Please help me decide !!! Best Monitor

[acalvi777]

Hello ...

The time has come to make a decision. This has been a decision that has taken me a long time to come to because of all the different specs and features but mostly because of how picky I am.

I have been debating on a new computer monitor. I have a GTX 480 with an i7 and some other specs that I know will let me run my games at max settings ... so of course I want a monitor that is big and powerful.

I have looked at different monitor sizes but I have decided to go no smaller than 27".

Price range is most likely not going to go over $450.

But what I am mostly still confused about are the specs I should look for. I know that within that price range I cannot get a 27" IPS monitor but I would be okay with a TN Panel if it's really good.

Specs wise I know that the contrast ratio is important but the Samsung's listed below have a ratio of 50k-70k : 1. But the ASUS listed below is at 10million to 1. I don't understand how these monitors are so close in price range but have such a big difference in contrast ration? (does it really make a big difference? ).

I have also heard that an LED monitor is always better and the only one I have found at 27" is the ASUS.

At this point I can't seem to decide between the ones listed below ... please help.

Samsung P2770H:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5766719&CatId=3774[/url]

Viewsonic VX2739wm:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6052510&CatId=3774[/url]

Asus VK278Q ( This is my favorite so far)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236101&Tpk=VK278Q[/url]

ASUS VE276Q (Same as above except w/o webcam)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236091&cm_re=asus_ve276q-_-24-236-091-_-Product][/url]


As you can probably see I am looking for something with high quality and no smaller than 27". Viewing angles are not important because I will be sitting right in front of the monitor for everything.

Please advise and let me know which you would recommend.

Thanks,

 

[jaguarskx]

Monitors with LED backlighting has no picture or color quality strengths over traditional florescent (CCFL) backlight. LED backlight generally tends to slightly on the bluish tint side. The main strength of LED backlight is it uses less electricity than CCFL because the LEDs are along the edge instead of having a full array of lights behind the LCD panel. This allows the monitor to be thinner. But this design relies on an amorphis material to spread the light evenly.

Contrast ratios are a bit misleading there is Dynamic Contrast Ratio which is all the rage because it allows manufacturers to list ridiculously high numbers especially for LED backlit monitors. Actual contrast ratio is usually between 700:1 and 1000:1.

I don't really consider any TN panel monitor to be "high quality", but that's just me. I have an Asus 24" VK246H TN panel monitor, but it only gets used about 6 hours a month. The monitors I use on a daily basis (and my HDTV) use IPS panels.

 

[acalvi777]

/bump ...

I still don't know what to do. I know that IPS is better but I don't have the money for it. So should I stick with a TN panel listed above or do you guys have any other 27"ers that you'd recommend ?

 

[rofl_my_waffle]

Have you thought of getting a quality 24" instead of a 27". Despite the physical difference in size, there is no difference in pixel count or image quality what so ever.

As said TN panels are only good for being cheap, perhaps 120hz too. Whats the point in getting a big and cheap monitor when you can get a quality one.

Even the Dell U2311H e-IPS panel would look better than any TN.
For that price you can even find a U2411 if you find hard enough.

You might even want to go for the BenQ VW2420H. Its WLED backlit which is nothing special but it is a VA panel instead of TN. It sports a 3000:1 contrast which is already 3x higher than every other monitor on the market. Unfortunately it is only 24" as well.

Theres only a few monitors at 27" that actually offer higher resolution. That is the H-IPS panel by LG which is used in a few monitors from Apple, Dell, and NEC but they are far out of your price range.

You may also be interested in 120hz mointors. Since higher resolution is unafforable you might want to try higher refresh rates to push your GTX 480. Unfortunately 120hz is only available on cheap TN monitors but it would be a very smooth image. Worth looking in to but still the largest is 24"

To be honest if you would just sit closer to a 24", it would look exactly the same as a 27" since it has the same pixel count.

 

[acalvi777]

HELP ! lol

After being so sure of my final decision or atleast narrowing it down to a couple of monitors I start doing some more homework and start reading the benefits of IPS flat panels.

At this point i'll be as simple and honest as possible:

I am on my computer for 2 reasons only ... gaming & surfing the internet / some movie watching. I would say it's 90% gaming and 10% everything else. Out of that 90 % of gaming I'd say I play 85% WoW and 5% everything else. For the record too, I have a pretty expensive computer which is why I want a good monitor ... I know playing World of Warcraft doesn't need an over the top monitor but it's not about WoW it's about getting the best of the best.

So with that being said ... Should I stick with a TN panel or go for an IPS panel.

My mouth is watering over the Dell U2711 (remember i want a 27" lol) ... but the 6MS seems a bit high for the price.

Any suggestions on the above mentioned monitor or any other monitor that will give me a good image over a TN panel and a good MS too. ???

Please help I feel lost because of all the different monitors i've looked at.

-Thanks.

P.S.

What I basically want to know is what is the best IPS monitor I can get for 27" that will play games the best (I read that the U2711 isn't really for gamers).

 

[dEAne]

I did bought a 27" and regret but it is your choice. It is like a 24" and I don't like the color.

 

[rofl_my_waffle]

What 27" did you buy and what do you mean the colors is like a 24". Its not suppose to have better colors just because it is bigger. If you mean the resolution looks like a 24" that could be true because you didn't get a one with the LG 27" 2560x1440 H-IPS panel.

TN panels have faster grey to grey response time because they can output less tones than a IPS panel. 6bit vs 8bit. But 4ms difference is like nothing. Marketers like to advertise 2ms on their displays more than it is worth because thats the only grip TN has on other panel types but it isn't that much of an improvement.

A lot of the ghosting you see in monitors is actually low frame rates and resposne time compensation artifacts. A 2ms monitor would hardly help unless it was 120hz or didn't have response time compensation but that isn't possible to get to 2ms without RTC.

 

[jaguarskx]

I'm guessing dEAne bought a 1920 x 1200 resolution 27" monitor that uses a TN panel.

 

[Adroid]

Yea, TN panels suck. I returned a Samsung P2770H. It was big and beautiful, but too bright. It hurt my eyes, and when I turned the brightness down, I lost all shadow detail when I was playing shooting games, especially low light or fog/smoke conditions ~ I couldn't see a dern thing. So either it burned my eyeballs, or looked like crap.

I returned 3 TN panels before I bought a Dell e-IPS panel, and I won't be buying another TN panel ever again.

I found out the hard way that bigger isn't always better when it comes to monitors ;p

 

[jaguarskx]

acalvi777, if you are going to use the monitor predominately for gaming then TN should be fine without breaking the bank. The Dell U2711 isn't that bad for gaming; I believe the biggest complaint is the input lag of 24ms (which translates to 1.5 frames of lag). For most gamers that should be fine; my 26" NEC LCD2690WUXi has an input lag of 32ms (or 2 frames of lag), but it's target audience is not gamers. There are some tests that has shown the input lag of the Dell to be 30ms; input lag testing is not an exact science. The one thing I don't like about the Dell is the resolution, I'm used to seeing 27" LCD monitors with 1920 x 1200 resolution.

Hardcore gamers prefer monitors with low input lag (<10ms) as well as low response times (2ms or 5ms). Those low numbers are generally in the realm of TN panel monitors. There are exceptions like my 26" Planar PX2611w H-IPS panel monitor with a response time of 5ms and input lag of <8ms. However, that monitor is no longer in production and that means the price has gone up for any place that still sell that monitor. I paid $790 for mine; I see the Planar PX2611w selling for between $950 and $1,700 now.

If you really want an inexpensive 27" monitor, then consider the Viewsonic VX2739w which is around $325 - $350 in the US. Below is a link to a review of the monitor. The review states the viewing angle are "quite poor". Yes, compared to a monitor using an IPS or a VA panel, the angles are considered poor. However, compared to other TN panel monitors viewing angles are actually pretty good (for a TN panel monitor) based on the photos in the review.

Review:

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/viewsonic_vx2739wm.htm


To get an idea of TN panel monitor viewing angles, simply go to a local Best Buy and look at the monitors they have on display. All of them uses TN panels; some Apple monitors do use IPS panels like their 30 incher.

 

[acalvi777]

Best answer selected by acalvi777.