144Hz Monitors Asus or BenQ? HELP!

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So yeah at the moment, the models I am trying to make my mind about are:
BenQ XL2420Z
http://www.amazon.com/BenQ-XL2420Z-24-Inch-LED-Lit-Professional/dp/B00HE61SOA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1409988957&sr=1-1&keywords=BenQ+XL2420Z+24
Price including shipping and tax to Israel: 546.60$

BenQ XL2720Z - Received best monitor by Linus and Smart Buy of Tom's Hardware
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GWFNMJS
Price including shipping and tax to Israel: $696.40

And the Asus VG248QE:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B2HH7G0/ref=s9_psimh_gw_p147_d0_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=159G0FX88ZQ5VMGTZ8GM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846
Price including shipping and tax to Israel: $449.10

There is also this http://www.amazon.com/PB278Q-27-Inch-LED-lit-Profession... for 27" 1440p but not sure if the specs are good (5ms for instance) Costs more than the BenQXL2720z

(Don't really think the Gsync ROG is a realistic option atm, for the reasons I mentioned above).

 
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The two models I am really thinking about are:
BenQ XL2720Z
Because of the very positive Tom's Hardware review + Linus video review:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/benq-xl2720z-gaming-monitor,3809-10.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCQfKlCkL0c

Also because of the flicker free, good Blur Reduction and better color depth for a TN panel - SUPPOSEDLY, that's what Linus said basically.

The 2nd rather appealing option is:
Asus VG248QE
The advantages: pretty much the same specs as the BenQ. Great price for a 144hz 1ms gaming pc monitor.
Not sure about the colors, the blur reduction tech and flickering.
Apparently, the Asus VG248QE also got Tom's Hardware Smart Buy award a year before the BenQ above.

Also I have a question: Blur Reduction/Light Boost - do you use these only for 3d display? I heard that when you activate either, it helps, but lowers image quality.
 
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VincentP

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Lightboost turns down the backlight between frames.
It causes reduced brightness and flickering, which some people don't notice and others find unbearable.
Lightboost was designed to be used with 3D glasses, but can be enabled without enabling 3D.

Both of these are gaming monitors with pretty ordinary image quality. Their selling point is reduced latency and image blur. To really take advantage of them you need to be producing well over 80 FPS.

The Asus PB278Q you mentioned earlier is a completely different beast. This is an IPS panel with much better image quality and higher resolution but more image blur and higher latency. How much these matter depends on what you use it for. Fast monitors are best for twitch games where you have to react very quickly. For anything else, the IPS panel is better.

An alternative to the Asus PB278Q is the Dell U2713HM. This is a similar panel which is slightly slower but has better uniformance and color accuracy. The image quality is fantastic.

Trying to fill the gap between gaming monitors and these IPS monitors is the Asus ROG PG278Q. This has the very fast reaction times of the gaming monitors but with higher resolution and image quality. It is still a TN panel, so viewing angles aren't great and panel uniformity is not as good as the IPS monitors mentioned. Color accuracy out of the box though is great. This monitor has only a single displayport input.

My recommendations:
If you have a very fast computer and play mostly games like Battlefield or Counter Strike, choose the Asus ROG PG278Q.
If you play slower paced games or use the monitor for more general use, choose the Asus PB278Q or Dell U2713HM.
 
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I forgot to mention the obvious, the monitor I plan on buy is for Gaming purposes mainly. And I have senstive eyes, so I want the fastest, most decent looking, and flicker free monitor.
I was using an IPS 60Hz monitor, and I want to move on to 144Hz 1ms Gaming monitors, that's why the two monitors I mentioned above are my current favorites.

My rig specs:
Core i5-3570K (running @ 4.2 Ghz - slight auto voltage OC).
Asus Sabertooth Z77 Motherboard
Asus 670 GTX DC2T
16 GB of G.Skill ripjaw-X DDR3 1600Mhz
SSD 256GB Crucial M4.
HD Western Digital Black 2TB
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14
Case: Corsair CC600T Graphite White Special Edition
Running Win 8.1 64bit. Pro
 
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I also see you are kind of fixed on the 27 Inche with higher resolution. I know the BenQ I mentioned is 27" but only 1080p.. but it still got many awards.
I am not so sure about going to higher resolutions, since it is still quite demanding.

The Asus ROG PG278Q is probably the best gaming monitor on the market thanks to 144 high res + Gsync, but it costs X2 as much as the BenQ27" if not more, and at the moment, does not ship to Israel.

The PB278Q (stupid confusing name) - as nearly as expansive as it's superior, but offer no Gsync, and high response times, etc.

Also worth mentioning, I have my GPU connected to a receiver, that's connected to a big LED 1080p Samsung TV (running at 60Hz I believe). So maybe it is best I use the same resolution in both monitors? So I don't have to switch between resolutions each time?
 
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VincentP

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You had listed a mix of 24" and 27" monitors, so I made suggestions of 27" monitors.
1920x1080 resolution is low for a 27" monitor. At this size, I would recommend a 2560x1440 monitor.
1920x1080 is fine for a 24" monitor.

The BenQ XL2720Z and Asus VG248QE both use PWM to dim the backlight. If you have sensitive eyes, don't choose these. The Asus PB278Q is the same. You also want to stay away from LIghtboost.
The Asus VG278Q and Dell U2713HM do not use PWM and are truly flicker free.
In a 24", my suggestion instead would be the Dell U2414H.

120 Hz and 144 Hz monitors are designed for gaming, aimed at people hoping it will give them some minute advantage in multiplayer FPS games. To achieve this they sacrifice image quality. Don't expect them to be easy on sensitive eyes. The Asus ROG PG278Q is the first monitor to try and bridge this gap, which is why it is so expensive.

Whatever monitor you consider, search for a review at tftcentral. They do real reviews and are a great source of information.
They also maintain a list of flicker free monitors:
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/articles/flicker_free_database.htm
 
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I have already made my mind about going into 144Hz 1ms. That's what I am going to do.

Regarding flicker free monitors:
Both: BenQ XL2720Z and its 24" counterpart: BenQ XL2420Z - Are in fact truly flicker free, according to the chart in the Flicker Free Database link you just sent me (http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/articles/flicker_free_database.htm).

So actually both the BenQ XL2720Z and BenQ XL2420Z might be the best options for me at the moment, as it seems the Asus Asus VG248QE, as good as it is, doesn't qualify for a flicker free monitor.

Also Linus and Tom's Hardware mentioned positively the flicker free new tech behind the BenQ (something with direct current instead of pulse) to work very well. Although the reviews I read were only about the BenQ XL2720Z. I am assuming both are the same exact monitors with a different resolutions.

How bad is the issue of "pixel density" getting reduced when going 27" with a 1080p resolutions, both reviews I have mentioned + other people mentioned it means nothing, and it looks great, unless you really looking at it from point blank. Others says its absurd etc etc...
I honestly think that if pixel density would be such a huge issue, the monitor would not receive such positive rankings.
However, if you think its really that big an issue, I can go with the smaller XL2420Z - if it's indeed the exact same monitor spec/tech wise.

However I rather pay a few extra $ to get the 27"..

Tell me what you think about the BenQ XL2720Z picture quality, speed for gaming and flicker free tech, please.
 
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VincentP

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Read the tftcentral reviews on these monitors. They know a lot more about display quality than I ever will, or any Tom's hardware reviewer.

If the monitors are using direct current dimming rather than PWM, that's great.
How "good" the image quality is depends on the point of view of the reviewer.
A gaming reviewer might say the monitor was very responsive and the game mode settings allowed you to see people hiding in dark areas. A monitor reviewer might say that brightness was not consistent across the panel, colour reproduction was inaccurate and blacks were washed out. Both can be correct at the same time, but it depends on your priorities.

Pixel density also depends on what you are used to. A 24" screen at 1920x1080 resolution has similar pixel density to traditional CRT monitors. A 27" 1920x1080 resolution screen is lower, or at 2560x1440 it is higher. There is no question that the higher pixel density looks much better, but this may not be important to everyone. A 27" monitor at 1920x1080 resolution looks very grainy to me, but it is a good size gaming monitor and there are always compromises.
 
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At the moment I am leaning mostly towards the BenQ XL2420Z 24-Inch Screen LED.

There is also a XL2411Z but it got less features and HDMI slots, less attractive and flexible stand, etc.

So yeah... the BenQ XL2420Z might be the best option at the moment: since it has 144hz, 1ms. Additionally it is equipped with the new Flicker Free engine (like other Z models). The Blur Reduction. Blue-light management.

I think I will have to pass out on the XL2720Z. It costs more, but the main issue isn't the price, it's the 27" with 1080p. If you are saying pixel density is a big deal, then maybe its too low resolution for 27".

I am still trying to decide if going 1440p or waiting for G-sync (which is also 1440p 27") is worth the time and money.
Currently, the Asus ASUS PG278Q ROG Swift 27-Inch - costs 893$ and will costs over 1100-1200$ after tax and shipping, probably a lot higher.

The BenQ BenQ XL2420Z costs 332.92$ in Amazon:
After tax + shipping it will cost me: 583 $.

What do you think?
Yeah... tax and shipping to Israel are the big price hogs..
 
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VincentP

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In a 120 Hz monitor, the XL2420Z seems like an OK choice.
Asus have gone to a lot of trouble to offer a high quality panel at that refresh rate, and they are charging a lot for it. Not everyone needs, wants or is prepared to pay for the best.
Your graphics card is going to struggle at 2560x1440 anyway, I would recommend a GTx 780 or R9 290 at this resolution (I make do with a GTX 770 but the memory is not ebough for some games with MSAA).
I have never experienced gsync, so I don't know how much of a loss it is.
I generally enable vsync, but this does introduce lag.
Freesync will also start appearing in time. AMD is pushing it and will support it. I think Nvidia will probably support it too, but that's just an opinion.
For your current system, if you mostly play fast FPS games, the BenQ XL2420Z seems fine.
If you want better image quality outside of these games including more accurate colours and better viewing angles, choose the Dell U2414H.
 
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You sure that GTX 670 is too weak for 1440p?
To be honest, that's kind of surprising because its not a weak card at all. Also I do believe that the rest of my specs are solid.
Can you care to explain more?

Regardless, I was delaying purchases of 780, Titan and 780ti when they came out. And that is because I am saving for the next tech, the next architecture: Planning on buying a Maxwell Card (880ti maybe?) in the future. I want to make the most out of my 670GTX, that run most games nowdays pretty slick anyhow. It was a top tier card at it's time and I hear people with weaker/similar cards running most games without a problem. Sometimes you have to reduce SSAO or MSAA if it is a poorly optimized game.


XL2420Z is a 144hz monitor. It has the exact same specs as the XL2720Z.
In my opinion both are great monitors, not just for FPS, that's a cliche.
It counters eye fatigue with Flicker Free tech + Low blue light. And Blur Reduction, 1ms, 144Hz etc - those parameters are good for 3rd person games and just about any other game.
Reviews say that for a TN panel it looks pretty good.



(P.S I have a good old DEL 2407WFP DVI 24" 1920 X 1200 Monitor.
It is a reliable monitor that has been serving me for nearly/over a decade I think (no idea). It is even an IPS but that's sitting in my work station, the 2ndry gaming pc.)


 
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I think I go with the XL2420Z and that's because I get the same 144Hz greatness of the XL2720Z - but with better pixel density, and the same specs of Asus VG248QE - but with a better flicker free and motion blur technology. And some extra features and improvments.

If 27" 1080p was not an issue, I would probably go with XL2720Z...

My biggest hesitation at the moment: Should I wait for BenQ (or other brands) new G-sync monitors?
http://www.blurbusters.com/gsync/list-of-gsync-monitors/

The BENQ XL2420G is basically a XL2420Z with G-sync (I assume). Is it worth the wait, and ultra-price?
 
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VincentP

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I have a GTX 770 with a Dell U2713HM monitor at 2560x1440. To get a playable frame rates in Far Cry 3 I have to disable MSAA. Same deal for Skyrim with mods.
The XL2420Z will be fine for what you want, I don't think gsync is worth waiting for or paying some huge premium for.
The Asus PG278Q is likely to be better than anything BenQ has coming if you did want to spend this extra money.
 
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You know that's exactly what brings me down.
This generation of gaming can be a real bummer, and downright confusing:
On one end you have a solid 60 fps gaming on 1080.
On the other you have 144hz screen gaming probably 1080p.
And third you have 4K and its inferior 2k etc.

This clash between going 4K or going 144hz on current resolutions or even 1440p (not 4k, if you have the money...) - is downright frustrating.
I am planning to buy the next Nvidis cards, with the new Maxwell arechitecture: probably a 880ti or something.
But that will be expansive. Same goes for a decent 4k monitor/tv.

I honestly don't know where to go..
Going 4k going 144hz.
Going somewhere in between with ultra expansive monitors that wont even get shipped here..Go gsync? Go stronger gpu?
Damn..
Btw not sure about the exact 4k definition. 1440p is 2k or something? Amyway.. people are all saying 4k is the near future. Few months from now everything will be 4k... its unrealistic. I doubt it will become a standard in the next few years..
What do you think?
What res/tech will dominate?
 
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I will vouch for the ASUS VG248QE http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B2HH7G0 being an extremely solid choice. I've got one and it has a great picture quality for a TN panel and as far as performance goes, it's probably the best gaming performance monitor for the price.

The fact that you can also install a G-sync kit to enable G-sync on this monitor is just a bonus. I've also got the nVidia 3D Vision 2 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005XULTG6 kit installed and it's pretty amazing to game in 3D.
 
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You know I bet the ASUS VG248QE is a terrific monitor, and it has the most bang for $ among all other 144Hz gaming monitors I have mentioned.
It was my #1 choice before I started the deeper research.
The reason I am leaning toward BenQ XL2420Z - it's because it got pretty much the same specs, while its 27" 1080p model won both Tom's Hardware Smart Buy award and won Linus tips best gaming monitor.
Additionally, the BenQ XL2420Z seems to have more features:
Better (possibly) blur reduction. More HDMI ports (people say it is useless, since they HDMI does NOT transmit 144Hz - is that true?
But mainly - it is confirmed to be Flicker Free thanks to direct current instead of pulse (the Asus), unlike the Asus 144Hz monitor.
Also it is a year newer, and I bet BenQ was working hard to top the leading VG248QE.

That's my 2 cents at least.
But now the options of Gsync, 4k, 1440p and stuff are making my head hurt..
 
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VincentP

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The names of different resolutions is confusing. It depends if you are talking about a display standard or video standard, and then they are used incorrectly anyway.
Full HD (FHD) - 1080p - 1290x1080
Quad HD (QHD) - 1440p - 2560x1440
Ultra HD (UHD) - 2160p - 4K - 3840x2160

QHD has about x1.78 pixels comparead to FHD.
UHD has about x4 pixels compared to FHD.

UHD is currently aimed at professionals. For gaming, you need a massive amount of graphics processing power to handle it.
QHD is more approachable. Your GTX 670 will be OK at this resolution, you just need to sacrifice some in game settings.

As I've said before, how "good" a monitor looks depends a lot on your expectations.
Once you have seen a good quality 27" IPS panel at 2560x1440, other monitors tend to look disappointing.
For a focus on games though, these high speed TN monitors are very responsive and many people would consider the image quality to be good.
Don't let me necessarily talk you out of the XL2720Z either. Lower pixel density means a lower quality image, but it is a better size for gaming. Simply being bigger means it is more immersive.
 
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Thanks for clearing this up. I figured 1440p is actually QHD. I think its a nice resolution if you have the gpu processing power for it.
What monitors would you recommend at 1440p?

I was dreaming on buying this: http://www.asus.com/us/Monitors_Projectors/ROG_SWIFT_PG278Q/
Probably the best monitor for "next gen" gaming: Gsync, 1440p, 27", 144hz, 1 ms.. But Amazon don't provide it yet to Israel, and it will cost probably x4 or x5 more than the BenQs..
Although if it will arrive eventually, might be worth the wait and $... (will cost about 1500$ for me.. shipping and tax included).
 
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My first recommendations were 1440p monitors:
If you have a very fast computer and play mostly games like Battlefield or Counter Strike, choose the Asus ROG PG278Q.
If you play slower paced games or use the monitor for more general use, choose the Asus PB278Q or Dell U2713HM.

We ruled out the Asus PB278Q because it is not flicker free.
The other two would still hold.
 
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Yeah.. I think that if I could buy the Asus ROG PG278Q, I would definitely do it.

Yes it will cost 700-800$ (hopefully 700) and then Amazon shipping and import fees deposit, would be expansive, but not as ridiculous as 300$ shipping from Tiger Direct (insane).

But at the moment, Amazon don't sell it. Only 3rd party sellers. And 3rd party sellers 99% of the times don't ship outside the US.
If they will add Asus ROG PG278Q "sold by amazon" I would probably slice my wallet and pay the price. But it might take a long time before it gets there.

The Dell U27 is not bad, but I couldn't find its refresh rate (same for PB278Q) I am assuming both are 5ms and 60Mhz?
 
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Dell U2713HM has a 60 Hz refresh rate and 8ms response time (gray-to-gray).
This is pretty standard for an IPS panel.
A 60 Hz screen refreshes every 16.7 ms so these 60 Hz monitors with 2ms response time are a bit pointless.
You only need 2ms response time on a 120 Hz monitor.

All these monitors have their own implementation of blur reduction.
Some are better than others.
Search each monitor on http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/.
Blur reduction is towards the bottom of the reviews.
 
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For PC gaming purposes HDMI is useless. I only use the DVI-D or Displayport since they transmit 144Hz.
 
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HDMI and DSUB (VGA) inputs are typically included to support devices like laptops, tablets, games consoles, Blu-ray players, etc.
HDMI V1.2 supports up to 1920x1200 @ 60 Hz, the same as single-link DVI (HDMI is compatible with single-link DVI video formats)
Later versions of HDMI support higher resolutions, but the same 60 Hz refresh rate. Resolutions above 1920x1200 are not compatible with dual-link DVI video formats.
Dual-link DVI supports up to 2560x1440 @ 60 Hz or 1920x1080 @ 144 Hz.

DisplayPort is capable of higher resolutions and refresh rates. Like HDMI, it also supports audio. This will become the standard at least for high end PC monitors. All but the most gaming focuused monitors though will retain HDMI inputs for compatibility with other devices.
 
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Wait what?
I still don't understand the exact difference between these cables.

Everyone told me that HDMI only supports up to 60 Hz at 1080p and higher resolutions.
But I read that the standard DVI that comes with most pc monitors (not sure if its DVI-D, dual dvi, etc... please tell me - the one that connects to the GPU): Can in fact produce 120Hz or 144Hz @QHD 1440p or UHD 4K resolutions.
Isn't that correct?
Also if I buy Asus 144Hz or BenQ 144Hz monitors, what cable I will get with it? and will it allow using the advanced refresh rates?

Are you saying that the white DVI that connects to the GPU and comes with 95% of all monitors nowdays, doesn't support high refresh rates at high resolutions?
Can you confirm this? because people are telling me to use DVI if I buy BenQ or Asus 144Hz..

I honestly never heard of Display Port until recently, and never seen it in stores too..
 
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