What is a good gaming monitor?

Shatto · Apr 18, 2013

So I'm having a hard time figuring out what monitor I should get, I prefer for it to be under $500 as I have a temporary job and once it ends that's it for the money for a while but I do plan on getting another monitor in the future. I don't know if a 60Hrz will do or is 120Hrz worth it? Should I get an IPS monitor? I will mostly be gaming, BF3/4, Borderlands, Crysis, Metro 2033, etc I would also like if possible for it to be anywhere in the 22-27 inch range.

Here is my build for reference. I was also thinking about getting the 6GB version of my GPU but again not sure if it's worth it or maybe it will be with a multi-monitor setup

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Cooling MX-2 4g Thermal Paste ($4.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: MSI Z77 MPOWER ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($198.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($115.06 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($219.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($127.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($428.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($83.17 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Enermax UCTB12N-R 53.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($9.98 @ Outlet PC)
Case Fan: Cooler Master Megaflow 110.0 CFM 200mm Fan ($11.93 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Gold 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHBS312-98 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($89.97 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Professional Full (64-bit) ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Cooler Master SGM-2000-MLON1 Wired Optical Mouse ($32.54 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1893.04
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-18 08:20 EDT-0400)

wanderer11 · Apr 18, 2013

If you live by a Microcenter then I recommend an Auria 27" 2560x1440 monitor. It's $400 and I really like mine. Your 7970 is more than powerful enough for it. Some people will say the 6.5ms response time is too slow, but I don't have any issues with it. You will need a DL-DVI cable or a display port cable.

Shatto · Apr 18, 2013

Unfortunately I don't live by a microcenter (I live in arizona) my build would be a lot cheaper if I did. My gf in ohio lives by one, I always tell her I'm jealous

wanderer11 · Apr 18, 2013

You could look at a catleap/shimian on ebay. I have heard good things about those. They can be had for around $300. Basically the same as the Auria, but less connections. You're even supposed to be able to make it refresh faster than 60Hz.

ubercake · Apr 18, 2013

The 120Hz monitor is great for shooters. The Acer HN274H I have in my signature is incredible. Once you go to higher refresh rate monitors, you won't want to use another 60Hz monitor again. They minimize input lag. They have low response times. With FPS multi-player gaming, you want to minimize the input lag as much as possible.

Asus came out recently with a 27" 144Hz monitor, the VG278HE, that runs at 144Hz. If I were buying today, I'd consider this one.

I'd mention the 3D aspect of each, but since you're going with an AMD video card, it won't make a difference. The high refresh rates in 2D make the gaming experience far better.

Further, They keep tearing to a minimum. You don't have to run with V-sync on (introducing more input lag) when tearing is not perceivable.

Given that I've been using the 120Hz monitor for a little over a year, when I look at games on a 60Hz monitor, I see tearing all the time. I bought a 2560x1440 60Hz screen and returned it a day later because of the tearing alone. I also tried 5760x1080 with 60Hz monitors. Tearing was less than that of the 2560x1440, since the framerates were a little lower, but tearing was still there quite a bit. That lasted for about a week and I returned the 3 60Hz monitors.

The bottom line is I keep going back to the 120Hz monitor because the experience is just all-around better.

I wish they made higher res screens with 120Hz, but after looking at both high res and high refresh, from a first-person shooter gaming standpoint, I would gladly sacrifice resolution for the superior non-tearing low-input-lag gaming performance of the higher refresh rate monitors.

Both of the monitors I've suggested are under $500.

wanderer11 · Apr 18, 2013

I use d3doverrider to force vsync/triple buffering in games besides shooters and never see tearing. I leave vsync off in shooters and barely ever notice it. I could never go back to 1920x1080 now. The few times I see tearing isn't enough reason to go back.

It's really up to personal preference. If tearing really bugs you get a 120 hz monitor. If it doesn't get 2560x1440.

Shatto · Apr 18, 2013

ubercake :

The 120Hz monitor is great for shooters. The Acer HN274H I have in my signature is incredible. Once you go to higher refresh rate monitors, you won't want to use another 60Hz monitor again. They minimize input lag. They have low response times. With FPS multi-player gaming, you want to minimize the input lag as much as possible.

Asus came out recently with a 27" 144Hz monitor, the VG278HE, that runs at 144Hz. If I were buying today, I'd consider this one.

I'd mention the 3D aspect of each, but since you're going with an AMD video card, it won't make a difference. The high refresh rates in 2D make the gaming experience far better.

Further, They keep tearing to a minimum. You don't have to run with V-sync on (introducing more input lag) when tearing is not perceivable.

Given that I've been using the 120Hz monitor for a little over a year, when I look at games on a 60Hz monitor, I see tearing all the time. I bought a 2560x1440 60Hz screen and returned it a day later because of the tearing alone. I also tried 5760x1080 with 60Hz monitors. Tearing was less than that of the 2560x1440, since the framerates were a little lower, but tearing was still there quite a bit. That lasted for about a week and I returned the 3 60Hz monitors.

The bottom line is I keep going back to the 120Hz monitor because the experience is just all-around better.

I wish they made higher res screens with 120Hz, but after looking at both high res and high refresh, from a first-person shooter gaming standpoint, I would gladly sacrifice resolution for the superior non-tearing low-input-lag gaming performance of the higher refresh rate monitors.

Both of the monitors I've suggested are under $500.

So if these monitors are good and come with 3D would it just be worth it to get a 680 so I can utilize the 3D or is the performance with a 7970 much better?

ubercake · Apr 18, 2013

Shatto :

Yes. I love my 680s. SLI performance is excellent, too, if you're looking to go there in the future. Something to consider, though, is the 670 which offers almost the same performance for $100 less. Neither is a bad choice, just the performance for the price ratio decreases as the price increases.

Shatto · Apr 19, 2013

ubercake :

I have been reading a lot and I'm not sure what to do, I read that the 7970 is capable of using HD3D but are their monitors only restricted to samsung? And the trideff software is $50 however I heard that the 7970 Ghz edition beats out the 680 in terms of performance (I will be overclocking also) and the 7970 comes with 3 free games right now. I also feel the 680 can't compare in performance to the 7970 Ghz edition unless they're SLIed and I can't afford another GPU right now so really not sure what to do >.<

ubercake · Apr 19, 2013

I won't recommend any AMD video cards until they get the issues cleared up in this article:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6857/amd-stuttering-issues-driver-roadmap-fraps/5

I experienced these issues first-hand with 5000 series cards. This is what made me switch to Nvidia. Apparently, it's still and issue as the article and AMD -within the article- allude to. Higher frame rates, but with stuttering video is not a performance compromise I'm willing to make. I'd gladly take a little bit lower framerates (for a lot of games, it's actually higher than the 7970) and excellent video quality.

As a result, I'd suggest you go with a 670 or 680.

Shatto · Apr 19, 2013

ubercake :

Okay so I think I might have settled on an EVGA 670 however the 680 is already slower than my initial 7970 and even more so now that I've chosen a 670, do you think the performance will be okay with games like BF3/4, Metro 2033, Crysis, Borderlands etc.

I'm sacrificing the 7970 so that I can try to get a Nvidia 3D monitor but I don't know if I'm sacrificing too much performance for just 3D. I would also like to buy a monitor that comes with glasses as the kit itself is kinda expensive. My other concern is that I read people complaining that the emitter has terrible range and for the most part doesn't work right, I do not want to give up a good 7970 for 3D that will hardly work

ubercake · Apr 23, 2013

Shatto :

Honestly, I'm not familiar with the range of the emitter as I sit at a desk when I game. What I can say is that it definitely works correctly at my range. I'm not sure I'd want to be much further back though with a 27" screen.

The main benefit of the 120Hz monitor is not the 3D for me so much as it is the tearing-free gaming in 2D. 3D is something I seldom use (because I'm mostly playing multi-player games), though I played Arkham Asylum in 3D and it was pretty darn cool. I will play Arkham City in 3D as well when I get around to it. I would not hesitate to play any single-player or MMO games in 3D (exception Crysis3), but with multi-player shooters, it's 2D.

You need to consider some of the more recent articles from review sites with regard to evaluating video cards on a purely fps basis:

http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/Frame-Rating-Dissected-Full-Details-Capture-based-Graphics-Performance-Test-2

Tom's also released an article as well with pretty consistent results.

At any rate, based on my experience with both crossfire and SLI I have to say they are definitely created equal. Issues I had with crossfire are definitely not present with SLI.

If you want to focus purely on the number that shows up in the top corner of your screen in FRAPS or if you're never going to get a second video card, get the 7970 (we'll also have to re-evaluate your entire build to gear around a lower-cost right-size system). If you want a setup that actually performs well consistently, go with the Nvidia card and get a second one when your budget allows for it.

I'm sure AMD will get better over time, but I was having the same issues over two years ago with my crossfire setup. Funny to see they're still an issue.

Shatto · Apr 23, 2013

ubercake :

Shatto :

Honestly, I'm not familiar with the range of the emitter as I sit at a desk when I game. What I can say is that it definitely works correctly at my range. I'm not sure I'd want to be much further back though with a 27" screen.

The main benefit of the 120Hz monitor is not the 3D for me so much as it is the tearing-free gaming in 2D. 3D is something I seldom use (because I'm mostly playing multi-player games), though I played Arkham Asylum in 3D and it was pretty darn cool. I will play Arkham City in 3D as well when I get around to it. I would not hesitate to play any single-player or MMO games in 3D (exception Crysis3), but with multi-player shooters, it's 2D.

You need to consider some of the more recent articles from review sites with regard to evaluating video cards on a purely fps basis:

http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/Frame-Rating-Dissected-Full-Details-Capture-based-Graphics-Performance-Test-2

Tom's also released an article as well with pretty consistent results.

At any rate, based on my experience with both crossfire and SLI I have to say they are definitely created equal. Issues I had with crossfire are definitely not present with SLI.

If you want to focus purely on the number that shows up in the top corner of your screen in FRAPS or if you're never going to get a second video card, get the 7970 (we'll also have to re-evaluate your entire build to gear around a lower-cost right-size system). If you want a setup that actually performs well consistently, go with the Nvidia card and get a second one when your budget allows for it.

I'm sure AMD will get better over time, but I was having the same issues over two years ago with my crossfire setup. Funny to see they're still an issue.

Thank you for the solid answer.

I had posted my build on the minecraft hardware sub forum asking them how well they thought I would be able to play minecraft, they criticized the build for 4 pages basically saying it sucks, I'm wasting my money and it's not good for gaming. I went there looking for an answer and came away rethinking my whole build

With your recommendation I think I'll stick with the 680 and try and get a second one in the future.

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