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Advice for the Not [$700] Picky Guy

M

Maestro2U

Weaksauce
Joined
Aug 10, 2005
Messages
76
I'm currently using two aging monitors in an HP LA2405wg (1920x1200 TFT) and Dell 2007wfp (1680x1050 TFT), and would like to retire the Dell in favor of more space and an upgrade for my eyes. I'm satisfied with these monitors in appearance and performance, but have known since before I bought the HP that there is a lot of room for improvement. Regardless I've lived in blissful ignorance for many years.

Things I know:
  • After many hours researching I don't have the time or desire any more to get into the minutiae.
  • Aspect ratio is no longer important to me at 1440 vertical lines.
  • 4k is going to outstrip my upgrade/adoption-rate capabilities.
  • I'm currently running an R9 280x (bought used from a friend, else might still be on an HD5770).
  • I play older games: Diablo 3, World of Tanks, Endless Space, CS:GO... might try Overwatch.
  • I keep hardware for a long time, and if there aren't viable alternatives I'll just be patient for a sale.
Things I think I know:
  • For what I'm wanting recommendations lean toward the Acer xb270hu and ASUS pg279q, but holy crap I'm not sure about the ~$700 asking price.
  • I don't have a preference for 24", 25", or 27".
  • GSync is my target path, with a G1070/80 or similar in my upgrade future in 2017.
  • Could continue living without GSync or Freesync for another generation and stay with 60Hz.
  • There are a lot of knowledgeable people on these forums who could point me in a relevant direction.
So those things considered... are there viable ????x1440 options for less than Acer/ASUS products?

Appreciate your thoughts.
 
That is some beautiful information. I'll keep an eye out to keep learning, but as of now the Dell s2716dg is what I'm watching. Looks like a sale could bring it to ~$490 if I'm patient.

Thank you for the forum link.
 
Just letting you know, unlike XB270HU or PG279Q (both of which are IPS), S2716DG is a TN panel.

However, it IS one of the first true native 8bit TN panels (most TN panels released before PG278Q are all 'fake' 8bit, or rather they are 6bit with dithering).
 
chenw said:
Just letting you know, unlike XB270HU or PG279Q (both of which are IPS), S2716DG is a TN panel.

However, it IS one of the first true native 8bit TN panels (most TN panels released before PG278Q are all 'fake' 8bit, or rather they are 6bit with dithering).
Click to expand...
Thanks for the heads up, and understood.
 
$700 is close enough to the 34" 3440x1440 and the 40" 4k. this is even more true if a 1070 gpu is in your future plans
 
geok1ng said:
$700 is close enough to the 34" 3440x1440 and the 40" 4k. this is even more true if a 1070 gpu is in your future plans
Click to expand...
I'm really aiming for sub $500 in cost now that I'm aware of the s2716dg's price history. Also 27" is at the top of my size range for my space. I'd rather have a 25" version of the Dell if it existed.
 
I am happy with a Dell U2515H, if IPS and 60hz are enough for you. The P2416D is even cheaper. Both make a compelling modular solution, as they are big enough to make using one screen possible, but small enough to allow planning for later double or triple setups in portrait
 
A refurb S2716DG from the Dell Outlet was $357+tax after a coupon that expired last night. I'm not sure when the next coupon for a % off monitors will be, or if it will still be in stock then.

What are your thoughts on buying refurbished items? I personally have had good luck with them, but some people might not care for them. Watching/waiting for deals on the Dell Outlet can get you prices around $85 for a P2416D, $140 for U2515H, or $225 for a U2715H if price is of concern (those are after-tax/coupon prices I've paid for those models). There are also occasional price "glitches" (not so much a malfunction as just curious pricing), such that you see the S2716DG for $150+tax after coupon (I think the fact that I saw that on April 1 was just a pure coincidence)...

Edit: looks like there's a new 35% off coupon active.
 
Last edited:
yee245 said:
A refurb S2716DG from the Dell Outlet was $357+tax after a coupon that expired last night. I'm not sure when the next coupon for a % off monitors will be, or if it will still be in stock then.

What are your thoughts on buying refurbished items? I personally have had good luck with them, but some people might not care for them. Watching/waiting for deals on the Dell Outlet can get you prices around $85 for a P2416D, $140 for U2515H, or $225 for a U2715H if price is of concern (those are after-tax/coupon prices I've paid for those models). There are also occasional price "glitches" (not so much a malfunction as just curious pricing), such that you see the S2716DG for $150+tax after coupon (I think the fact that I saw that on April 1 was just a pure coincidence)...

Edit: looks like there's a new 35% off coupon active.
Click to expand...
What is the consensus on refurbished monitors at Dell? If there aren't warranty or quality sacrifices I wouldn't care. However, if I'm more likely to be receiving a couple dead pixels, or any flaw that would be less likely from a non-refurb then I would steer clear.

Where are you seeing the 35% off coupon?
 
Dell Outlet Home: coupon code ss35Monitor
Dell Coupons, Discounts & Offers

Dell Outlet Business: coupon code pob35Monitor
Dell Outlet Coupons, Discounts & Offers

The warranty is only 90 days. I don't know if customer service is "better" if ordering through the business outlet instead of the home outlet, but I know when I had a backlight issue with a P2414H that I had ordered through the business outlet, they overnighted me a replacement (and then overnighted a second replacement when the first replacement had issues).
 
yee245 said:
Dell Outlet Home: coupon code ss35Monitor
Dell Coupons, Discounts & Offers

Dell Outlet Business: coupon code pob35Monitor
Dell Outlet Coupons, Discounts & Offers

The warranty is only 90 days. I don't know if customer service is "better" if ordering through the business outlet instead of the home outlet, but I know when I had a backlight issue with a P2414H that I had ordered through the business outlet, they overnighted me a replacement (and then overnighted a second replacement when the first replacement had issues).
Click to expand...
I'll have to keep an eye out for availability. If it corresponded with a 35% coupon... yes please.
 
It is currently in stock for $549 with 2 available, according to the listing, which should then come down to $357+tax when using the corresponding coupon (if you add it through the home outlet, you need the home outlet coupon, and same with the business outlet, otherwise it won't take the discount off).
 
yee245 said:
It is currently in stock for $549 with 2 available, according to the listing, which should then come down to $357+tax when using the corresponding coupon (if you add it through the home outlet, you need the home outlet coupon, and same with the business outlet, otherwise it won't take the discount off).
Click to expand...
Was able to grab it like you said: ~$380 with taxes, free shipping. Will post my experience after I've had some time with it... thank you all for the help!
 
I really like this monitor. No blemishes or defects out of the box... zero dead pixels. Configured it with the tft settings which noticeably changed its display qualities, and to my forgiving eyes it looks amazing.

Initially I hooked it up as a third monitor and immediately disabled deep sleep, but still had all kinds of trouble keeping it recognized and awake in Windows 10. Replacing the DP --> mini-DP cable didn't help. What fixed it for me was disconnecting my retiring monitor from the DVI port on my Gigabyte R9 280x. Now that I have only the two monitors over DP I am having no issues.

I've only played Diablo 3 and World of Tanks so far... D3 is handled no problem with settings remaining maxed, but WoT has to be dialed down a bit to suit my tastes. Also... dammit my video card has to work harder and runs the fans at 75% which has added a lot of noise to my otherwise very quiet case! First-world problems...

Am looking forward to a 1070 upgrade sometime in the next year to start taking advantage of g-sync. Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts.
 
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