming experience.

 

The fact that my monitor is 5 years old, has been used heavily, isn't capable of physical adjustments (height, tilt, rotate, pivot, etc.), and that new technology available in newer monitors apparently improves the gaming experience is why I am looking into a new monitor.

 

Disclaimer:  I'm fortunate to be in a position where dropping $500 on a monitor that will be used a lot over its 3-5 year lifetime (and improve my gaming experience and viewing enjoyment) isn't a major financial decision.

[Kaiser Arian XVII]

I've had the 23" monitor for about 5 years.  It isn't a bad monitor, but it doesn't have any height adjustment, no swivel, etc.  It just sits there, and I have to put it on a monitor stand.  I'd like something with the capability to be adjusted a bit more.

 

I've read quite a bit about how much a higher refresh rate helps the gaming experience.  I've also read that G-Sync is a pretty big leap forward for the gaming experience.

 

The fact that my monitor is 5 years old, has been used heavily, isn't capable of physical adjustments (height, tilt, rotate, pivot, etc.), and that new technology available in newer monitors apparently improves the gaming experience is why I am looking into a new monitor.

 

Disclaimer:  I'm fortunate to be in a position where dropping $500 on a monitor that will be used a lot over its 3-5 year lifetime (and improve my gaming experience and viewing enjoyment) isn't a major financial decision.

 

Cool, cool.

 

My Samsung monitor doesn't have HDMI port and it p*sses me off. But its quality hasn't dropped since 2010. Extra accessories and adjustments are always good.

Refresh rate should be above 70 or 100Hz and the response time 2ms. 5ms ones are OK.

[luckybaer]

Shockingly, this old LG monitor is supposedly rated at 2ms response time.  For a 5-year old monitor, that strikes me as pretty good.  60Hz refresh rate, of course. Does going to 144Hz make a big difference like I've read?

 

I'm happy with the picture quality - DA: I looks great and maxed out at ULTRA; watching videos is good (within the limits of viewing angle), and obviously basic computer work like Microsoft Office stuff is fine.

 

It would be nice to have a monitor that is dead-nuts for color accuracy, but I'd prefer a monitor that keeps the color status quo or maybe improves it a little while giving me a better gaming experience.

[Kaiser Arian XVII]

Maybe you should change your Mouse, Keyboard and Speaker if you want a better gaming experience!

[TheJediSaint]

Honestly, unless you need to replace your monitor urgently, I'd hold off buying a new one for another couple years.

 

By then, OLED monitors should be more reasonably priced.  The color-contrast on those things is mind-boggling.

[bmwcrazy]

You'll have to wait for a long time for OLED. Like many, many years kind of long time.

Anyway OP, I'm also shopping for a new monitor. Right now I have a 144hz Benq XL2720Z for my gaming PC and I'm holding off for the Acer XB270HU, which is a 27" 1440p 144hz IPS monitor with G-sync support.

I'll also have to wait for a long time for the XB270HU, but I'm in no hurry.

[luckybaer]

You'll have to wait for a long time for OLED. Like many, many years kind of long time.

Anyway OP, I'm also shopping for a new monitor. Right now I have a 144hz Benq XL2720Z for my gaming PC and I'm holding off for the Acer XB270HU, which is a 27" 1440p 144hz IPS monitor with G-sync support.

I'll also have to wait for a long time for the XB270HU, but I'm in no hurry.

I thought the XB270HU was going to be available around April?  That's not TOO bad.  I may hold off for that monitor.  The idea of an IPS monitor with 144Hz refresh rate and G-Sync support is extremely attractive to me.  Any word on the response time?

[luckybaer]

I thought the XB270HU was going to be available around April?  That's not TOO bad.  I may hold off for that monitor.  The idea of an IPS monitor with 144Hz refresh rate and G-Sync support is extremely attractive to me.  Any word on the response time?

http://www.overclock...n=affiliate/tag

This place is offerering the XB270HU pre-order.  It lists all the specs including 4ms response time, 144Hz refresh rate, etc.  Definitely worth waiting for, although the price will be pretty stiff.  574.99 GBP equals 885.93 USD at today's exchange rates.

 

Still, though... the color and viewing angle of an IPS panel coupled with a 144Hz refresh rate, G-Sync, 27", and 1440p... It might just be worth it.  Especially if one does equal amounts of gaming and digital photography!

[bEVEsthda]

You put digital photography as the second most important use.

 

Do you shoot in RAW, and process/develop the images to jpegs afterwards, with software like Lightroom, Camera Raw or DPP?

 

If so, I cannot stress enough the impact of having a color calibrated monitor!  It's night and day!

And big! I'll never buy anything smaller than 30'' 16X10. Of course it depends on what you do, what camera, etc.

[luckybaer]

You put digital photography as the second most important use.

 

Do you shoot in RAW, and process/develop the images to jpegs afterwards, with software like Lightroom, Camera Raw or DPP?

 

If so, I cannot stress enough the impact of having a color calibrated monitor!  It's night and day!

And big! I'll never buy anything smaller than 30'' 16X10. Of course it depends on what you do, what camera, etc.

I shoot in RAW and I use Lightroom and Photoshop.  I'm no pro, though.  It is just a hobby.  I will probably hold out for that XB270HU.  Seems to offer the best of both worlds:  IPS panel with G-Sync, 144Hz refresh rate, and a 1440p resolution.