Heavy gamer, 120hz or IPS monitor?

[boozehound59]

Hey guys, I need advice. I use my PC mostly for gaming and have a GTX 670 video card in my build, which will run most games above 60 fps. After much research I still can't decide between a 120hz TN monitor or an IPS monitor. I really like the IPS's better color and wider viewing angles, though I'm a bit worried about the motion blur and input lag.

Another thing that I'm concerned about is that some people say playing games above 60 fps on a 60hz monitor will not allow me to see the frames above 60 and cause screen tearing. Is this true? How much smoother is a game on a 120hz as opposed to an IPS? Are the viewing angles on a TN really that bad? I plan on getting a 23.6"

For reference I don't play games very competitively. I do play Battlefield 3, but I play for fun, and I play RPG's just as much as FPS's.

 

[ssddx]

depends on the type of ips. e-ips doesnt offer better color than a tn. s-ips, p-ips and h-ips do. all ips panels offer better viewing angles though.

most games limit your in game fps to what your monitor can handle. i've never had a problem. if anything 60hz is still the vast majority so i would say no issues.

i've used both a television and a 16ms (max) ips panel without any lag, visual distortion or othe problems. if you cheap out and buy crap perhaps there are issues but none i've heard of if you buy a decent brand in this day and age. those problems are more rare now then they used to be.

i havent seen games on a 120hz, but video did not look all that much better. a little smoother perhaps but not worth dealing with a tn panel in my own opinion.

viewing angle on a tn depends on the panel. some have a coating to limit this and they are bearable. laptop screens and others are insufferable. personally i avoid tn panels whenever i can. larger screens show color shifting more with tn panels. 24 might be okay if you sit head-on but larger 26 or bigger might color shift even straight on.

completely up to you but i still say a 60hz dvi e-ips (or preferentially a p-ips, h-ips or s-ips) panel. current panel response times on ips are much better than they used to be so i wouldnt worry quite as much about this.

it is an absolute lie that you need 1-2ms response times for gaming. dont let the gaming crowd persuade you with opinions without factual basis. you know the same people who think a $30 plastic mousemat is going to make you play better. 60% of what i hear from "extreme gamers" is bogus information.

 

[jaguarskx]

Another thing that I'm concerned about is that some people say playing games above 60 fps on a 60hz monitor will not allow me to see the frames above 60 and cause screen tearing. Is this true? How much smoother is a game on a 120hz as opposed to an IPS? Are the viewing angles on a TN really that bad? I plan on getting a 23.6"

60Hz means the monitor only accepts 60 streams of data per second; each stream represents 1 frame so a 60Hz monitor is limited to receiving and displaying a max of 60FPS. I don't think it necessarily causes screen tearing, but that's what v-sync is for. As for smoothness, I can't say since I play on a H-IPS monitor; 60FPS is good enough for me.

The following are the viewing angles for a Dell U2312H monitor which has an e-IPS panel.

Source: http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/review/2011/review-dell-u2312hm-part7.html#Viewing

The follpwing are viewing angles for a Iiyama ProLite B2475HDS-B1 which has a TN panel.

Source: http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/review/2011/review-iiyama-b2475hds-part2.html#Image

 

[ssddx]

to add on jaquarskx's post...

on my viewsonic vp201b ips screen i can view the screen almost edge on (giving you just a sliver of a view) without any color distortion.

viewing angles are normally in the 178 degree range. much much better than tn which is in the double digits at most .