Advice on new display

[dreadflopp]

I'm going to buy a new display since I hate the one I own and I knew nothing about displays when I bought it. I am quite a lot about computers in general and have always built my own computers but when it comes to displays I lack in knowledge. My computer is getting old but it works for all games I play so I won't upgrade it until it fails me (possibly when I buy wither 3)

 

This is my current computer:

 

Display Benq Benq XL2410T

CPU: Intel i5-2500K 3,3 GHz overclocked to 4,2 GHz

Memory: 8 GB RAM

Motherboard: Asrock Z68

2 SSD's since I use one for Win8 and games and one for Win7 and work

GPU: AMD HD 7970 3 GB

 

Any advice on a new display or what to look after? What max resolution should the display have if I want to keep it a couple of years. What display type (TN/IPS etc, which means nothing to me...). I want it to be affordable. All input is appreciated, thanks!

[darkside]

I like photography. Color accuracy is important to me. IPS is much better than TN in this aspect.

Edited April 17, 2015 by darkside

[Aiyen]

Affordable and good display do not really go hand in hand. Most good displays means good panels, which means they cost more. 

 

Roughly speaking if you want contrast and related effects go with a TN panel. This assuming you can sit still in front of the screen and only look at it within its defined view angle. Also TN panels are the only ones that can go to 120 hz... which again opens up some fancy contrast related benefits, as well as 3d if you are into that sort of thing. 

 

IPS if view angle and color representation is what really matters to you. 

 

Screen size really depends on your physical locale. If you can fit a 27" on your desk and still sit comfortably it would be a better investment over a 24" or lower. 27" will also allow you 1440p native on quite a few monitors. The downside is ofc. that you need a gfx card that can support that sort of resolution. 

If you get larger size monitors you do not want to be at lower resolutions since it will mean things will look a bit more blurry due to scaling. 

 

For brands then it again depends on your finances. 

For IPS then Samsung and Dell will go a long way. For TN then benQ will also be able to offer up something. If you want more budget versions then ASUS can make something for everyone regardless of panel types. 

 

Ofc. if money is not a concern you can go fancy with Eizo monitors... but then you really need to know why you buy them.

 

Other then this the best I can do is suggest that you read up on reviews, and if possible try to go see similar brands at a physical shop so you can see the panels at work.... There are quite a bit of variation depending on which specific panel technology is used. 

[Octopuss]

I have Dell U2415. AH-IPS panel, great looks, very decent response. I play Battefield 4 on it without any problems whatsoever. Image quality>refresh rate.

Also, the price tag is unbeatable.

 

P.S. There is a 16:9 variant somewhere.

[TechAngel85]

I have an Asus IPS panel and couldn't be happier with it! Spent about $140 on it. Very good quality.

[dreadflopp]

I'm not liking the dark spectrum in my current display. Everything blends into a glowing blackness, if that makes sense. This is when playing Skyrim with some dark dungeons mods. Also my cat has put its claw through the screen which means I have a very dead "pixel" :)

I think I'll go with IPS over TS since viewing angels are a problem for me. I play lego games with my 4 year old kid and we both need to have a good viewing angle.

27 inch 1440p would be nice, but that means I'll need a new GPU too and everything gets a little more expensive. I'm not planning on upgrading my GPU without upgrading the rest of the computer unless anyone can argue against that. I live in Sweden and electronics have just gotten more expensive here because of a weak currency.

Octopuss display looks fine from reviews. Which fits gaming best 16:9 or 16:10?

Asus MX279H costs just a little more than the Dell screen but it's 27 inch. Only 1080p though but that means I don't need a new GPU.

Edited April 17, 2015 by dreadflopp

[TechAngel85]

I'd go with 16:9.

 

I looked up my monitor: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236205

 

That monitor will suit your needs well. However, if you want to go up to the next resolution past x1080 then you need to be prepared to spend some money. I have to say those, this monitor is excellent and not too expensive. It looks like you're wanting a bigger size though. Here is a bigger size Asus that seems just as good on the surface though I haven't done the research on it like I did on my monitor so I can't say much: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236294

[Octopuss]

I guess it's only a matter of personal preferences. I cannot use 16:9 for anything. It's just 120 vertical pixels, but it looks extremely disturbing and I constantly get the feeling nothing fits in it.

[Aiyen]

Just make sure to check if you like the visuals if you buy a 27" with only a 1080p native resolution. Since there will be visible scaling. Since the pixel per in is not as high. 

But if you sit an acceptable distance away from the monitor it is not a huge concern. Also if you plan on playing with your kid a larger monitor is also better I can tell from experience. :) 

 

16:9 or 16:10.... really up to you. It is a matter of habbit, like I still know people who still claim that they just cant live without 4:3... even though scaling looks absolutely horrendous, and you cannot work on several documents at once in a decent resolution etc... Again try to see the difference in real life and decide which you feel is better for you. 16:9 is much easier to get good monitors for though, since 16:10 is kinda niche.. not as much as 4:3.. but still. 

[TechAngel85]

What aiyen said about the 27" and 1080 resolution. You're getting close to "TV monitor" territory there.

 

I recommend 16:9 because most people use their monitor for more than gaming. Movies, working, etc and most people are already used to that radio due to it being more standard for electronics these days...TVs, cellphones, laptops, tablets, etc.

[dreadflopp]

The Asus monitors looks good. I'll stay on 16:9 since I'm used to that. I don't want anything under 24". 27" looks nice but I'll avoid 1080p resolution on those. Is it anything else I should be aware of other than panel type (IPS), resolution (24" 1080p or 27" 1440p) and brand (Samsung/Asus/dell/eizo)? Are all IPS displays from these brands good enough?

 

I'm thinking of going with 27" which means a whole upgrade of the PC. I can keep my chassi, fans and PSU for now. I'll have to read up on the rest but I'll try to stick to one brand this time so I can build a fancy looking PC, probably gigabytes. If I upgrade I'll stick with Intel, probably something like i5 xxxxK, if the naming standard still applies, and a motherboard with overclocking presets.16 GB ram and an nvidia GPU. Currently I have my first GPU from amd and I miss nvidia. 970 or 980. Read something about 980 ti coming soon.

[Aiyen]

Depends on the model really. You are normally not in doubt when you get up to the higher quality panels.. since the price tends to sky rocket. Especially at the larger panels. In part this is because most of those vendors will then factory calibrate, and promise no dead or white pixels . Some also come with special coating fancy stands etc. 

 

Another thing to make sure to check is the response time... IPS have rather large ones, and some of the not so good panels get above 10-15ms.. which is too high imo. 

The one I have is 8ms and I can see some tracking if I really go look for it. Not a major issue, but something to keep in mind. 

[TechAngel85]

The 27" Asus I linked has a 5ms response time. 5ms or below is my standard for gaming. Mine has 5ms and I never see any ghosting/tracking. If you do a lot of FPS games them you'll want to aim around 3ms or lower as those are faster pace games.

[dreadflopp]

The 27" Asus I linked has a 5ms response time. 5ms or below is my standard for gaming. Mine has 5ms and I never see any ghosting/tracking. If you do a lot of FPS games them you'll want to aim around 3ms or lower as those are faster pace games.

Thanks I'll be sure to look for a lower response time and see what the cost of the display is. Maybe I'll buy a little slower screen like 8ms as was suggested. I don't play much fps games and if I do mostly single player.

[Spock]

Since you are using an ATI GPU, you might want to take a look at freesync. It is fairly new though and there are not that many monitors out there supporting it (yet).

 

I also much prefer 16:10, sadly the format is kind of fading.

 

Do not trust vendor's specs for response time. I am no expert in this field but a friend of mine explained to me that you will usually have one frame delay anyway (wich nets 16,6 ms for a 60 Hz monitor).

 

Percistence is also important when gaming. Blurbusters is a good site to read more about this.

 

I cincerely hope for affordable low percistence oled displays with freesync ;)

Edited April 18, 2015 by Spock