Gaming Monitor

cugine

Weaksauce
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Jan 29, 2007
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[H] Members,

I need help deciding on which gaming monitor to go with. I've read some reviews and followed some threads but I feel more confused now than before.

I was looking at the following as choices:
- Asus VG248QE
- BenQ XL2420TE
- BenQ XL2420TX

- Asus VG278HE
- BenQ XL2720T

Any other suggestions? I have a beast PC with a Titan GTX. I play MMO/FPS/MOBA/RTS games. I'm currently using the Dell U3011. I get input lag in games and eye strain.
 
-- If you get PWM eyestrain, consider the BENQ XL2420TE because it is the only PWM-free 120Hz monitor on the market.

-- Although VG248QE and XL2411T is an amazingly inexpensive high-performance 120Hz monitor, I do not recommend VG248QE for people who get eyestrain. It uses PWM, and it has poorer colors, both of which can contribute to eyestrain. The VG248QE will not give people relief from PWM/brightness eyestrain, since the VG248QE has a very bright minimum brightness setting (Brightness=0%) which has harsh PWM.

-- If you get other kinds of eyestrain (you get eyestrain on traditional LCD, but you never got eyestrain on CRT at high refresh rates such as 120Hz), try enabling the LightBoost strobe backlight for eliminating motion blur, for the CRT effect. More info can be found in the LightBoost FAQ for picture adjustments, as well as whether or not it creates eyestrain (mainly CRT haters) or reduces eyestrain (motion blur haters). LightBoost can be more eye-friendly than plain PWM dimming, but not for all human eyes. (Several people like me, Vega, and a few others get less eyestrain from LightBoost than from PWM)

____________

I hereby, narrow the list for you:

1. XL2420TE because it is the only 120Hz PWM-free monitor, and has an wide dimming range.
You can dim it quite a lot, to get that perfect brightness.

2. VG278H (or XL2720T) because it has the most eye-pleasing LightBoost color/contrast, if you want LightBoost.
Do make sure you use the recommended LightBoost picture settings from the LightBoost FAQ.
 
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4k monitor, like Asus PQ321q
Those creates a lot of motion blur during animations such as www.testufo.com/#test=photo ... Plus you got the input lag of having a lower framerate during 4K. Not necessarily an ideal gaming display for FPS.

It would make a kick-ass videogame display for other reasons such as simulators; just not for fast-twitch games.
 
I don't actually think I suffer from PWM eyestrain. It is when you see the screen flickering? I don't see that. So maybe my options have opened up.

What about the Dell U2713HM, U2713H or U3014?

I'm looking for the best gaming monitor money can buy without input lag and blur. I play mainly mmofps that require skillshot and twitch. I could always hold out and wait but I am kinda sick of my current U3011.
 
The Dell U2713H & 3014 have high input lag & obvious ghosting issues, both are also wide gamut=inaccurate & over-saturated colors in games. Both have game modes with lower lag but they use the displays native, wide gamut, have locked color settings, poor colors and still suffer from obvious ghosting.

The U2713HM suffers from matte coating cross-hatching issues and there are a few different revisions being sold with different degrees of cross-hatching as well as other issues. The 3014 also has a few "special," quality control issues...there is a thread on [H] but about them but I can't be bothered to find it. A mediocre overpriced joke is a mediocre overpriced joke.

Best to avoid buying Dell products since competitors sell similarly priced products with better performance and less quality control issues.

The only 30" you should consider buying is the Lenovo LT305P since the rest, aside from the Dell 3014 all use grainy matte coatings.

Quite a few Korean 2560x1440 monitors are great for gaming, and also cheap. IPS LED Monitors sells quite a few of them and has a 30 day return+exchange policy if you are not comfortable buying from ebay.

Crossover 2735AMG=glossy & no LED PWM Dimming (Achieva multi-input models lack proper brightness controls and there are no reviews of any of the Yamakasi's except for the 2B Extreme)

Qnix QX2710/X-Star DP2710=matte & glossy options, overclock to 96-120hz but possible PWM. Read more about overclocking the Qnix/X-Stars here

The Viewsonic VP2770 is the best 2560x1440 monitor over 600$. The Asus PB278Q uses LED PWM Dimming, has higher lag, more ghosting and lacks the 4x USB 3 ports which may not be important...the VP2770 is worth the extra $. Europeans can and should get the Eizo EV2763W since it usually is nearly the same price as the Viewsonic instead of costing 200-300$ more like it does in North America.

My post here compared most of the 2560x1440 monitors gaming performances and has links to reviews with oscilloscope measurements.
 
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I don't actually think I suffer from PWM eyestrain. It is when you see the screen flickering? I don't see that. So maybe my options have opened up.

You don't need to physically see PWM flicker to be adversely affected by it.
 
The biggest difference is that the VG278H includes the IR emitter and 3D glasses, and is therefore predictably more expensive. If you're wondering about the VG278HE, it almost assuredly uses the same panel as the newer XL2720T. Prad measured slightly higher input lag (5.1ms versus 3.4ms) in the Asus, but the Asus can run 144Hz versus the BenQ's 120Hz. These infinitesimal differences will be a wash, and LightBoost only uses 120Hz anyway. NOTE: I haven't yet used LightBoost, as I only recently learned that it can now support my AMD 7970.

Having used both the 24" VG248QE and the 27" XL2720T, I can easily say, though they're still TN panels, the 27" was of much better IQ with better contrast (be sure to change gamma from "pro-gamer anti-shadow" mode), better colors (unlike the 24", these are actually useable, even coming from IPS imo), and though I'm not sure the macro shots of the AG filters prove this, I thought the BenQ had a lighter, more pleasing AG filter. The VG248QE shares the same chassis design as the VG278HE, and though both the Asus and BenQ have very ergonomic, quality stands, I personally despise glossy plastics and 14-year old gamer aesthetics. This is completely down to personal preference, of course, but the Asus chassis is glossy, had a gigantic pointless "3D" adorning the foot, and even more pointlessly prints "HDMI" on the bezel. The BenQ is matte, clean, and assuming you stuff the profile switcher in a drawer, just looks much more professional. I will note, however, that the touch sensitive buttons are quite bad at detecting your input, but you could either use the external profile switcher, or do what I did and use the "System" --> "Custom key" setup to at least ensure you'll never have to dig through menus to change frequently accessed stuff like brightness and input.

Yes, 1080p at 27" is softer with its lower PPI, but even coming from 2560x1440, I did get used to it, while I don't think I ever would've gotten used to the 24-incher's size downgrade or the inferior colors and contrast. I would recommend one of the 27-inchers depending on your aesthetic preferences, eagerness to dive into 3D, and budget (XL2720T cost me $405 versus $380 for the equivalent 27" Asus).
 
Will lightboost ever be supported @ 144 Hz and in the near future?
Not currently on current panels. 144Hz requires Reduced Timings (smaller blanking interval), and there's no time to strobe the backlight between refreshes.

144Hz is useful for reduced input lag; but if motion clarity is your concern; then even 100Hz LightBoost has less motion blur than 144Hz non-LightBoost.
 
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