Achieva Shimian QH270| $400 IPS 2560x1440 Korean Monitor

[Commander0Zero]

Man I'm so confused! I've peeled through alot of the information here all day. I'm coming from a Soyo Topaz S DYLM24D6 which the power supply is dying (again!). I thought About going with the Crossover 27Q (is this considered the best of the bunch?) but two things 1) can my 560 TI even sufficient for this and 2)what card would I need to drive this and a good gaming TN Panel (I'll game on the TN panel). The Consensus seem to be it's worth the jump but $400 is still a crap load of money for me. Man looking for a monitor makes my head hurt...lol


FYI - I'm going to assume non fast paced gaming is just fine on this.

 

[Racer_J]

Man I'm so confused! I've peeled through alot of the information here all day. I'm coming from a Soyo Topaz S DYLM24D6 which the power supply is dying (again!). I thought About going with the Crossover 27Q (is this considered the best of the bunch?) but two things 1) can my 560 TI even sufficient for this and 2)what card would I need to drive this and a good gaming TN Panel (I'll game on the TN panel). The Consensus seem to be it's worth the jump but $400 is still a crap load of money for me. Man looking for a monitor makes my head hurt...lol


FYI - I'm going to assume non fast paced gaming is just fine on this.

Looking at benchmarks on techpowerup, it should be fine. Performance was on par with or better than the HD 6950 in some of their game tests. It really just depends on the game/settings/your system. I would consider the 6950 enough for these monitors and it's the card I would pickup if I were to buy one. That's just my highly subjective opinion though. Dual displays (even if the other was a 1920x1080 TN panel) are another matter though as that will obviously have an impact.

 

[kevinsbane]

^ Ignore this, I just remembered it was actually Windows Action Center's User Account Control that was preventing MCW from working properly. If you're still having issues try turning it off in the control panel.

Yeah... no. That's not gonna happen :-/ I know people hate UAC, but I don't mind it and I'm not gonna turn off a security feature just for monitor calibration.

I got a new video card to drive my new monitor, so unfortunately, it seems I'm SOL in terms of calibration as Nvidia cards don't take well to Powerstrip. (ie, they don't work at all for forcing calibrations)

 

[Godmachine]

So can the Crossover hit 90+ hertz? or Is it the ACHIEVA Shimian that can actually hit it?

There is quite a bit of confusing information out there about that. Also are there only specific cards that will allow for the hack to do this?

 

[Racer_J]

Yeah... no. That's not gonna happen :-/ I know people hate UAC, but I don't mind it and I'm not gonna turn off a security feature just for monitor calibration.

A good chunk of people disable UAC to keep it from interfering with program installations and launching programs. It's not so much a security feature as it is an unneeded hindrance to life. Like you said though, you don't mind it and I'm sure you're not alone so I can see not wanting to kill it just to do a minor overclock on a monitor.

So can the Crossover hit 90+ hertz? or Is it the ACHIEVA Shimian that can actually hit it?

There is quite a bit of confusing information out there about that. Also are there only specific cards that will allow for the hack to do this?

It was the Catleap. None of them can do it anymore due to inner hardware revisions. The guys over at Overclock.net are trying to source the needed overclocking parts for the Catleap though.

 

[Godmachine]

So none of them can go over 60hz anymore? Wow that's a bummer. So which version is the one to get then?

 

[Vengance_01]

I finally had some time with catleap Q270 SE. With the color profile from OC.net colors are great, whites are very white, and blacks are pretty decent for an LCD S-IPS panel. My unit has very little backlight bleed in the lower left corner. I also have 1 stuck green pixel in the lower right side. but other then this, money was well spent. Gaming at this size and resolution is phenomenal. The only thing that really bothers me is how wobbly the stand is. I can live it for now till I can source a better mount. Overall I am happy and I hope this thing will last for years to come.

 

[Racer_J]

So none of them can go over 60hz anymore? Wow that's a bummer. So which version is the one to get then?

Nope and there is no guarantee the guys over at Overclock.net will be able to source the parts. They sound really close to getting a price on having PCBs made but they still need ot look into the wiring.

The version to get at this point appears to depend entirely on preference or whatever is the cheapest at the time. If you want to play the lottery and see if you can get one that overclocks (which is incredibly unlikely) or in the hope that the Overclock.net guys can source all the parts, the Catleap would be the way to go. It also has the worst stand though according to owners. I don't think any of the stands are supposed to be "good" but the Catleap's stand is at the bottom of the list.

IIRC, the overclocking was really the only thing that made any of them stand out (from one another) other than the stands and aesthetics.

 

[Godmachine]

Well the cost also makes them stand out. Pretty much dirt cheap for a 1440p 27 inch monitor.

The stand wouldn't matter as I would replace it with a better one I can get off Monoprice so I couldn't care less about that.

I really just want the monitor for its resolution advantage and cheap cost. So is the Catleap still the better one then?

 

[Racer_J]

Well the cost also makes them stand out. Pretty much dirt cheap for a 1440p 27 inch monitor.

The stand wouldn't matter as I would replace it with a better one I can get off Monoprice so I couldn't care less about that.

I really just want the monitor for its resolution advantage and cheap cost. So is the Catleap still the better one then?

When I said stand out, I meant stand out from one another not what made them stand out from domestic models.

If you don't care about trying to get one that overclocks, the stand, or what the bezel/case looks like . . .

You could probably all put them on a wheel (like in Wheel of Fortune but where all the prize amounts were the same), then spin the wheel, and then done. I really don't think one of them is currently considered better than the other baring the off-chance you may get to overclock a Catleap (again not likely) or that the PCBank 3view PB2700 had a better response time in a Korean review. Panels and monitors are all going to vary from one another though so there is nothing set in stone that the PCBank 3view PB2700 will have the best response time.

It's really just a choice of personal preference at this point from what I can tell from recent comments and skimming the various threads.

 

[sonic_blue]

Does anyone know if the ATi/AMD 10bit LUT uses temporal or spatial dithering to output as 8bit? Just curious to know as I think it's amazing that we can get effectively 10 bit colour depth on these monitors for so cheap

I would give this monitor 10/10 if it wasn't for the retarded wobble of the stand. I am working on a cheap and hopefully modest looking fix, by putting some kind of bracket between the bottom of the monitor and the base to hold it still.

The other issue of the monitor leaning to the right can be easily corrected:

 

[Vengance_01]

I like the catleap just because out of the bunch, its bezel looks nice and overall the monitor is thin. Another bonus over the others is the power supply is a 110-240 model. Really its going to come down to preference. They are all the same panel and about the same quality. Panel defects are going to be a gamble with any brand from any of the sellers on ebay.

 

[sonic_blue]

I like the catleap just because out of the bunch, its bezel looks nice and overall the monitor is thin.

Yeah, I quite like the styling of the catleap. I would say it 's more stylish than the U2711, in that the screen sits more flush with the bezel and is gloss black. But the wobble...damn they really dropped the ball on that one. The height that the monitor sits at is perfect though, so I don't need height adjust. Bottom of the panel is 140mm from the desk and I am looking directly ahead at it, not looking down like on some monitors.

 

[Vengance_01]

Yeah, I quite like the styling of the catleap. I would say it 's more stylish than the U2711, in that the screen sits more flush with the bezel and is gloss black. But the wobble...damn they really dropped the ball on that one. The height that the monitor sits at is perfect though, so I don't need height adjust. Bottom of the panel is 140mm from the desk and I am looking directly ahead at it, not looking down like on some monitors.

Correct the height is perfect for me, while the wobble is bad, imo its not a deal breaker. I have a keyboard tray at my desk so when I type, there really is no wobble. If you are on the fence go for. As long as you can accept the chance of minor defects, its a fantastic bargain for the price. Screen wise like I said in a previous post, even backlight, just a bit of bleed in the lower left corner, and one stuck sub pixel (green) Other than that its flawless.

 

[kevinsbane]

A good chunk of people disable UAC to keep it from interfering with program installations and launching programs. It's not so much a security feature as it is an unneeded hindrance to life. Like you said though, you don't mind it and I'm sure you're not alone so I can see not wanting to kill it just to do a minor overclock on a monitor.

Not an issue of overclock, it's an issue of colour management. Overclock is less important than colour management, since I run two monitors. I would beg to differ on the issue of security, but that's another topic. Suffice to say, I'm not disabling UAC unless it's only temporary and for something important.

 

[WickedWeasel]

Thanks to the OP, to brucethemoose, and to everyone for bringing attention to these bargain monitors.

purchased ACHIEVA Shimian QH270-Lite from green-sum on mar 14 for $378
shipped on Mar 22, with tracking number
Arrived in Canada Mar 23
released from customs on Mar 26
delivered on Mar 28

Paid Canada Post a total of $30 in duty, fees, and taxes upon delivery

The Shimian box was wrapped with several layers of bubble wrap and inserted into the standard huge box that green-sum is famous for.
There were no small boxes at the corners to wedge it in, nor were there any of the large air bags as seen in other pictures.
There were dents in the outside box, but the inside shimian box was in good condition.

No dead pixels
1 stuck red pixel at left upper side. massaged it a bit, but it remains.
Backlight bleed at top center of panel. Earlier today, it was about 1 inch wide and 1/2 inch deep, now it is about 1/4 inch deep after I flexed the bezel a bit.
It is not noticeable unless the screen is black and I look for it. It is not an issue.

It has a Nanjing Frontek power brick and runs slightly warm. No problems there.
The monitor sits level. The stand is sturdy enough and is at a good height.
If the stand is wobbly for others, it may be due to improper installation of the base metal plate?
The best part is that it is Glossy

I bought the Shimian instead of the Crossover because it has 5W speakers that I can use to watch TV. To my disappointment, the Shimian Lite does not have speakers!!!
The thread at OCN says the Shimian Lite = IPSBS model, that is incorrect.
The Shimian Lite and IPSBS boxes also have different labels. Only the IPSBS and IPSMS models have speakers, the rest do not have speakers..

Overall, a good monitor for the price.

 

[NCX]

My Crossover's power brick feels slightly cooler than my 850D.'s...so far so good

 

[Xzyrus]

Paid Canada Post a total of $30 in duty, fees, and taxes upon delivery

The Shimian box was wrapped with several layers of bubble wrap and inserted into the standard huge box that green-sum is famous for.
There were no small boxes at the corners to wedge it in, nor were there any of the large air bags as seen in other pictures.
There were dents in the outside box, but the inside shimian box was in good condition.

What was written on your package for value of gift? I had a 3View PCBank shipped by dream-seller via EMS/Canada Post with $100 gift and lucked out without having to pay taxes/duties. Mine was bubble wrapped too instead of being in a bigger box with air cushions so customs could easily see it was a monitor.

I was a little surprised with the packaging since all the monitors I've seen from dream-seller were always in a bigger box with air cushions. No big deal since the bubble wrap did its job. Corners of my box were slightly beatened but seeing as there's styrofoam inside which holds both sides of the monitor, it probably could absorb some bumps along the way. No direct impact could have hit the screen anyhow.

 

[10e]

^^ Gives a slightly redish tint on my Crossover

That's funny. I have another one coming in a bit you can try, but my first attempts added a reddish tint to white on mine and this one removed some of it.

I am trying to decide between a Crossover and an S27A850T when/if they become available. I liked my 850D but it had too much dust stuck under the display.

If you could share some more thoughts regarding the two, I would love to hear them!

Wait for the S27A970 or B970. I'm most interested in the B970 because it will have full calibration capabilities internal to the monitor. This is a feature that, once you have it, is hard to give up.

They should have better build quality and not-so-flimsy construction.

Had the same issue on my laptop and it was due to [strike=]windows LUT loader[/s] user account control clashing with MCW LUT loader.



Measure luminance of 100% white and black, divide white by black. I am using ColorHCFR and this pattern.


Opposite experience here with a catleap: no tinting, pure whites, 926:1 contrast after calibration. Total brightness variance across the whole screen: +/-10cd/m2. Must have gotten lucky :/

Before Calibration


After calibration

Thanks for the info sonic_blue.


Mine is giving me 875:1 contrast after my latest calibration with Lacie and my old I1D2, so I'm happy with that. The colours subjectively look quite good too.

Another thing that hasn't been mentioned in a while is the lack of PWM flicker on these displays. I run mine at 120 - 160 cdm/2 and notice zero flicker, and even the waving hand in front of a white background shows me no frames or stair step effect, so I'm also relatively happy with that.

Thanks for posting this 10e. It looks pretty good on mine. Actually the colors are almost identical to the Hazro HZ27WC one posted by tftcentral except yours is brighter.

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/icc_profiles/hazro_hz27wc.icc

I agree. I have the Catleap version and while it is ok, it does not compare to the Viewsonic 2655 I also have.

The Viewsonic has the same 25.5" panel as my LCD2690WUXi-BK I believe, WITH A-TW polarizer. These panels were made before IPS panels were cheapened to compete with TN, so if you didn't get any dead pixels, uniformity and lack of bleed were both at very high levels.

Basically any display these days will disappoint you. My LCD2690 gets rarely used because until I find a back-up in the same great condition, I baby it and use it sparingly (much to my disappointment).

I'd *hope* that was a statistical outlier, but i have no way of knowing. Just like you may have drawn the short straw with your Crossover, we may have no way of knowing because many of us don't have eyes trained enough, or the equipment, to know what we are seeing (depending on the defect, some are obvious).

I agree, and risk tolerance can be a factor. You can be demanding and have higher risk tolerance, these types would just sell their monitor and move on if they felt it had intolerable defects.

I read about it a couple of times in one of the big Overclock forum threads, they were fixing it by adding a dab of silicon to the offending part.

When shipping and return costs are obtrusive, we revert to chest-thumping DiY behavior like men of old

A lot of it depends.

NCX's model might just be an aberration, as I don't think most people here or OC.NET with calibration tools are getting such a high deviance from standard D65 color temperature. With an ATI card this isnt' a problem as PowerStrip can hold a calibration from an ICM/ICC profile, but with nVidia, the second you load a game, poof, the calibration is gone, and you have to reload it on exiting.

Again these are A- panels that are sold to a price point, so deviation will be higher and expected to some point. My $500.00 S24A850 was a far worse monitor in every aspect than this Achieva and built like a piece of paper. For that I had little opinion outside of criticism due to price.

 

[10e]

Back-light bleed on the Achieva. Similar to my Samsung S24A850, not the S27A850 which is basically perfect.

This is relatively accurate but my camera was a bit low so the bottom part looks a bit exagerrated.

 

[sonic_blue]

With an ATI card this isnt' a problem as PowerStrip can hold a calibration from an ICM/ICC profile, but with nVidia, the second you load a game, poof, the calibration is gone, and you have to reload it on exiting.

It's the same on my HD6770, soon as I load a game it gets reset, but as soon as I exit the game it goes back. So I have to use MCW to get it to stick in-game, but then I've sacrificed the 10-bit lut :\

Would be awesome if there was a 10 bit lut loader which enforced it like MCW does. Does anyone know if such a thing exists?

 

[Racer_J]

Looks like a new model is on ebay now. Fineforce F2700QL-IPS.

 

[illli]

that fineforce looks nearly identical to the 3VIEW PCBANK PB2700.
except with a different stand.

 

[10e]

It's the same on my HD6770, soon as I load a game it gets reset, but as soon as I exit the game it goes back. So I have to use MCW to get it to stick in-game, but then I've sacrificed the 10-bit lut :\

Would be awesome if there was a 10 bit lut loader which enforced it like MCW does. Does anyone know if such a thing exists?

Yes, the same issue exists with PowerStrip, but at least it forces the calibration in games as long a I don't mess with the brightness controls in-game.

 

[Vengance_01]

That's funny. I have another one coming in a bit you can try, but my first attempts added a reddish tint to white on mine and this one removed some of it.



Wait for the S27A970 or B970. I'm most interested in the B970 because it will have full calibration capabilities internal to the monitor. This is a feature that, once you have it, is hard to give up.

They should have better build quality and not-so-flimsy construction.



Thanks for the info sonic_blue.


Mine is giving me 875:1 contrast after my latest calibration with Lacie and my old I1D2, so I'm happy with that. The colours subjectively look quite good too.

Another thing that hasn't been mentioned in a while is the lack of PWM flicker on these displays. I run mine at 120 - 160 cdm/2 and notice zero flicker, and even the waving hand in front of a white background shows me no frames or stair step effect, so I'm also relatively happy with that.






The Viewsonic has the same 25.5" panel as my LCD2690WUXi-BK I believe, WITH A-TW polarizer. These panels were made before IPS panels were cheapened to compete with TN, so if you didn't get any dead pixels, uniformity and lack of bleed were both at very high levels.

Basically any display these days will disappoint you. My LCD2690 gets rarely used because until I find a back-up in the same great condition, I baby it and use it sparingly (much to my disappointment).




When shipping and return costs are obtrusive, we revert to chest-thumping DiY behavior like men of old

A lot of it depends.

NCX's model might just be an aberration, as I don't think most people here or OC.NET with calibration tools are getting such a high deviance from standard D65 color temperature. With an ATI card this isnt' a problem as PowerStrip can hold a calibration from an ICM/ICC profile, but with nVidia, the second you load a game, poof, the calibration is gone, and you have to reload it on exiting.

Again these are A- panels that are sold to a price point, so deviation will be higher and expected to some point. My $500.00 S24A850 was a far worse monitor in every aspect than this Achieva and built like a piece of paper. For that I had little opinion outside of criticism due to price.

I have the catleap and use an nvidia card. I don't need to reload my ICC color file every time after I open and close a game. Is there something I am missing?

 

[maxkilla]

i just ordered 2 for my self $347.50 each
cannot wait to have it

btw i ordered qh270 lite x 2
im korean.

i went through all the reveiews on korean web forums.

and the display quality = can't tell difference between apple cinema and this.

and small dead pixels????? forget about it. u cannot even notice it.

 

[Xinmosni]

i just ordered 2 for my self $347.50 each
cannot wait to have it

btw i ordered qh270 lite x 2
im korean.

i went through all the reveiews on korean web forums.

and the display quality = can't tell difference between apple cinema and this.

and small dead pixels????? forget about it. u cannot even notice it.

Uh, speak for yourself, buddy.

Some of us actually notice that kind of stuff (just like some people are more sensitive to pixelation in heavily compressed video than others).

What's more, even though these monitors are a GREAT price, $400 is $400, and for me to spend $400 on something I'm not happy with would piss me off to no end.

If I was buying for someone like you who DGAF then these are perfect, but for me and my perfectionism I'd be more apt to pay another forum user extra $$$ for their perfect panel. Let them play the lottery again...

 

[wagsrules]

I just got my qh270 no glass yesterday. No dead pixels and power supply works just fine. I may by a new power brink just to be safe though. Over all I really like this monitor. I really wanted the glass but decided to not get it. I also have a 21.5 imac. This display has less glare than the imac. I'm glad I went without the glass. The glass adds alot of extra glare to the imac. It is the same as this monitor when you remove the glass.

I got the version with speakers reading that the Hazro's speakers are pretty good. They really suck. Not a big deal though.

After reading all the posts I was afraid the power brick wouldn't work and I would have stuck pixels but its perfect. The stand is pretty shaky though. THe pedestal that attaches to the base is the metal. The problem is the base itself. It has a small metal plate on the bottom that does not cover the entire base. The monitor does shake and you can tell it is the plastic on the base that is flexing.

 

[10e]

I have the catleap and use an nvidia card. I don't need to reload my ICC color file every time after I open and close a game. Is there something I am missing?

You need to use a "LUT loader" or on-demand profile loader to see if the profile was wiped out of the GPU's LUT.

I'll check this later but games always removed the color adjustments with my GTX 480 and PowerStrip couldn't fix it.

 

[maxkilla]

Uh, speak for yourself, buddy.

Some of us actually notice that kind of stuff (just like some people are more sensitive to pixelation in heavily compressed video than others).

What's more, even though these monitors are a GREAT price, $400 is $400, and for me to spend $400 on something I'm not happy with would piss me off to no end.

If I was buying for someone like you who DGAF then these are perfect, but for me and my perfectionism I'd be more apt to pay another forum user extra $$$ for their perfect panel. Let them play the lottery again...

i do resprect your prefectionism.

but in my case i will never pay $1k + for same or similar quality glasses.

if you have money to afford it. why not? =)

 

[Xinmosni]

I agree about the extreme price difference.

For clarification, what I meant was that I'd be more than happy to pay another forum user extra $$$ for their flawless (no dead/stuck pixels, no backlight bleed or uniformity issues) Korean panel.

If you're going to spend near $1000 on a domestic panel, you really should just buy new if you're someone who wants or needs "perfection". Very easy to deal with that stuff when you can return it in the first 30 days. Furthermore, people expect 80% of MSRP when selling heavily used and beat-up 27/30" panels anyway, so you might as well just spend the extra $200 for a full warranty without having to deal with someone else's "minor" scratches or "minor" scuffs. How the hell can you scratch up a monitor, frame included? It sits there. You stare at it. This isn't a football ffs...

 

[NCX]

Xnimonisi depending on your location I'd sell you my Crossover which is perfect apart from the fact that it needed calibration and you don't mind using a colour profile and the possibility that it won't work in games. It does have the dark stripe on the bottom but that seems to be normal...

 

[Xinmosni]

Ha, it's insomnia spelled backwards with an X

And YGPM.

Also, yes, I'm aware of the stripe issue on yours (I've read pretty much every post in this thread, yours included), and so to expect a Crossover LED-P without it is sort of like expecting a tempered glass model without dust.

 

[Vengance_01]

You need to use a "LUT loader" or on-demand profile loader to see if the profile was wiped out of the GPU's LUT.

I'll check this later but games always removed the color adjustments with my GTX 480 and PowerStrip couldn't fix it.

interesting. I need to do some subjective testing.

 

[Commander0Zero]

Xnimonisi depending on your location I'd sell you my Crossover which is perfect apart from the fact that it needed calibration and you don't mind using a colour profile and the possibility that it won't work in games. It does have the dark stripe on the bottom but that seems to be normal...

Why won't it work with games if I may ask?

 

[kevinsbane]

Why won't it work with games if I may ask?

The calibration won't work in games.

 

[Xinmosni]

The calibration won't work in games.

Which can make some games unplayable, depending on how competitive/serious of a gamer you are. However, this all can be tweaked easily with patience and experience (and also with the help of color profiles). Or at least I hope so; I was under the assumption this would be like purchasing a ZR30w, or equivalent to no sRGB mode.

 

[Vengance_01]

The calibration won't work in games.

does this only apply to full screen games? I just did a test and ran a game in windowed mode and my desktop color did not change. Or does this mean that any game will not use windows color profile?

 

[10e]

Which can make some games unplayable, depending on how competitive/serious of a gamer you are. However, this all can be tweaked easily with patience and experience (and also with the help of color profiles). Or at least I hope so; I was under the assumption this would be like purchasing a ZR30w, or equivalent to no sRGB mode.

It depends. These screens are sRGB gamut, but gamma ramp is off. Mine is too dark with darker colors, and while calibration helps only Power strip with an ATI card will hold the adjustments.

does this only apply to full screen games? I just did a test and ran a game in windowed mode and my desktop color did not change. Or does this mean that any game will not use windows color profile?

Yeah, windowed probably won't change. I guess that could also be a solution

Here's a page with DisplayProfile.exe in a zip file which I use as a quick and cheap LUT loader.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3269/2424957289_3642d6507e_b.jpg

It's a crappy program from 2003 that still works perfectly.

You can load a full-screen game, then load your ICM profile for this screen afterwards and see if the desktop colors change (even slightly). This will tell you if A) the calibration did anything, and B ) if the game threw out the changes from the ICM profile.

 

[WickedWeasel]

What was written on your package for value of gift? I had a 3View PCBank shipped by dream-seller via EMS/Canada Post with $100 gift and lucked out without having to pay taxes/duties. Mine was bubble wrapped too instead of being in a bigger box with air cushions so customs could easily see it was a monitor.

I was a little surprised with the packaging since all the monitors I've seen from dream-seller were always in a bigger box with air cushions. No big deal since the bubble wrap did its job. Corners of my box were slightly beatened but seeing as there's styrofoam inside which holds both sides of the monitor, it probably could absorb some bumps along the way. No direct impact could have hit the screen anyhow.

The item was marked as a gift with a value of $100. A fake invoice of $100 was also added. I wonder if the size of the huge outside box brought more attention to customs. A smaller package may be less conspicuous.