Can't decide between 27" 1080p or 24" 1920x1200 IPS monitor for Gaming under $200

[Timmster]

I have been planning on building my first gaming PC for a while now and after deciding to wait for AMD's r9 300 series to be released I have been looking at monitors. For those intirested here is my partslist.

I'm used to gaming on my Dell M4400 with a 16" 1920x1200 screen or on my 360 with a cheap 32" 1080p Emerson LCD TV that won't work with PC graphics cards (otherwise I'd be fine using that), so I'm fine with a good 24" but wouldn't mind sacrificing features like USB ports or even IPS for a decent 28" monitor. I don't really care for more than 60Hz right now as it's too expensive from what I've seen. I'd rather go with a second monitor in the future or a large 21:9 if they get cheaper.

The monitors that look good to me on paper (or at least the internet) are:

HP ZR2440w 24-inch LED Backlit IPS Monitor $200 Used: Very Good
Like that it has Display Port and USB ports, plus , but not many of the used units left, and new are $400

Asus VS247H-P 23.6-Inch Full-HD LED-Lit LCD Monitor $156 New
No frills budget option

ASUS VE248H 24-Inch Full-HD LED-lit LCD Monitor with Integrated Speakers $170 New
Speakers and higher contrast than the previous monitor

Samsung SD590 Series S24D590PL 23.6-Inch Screen LED-lit Monitor $200 New
Several review sites say it is great for gaming due to contrast and response times

Acer - 27" LED HD Monitor S271HL DBI $180 New
TN LCD, and 100mil:1 contrast sounds bogus. If the response time is same as the BenQ I doubt this is worth it

Asus - 27" Widescreen Flat-Panel LED HD Monitor VE278H $230
A bit over budget but it may be worth it

BenQ GL Series GL2760H 27-Inch Screen LED-Lit Monitor $180
Iniresting features but not sure if they are useful, but at the price the features are a bonus on a good deal

LG - 25" IPS LED HD 21:9 UltraWide 25UM64-S $160
I've thought about a 21:9, but this may be too small to be suitable, though it is on sale


I live 45 minutes out of town or I'd check some of these out myself in Best Buy today. I'll have an opportunity Wednesday, and hopefully some helpful people have some recommendations by then.

 

[ZeusGamer]

I had this dilemma a month ago. I was gonna choose between 144hz 24" or 27"

I chose the 27" just because the sheer size is just perfect for me.

 

[Timmster]

I had this dilemma a month ago. I was gonna choose between 144hz 24" or 27"

I chose the 27" just because the sheer size is just perfect for me.

I just compared my brother's 21.6" monitor to my 32" TV at sitting distance for my desk and I think unless I get a higher resolution 27" I'd rather get a 24" for the higher pixel density and 27" seems too large for comfort unless I sit at least 3' away. An ultra wide is still an appealing option.

 

[ZeusGamer]

I had this dilemma a month ago. I was gonna choose between 144hz 24" or 27"

I chose the 27" just because the sheer size is just perfect for me.

I just compared my brother's 21.6" monitor to my 32" TV at sitting distance for my desk and I think unless I get a higher resolution 27" I'd rather get a 24" for the higher pixel density and 27" seems too large for comfort unless I sit at least 3' away. An ultra wide is still an appealing option.

I thought about the pixel density problem as well. But when I got the 27 inch monitor, I actually loved it! It didn't seem pixelated to me. Specially if you're going to buy an IPS monitor with beautiful vieiwng angels and beautiful color reproduction? You wouldn't have any problems. But like you said, if you're getting a 24 inch, that's good too!

 

[baracubra]

I currently have 3x 1080p 27" LG IPS screens in surround (almost borderless) and ABSOLUTELY love them. I used to have 3x 24's and I would NEVER go back. I'm in university right now so I do a lot of productivity work (word docs, excel spreadsheets, paper research etc) and I have no problems with the pixel density as compared to the 24's.

Although I will admit that after using my 13 inch 1080p laptop, the desktop screens are noticeably more pixelated I personally value the extra screen real estate much much more. As for gaming, you won't notice much of a difference in pixel density between the two (that mostly comes into play when reading text), but the size will give you a massive boost in utility and fun.

However I will say that I'm using very high quality factory calibrated IPS screens (they have a decent response rate - but are absolutely worth it for photoshoping and video editing), so they look great just from the color and vibrance. If you get a low-end TN panel, the 27" might lose some of its appeal.

 

[Timmster]

I thought about the pixel density problem as well. But when I got the 27 inch monitor, I actually loved it! It didn't seem pixelated to me. Specially if you're going to buy an IPS monitor with beautiful vieiwng angels and beautiful color reproduction? You wouldn't have any problems. But like you said, if you're getting a 24 inch, that's good too!

I currently have 3x 1080p 27" LG IPS screens in surround (almost borderless) and ABSOLUTELY love them. I used to have 3x 24's and I would NEVER go back. I'm in university right now so I do a lot of productivity work (word docs, excel spreadsheets, paper research etc) and I have no problems with the pixel density as compared to the 24's.

Although I will admit that after using my 13 inch 1080p laptop, the desktop screens are noticeably more pixelated I personally value the extra screen real estate much much more. As for gaming, you won't notice much of a difference in pixel density between the two (that mostly comes into play when reading text), but the size will give you a massive boost in utility and fun.

However I will say that I'm using very high quality factory calibrated IPS screens (they have a decent response rate - but are absolutely worth it for photoshoping and video editing), so they look great just from the color and vibrance. If you get a low-end TN panel, the 27" might lose some of its appeal.

Thanks for the input, I should have time to go into Best Buy and actually look at some monitors firsthand. If some of the good ones are still on sale I may end up coming home with one. Or not, I am the opposite of an impulse buyer. I haven't bought a single part for my PC because I've been waiting months for the R9 300 series and my parts list has dropped $100 in that time.

 

[Timmster]

Just saw these on Amazon. If I don't find anything better at Best Buy I may make an exception and get one of these today. If I don't like it I can always return it.

Samsung SD590 Series S24D590PL 23.6-Inch Screen LED-lit Monitor

L.G 25UM65P 21:9 UltraWide Monitor

 

[baracubra]

Thanks for the input, I should have time to go into Best Buy and actually look at some monitors firsthand. If some of the good ones are still on sale I may end up coming home with one. Or not, I am the opposite of an impulse buyer. I haven't bought a single part for my PC because I've been waiting months for the R9 300 series and my parts list has dropped $100 in that time.

Just remember that in the big shopping malls the displays are usually daisy chained or the signal is split between multiple displays. Imo this always leads to picture quality degradation. Also, they never calibrate them (even very basically) so there could be huge differences between picture quality. If possible try and take a laptop and ask to directly plug into one screen at a time. That way you can truly gauge the displays

 

[Snookslayer]

I've always heard 24" was widely considered the sweet spot for 1080p and beyond that it starts looking pixelated. But that's obviously subjective. My friend uses a 32" tv as a monitor which looks like total crap to me, but he loves it. Eye of the beholder I guess.

When I finally upgrade to 27" in a couple years, I want 1440p. By then hopefully the $600 monitor I want now will be less than $300 or so.

 

[Timmster]

So I went to Best Buy yesterday and wasn't impressed by the 21:9 ultrawide monitors, but was impressed by the 27" monitors. They didn't appear pixelated and I was actually considering buying the Acer S271HL, except it was no longer on sale. After doing some more searching online I've narrowed my preffered choices down to...

Samsung S24D590PL ($146 Amazon Like New)

Samsung S27D390H (same as above, -1 HDMI) ($200 No stand, $218 Used Amazon)

Acer H276HL ($230 Amazon)

BenQ GW2760HS ($202 Amazon and Walmart)

The names link to reviews if anyone is interested in reading them and giving their opinion on which is better. Otherwise they're there so I don't have to go through my browser history to find them =)

 

[Snookslayer]

Can't argue with those prices. Personally, I'm a Dell monitor freak so I always end up paying more.

Regardless of what you get, it's usually a good idea to spend a little extra when it comes to monitors. You're usually stuck with it for a few years and it makes a big impact on the overall experience.

 

[Timmster]

Can't argue with those prices. Personally, I'm a Dell monitor freak so I always end up paying more.

Regardless of what you get, it's usually a good idea to spend a little extra when it comes to monitors. You're usually stuck with it for a few years and it makes a big impact on the overall experience.

Got a promo email from Newegg and Acer G257HL is $160, has a slightly better response time than the Samsung S24D590PL, but the Samsung is confirmed to overclock perfectly to 72Hz. The sale is till the 6th, so I have time to decide, but I'm down to these two (which two days is a record for me considering I spent over a week deciding on a case). I may have to start a thread just to ask about the Acer overclocking.

 

[Snookslayer]

I don't know anything about overclocking monitors, but from what I've read it sounds fairly simple.

 

[Timmster]

It's been a while but I picked Baracubra's post as the answer because it was the most informative and helped me in my current search for a monitor. I've created a new thread here. http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2863652/decide-benq-ew2750zl-mva-asus-vc279h-ips-monitor.html