What is the best 120hz monitor for gaming (and sother stuff)?

[Bhishma]

Which 120hz monitor should I buy for gaming? My graphics card is on Nvidia GTX 680, and I'll be adding a second GTX 680 later.
Uses: 70% gaming; 15% movies; 15% web surfing and reading text.

Types of games played:
-70% fps games (about 60 % of that is online, and 40% single player).
-30% other types of games, such as RTS or RPG.
Games I expect to play in the next few months are BF3, Skyrim, Hitman Absolution, and Far Cry 3.

I'm thinking that it would be best to go with a 24 inch screen at 1080p so that I can run games like BF3 on ultra with no lag. If the resolution is any higher, I think that I'll suffer in fps. I won't rule out a 27 inch screen, but I feel like the lower dpi would largely offset the benefit of running games on ultra resolution. 24 inch is ideal. 23 inch is a little small, and 27 inch is probably too big.

I think that a glossy screen would be best, as I usually play games and watch movies in the dark.
I don't plan to use it much for 3D, but I'm not sure, as I've never tried it.

Money is not a major issue. I expect to spend a lot of hours staring at this thing, so I'll spend what I need to to get a good monitor.

I'm leaning toward the Asus VG236H. Reviews indicate low input lag, good response time, and decent colors out of box.
Also considering the BenQ XL2420T, but I'm put off by the reviews that say it has bad colors out of the box. I don't want to spend the money to buy a colorimeter.
The reviews indicate that the Samsung S23A950D has the best picture and color quality of the 120hz TN screens, but input lag is worse. I would almost rule this one out because I saw it in a store and the screen wobbles a lot when you barely touch the table it is on, and it has bad ergonomics.

What should I buy?

 

[ssddx]

pixels per inch (ppi) would be the propper term. in regards to this, what you see is dependent on how far you sit away from the screen. i used to use a 20" 1600x1200 screen at normal distances and now i use a 40" 1920x1080 screen at about 3.5-4ft.

is there a noticible difference in ppi? of course. a bigger screen does have certain benefits though. having to use a little bit of perepheral vision while perhaps not as twitch-friendly is definitely a more immersive experience. once you get used to having a screen so large of course.

the one issue i have with high ppi monitors is that windows text and fonts in general (and in some cases HUD in game) are rather small and hard to see at times which causes eye strain. a slightly larger monitor enlarges everything and while everything else might not be as crisp unless you have eagle eyes it really is not all that bad. depending on your own preferences of course.

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i would not bother with a color meter for tn panels. this would be a waste of money. tn panels are probably the worst out of the bunch when it comes to color accuracy.

i prefer to use ips panels exclusively when i can, but you do sacrifice the 120hz and 3d option. either you prefer 120hz or high quality displays, it depends on your own preferences (and of course, budget). if you want to know about the different panel types just scroll through some monitor posts here.

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just a word of warning, gaming in the dark is going to destroy your eyes. it is always best to at least have some ambient light. of course, what you do is your own choice.

glossy coating- colors are more vibrant but any light source can create excessive glare which can cause eye strain.
anti-glare coating- eliminates most of the glare but can appear sparkly like looking through sand which can cause eye strain when reading small text and can be irritating to some.
matte finish- what i prefer, this is a flat finish. no anti glare coating and no glossy coating. colors are not as vibrant as a gloss finish and you do not get the sparkles of an anti glare coating. you might have a hard time finding this finish though.


....i know i did not recommend a specific model, i just wanted to give you something to think on.

 

[bystander]

I do not know what is the best for your choice on monitors, but the 3 you chose are all good. However, I do know a little about two of them that may help.

From what I have read, the BenQ XL2420T has a matte finish and does not have a built in 3D emitter or glasses, however it does have support for lightboost 2 and 3D Vision 2 if you buy the 3D Vision 2 kit. If you want the kit built in, they sell the BenQ XL2420TX in some of the world (not Europe).

The Asus VG236H, I do not know what kind of finish it has. It is a 3D Vision 1 monitor with the kit built in. This does mean it is an older monitor, which might mean it has more ghosting or crosstalk in 3D. I don't know much else about this monitor.

The Samsung S23A950D has a glossy finish, if that is what you want. It is also the only HD3D monitor you are looking at. What that means is it that it will perform 3D on AMD cards and lacks the benefit of lightboost.

If you have an Nvidia card and want to use 3D, you should go with the BenQ or ASUS, and if you have AMD and want to use 3D, get the Samsung. Even if you don't, I'd still recommend going that direction because you may wish you did after playing with 3D.