Monitor recommendations. What's good?

The cheapest a quick search nets me is still another 250€ which is pretty rich, especially since I don't have an nvidia card.

Ouch, it's only $200 (~130€) here.

I'm very happy with my Dell U2713HM. That was about 2 years back, so of course, they don't make that one anymore. Its replacement seems to be the U2715H. At least, that's what's in the same price range - $470. (I paid about $550 at the time, but prices have come down.)

What I would really like is the Dell P2715Q ($505), however, I fear that not just another $35. I expect it's another $35 plus another $500 GTX 980 in SLI to handle the increased resolution. Maybe not though. When I researched getting this monitor, some sites recommended SLI for 2560x1440. I have a motherboard that supports SLI, so I started with a single card thinking I may have to get another. A single one seems to be plenty. A single GTX 980 ti might be able to drive a 3840 x 2160 monitor in games. I'd try it.

The PG279Q came out at ~AU$150 more than the XB270HU, so I went with the latter. It's a thing of beauty, love it so far.

Capricorn1 wrote:

I'm very happy with my Dell U2713HM. That was about 2 years back, so of course, they don't make that one anymore. Its replacement seems to be the U2715H

After years of being unfaithful to Dell, a few months ago I went back to the U2715H you linked and have been very happy with it. I have multiple boxes hooked up to it and the customizable front panel buttons are wonderful in an age where it seems impossible to find a KVM switch that doesn't screw up USB connections.

QUESTION!

So it looks like my monitor is starting to poop out on me. It's an old 28" Hanns-G (HG281D), almost 9 years old now. I noticed for the last several weeks that when I first boot up my computer, either powering on or coming out of sleep, the monitor will blink off then back on again for almost a minute. Not rapidly, but for a couple seconds at a time, then everything is back to normal. At first it was once or twice, but now it happens for almost a minute before it calms down and I can get to work. Computer is functioning fine underneath, no problems with the video card (GTX 770 4GB), and no blinking during gameplay or anything else. Just when I first turn it on. From the limited research I've done, I have a sneaking suspicion that the capacitors are giving out.

Either way, I was planning on getting a second screen soon, in spite of a lack of desk space. I'm thinking now, though, if my main screen is about to die, maybe I should front the cash for an ultra-wide monitor.

My question for you guys is, what experiences have any of you had with these?

I was thinking of going with this 34" LG, but then I do a lot of game art development and thought I should bump up to the 1440 version, but I'm concerned about how my video card will handle the jump in resolution. I don't play many games anymore, but what I do (Elite: Dangerous, mostly, but I also need to finish Alien Isolation) I would like to bump up their fidelity as well. Right now, at 1920x1200, I can run almost anything I throw at the GTX 770 at ultra settings, but I'm concerned just how much of a dip I'm going to see from increasing resolution.

So I'd like to get your thoughts or suggestions, if I may.

The 770 will struggle a bit even with regular 2560x1440. Boosting that further to 3440x1440 will *definitely* have you turning down settings.

I just pulled the trigger on the XB270HU. I had been waiting to see what the PG279Q would look like, but the early reviews havent been as effusive as one would have hoped for such an expensive monitor. Maybe as things go it's an issue with the first run of a product but there have been quite a few that pointed out some pretty significant backlight bleeding in the corners. If it's the same pannel I see no reason for the $$300-$400 premium on the Asus monitor.

The XB270HU might be a bit of a gamble with there being complaints about dead pixels and QAissues in early production runs as well. We shall see.

I havent upgraded my monitor in 10 years or so.

The XB270HU and the PG279Q use the exact same panel. There's hundreds of pictures of both showing the exact same backlight patterns.

You aren't going to avoid that with either one unless you just get super lucky with the panel lottery.

That said, cameras always always always make backlight bleed look several times worse than it actually looks in person. They overemphasize the brighter areas pretty much every time.

Don't expect to actually see anything that really looks like those pictures unless you draw the unlucky card and get dead pixels.

Thin_J wrote:

The XB270HU and the PG279Q use the exact same panel. There's hundreds of pictures of both showing the exact same backlight patterns.

You aren't going to avoid that with either one unless you just get super lucky with the panel lottery.

Doesnt backlight bleed also have to do with how the monitor is put together? it's not just the panel I would assume.

Tyops wrote:

Doesnt backlight bleed also have to do with how the monitor is put together? it's not just the panel I would assume.

Both models are lit the same way. There will be some variance from one monitor to the other but that's a general truth with any monitor. That's why I mentioned "the panel lottery". If you buy 10 of the Acer or 10 of the Asus there will be differences in backlight bleed or brightness uniformity between every single one of them.

I'm not try to say you made some mistake, I'm just telling you not to be surprised if you get your Acer and if you take a picture of it on a dark screen it looks just like some backlight bleed pictures you've seen of the Asus.

I'm also saying those pictures lie and overemphasize the issue.

Don't expect some marvel of brightness uniformity, but also don't buy into the people saying either monitor is a quality control nightmare. The people you read impressions from on enthusiast sites that are buying these things are the absolute pickiest of the insanely picky. Their expectations do not match up with most people. They don't even match up with mine and I'm fairly picky myself by most standards.

Get the thing and just use it for a few days. Don't consider something an issue because the crazy people that have bought the same monitor and returned it five times for "excessive backlight bleed" have said it's an issue.

Oh yes, I wholeheartedly agree with that. I wouldnt have been able to pull the trigger on a monitor that expensive otherwise. That being said... I have been tracking the reviews and there seems to be a sentiment that the "QC issues" with the acer have been ironed out.

Should be arriving next Tuesday (fingers crossed).

Thin_J wrote:

The 770 will struggle a bit even with regular 2560x1440. Boosting that further to 3440x1440 will *definitely* have you turning down settings.

True, I always assumed it'd take a hit. I'm just curious exactly how much of one. Like, will I have to run Elite on medium settings or lower if I want the higher resolution...? But I think RoughneckGeek's idea might help me understand that a bit better.

RoughneckGeek wrote:

I say test it yourself - Ordered Grid SuperSampling AntiAliasing

I'm using a 780Ti and just made the leap from an old 1920x1200 resolution Samsung to a shiny new Acer Ultrawide. I couldn't be happier with the new monitor and expanded screen real estate. The 1440p LG you're looking at uses the same panel as my Acer... mine is just overclocked to give it the 75hz refresh rate.

That is not something I had even thought about trying. But I just might do that soon, thanks! I'm glad to know you're digging the screen, though.

Thanks for the input, guys. Depending on this week's paycheck I might be jumping on a Black Friday deal...

In case anyone is interested, NewEgg has a pretty good price right now for the 24" G-Sync 1080p AOC G2460PG ($350). This is the first time I've seen it for less than $400.

Okay, it's bonus time and my old 19-in CRT seems to be on the verge of crapping out. I have a noticeable screen shimmer around the edges since I moved.

However space and budget are pretty limited so I'm looking in the 23-24 inch range and the best bet available locally seems to be the Dell S2340L. User reviews are positive and it's the right price.

Another is the Samsung LS24D300HL. Quite a bit more expensive, slightly faster claimed response time, but I can't find any reviews in a quick Google.

Does anyone have any experience of either of these?

Sorry MrDeVil909, I couldn't even speak to any of those-- I've been running the same Hanns-G LCD for about 9 years, I've been out of the monitor game for too long

Until now, that is. I just pulled the trigger on this LG 2K ultra-widescreen. I was about to spend an extra $100 on the curved big brother of this guy, but began to worry about perspective distortion in Maya and ZBrush. So I figured I'll stick with the flat-panel for now.

Thanks to Thin_J and RoughneckGeek for the advice!

MrDeVil909 wrote:

Okay, it's bonus time and my old 19-in CRT seems to be on the verge of crapping out. I have a noticeable screen shimmer around the edges since I moved.

However space and budget are pretty limited so I'm looking in the 23-24 inch range and the best bet available locally seems to be the Dell S2340L. User reviews are positive and it's the right price.

Another is the Samsung LS24D300HL. Quite a bit more expensive, slightly faster claimed response time, but I can't find any reviews in a quick Google.

Does anyone have any experience of either of these?

They're both pretty standard monitors for that price range. I would go with the samsung just for the better response time. I've had my old samsung monitor for 9 years (and for moves) and it's fine, but I guess that doesnt tell you much about this one.

I guess you're in South Africa? Do you 100% need to order from that site? What's your price range in USD, guessing by the monitors you're interested in you're looking at around $180 US as a top end.

Do you do much gaming? What kind?
Any inlking toward photo editing etc.?

Yep, in South Africa. I don't absolutely have to use that site, but free next day shipping and double credit card rewards as well as a long history of excellent service all do tilt the scales.

Budget is in the region of 180-200 USD all in and it's mostly for gaming. A bit of Guild Wars 2, third person RPGs and action games, stuff like that. I'm no shooter pro so I don't need super fast response times, but it is a bonus.

This ASUS VS248H-P seems likeit would fit your needs/restrictions nicely. There are some IPS panels like this ASUS VS239H-P for under 200 that seem like they could do the trick. Both appear consistently well reviewed on sites that get a fair amount of traffic from enthusiasts...

If you can get your hands on those it seems that either would be a good bet. IPS panel would have better colours, slightly lower response.

Tyops wrote:

This ASUS VS248H-P seems likeit would fit your needs/restrictions nicely. There are some IPS panels like this ASUS VS239H-P for under 200 that seem like they could do the trick. Both appear consistently well reviewed on sites that get a fair amount of traffic from enthusiasts...

If you can get your hands on those it seems that either would be a good bet. IPS panel would have better colours, slightly lower response.

*choke*

The first one is nearly $450. Second not available in the country.

What?

Price: $134.00 & FREE Shipping. Details

You should be able to find it much cheaper than $450.

Amazon.com does ship to South Africa, but that could vary depending on the product.

Tyops wrote:

What?

Price: $134.00 & FREE Shipping. Details

You should be able to find it much cheaper than $450.

Check his location man.

Thin_J wrote:
Tyops wrote:

What?

Price: $134.00 & FREE Shipping. Details

You should be able to find it much cheaper than $450.

Check his location man.

I know...

Amazon does ship to South Africa though... the shipping surcharge of $3.49/lb for the 9lb weight of that monitor should get in well under $200 either with standard or expedited shipping.

There might be customs fees or something as well.

Tyops wrote:
Thin_J wrote:
Tyops wrote:

What?

Price: $134.00 & FREE Shipping. Details

You should be able to find it much cheaper than $450.

Check his location man.

I know...

Amazon does ship to South Africa though... the shipping surcharge of $3.49/lb for the 9lb weight of that monitor should get in well under $200 either with standard or expedited shipping.

I did initially find it on a local import site where it was that price, I stopped even looking at Amazon because most things have been unavailable when I've shopped there. Direct from Amazon it is cheaper, still $261 because there's $70 of duties.

Yeah, having stuff shipped overseas is usually a bad idea. Even when I was based on Reunion Island and had stuff shipped from mainland France (so within a single country), the stuff still had to go through customs and was taxed. Local retailers are usually the best bet, even if that does diminish the scope of monitors you can pick from.

Definitely agree... just trying to find solutions to what seems to be a less than ideal monitor quandary.

This ACER model seems decent if you can get your hands on it too.

complexmath wrote:

In case anyone is interested, NewEgg has a pretty good price right now for the 24" G-Sync 1080p AOC G2460PG ($350). This is the first time I've seen it for less than $400.

Mine arrived yesterday and I've gotta say, this monitor is glorious for gaming. Hooray for G-Sync.

In keeping with my tradition of bigger upgrades every 4-5 years, I just pulled the trigger on an EVGA GeForce 980ti Classified. Turns out that my old HDMI-only monitors aren't the best for this card, so I'm looking to upgrade to a single, decent monitor. I've been out of the hardware scene for a bit, so I've read up a bit on TR vs IPS. I've nearly settled on an Acer XB270HU but I'm a little leery of some of the QA reviews. G-sync and a solid refresh rate are big draws. Any thoughts before I pull the trigger? Has anyone tried a curved display? Has anyone gamed on the XB270HU?

I am getting my Acer XB270HU on Friday.

From what I have read, the QA issues were 1) mostly related to the first production run, and 2) as always, good and flawless experiences are under reported.

That being said, there is essentially no way to know which production run you're getting your monitor from so buy from someone who is excellent at handling returns for your own peace of mind.