27" IPS 2560x1440 monitor~90hz <$400 FS

csshih said:
Unfortunately to appeal to the mass market I'll be first picking up the "full featured" model - all the inputs, working OSD, etc.

C
Click to expand...

I understand not wanting to order any with your large purchase, I'm just curious if they made any, as I've not seen any on ebay like that.
 
Oh drats, my i3 motherboard is DVI-I dual-link and not DVI-D

The dell 27" allowed DVI-I, I guess this monitor cuts that out to save cost.
 
DVI-I should be fine -- DVI-I is just DVI-D + analog signal. It is backwards compatible with DVI-D. So long as you have dual-link you're alright.
 
Fedex tracking number already. Should be here this week.

Ordered From: dcsamsungmall
Price Shipped: 372.00
Ordered On: 3-11-2012
Shippe ?: Yes (3-12-2012)
Tracking Numbers: Yes (Fedex 3 day) Will Arrive on 3/15/12
 
Last edited:
The HDMI version does retail ~$50 more if I remember right, so it's not that bad of a deal at $430.
 
Getting my Catleap Friday according to T&T.

It's a bit like playing Russian roulette when it comes to bad pixels. Hope i don't get a bullet in the head. :p
 
Ok so I've been trying to read through the threads on these monitors trying to figure things out, but its information overload for me...

Which one of these monitors has a glossy screen (which is what I'm looking for) and which seller should I order it from? And what are the risks besides the obvious like dead pixels? I keep reading about dust and having to buy different power cables or something?

Thanks for the help.
 
They use a standard PC power cable to the brick, and while the brick says it only accepts 220v the output has been measured as correct with 120v input and it does not get hot or make noise or anything like that, so the lower input voltage should not be an issue. You just need a normal 3 prong US PSU cable to attach to it because the included cable is a 2 prong Korean plug. I have about 30 of these things (US PSU cables) sitting around collected over the years, but worst case it's $3 shipped.

They are all glossy. Some also have a tempered glass piece over the screen itself. It's generally agreed these should be avoided because there have been issues with dust trapped between the screen and the glass on those models. Just look for one that does not talk about tempered glass and you will be fine. I bought one with the glass but got lucky as there's only a tiny spec on mine which fell to the bottom and is no longer visible. Were I doing it all over I'd probably get the one without glass to reduce the chance of issues.

Green-Sum and Dream-Seller seem to be reliable, so whichever has the lowest price, order from them. There's also Red-Cap and possibly others, but I do not know about their reliability.
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
silent-circuit said:
They use a standard PC power cable to the brick, and while the brick says it only accepts 220v the output has been measured as correct with 120v input and it does not get hot or make noise or anything like that, so the lower input voltage should not be an issue. You just need a normal 3 prong US PSU cable to attach to it because the included cable is a 2 prong Korean plug. I have about 30 of these things (US PSU cables) sitting around collected over the years, but worst case it's $3 shipped.

They are all glossy. Some also have a tempered glass piece over the screen itself. It's generally agreed these should be avoided because there have been issues with dust trapped between the screen and the glass on those models. Just look for one that does not talk about tempered glass and you will be fine.

Green-Sum and Dream-Seller seem to be reliable, so whichever has the lowest price, order from them. There's also Red-Cap and possibly others, but I do not know about their reliability.
Click to expand...
Oh ok, so they all have glossy screens? In that case, what's the consensus on which one is better...the Catleap or the Shimian?

Btw, thank you very much for the reply.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
silent-circuit said:
DVI-I should be fine -- DVI-I is just DVI-D + analog signal. It is backwards compatible with DVI-D. So long as you have dual-link you're alright.
Click to expand...

Really? That would be awesome. I didn't know that, thank you!
This motherboard is only 1.5 years old so I was upset that it was already "out of date".

Yeah the i3 motherboards apparently do have dual-link and I know because I've gone over 2048x1536 which is the max for single channel DVI. You just cannot use a second monitor.

I guess if this doesn't work out I'd have no trouble selling it at cost locally.
Unless someone starts importing them at $250 and selling for $300.
 
Standard 8-bit on the cheap models, they advertise 10-bit on some of the more expensive panels but I don't know anything about that. Looks better than my 3007WFP-HC with regards to brightness/colors. The quality is much worse though. Catleap stand is pretty meh.

Glossy is less annoying than I thought it would be, guess I never used one in a completely dark room. You don't see reflections in the screen unless you're looking at black / hunting for them.
 
vibe said:
Isn't it somewhat disturbing these are cheaper than anything in the USA despite nearly $100 a pop in shipping costs?

Wondering if these are technically eIPS, not that it matters, just curious.

If you look at some of these sellers, they have half a million in inventory listed - they might all just be dropshipping from a distributor.
Click to expand...

This is interesting, but technically it is feasible since everything must come from asia anyway. The other thing is I see alot of Asian countries with ridiculous free shipping. I am pretty sure that some groups are able to get government subsidized shipping or something. I have bought things large and small where the shipping alone just from me to someone else in my town would be more than the price of the product. Does not make sense.
 
rudy said:
This is interesting, but technically it is feasible since everything must come from asia anyway. The other thing is I see alot of Asian countries with ridiculous free shipping. I am pretty sure that some groups are able to get government subsidized shipping or something. I have bought things large and small where the shipping alone just from me to someone else in my town would be more than the price of the product. Does not make sense.
Click to expand...

What's more interesting to me is that they can manage to sell these displays for basically $300/monitor (assuming shipping isn't subsidized), while "known" brands aren't able to sell similar monitors for even twice the cost. Personally if HP, Dell, or NEC sold a glossy 27" for $600, I'd be buying that instead of considering this. Heck at this point the only thing stopping me from buying one of these Korean displays is the 5870 compatibility issue... I really don't feel like spending $200+ on a potentially inferior video card.
 
Superhuman said:
Oh ok, so they all have glossy screens? In that case, what's the consensus on which one is better...the Catleap or the Shimian?

Btw, thank you very much for the reply.
Click to expand...

I went for the Shimian (no glass) because it seemed people were getting less pixel issues with them over on the OCN thread (I've read the whole thing ever since it was as low as 50 pages and its up to over 200 now). Also, the height of the stand was a little lower which was a factor for fitting it in the corner desk I'm stuck with atm. I didn't care about the higher Hz speed some can get on the Catleap. 60Hz is plenty for me and games look awesome.

Mine came in mint, no pixel issues, almost no backlight bleeding, absolutely stunning display and worth every buck. I got mine in about 5 days from Dreamseller.
 
TerraPhantm said:
What's more interesting to me is that they can manage to sell these displays for basically $300/monitor (assuming shipping isn't subsidized), while "known" brands aren't able to sell similar monitors for even twice the cost. Personally if HP, Dell, or NEC sold a glossy 27" for $600, I'd be buying that instead of considering this. Heck at this point the only thing stopping me from buying one of these Korean displays is the 5870 compatibility issue... I really don't feel like spending $200+ on a potentially inferior video card.
Click to expand...


From what I'm seeing that's pretty much at cost. They're not making much. :eek:
Then, you need to factor in paypal costs and ebay fees.

C
 
Limahl said:
I went for the Shimian (no glass) because it seemed people were getting less pixel issues with them over on the OCN thread (I've read the whole thing ever since it was as low as 50 pages and its up to over 200 now). Also, the height of the stand was a little lower which was a factor for fitting it in the corner desk I'm stuck with atm. I didn't care about the higher Hz speed some can get on the Catleap. 60Hz is plenty for me and games look awesome.

Mine came in mint, no pixel issues, almost no backlight bleeding, absolutely stunning display and worth every buck. I got mine in about 5 days from Dreamseller.
Click to expand...

Ok so you got one without the tempered glass...so does it have a matte screen with anti-glare coating or is it glossy? Sorry for being annoying with all these questions, I'm just paranoid when I drop this much money and wanna be absolutely positive of things before I buy lol.
 
Superhuman said:
Ok so you got one without the tempered glass...so does it have a matte screen with anti-glare coating or is it glossy? Sorry for being annoying with all these questions, I'm just paranoid when I drop this much money and wanna be absolutely positive of things before I buy lol.
Click to expand...

Read the first post over at OCN where this all started for a summary.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1215866/...g-90hz-achieva-shimian-qh270-and-catleap-q270

They are all glossy.

Here's the FAQ part of the OCN thread, but there's tons more info in that first post over there too.

Answers to FAQ:

•Variants of these monitors are all 2560x1440, 27" IPS monitors sold in Korea, not the US. They retail for ~$250 in S. Korea, and end up being ~$400 in the US after shipping. In other words, they're $700-$1000 monitors with higher potential refresh rates for 1/2 the price.
•Sorry, the group buy isn't happening here on OCN, for various reasons. You're free to organize a group buy outside of OCN, and buying them in bulk/selling them on the marketplace would be fine.
•All the Catleap monitors seem to hit 85hz+ (97hz 100hz being the highest so far, which is the GPU's limit at this resolution), while my Achieva can't go above 70hz.
•No 240V/120V step down transformer or EU adapter needed. All you need is a generic PSU cable.
•It's a glossy display, no AG coating
•1 Dual Link DVI input, audio input, and 24V DC input. That's it.
•It's an 8 bit display. There are "10 bit" variants out there but not on Ebay. From what I understand, it's not a true 10 bit panel anyway. Useful info about 8 vs 10 bit color, thank you SJetski71
•No OSD (on this basic "Lite" model), just LED backlight brightness and volume.
•It has an LG IPS LCD panel, the same one found in 27" iMacs. The Dell u2711 uses the LM270WQ2, I think this uses the LM270WQ1. Not sure what the difference is.
•The discussed Catleap variant uses the same display, as far as I know
•Initially, it was ~$460, I bought it just as the price dropped to $398. The Catleap was down to $370 once. Prices have been rising with demand.
•The Ebay squaretrade warranty doesn't apply, as far as I know. You can buy it, but if the monitor breaks, you'll simply get a refund for the warranty, as this isn't a product intended for the US. Squaretrade reps say that they'll cover this monitor, but we won't really know until someone tries to send in a monitor under warranty.
•Yes, it's fine for gaming. Due to the lack of a scaler or any extra inputs, input lag is on par with my 720p TV.
•It's 60hz default, not 97hz or 120hz.
•Both the Achieva and Catleap have VESA mounting points.
•I don't remember paying any import taxes. The seller (dream seller) handled shipping, I never got a tracking number. It got here in about 3 business days.
•My Achieva does not have a glass surface, other variants do. I'm not sure if the bezel is removable, but it doesn't seem to be.
•There are multiple reports of very small amounts of dust stuck behind the glass of the IPSB model. In terms of reliability, the non glass models have a better track record, and glass doesn't improve the display quality.
•The Achieva QH270-lite from Dream Seller on Ebay is the IPSBS model, with speakers and no glass.
•There is a UK variant of the monitor, the Hazro HZ27WC, but it's significantly more expensive. Achieva is Hazro's OEM. As the manual and any OSD will be in Korean, the Hazro manual may be helpful.
•There may be a valid manufacturer's warranty, but don't get your hopes up. See quote below.
•The (Achieva) stand does tilt back.
•My Achieva from dream seller came in bubble wrap, as have some monitors from every other seller. Others did not.
•dcSamsungMall ships by Fedex. Dream Seller ships by EMS, which is ultimately handled by the United States Postal Service. Shipping times and methods vary.
Click to expand...
 
Damn it I had to pull the trigger on this. I ordered the Catleap for 371, just can't beat that price after reading up on these.
 
calikool said:
Did you pay the full price $427.90 to dream seller or where you able to haggle down to $400?
Click to expand...

Well, this is a slightly different model than the one most people are purchasing at $397 ~ $400. Mainly because it has DVI and HDMI inputs (and speakers I really don't care for too much) instead of just DVI.

Catleap Q270 LED [manufacturer link]
nonmulti.jpg


VS

Catleap Q270 LED MULTI [manufacturer link]
multi.jpg


Well worth the extra $30.00 to be able to hook my PS3 next to it I think. ;)
 
DreamTwister said:
Well, this is a slightly different model than the one most people are purchasing at $397 ~ $400. Mainly because it has DVI and HDMI inputs (and speakers I really don't care for too much) instead of just DVI.

Catleap Q270 LED [manufacturer link]
nonmulti.jpg


VS

Catleap Q270 LED MULTI [manufacturer link]
multi.jpg


Well worth the extra $30.00 to be able to hook my PS3 next to it I think. ;)
Click to expand...

Those have higher input lag.
 
SJetski71 said:
And in case you didn't catch it, the $370 Catleap Q270 can run an 85hz refresh rate with ATI cards, and a 100hz refresh rate with Nvidia cards.
Click to expand...

Be careful, not all Catleaps get those numbers from the looks of what people are posting in the threads now.

Certain models can hit the higher refresh and others can't, and you dont know until you get it and try it out.

It's luck of the draw.
 
DyNe__ said:
The question is, how much? Has anyone gotten one and tested it?
Click to expand...

I think it was about 3x more than the one with a single DVI-D. On that long thread on OC someone posted it. I cant remember the exact numbers, but I think single input was 8ms and multi-input as around 24ms.
 
anonuser said:
I think it was about 3x more than the one with a single DVI-D. On that long thread on OC someone posted it. I cant remember the exact numbers, but I think single input was 8ms and multi-input as around 24ms.
Click to expand...

If those are right, thats not that bad at all. If at 60Hz, thats 1.5 frames, and if at a higher rate, then only 2 frames.
 
Cecil said:
You are getting 1440 lines in this vs 1200 in a 24-26in 16:10, so you are still getting more screen real estate. Only thing thats better is the 30in 2560x1600 ones.
Click to expand...

Wider isn't what I want, it's taller. That's why I prefer the 16:10 format. My desktop is a 16:10 and my laptop is a 16:9 and I really prefer 16:10. The size just fits my uses better is all.
 
anonuser said:
Those have higher input lag.
Click to expand...

Compared to what? Each other? or the ACHIEVA Shimian that was originally posted? I'm not a monitor expert myself but the specs between the Yamakasis seem to be pretty much identical, no?

Q270 LED MULTI [source]

Screen Size: 68.47cm (27 inch)
The maximum resolution: 2560 X 1440
The maximum brightness: 380cd / m²
Contrast: 1000: 1
Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 5000000: 1
Response time: 6ms
Angle: 178 degrees (left) / 178 degrees (vertical)
The input signal: DVI-D Dual Link / HDMI / D-SUB / AUDIO IN / AUDIO OUT
Speaker: 2W X 2W
Aspect Ratio: 16:09


Q270 LED [source]

Screen Size: 68.47cm (27 inch)
The maximum resolution: 2560 X 1440
The maximum brightness: 380cd / m²
Contrast: 1000: 1
Dynamic Contrast Ratio: [no info given]
Response time: 6ms
Angle: 178 degrees (left) / 178 degrees (vertical)
The input signal: DVI-D Dual Link
Speaker: -
Aspect Ratio: 16:09

There is more info on this thread at OCN for those interested. I wonder if anybody has experience with a good vertical dual monitor stand that can hold a 24 and a 27 incher.
 
visionviper said:
Wider isn't what I want, it's taller. That's why I prefer the 16:10 format. My desktop is a 16:10 and my laptop is a 16:9 and I really prefer 16:10. The size just fits my uses better is all.
Click to expand...
You arent getting what Im saying. It is taller pixel wise then a 1920x1200 display, since this is 2560x1440. There are 1440 horizontal lines aposed to 1200 on your 16:10.
DreamTwister said:
Compared to what? Each other? or the ACHIEVA Shimian that was originally posted? I'm not a monitor expert myself but the specs between the Yamakasis seem to be pretty much identical, no?

Q270 LED MULTI [source]

Screen Size: 68.47cm (27 inch)
The maximum resolution: 2560 X 1440
The maximum brightness: 380cd / m²
Contrast: 1000: 1
Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 5000000: 1
Response time: 6ms
Angle: 178 degrees (left) / 178 degrees (vertical)
The input signal: DVI-D Dual Link / HDMI / D-SUB / AUDIO IN / AUDIO OUT
Speaker: 2W X 2W
Aspect Ratio: 16:09


Q270 LED [source]

Screen Size: 68.47cm (27 inch)
The maximum resolution: 2560 X 1440
The maximum brightness: 380cd / m²
Contrast: 1000: 1
Dynamic Contrast Ratio: [no info given]
Response time: 6ms
Angle: 178 degrees (left) / 178 degrees (vertical)
The input signal: DVI-D Dual Link
Speaker: -
Aspect Ratio: 16:09

There is more info on this thread at OCN for those interested. I wonder if anybody has experience with a good vertical dual monitor stand that can hold a 24 and a 27 incher.
Click to expand...

Those are responce times, not input lag. Its been differenetiated about a thousand times now.
 
Cecil said:
You arent getting what Im saying. It is taller pixel wise then a 1920x1200 display, since this is 2560x1440. There are 1440 horizontal lines aposed to 1200 on your 16:10.


Those are responce times, not input lag. Its been differenetiated about a thousand times now.
Click to expand...

You are confused, resolution has nothing to do with a monitor being taller or wider. It is aspect ratio which does. You could have a 1920 x 1200 resolution 27" monitor which is 16:10 and it will be taller than a 16:9, 2560 x 1440 27" monitor. The difference is, the 16:9 monitor will no doubt have a better pixel pitch, be shorter and be wider. A 16:9 monitor will always be wider than a 16:10 monitor of the same size, and a 16:10 monitor will always be taller than a 16:9 of the same size.

I think you are comparing a 24" 1920 x 1200 16:10 monitor to a 27" 2560 x 1440 16:9 monitor. That is where the 2560 x 1440 monitor will be taller, though only marginally.

27 inch 16:9 vs 27 inch 16:10
http://www.displaywars.com/27-inch-16x9-vs-27-inch-16x10

27 inch 16:9 vs 24 inch 16:10
http://www.displaywars.com/27-inch-16x9-vs-24-inch-16x10
 
BETA. said:
You are confused, resolution has nothing to do with a monitor being taller or wider. It is aspect ratio which does. You could have a 1920 x 1200 resolution 27" monitor which is 16:10 and it will be taller than a 16:9, 2560 x 1440 27" monitor. The difference is, the 16:9 monitor will no doubt have a better pixel pitch, be shorter and be wider. A 16:9 monitor will always be wider than a 16:10 monitor of the same size, and a 16:10 monitor will always be taller than a 16:9 of the same size.

I think you are comparing a 24" 1920 x 1200 16:10 monitor to a 27" 2560 x 1440 16:9 monitor. That is where the 2560 x 1440 monitor will be taller, though only marginally.

27 inch 16:9 vs 27 inch 16:10
http://www.displaywars.com/27-inch-16x9-vs-27-inch-16x10

27 inch 16:9 vs 24 inch 16:10
http://www.displaywars.com/27-inch-16x9-vs-24-inch-16x10
Click to expand...

Im not confused, I clearly said taller pixel wise. There is more shown on the screen in height, so it doesnt make sense to worry about the actual size of the monitor when A, a 24in 16:10 is still smaller physically then a 27in 16:9, and B, there is so much more on the screen.
 
Mine came in today.

No dark or bright pixels. Perfect panel.
A touch of backlight bleed at top center, only due to the frame being a tad too tight there. I can make it go away by prying the frame some. Doesn't bother me so far for the price. I may take it apart and sand down the tight spot some on the bezel to get rid of it if it starts to bother me.
No perceptable tilt to the stand, although a ruler shows 1/16th variance left to right (see unboxing pics below).
There is definitely a green tint to it. I used Lightrooms neutral grey background stretched across both monitors to judge it against the Dell U2412M and kicked the green gamma down by .05 and the blue brightness up by a few percent to get it to match. Am planning on borrowing a friend's X-rite Colormunki to calibrate both.

Incredibly happy with the purchase.

Will not bother posting unboxing pics, they can all be found here.

At any rate, my desk before:
b-2012_03_12_Yamakasi-7984.jpg


My desk after:
b-2012_03_12-Yamakasi-8027.jpg


BB
 
rudy said:
This is interesting, but technically it is feasible since everything must come from asia anyway. The other thing is I see alot of Asian countries with ridiculous free shipping. I am pretty sure that some groups are able to get government subsidized shipping or something. I have bought things large and small where the shipping alone just from me to someone else in my town would be more than the price of the product. Does not make sense.
Click to expand...

I would suspect that shipping from asia is cheap because of the trade deficit. We have far more containers coming into our ports than going out (hence why shipping containers are cheap to buy here and mass produced there), so adding a few items to a ship is not going to break the bank as it's probably just unused space.

For those thinking about doing the SquareTrade thing, please keep in mind that you can almost always get a 20-50% off coupon for a warranty. I've never paid more than 70% of the actual warranty cost just by googling "SquareTrade coupon". Sometimes you have to wait a tiny bit, but they do pop up and I think you have 90 days from purchase to get the warranty anyways.

TerraPhantm said:
What's more interesting to me is that they can manage to sell these displays for basically $300/monitor (assuming shipping isn't subsidized), while "known" brands aren't able to sell similar monitors for even twice the cost. Personally if HP, Dell, or NEC sold a glossy 27" for $600, I'd be buying that instead of considering this. Heck at this point the only thing stopping me from buying one of these Korean displays is the 5870 compatibility issue... I really don't feel like spending $200+ on a potentially inferior video card.
Click to expand...

Assuming they're getting these for $200-$250 as someone mentioned (supposedly what they go for in S.Korea), that market is plenty for them. You gotta remember that this is the asian marketplace, where workers often make only a couple bucks a day depending the country. $50 in one shabang is great, especially if they sell a lot (and these companies usually sell a lot of different items).

The reason why "known" brands can't sell this stuff for that cheap is because most known brands are marketing companies, they have high costs because you're paying for their advertising expenses (ie: Super Bowl ads, primetime TV ads, etc) associated with their brand as well as paying their brand premium. Additionally, they probably have a higher QC so they bin more products that don't pass, which runs up the costs as well (depending how they've structured their manufacturing agreement). Brand Power + Advertising + Shipping + Support Materials (English Manuals, Cool Boxes, etc) + Support Staff + Tighter Quality Control + Retailer Markup, which can be anywhere from 10-100% = $900 monitor.

All in all, these things look great for the cost. Wish I could afford a few, but right now money is tight.
 
Last edited:
None are. They are all glossy, or glossy with glass over the screen (think like the apple Imac screens)

But these do not have the AG coating which produces a dirty or sparkle effect on white backgrounds.
 
The models with extra inputs will have around 18ms of input lag, quote me on it. Check some recent PRAD.de reviews of IPS panels with scaling, they all have around 18-20ms of input lag (measured with an oscilloscope) which is about 1 frame.

I have the Samsung S27A850D and measured the input lag to be around 18ms with the SMT Tool as did Vega and 10e. PRAD got 20ms for the HP ZR2440w which has scaling while the u2412 which does not has around 3ms of input lag, see the trend?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top