Best 24in monitor for gaming only

[henriquefd]

Hi, folks!

I am buying a new computer focused on high end gaming. I have no intention of using that computer for anything other than gaming. I will watch TV on my TV, listen musing on my IPOd or media centers and work on my laptops.

My new desktop is being built exclusivelly for gaming.

Now that we cleared that up, I come here to ask for you expertise in which 24in monitors are the best for gaming.

Someone recommended me Dell U2311(sure, it is 23in an not 24in, but that's ok). What drew me away was the Response Time of 8ms.

 

[jaguarskx]

The U2311h is a good general purpose monitor. 8ms response time is not bad and most people should not notice much ghosting. It uses an e-IPS panel which basically means it has good colors and viewing angles which makes it good for watching movies and doing photo editing. The downside is it is somewhat more expensive than a typical TN panel monitor, concern about the "high" response time and input lag tends to be higher than some TN panel monitors.

Since gaming is the sole purpose the of monitor you want to buy, then buying a monitor that uses a TN panel will probably make you happier. Generally speaking, TN panel monitors are relatively inexpensive because they cost less to manufacture. The have fast response time of 2ms and can have very low input lag. There are a few "1ms" monitors, but that does not mean it is 2x faster than a 2ms monitor, also from the reviews I've read the results looked terrible. The biggest problem with TN panel monitors is viewing angles and color shifting, this is evident even if you stare directly at your monitor. It's not terrible, but it can be noticeable.

I recommend you consider the Asus VW246H or Asus VK246H. The difference is the VK model has a built-in webcam. They are a bit old since they hit the market back in November 2008, but still good for gaming. Response time of 2ms and input lag of 2ms as well. My review can be found in the following link:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/58336-3-official-flat-panel-monitor-reviews-thread


A more professional review which came out after my review:

http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/review/2009/review-asus-vk246h.html#Introduction



Here's an example of viewing angles for the NEC EA231WMi which uses the same e-IPS panel as the Dell U2311h:

Here's an example of viewing angles for the Asus VK246H (and VW246H) which uses a typical TN panel:

Unfortunately the same image is not used in both reviews since the reviews were done a couple of years apart. But it should be evident that the colors look more consistent for the e-IPS panel. Those angles are somewhat extreme though. I doubt you will be playing games at extreme angles from you monitor.

 

[henriquefd]

Thanks for the reply!

From what you said, it seems there is no perfect solution.
If I invest in an IPS Panel monitor, I will pay more to get more colors, but with a higher response time, which leads to ghosting in fast movement games, like FPS games.

Or, I could go for the TN Panel monitor, with lower response time, better performance but worse graphics.

My, oh my. What a bummer.

So, looking at Dell's website, I see these two recent models:

TN: Dell Professional P2411H
IPS: Dell U2410

How about those? I don't want to buy old models. Here is my dillema. I married last year. This year, we just finished buying all the forniture for our apartment. Now I can save some money again and buy stuff for myself! But next year we are having our first baby! So, I have to buy the computer of my dreams NOW.... or never! lol So I really need to go for something that would last a while.

 

[jaguarskx]

I haven't seen any reviews on the Dell P2411H, so i can't make any comments about it.

The Dell U2410 is pretty good and often on sale too. I think the regular price is $600, but I've seen it sell for as low has $500 during the holidays. Here's two reviews:

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2410.htm

http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/review/2010/review-dell-u2410.html


The U2410 is better than the U2311h. It uses the more expensive H-IPS panel instead of the less expensive e-IPS panel. One benefit is the rated 6ms response time instead of 8ms response time. Although I've never seen a monitor with an e-IPS panel, I've read their viewing angles are not as wide as H-IPS panels even though both are advertised as 178/178 angles. The U2410 also has more inputs.

 

[henriquefd]

I was ready to buy it, the dell u2410... Then i found out about its static dithering problem. It seems to be the major problem with that model. Now i am considering Samsung's xl2370.

 

[jaguarskx]

The Samsung's xl2370 is a TN panel monitor as compared to the H-IPS panel in the Dell U2410. TN panels are more prone to dithering issues because TN panels can only display 256k instead of 16.7m colors in VA and IPS panels. TN panels uses dithering to blend up to around 16.7m. They have narrower viewing angles as well.

The static dithering on the Dell does not seems to be a major issue and people who own it in this forum seems to like the Dell U2410 a lot. Unless you are doing professional photo editing I would not be bothered by the static dithering.

If the Samsung's xl2370 really catches your eye, then buy since it is cheaper.

 

[henriquefd]

The Samsung's xl2370 is a TN panel monitor as compared to the H-IPS panel in the Dell U2410. TN panels are more prone to dithering issues because TN panels can only display 256k instead of 16.7m colors in VA and IPS panels. TN panels uses dithering to blend up to around 16.7m. They have narrower viewing angles as well.

The static dithering on the Dell does not seems to be a major issue and people who own it in this forum seems to like the Dell U2410 a lot. Unless you are doing professional photo editing I would not be bothered by the static dithering.

If the Samsung's xl2370 really catches your eye, then buy since it is cheaper.

Wouldn't it be a problem to use a 1920x1200 monitor, like Dell u2410, when the standard full hd resolution is 1920x1080? I believe I would either get a distorted image, or a black stripe somewhere....

EDIT: Just called Dell and bought the u2410. Thanks for the inputs. It really helped with making up my mind!

 

[henriquefd]

Best answer selected by henriquefd.