BEST gaming lcd consensus?

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Death_dealer76

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I've been researching a new lcd for my gaming setup, I currently have an acer P243w which is a decent 24", but Ive built a new computer and am giving away my lcd, so I need to upgrade. I've bought and returned the u3011 and zr30w, the big 30" ips are just too slow compared to the smaller TN panels and its too noticable, but I'm willing to spend the $ on a performance single monitor.

I'd like it to be 120hz, no input lag and fast refresh, I'm looking at Acer’s GD235HZ, Alienware's OptX AW2310, Samsung S27A950D (if it ever comes out in USA) there may be others I'm missing that may work for the application.

What is the consensus right now for a gamer who's looking to buy in the next couple weeks and willing to spend?
 
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If you want a matte 23" get the Planar SA2311W, it has the best performance over all (check the 3D vision blog review). If you want Glossy get the Asus VG236H or Samsung 27" after reviews come out.

The Acer GD has a ton of issues and the upcoming GN model should be out soon but has worse color than the Planar. Digital Versus, 3D Vision Blog, PRAD.de and FPHD all have reviews.
 
After some research, I decided to go with the VG236HE from Asus as an upgrade for my old 5:4 19" Viewsonic VX922. It should be here on Tuesday! I don't have any problem with glossy screens, and it was at the right price point for me without the 3D glasses - $344.69 from Amazon.
 
Awwww, I was contemplating this SAMSUNG P2770FH ToC Rose Black 27" 1ms Full HD HDMI LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 DC 70,000:1 (1,000:1) for $299.99. I've been told by a bunch of nerds that the x amount of ms on your LCD is not responsible for the ghosting in FPS games. Someone please correct me?
 
Samsung 2233RZ. 120hz, zero input lag, decent contrast and minimal ghosting. The lower resolution helps maintain a high fps with single graphics card. There is no noticeable light bleed on my sample. Very high resolution 120hz monitors are pointless at the moment as the performance is too low (with current hardware) to take advantage of 120hz refresh rate unless settings are turned down.
 
I'd really want it to be at least 1920x1080.

So I guess it'd be between the Alienware OptX AW2310, Planar SA2311W, Asus VG236HE, Samsung S27A950D and LG E2770v?

Since these monitors are competitors and made for basically the same reason, which one would be considered the best overall?
 
Death_dealer76 said:
I'd really want it to be at least 1920x1080.

So I guess it'd be between the Alienware OptX AW2310, Planar SA2311W, Asus VG236HE, Samsung S27A950D and LG E2770v?

Since these monitors are competitors and made for basically the same reason, which one would be considered the best overall?
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Just ordered the Asus VG236HE a few hours ago. It was between that and the Planar. The Planar was $50 more so I got the Asus. I just hope I like the glossy screen.
 
Most places still use an an inacruate way of testing input lag. The only 120hz panel with any "real," lag is the Acer GD235hz (17ms), and even then that is only 1 frame.

As far as Matte 120hz panels the Planar>Alienware.
 
NCX said:
Most places still use an an inacruate way of testing input lag. The only 120hz panel with any "real," lag is the Acer GD235hz (17ms), and even then that is only 1 frame.

As far as Matte 120hz panels the Planar>Alienware.
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I've never heard of Planar making good stuff before, why do you say it is better?
 
Its strange that the Planar doesn't get more attention. Reviews are quite favorable. Supposedly using a samsung panel, is why a lot of people have high hopes for the newer samsung models coming out.
 
Just be aware the monitor above is not real 120hz. More marketing lingo. Otherwise a decent monitor.
 
It sounds like the best gaming 120hz monitors then would come down to Samsung S27A950D and the Planar SA2311W. Does anyone have arguments for anything else that would beat these?

I know the samsung isnt out yet in USA, and I'm not sure if there is consensus how good it is, so thats one I'm going to keep an eye on. I'm still a bit iffy on the Planar since input lag was mentioned, thats something that really bothers me and I cant have it for gaming so further ideas on this are welcomed:)
 
Like I said before, input lag is not an issue except with the Acer GD model. Inacurate testing methods have been used for years leading us to believe monitors have lag a lot more than they actually do.

If you have the $$ and are fine with Glossy screens wait for reviews of the Samsung S27A950D or the 23" version. Other wise the Glossy Asus and Matte Planar are you best bet.

My S27A950D should be here tommorrow however I am a bit hesitant to open it due to some of the Crosstalk reports.

BTW the P243W wasn't the fastest monitor around. Interesting that you find the IPS panels to slow when the Acer clearly ghosts as well. Ghosting characterestics are different though between all panel types.
 
NCX said:
Like I said before, input lag is not an issue except with the Acer GD model. Inacurate testing methods have been used for years leading us to believe monitors have lag a lot more than they actually do.

If you have the $$ and are fine with Glossy screens wait for reviews of the Samsung S27A950D or the 23" version. Other wise the Glossy Asus and Matte Planar are you best bet.

My S27A950D should be here tommorrow however I am a bit hesitant to open it due to some of the Crosstalk reports.

BTW the P243W wasn't the fastest monitor around. Interesting that you find the IPS panels to slow when the Acer clearly ghosts as well. Ghosting characterestics are different though between all panel types.
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Yeah my P243w isnt the best there is as far as quality I'm sure, but its very snappy and responsive which I need for twitch shooters like BC2 and whatnot. If I can upgrade to something higher quality thats what I'm going for, but still retain the input and response of a fast TN panel. Open up your 950D and see how it is;) I'd like to know if it's worth waiting for.
 
Death_dealer76 said:
I'd really want it to be at least 1920x1080.

So I guess it'd be between the Alienware OptX AW2310, Planar SA2311W, Asus VG236HE, Samsung S27A950D and LG E2770v?

Since these monitors are competitors and made for basically the same reason, which one would be considered the best overall?
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Then I suggest the LG w2363d. It has the best image quality of the ones you listed and ghosting only second to the planar.
 
Death_dealer76 said:
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If it sucks, upon return I would have to pay a 15% restocking fee on 665$.

The LG is fast yes, but the color presets are awful and according to some it uses aggressive AG coating. It requires calibration from a colorimeter to achieve good image quality. Only PRAD.de was able to achieve average contrast/blacks from it. FPHD gets 500:1 while DV gets 800:1. From reading a ton of user feedback the QC seemed to be terrible, same with the slow 120hz BenQ.
 
Ive looked into 120hz monitors and personally if I were to buy one I would go with the Asus or the Alienware. I ended up just getting a u2311h and I dont notice much "lag" but then again it is quite subjective.
 
Okay, now I'm thoroughly confused. Some of you are saying "buy" a faster monitor, but others are suggesting 14ms LCDs wtf? lol. Then there are 120hz LCDs that are not really 120hz. I'm sitting on a 24" samsung 2433BW right now and I remember dot pitch being a buying factor, but I don't even see that listed in the specs anymore. I believe .23 mm was better than .27 mm etc. In any case, if I'm going to buy a sucessor my top 3 check list is: must be bigger than 24", must be faster, must not have speakers (I don't want an LCD that has speakers, microphone, built in coffee maker, etc.). $300 range would be nice...
 
Sotorious said:
would be benq xl2410 be considered a real 120hz
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Yes, it is a real 120hz monitor. Mine is actually arriving sometime today so I'll be able to tell you how it's like but there are plenty of reviews out there pointing out the specifics:

- Early production models had AMA (overdrive) issues and it's mostly resolved with the newer production. You can tell which run you have by accessing the service menu and checking the firmware
- It's setup by default REALLY BAD, too bright. Takes a bit of colour configuration before it becomes good. Not really a big issue, just an annoyance.
- The stand, while versatile, is mostly made of plastic so it feels a bit flimsy but really is a non-issue once it's set in-place. Perhaps if you live in a tremor zone or something, then it might not be for you :p
- input lag (re: least!) is second to none, outside of CRTs.

Check out some reviews for the details.
 
In other words it sucks. Might end up with a slower version, might not, not worth gambling 350$ on IMO when some of the other 120hz monitors are fast and have good color. The monitor fails to do the 1 thing it is supposed to do better: be fast.

QC seemed terrible and across multiple reviews, only TFT central got a unit with good color presets which was obviously cherry picked as it had 0 bleeding compared to most users and other reviews.
 
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NCX said:
In other words it sucks. Might end up with a slower version, might not, not worth gambling 350$ on IMO when some of the other 120hz monitors are fast and have good color. The monitor fails to do the 1 thing it is supposed to do better: be fast.

QC seemed terrible and across multiple reviews, only TFT central got a unit with good color presets which was obviously cherry picked as it had 0 bleeding compared to most users and other reviews.
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Well it's a good thing I did not get dissuaded. Turns out mine is great and running with the new firmware. I had to spend all of 15 minutes to get the colours/brightness/contrast right and I'm off to the races.


Smooth like butter.
 
Term-X said:
Well it's a good thing I did not get dissuaded. Turns out mine is great and running with the new firmware. I had to spend all of 15 minutes to get the colours/brightness/contrast right and I'm off to the races.


Smooth like butter.
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Excuse me sir, I'd hate to interrupt this wonderful discussion amongst each other regarding the best LCD in the world, but you caught my attention when you said you were able to get all the colors looking non-retarded in only 15 minutes. Unfortunately for me, I've got the spent the worst 2 hours of my day and suffer from shitty-looking-hdmi-colors on my VO22LFHDTV10A. More details on what I've already tried can be found on this thread: http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1037418208&postcount=9

Thank you in advance for looking.
 
My XL2410T has been nothing short of spectacular. It's the best gaming monitor I've ever used. The 8ms input lag is second to none and has made a dramatic difference in my gaming. ALL the monitors shipped in the last 6 months have the updated firmware which resolves the RTC overshoot issue. Mine has a tiny bit of backlight bleed but nothing major.

Ignore NCX, the XL2410T is a great monitor.

P.S. The stand is terrific too.
 
Sprayyyyyyy said:
Excuse me sir, I'd hate to interrupt this wonderful discussion amongst each other regarding the best LCD in the world, but you caught my attention when you said you were able to get all the colors looking non-retarded in only 15 minutes. Unfortunately for me, I've got the spent the worst 2 hours of my day and suffer from shitty-looking-hdmi-colors on my VO22LFHDTV10A. More details on what I've already tried can be found on this thread: http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1037418208&postcount=9

Thank you in advance for looking.
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Hmm it's hard to say. I know with my previous HDTV as a monitor, I had significant issues getting HDMI to look right as well but DVI was just fine. Try searching for an ICC color profile for your monitor (check tftcentral.co.uk first). Maybe that will help.
 
I got my Asus VG236HE today, and I'm quite disappointed. I'll start by saying I only got it for its 120hz refresh rate, not its 3D capabilities, and it turns out for me that it's just not worth it. For the past couple of years I've been gaming on a HP LP2465, and for the most part it's served me fine. The only thing that really bothered me was in a FPS for example; you're standing next to a wall and you strafe left or right, I got a noticeable blur or smear. I was under the impression, wrongly it now seams, that a 120hz monitor would eliminate that. It is a little clearer with the Asus, but not dramatically clearer. It also turns out that although I can see quite a difference between 30fps and 60fps, anything more than that is unnoticeable to my eyes. That one really took me by surprise. To make this short and sweet, my findings were:

1. Going from a 6ms 60hz S-PVA to a 2ms 120hz TN resulted in a negligible change in smoothness and blur.

2. Response time seemed to be the same.

3. Terrible backlight bleed all along the top and bottom of the screen.

Even if I had liked this monitor I would have to exchange it for another on account of the backlight bleed. Good job Asus.

The question I'm now asking myself is is there an LCD that doesn't show that blur/smear I'm talking about above? Maybe a really fast 60hz?
 
Did you actually set it to 120hz? You have to manually do so, same with setting the Trace Free setting in the OSD to 40-60 usually reduces all bluring on Asus monitors. There should be a major difference even at 60hz vs the S-PVA.

Look at the DV Ghosting Test to determine which trace free setting is the best.

Not sure which color preset has the accurate colors, but according to many reviews it does.
 
The first thing I did was set it to 120hz. Trace free was set to 60, and everything else was set to what was shown in the FPHD review. Unless the monitor is broken, or it's not really doing 120hz, the difference at desktop and in game is minimal. I have both monitors hooked up side by side, so I'm not judging it by memory.
 
This is interesting as I'm trying to decide between the Planar SA2311W and Asus VG236H since they sound like the best choices for 120hz performance gaming LCDs. I guess I'm leaning toward the Planar but there arent many reviews for it or calibration settings posted.

Any thoughts?
 
Does the Planar support 120hz in regular 2D gaming ? i dont use 3D at all as I cant stand it, but the Planar's manual only shows 120hz being available in 3D Mode.
 
Yes, it does. I think the Samsung S27A950D is also a consideration but I'm not sure how good it is yet, if it's what I'm looking for. Since NCX just got one I was wondering to see what he had to say about it.
 
Pastuch said:
My XL2410T has been nothing short of spectacular. It's the best gaming monitor I've ever used. The 8ms input lag is second to none and has made a dramatic difference in my gaming. ALL the monitors shipped in the last 6 months have the updated firmware which resolves the RTC overshoot issue. Mine has a tiny bit of backlight bleed but nothing major.

Ignore NCX, the XL2410T is a great monitor.

P.S. The stand is terrific too.
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Way to go, awesome. That's what I thought, that's what I always say and NCX burns me every-time I say something good about a monitor that is great.

I'm sorry NCX, there are actual people with POSITIVE experiences with the XL2410T you know?
 
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