Which 1440p Monitor Should I Buy?

[Adrien Chaussabel]

I'm looking for a 1440p monitor, one for gaming. My setup is currently in a sunroom, and therefore this monitor should be very resistant to glare. Now my price range is <$400 and the monitors I found are around $300-$350. My current choices are the QNIX, Shimian, Crossover, and X-Star. I've heard many good things about the Shimian, and it is priced a little above the others, around $340. I've heard the QNIX is very susceptible to glare, and not good at all for high light environments, so I think that might be my last pick. Again, I've heard good things about the X-Star monitor, and I think that it should be good for glare. I haven't heard much about the Crossover, but I think it isn't bad and its priced the same. Help me pick! Thanks.

Links:
QNIX
X-Star
Shimian
Crossover

 

[Jessepog]

LOL i haven't even herd of these monitors. But i will say you might wanna wait until gsink hits the market in 2014 depending on what gpu you own.one other thing dont settle for a 60 hz monitor get a 120 hz monitor at the least if you gaming its so worth it and your eyes will love you for it!
Anyways thats my 2 cents c ya.

 

[photonboy]

My advice is go to here: http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/monitor/#r=256001440&sort=a11

and here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/hp-zr2740w-asus-pb278q-review,3490.html

and here ($400 auria): http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/auria-eq276w-review-ips,3465.html

The Auria has no anti-glare but I included it for the good technical comments of things to look for in cheaper monitors, as well as to remind you to be absolutely certain the monitor you buy DOES have anti-glare (often not even mentioned).

And carefully research each monitor that's 8ms or less, however the cheaper ones tend to very prone to problems so be warned in this case you likely get what you pay for. The cheapest one I'd even consider is the Asus PB278Q at $545.

I have the Dell U2711, and aside from the annoying sparkly anti-gloss coating (not an issue in-game or video really) it's been worth every penny. It has a full three-year Warranty and it actually failed over two years in and I got one replaced the NEXT DAY and never payed a cent for that.

Most 2560x1440 screens suffer from one of the following or more:
- edge light bleed
- uneven backlight
- dead pixels
- failing shortly after short warranty

Concentrate on customer reviews from Amazon, Newegg etc and don't just buy based on a couple people who say they had good experience. Be a smart shopper and if doesn't pass the smell test (too good to be true) you're likely to be disappointed at some point either sooner or later.

 

[ssddx]

i do not know any of the brands you listed. i clicked on one at random and the location was korea so i'm guessing they are all korean. basically they use b+ or a- panels which they can get for cheap and produce a monitor. quality generally is less than what you will buy from dell, asus or acer however the price is also much cheaper.

its a risk but quite a few people seem to be taking it nowdays.

you dont want an antiglare coating. it makes reading text rather hard since its like looking through a layer of sparkly sand on your monitor.

the best is to go matte finish (no coating at all)

 

[photonboy]

Other:
The review for the HP monitor says it only accepts three resolutsions, 2560x1440, 1280x720 and 480p (16x9?) and that there is no workaround.

There is a workaround. You would set your VIDEO DRIVERS to "scale by GPU" and by "aspect ratio" which pre-scales to 2560x1440 and always outputs that resolution to the screen.

It's also a good idea to ask yourself if you want an HDMI (with HDCP) input as well as DVI for standalone BluRay or game consoles at 1920x1080 as those can't be pre-scaled.

 

[photonboy]

i do not know any of the brands you listed. i clicked on one at random and the location was korea so i'm guessing they are all korean. basically they use b+ or a- panels which they can get for cheap and produce a monitor. quality generally is less than what you will buy from dell, asus or acer however the price is also much cheaper.

its a risk but quite a few people seem to be taking it nowdays.

you dont want an antiglare coating. it makes reading text rather hard since its like looking through a layer of sparkly sand on your monitor.

the best is to go matte finish (no coating at all)

He already explained he'd be in a sunroom.
I'm in a room with my blinds closed and glare is often annoying and I have an anti-glare coating. I can only recommend screens without an anti-glare coating in a BASEMENT.

When I first got my monitor the sparkling anti-glare really pissed me off. I also came from a 19" CRT so the Contrast Ratio (deep blacks) made the entire experience feel like a huge step back.

After three years the sparkle rarely bugs me except in screens with a lot of white. When watching movies and playing games I really appreciate the lack of reflections but don't notice the anti-glare coating.

 

[ssddx]

a matte finish is comparable to antiglare in terms of glare resistance. while perhaps not quite the same it doesnt have unbearable glare like glossy and semiglossy screens. a matte finish however doesnt have the grainy/sandy looking film which makes it superior. basically its a win-win solution however its not always easy to find a screen without a coating applied.

you cannot totally eliminate glare (on any screen finish type) expect to use a sun shield / sun shade or to close the blinds or otherwise disperse the light from being too focused.

 

[Adrien Chaussabel]

My advice is go to here: http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/monitor/#r=256001440&sort=a11

and here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/hp-zr2740w-asus-pb278q-review,3490.html

and here ($400 auria): http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/auria-eq276w-review-ips,3465.html

The Auria has no anti-glare but I included it for the good technical comments of things to look for in cheaper monitors, as well as to remind you to be absolutely certain the monitor you buy DOES have anti-glare (often not even mentioned).

And carefully research each monitor that's 8ms or less, however the cheaper ones tend to very prone to problems so be warned in this case you likely get what you pay for. The cheapest one I'd even consider is the Asus PB278Q at $545.

I have the Dell U2711, and aside from the annoying sparkly anti-gloss coating (not an issue in-game or video really) it's been worth every penny. It has a full three-year Warranty and it actually failed over two years in and I got one replaced the NEXT DAY and never payed a cent for that.

Most 2560x1440 screens suffer from one of the following or more:
- edge light bleed
- uneven backlight
- dead pixels
- failing shortly after short warranty

Concentrate on customer reviews from Amazon, Newegg etc and don't just buy based on a couple people who say they had good experience. Be a smart shopper and if doesn't pass the smell test (too good to be true) you're likely to be disappointed at some point either sooner or later.

I wanted something cheaper, but I may look more into the ASUS one. I looked on amazon, and it said that the QNIX has some of the best ratings, and I think the X-Star is super similar, but matte, so I'm actually going to go with that one. I don't care too much if its an A-/B+ panel, I hear that they are actually quite good, and defects aren't all that common.