Finding a new monitor

PNM_Jennings

So I'm in the process of upgrading my system, and it occurred to me that I can only really get so far in terms of graphical fidelity using the old cheapo monitor I have. So I'm looking for a new one. My criteria are IPS, 1080p (so no more than 24"), LED backlit, and with a matte finish. Under $200 would be pretty swell too.

Right now I've got my eye on an Acer H236HL which ticks all the boxes, as well as being relatively inexpensive, except apparently it has a super glossy finish. Is there anything I could do about that myself? There's also the Asus VS239H-P which seems to have everything.

I don't know though. Monitors aren't something I know much about. Anyone have any suggestions or insight?

Ridelynn

IMHO - if the monitor looks good to you, that's all that really matters. Don't get too caught up in pixel response rate or contrast ratios or any of that - most of that garbage are made up numbers printed just so they ave bigger numbers than the box it sits next to in the store.

If you can look at a monitor in person, that means a whole lot more than what any person or review could tell you over the internet. That doesn't mean you have to buy it at Best Buy or wherever... but looking at them yourself is the best thing you can do while monitor shopping.

Cleffy

Watch out on IPS panels. There can be problems with tone uniformity where a corner might be brighter than the center. This usually occurs with the cheaper ones, like from Acer. The most important thing to do is read the reviews and see if its a problem. Also if you are not using it near a window, don't opt for the anti-glare coating. It dulls the picture.

Incomparable

Ridelynn said:

IMHO - if the monitor looks good to you, that's all that really matters. Don't get too caught up in pixel response rate or contrast ratios or any of that - most of that garbage are made up numbers printed just so they ave bigger numbers than the box it sits next to in the store.

If you can look at a monitor in person, that means a whole lot more than what any person or review could tell you over the internet. That doesn't mean you have to buy it at Best Buy or wherever... but looking at them yourself is the best thing you can do while monitor shopping.

So false advertising is being practised by these vendors? Maybe you can sue them.

jonp200

HP makes a decent IPS screen.  Now is a decent time to buy, as many folks are upgrading to 1440.....

PNM_Jennings

jonp200 said:

HP makes a decent IPS screen.  Now is a decent time to buy, as many folks are upgrading to 1440.....

I know. I'm always a few years behind the times as far as resolution goes. *sigh*

Quizzical

Incomparable said:

Ridelynn said:

IMHO - if the monitor looks good to you, that's all that really matters. Don't get too caught up in pixel response rate or contrast ratios or any of that - most of that garbage are made up numbers printed just so they ave bigger numbers than the box it sits next to in the store.

If you can look at a monitor in person, that means a whole lot more than what any person or review could tell you over the internet. That doesn't mean you have to buy it at Best Buy or wherever... but looking at them yourself is the best thing you can do while monitor shopping.

So false advertising is being practised by these vendors? Maybe you can sue them.

The problem is that there isn't a canonical way to measure some things.  Suppose that vendor A says that A's hardware has 9823 points worth of goodness while B's hardware only has 3852 points.  Meanwhile, vendor B says that B's hardware has 7831 points worth of goodness, while A's hardware only has 4058.  Does that mean that at least one of them is engaged in false advertising?  Or does it only mean that neither of their claims mean very much?

laxie

I was very disappointed with my Asus-MX239H.

You see thin vertical lines, clearly pixelated, most visible on blue and orange colors. Apparently this is caused by the way light is generated inside - the panel is cheap and the light hits the pixels imperfectly, making some rows lighter than others. It is very annoying.

My father has a very similar Asus monitor and it doesn't happen there.

I suppose the moral of the story is don't get too hung up on the specifications. In the end what matters is does it work well, not how many numbers it has over another model.

PsYcHoGBR

I use Benq RL2455 for PC and Xbox one and love it. Best gaming monitor I have had.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BenQ-RL2455HM--inch-Gaming-Monitor/dp/B00CFFFGUM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447464800&sr=8-1&keywords=monitor+benq+rl2455

GrubbsGrady

I am also looking for a new monitor, would anyone be able to advise me? I was thinking about upgrading to 144hz, 1440p, or both. The only thing that I don't know is if my video card would be able to handle it. I have a single Asus Radeon R9 290X 4GB card.

The monitors I was looking at were this BenQXL2730Z or BenQXL2411Z. Any feedback on this would be great! Another question I had is in regards to moving to 144hz: is it an issue if I keep my old monitor as a second display for web browser if it is only 60hz?

Thanks!

Quizzical

GrubbsGrady said:

I am also looking for a new monitor, would anyone be able to advise me? I was thinking about upgrading to 144hz, 1440p, or both. The only thing that I don't know is if my video card would be able to handle it. I have a single Asus Radeon R9 290X 4GB card.

The monitors I was looking at were this BenQXL2730Z or BenQXL2411Z. Any feedback on this would be great! Another question I had is in regards to moving to 144hz: is it an issue if I keep my old monitor as a second display for web browser if it is only 60hz?

Thanks!

Having additional monitors that aren't doing anything graphics-intensive is not a meaningful strain on the GPU.  About the only way to get into trouble with that is if you run out of monitor ports, which can mean either physical ports where you plug in a monitor cable or internal display logic.  But two monitors is definitely not going to be an issue there; on AMD, anything past two monitors may need to be DisplayPort.

Your current video card should handle 2560x1440 at 144 Hz just fine unless you insist on pushing really demanding settings.  Once you get enough pixels, you can turn anti-aliasing off, for example.  I just logged off from playing Champions Online at a 4320x2560 resolution at fairly high settings, getting around 100 frames per second on a Radeon R9 Fury X.

Also, with FreeSync and a 144 Hz monitor, if you only get 50 frames per second, that's not nearly as bad as if you had a 60 Hz monitor with no FreeSync and got 50 frames per second.

Wizardry

Do your health a favor and make sure to get low blue light and anti glare/radiation.