Gaming monitor (PC and Consoles)

[Zalgradis]

Evening everyone, and happy new year!

I have recently replaced my desktop with a Clevo P370EM gaming laptop and am looking to replace my existing Dell 2407WFP-HC monitor with two new monitors for a dual screen setup.

I am mainly doing so for work and am an avid PC gamer, however I recently picked up both an XBOX 360 and PS3 to enjoy their exclusive titles.

I intend to connect my laptop to both screens via Display Port -> DVI adapter cable and HDMI -> DVI adapter cable, leaving the HDMI inputs free for tv freeview box and consoles respectively. I will be playing pc games on a single screen only (primary screen), leaving the secondary free for streams, work, consoles, tv etc.

Ideally I am looking for a monitor with the following minimum specs:

- 23.6" - 24" (no larger)
- 1920x1080 native resolution
- Slim bezel (not hugely important)
- Reasonable viewing angles (+-70)
- 250cd2 brightness (up to 400)
- 1920x1080 native resolution
- Reasonably high colour gamut for vibrant colours
- Built in speakers and audio output (not 100% necessary but makes life easier with console gaming)
- 1x HDMI and 1x DVI inputs per monitor as a bare minimum
- 5ms or less typical response time to reduce ghosting
- Up to £250.00 per panel

I'm having a hard time making a decision, however I am currently looking at the following panels:

Iiyama E2473HS http://www.ebuyer.com/408578-e2473hs-gb1-23-6-led-1920x1080-vga-2xhdmi-speakers-black-e2473hs-gb1
Iiyama E2481HS http://www.ebuyer.com/393836-iiyama-prolite-e2481hs-b-24-led-lcd-dvi-monitor-with-speakers-e2481hs-b1

I would be willing to consider a more expensive 120hz screen, however I will be gaming at 30-60 FPS most of the time with the particular titles I am interested in playing (Metro 2033, heavily modded Skyrim etc). I would also prefer to have identical screens, unless one particular panel is superior for console gaming and the other for PC gaming.

Any advice as to which Iiyama screen to go for or an alternative would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your help

- Zal

 

[dscudella]

I am by no means a Monitor / Display expert, but I do know that the Acer V-Series (23" Built in speakers, 2ms) were used by Major League Gaming for their events. As of now Asus, BenQ & Samsung both make models that are used by MLG.

I know that another thing you should look for is the "Response Time". The standard is 5ms but the fastest (that I know of) is 2ms.

 

[DarkSable]

I would recommend avoiding the Acer monitors (bad quality control and bad customer support makes it a gamble if you're going to be stuck with a broken monitor.)

I'd recommend Asus, BenQ, and Samsung as well - Asus actually was the first 1080p monitor I went with, and I loved it - I've since moved on to a 120Hz monitor, which is great for competitive gaming and general usage, but sounds like you don't need it much.

 

[Zalgradis]

Thanks for the quick responses. I've had a look at BenQ monitors but as the specs are extremely similar i'm left confused as to which to go for

@dscudella: the typical" response time of 5ms i've noted is black to white afaik, whereas on most sites they advertise grey to grey response times, which is less (2ms in the case of the iiyama monitors i've linked to).

 

[Zalgradis]

Edit; not sure if that 5ms "typical" refers to black to black or black to white :/

If anyone has any suggestions monitor wise or can advise me as to which iiyama screen (as linked above) to go for I would greatly appreciate it.