Deciding between 1440p or 120Hz gaming monitor

[VincentP]

I generally answer questions on these forums rather than ask them, but for all my research I am having trouble deciding on a new monitor for my games PC.

These are the three I am currently considering:
Asus VG278HE
BenQ XL2720T
Asus PB278Q

The PB278Q (PLS panel) offers 2560x1440 resolution and better colour reproduction, but slower response time leading to motion blur.

The other two are 120Hz or 144Hz refresh rates, lower response time and reduced motion blur.

All seem to have similar input lag and flickering. Calibrated contrast and colour are reasonable.

I'm particularly after people's personal experience with any of these three monitors, or other 27" monitors they would suggest for gaming.

I have a GTX 770 graphics card, so I am concerned about some games not being able to run at 2560x1440. I'm prepared to turn down anti-aliasing and other effects but want to at least keep high detail textures and the native resolution of the display. With the PB278Q I am also concerned about motion blur. For all of that though, I wonder if the improved image quality at this resolution will be more beneficial than the 120Hz+ monitors.

Edit: One last point, I don't see much appeal in stereoscopic 3D. I also can't imagine using Lightboost to reduce image blur at the expense of image quality and flickering. The 120Hz or 144Hz monitors are only of interest to me for smoother motion and reduced motion blur.

 

[Devballs]

I have been mulling this same question over for months now. The main concern I have come up with is what type of games do you play and are you a twitch gamer? Personally I do play some FPS games, but not competitvely or anything, and have had my eye on the PB278Q myself. I went into a store and tried it out myself and fell in love with the thing. I will admit you need some serious GPU t run games at a stable frame rate at this resolution though, google benchmarks for your gpu at that screen res to see if the frames would be acceptable.

 

[AxlFone]

Look here- http://stores.ebay.com/AccessoriesWhole/QNIX-/_i.html?_fsub=5967204015

QNIX is good quality 2560 1440 monitor. Good price + you can OC it to 100Hz.
With 314$ price + shipping you can not find better quality / price 2560 1440 monitor.

 

[VincentP]

I have been mulling this same question over for months now. The main concern I have come up with is what type of games do you play and are you a twitch gamer? Personally I do play some FPS games, but not competitvely or anything, and have had my eye on the PB278Q myself. I went into a store and tried it out myself and fell in love with the thing. I will admit you need some serious GPU t run games at a stable frame rate at this resolution though, google benchmarks for your gpu at that screen res to see if the frames would be acceptable.

The last two games I have spent a substantial amount of time playing single player were Skyrim and Far Cry 3.
Skyrim is pushing the limits of my 2GB of video memory with mods, but there is a "light" version of the high res textures available so hopefully 2560x1440 will be OK.
Metro Last Light seems to be the most intensive game at the moment and the GTX 770 can manage about 35 FPS at 2560x1440 with very high quality. This means I would have to drop quality settings. Far Cry 3 isn't far behind in requirements.

The only multi-player FPS game I have played in a while is Team Fortress 2. This has such low requirements that it should easy manage 120 FPS at 1920x1080 or 60 FPS at 2560x1440 hence maxing out any of these monitors.

You said you had tried out the PB278Q. Have you tried a 120 Hz monitor?

 

[VincentP]

Look here- http://stores.ebay.com/AccessoriesWhole/QNIX-/_i.html?_fsub=5967204015

QNIX is good quality 2560 1440 monitor. Good price + you can OC it to 100Hz.
With 314$ price + shipping you can not find better quality / price 2560 1440 monitor.

I can see forum threads on this monitor, but no real reviews.
It also doesn't appear to be sold from any store in Australia.

 

[AxlFone]

Look here- http://stores.ebay.com/AccessoriesWhole/QNIX-/_i.html?_fsub=5967204015

QNIX is good quality 2560 1440 monitor. Good price + you can OC it to 100Hz.
With 314$ price + shipping you can not find better quality / price 2560 1440 monitor.

I can see forum threads on this monitor, but no real reviews.
It also doesn't appear to be sold from any store in Australia.

Only place to order that monitor is ebay or amazon.

 

[squirrelboy]

I have the BenQ XL2420T (advertised as 120hz, capable of 144), the difference between 60 and 120/144hz is amazing. Especially with Lightboost. What Lightboost does is it strobes the backlight at 120hz, turning it off during pixel transitions. Believe me, this MASSIVELY reduces motion blur, and there is no flickering at all. It does however reduce the screen's brightness quite a bit.

I can say without a doubt that 120hz + Lightboost is MUCH smoother and has FAR less motion blur than even 144hz without LB
I don't have any experience with 1440p screens, so I can't compare it to those, but I'd definitely recommend the benq if you are going for a 120/144hz screen because of the lightboost

edit: i just read about the games you play. 120hz/Lightboost is definitely most noticeable in twitch shooters like cod, CS or TF2 (lightboost does make a difference even if the game is running at 60fps)
If you don't plan on playing fast-paced, high-FPS games, a 120hz screen doesn't seem really valuable to me. (Skyrim is also capped at 60FPS I believe)
you'd be better off getting a triple monitor setup or a 1440p screen

 

[loki993]

The problem with those korean monitors is they dont all have true backlight dimming. They either lower brightness my digitally altering white levels, which will kill the contrast ratio or by using PWM, which is fine but they use such a low frequency, around 160hz which is about a hundred less than anyone else uses, that's if you at all sensitive to flicker it will probably bother you.

Ive been in the same situation and I was considering one of the koreans due to the price and the excellent panel. I have yet to find one with true backlight dimming or a decent frequency PWM though.

 

[VincentP]

To throw another monitor in the mix, the Dell U2713HM does not use PWM to reduce the backlight brightness like the other three monitors listed, eliminating flicker. It is another 2560x1440 monitor and appears to have fantastic image quality. The draw back is slower response time than the PB278Q and increased input lag.

 

[VincentP]

Thanks for your advice guys.
I have found what I was looking for.
The Asus PG278Q is due for release in April.
2560x1440 resolution, 120 Hz refresh and 1ms response time GtG.
http://www.asus.com/us/News/xXtX0FNhXQWPrry7
http://rog.asus.com/296652014/news/rog-announces-the-pg278q-swift-27-inch-wqhd-g-sync-gaming-monitor/

Asus claims the display has a very high quality TN panel. Will have to wait for detailed reviews when it is released, but well worth waiting for I think.