ASUS VH236H just kicked the bucket. Help me pick a new one please.

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BallerX

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jan 17, 2003
Messages
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I'll try to keep this short so you busy guys wont TLDR on me.

My ASUS Gaming monitor just decided to turn it self off and on about five times and then shut off. I unplugged it for a while then plugged it back in. I have managed to make it stay on for the time being. I am typing this on it right now.

None of the buttons on the panel work at all anymore. So whatever failed, it is something to do with the control board. At least it seems to fail on. For now.:(

This is the first acceptable TN panel I have ever owned. I have a bad feeling that I will not be able to get such a pick of the litter this time around. (no ghosting, no dead pixels, no light bleed.) She really was a lucky hit.

What would you fine people recommend for a replacement?

Needs.
1080P
HDMI
23"
Legit 5ms GTG.

Wants.
IPS
Less than 200$.
Not ASUS.

I have scouted several candidates. But I thought I would ask you folks if you had a preference or experience with anything that might fit the bill and be at least as good as this ASUS.
 
Best 1920x1080 (16:9), LED PWM Dimming Free (Side Effects) 22-23" IPS panels:

Use Google or Chrome to translate the reviews. They are all pretty similar, but the HP Envy 23" is the best glossy option while the Eizo EV2336 is the best non-reflective option and best monitor over all.

Acer H226HQL Glossy
Acer S236HLtmjj Glossy
Asus VX239H Matte. It's new and not yet widely available.
Dell P2314H Matte
HP Envy 23 Glossy. It's new and not widely available, will likely cost around 230$.

I would pick the Acer S236HL. Unless you want to hunt down a CRT or get a used Asus VG248QE to use the Lightboost mode which has horrible colors and black levels compared to most TN panels, ignore icor.
 
I don't know why you would say that icor1031.
My current monitor was advertised at 2ms response time. Tested to be 5ms by several reviewers.

This monitor from ASUS seems to be the closest replacement item I can find. It is advertised as 5ms response time IPS. In fact, most of the panels listed in my search breakdown appear to be IPS.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236288
Would you suggest that the cake is a lie when it comes to advertised response times with these newer IPS panels?

Why would you think that it would be worse than my current TN panel?
 
OK I have narrowed my selection to three based on availability and the info that was graciously provided above.

1. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009483
2. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236288
3. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236175

The third one is a TN panel that looks to be exactly like what I own already just with a new model number. I am leaning to option 2 because it isn't glossy. Though, the first option may be the best monitor of the bunch.

The second pick is an ASUS and the first review is kind of disturbing.
Cons: On my desk I have two of these monitors. One has a mfg date of July 2012, one has a mfg date of Dec 2013. The one from July 2012 is a great monitor with a beautiful IPS panel with virtually ZERO color shift. The one from DEC 2013 claims to have an IPS panel, but has a significant amount of color shift, and side by side it looks like a low quality TN panel. I do not advise purchasing this monitor if you are looking for the benefits of an IPS panel.
Click to expand...

Maybe that guy accidentally bought or was shipped Model VS238H-P, the option 3 monitor from my list, and he just isn't paying attention.

That bothers me a bit.
 
The VS239H uses a noticeably grainier matte coating compared to most TN panel, AH-IPS panels and uses LED PWM Dimming. The Acer H236H is glossy, uses LED PWM Dimming and is not as good as the S236H. Buy a Dell P2314H if you want a matte panel or a TN if you do not respect yourself.
 
I might just try to fix this one. It does come on for now if I wiggle the crap out of the PWR button. Might be some ribbon cable loose or the switch is failing.

It's really not a matter of self respect. I would really like a nice monitor but as long as it is as good or better than this one I will have to go for what is frugal. It can be a challenge to explain to the wife unit why we can't just go to Walmart and get one and why I should pay $50 more for the same size monitor just because of this IPS thingy.

The S236H does look like an option but the glossy thing is going to be a problem for me. The Dell has only DVI and DP. No HDMI. Not huge issue but I would have to buy a DVI cable.

OK it looks like option 3 is a IPS panel after all. seems like that is what I will probably get. I can't say I see any problems with PWM LED dimming on my cheap LED TV and not one of the 507 reviews on Newegg seem to notice that as an issue with the monitor.
So, it will probably be the ASUS VS238H. At least this random guy on youtube seems to think it is IPS. I know I will have to take that with a grain of salt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8rj_hEpb7Q
According to the Video it seems that the monitor is quite good. The matte finish on the screen looks exactly like the one I have and I certainly cannot turn my current monitor like that and still have a decent picture.
 
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BallerX said:
I don't know why you would say that icor1031.
My current monitor was advertised at 2ms response time. Tested to be 5ms by several reviewers.

Why would you think that it would be worse than my current TN panel?
Click to expand...

Maybe they improved, but I'm comparing my IPS (Q270) to a very old TN. This was a typical result:

http://i.imgur.com/U00W0l8.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/GbWDZdW.jpg


My U2311H didn't seem to be any better, but I don't have photos. Also, yes - the difference was very obvious in actual gameplay.
It made playing Planetside 2 intolerable, I couldn't hit infantry that were very close to me and running.
 
BallerX said:
I can't say I see any problems with PWM LED dimming on my cheap LED TV.
Click to expand...

PWM also increases motion blur. There are plenty of competitively priced, PWM free options available, so it pretty much never makes sense to buy a monitor which uses LED PWM Dimming. Have you ever owned a glossy monitor? Glossy monitors with excellent color presets like the S236HL look significantly better than most matte monitors...consider trying one out from a store with a hassle free return and exchange policy.

The BenQ GW2320 is also a good choice.

If you are going to buy a TN panel BenQ offers a bunch of PWM free options listed here:

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/news_archive/29.htm#benq_flicker_free

The RL/GL gaming series needs to be set to the Standard Mode and the gamma changed to mode 2 since they come set to the FPS/RTS modes which have mediocre colors and blacks.
 
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NCX. Maybe you would try to recommenced a monitor that actually exists for purchase from US retailers. I cannot afford to pay the same in shipping that the monitor costs. So far all of your recommended screens are just not available.

I have a high light environment with a large screen behind and adjacent. I cannot have a glossy screen. That is that.

I need a monitor that has a decent response time ABOVE ALL. I could care less about viewing angle and color reproduction as long as those are on par or better than my current panel.

Really these VH236H monitors were made for gaming. I am happy with the monitor that it is. I wish it wasn't broken, but it is. As this is an unplanned purchase, I am at the mercy of availability and price.

The plain truth is that none of these are as good as my old 1280x1024 Hans-G that now resides on my work bench. These things are actually getting worse.

I have to say those pictures are quite telling icor. Now I am basically back to square one.
I have no idea what conditions those pictures where taken and with what settings, but I am not impressed with that ghosting at all.:(

Ughh this is frustrating.
 
BallerX said:
I have to say those pictures are quite telling icor. Now I am basically back to square one.
I have no idea what conditions those pictures where taken and with what settings, but I am not impressed with that ghosting at all.:(
Click to expand...

DSLR, Manual settings. Same shutter speed on both shots.

I panned quickly with my mouse, and took multiple shots. It's imprecise, that's why I said those results were 'typical,' so I don't get raged at.

Maybe IPS has since improved? NCX implied that. He would know.


I decided to go with a U28D590, though. (Still waiting for it to ship.) Of course, that's far above your budget. :)
 
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BallerX said:
NCX. Maybe you would try to recommenced a monitor that actually exists for purchase from US retailers. I cannot afford to pay the same in shipping that the monitor costs. So far all of your recommended screens are just not available.
Click to expand...

A bunch of the BenQ monitors (GL/RL series are good for gaming) from the list are available from Amazon for <200$, as is the Dell P2314H (best matte option and DVI-HDMI adapters/cords are cheap) and the Acer's are available from New Egg. I don't live in the US, and I'm not the one asking for help, I just provide researched recommendations.
 
BallerX said:
It seems like the IPS tech just isn't ready unless I spend double.
Click to expand...

What are you basing this on? Icor's useless pictures? A fast AHVA/IPS/PLS should perform similarly to older, quality 60hz TN panels.

The only way a 60hz TN panel can achieve 1ms response times is by cranking the overdrive (or Trace Free in the VS238H's case) which causes obvious overshoot ghosting and defeats the purpose.

The VH236H is definitely not 'ghosting free,' you just don't notice the color streaking and smearing, but it is definitely there.
 
NCX said:
What are you basing this on? Icor's useless pictures? A fast AHVA/IPS/PLS should perform similarly to older, quality 60hz TN panels.
Click to expand...

Nice, man. I said that maybe I have the IPS thing wrong, maybe it has changed, NCX would know.. So, it's not that my pictures are useless - it's that it's not a "fast IPS."
So, instead of pointing that out - when I admitted you know more - you insult my method.



By the way, OP - this is as close as I could get the sock guy to look the way my IPS does, with PixPerAn:

WnvTfHP.png




Try PixPerAn, do a comparison.
 
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Well it's either that. Which is basically the updated model of my current model. The quality should be comparable and I am OK with that. Or, the glossy ACER.

That is what I have available to me. I may be over blowing glossy thing, but no more than you are about the back light PWM.

I still am really undecided at this point. I will just have to see what happens.
I actually really want the ASUS from the youtube link but Newegg apparently sold out last night. So that leaves me with Walmart or Bestbuy. At this point, I am not sure which would be a greater nightmare.

So out of these which would you pick for gaming.
ASUS ASUS VX238H. TN. Closest replacement for current. Lowest response time.
ASUS VS238H-P. IPS. Have to buy from WorstBuy or Crapmart.
ASUS VS239H-P. IPS. Can be here in two days. Not my first choice.
ACER H236HL. IPS. Looks decent. Not as good as the ASUS VS238H-P. Glossy.
ACER S236HLtmjj. IPS. Slowest response time of them all. Glossy. Most expensive.

Lets assume I don't care about the PWM. Really. It's a non issue for me. This is budget and I can't have everything. By all respects these are all decent budget monitors. It's just the pros and cons of each will have to be weighed accordingly.

EDIT.
I ran that test. My car guy looks just as bad as your example Icor. So your IPS is at least as good as my current monitor for that test.
 
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BallerX said:
That is what I have available to me. I may be over blowing glossy thing but no more than you are about the back light PWM.
Click to expand...


My Q270 is glossy, and I hate it for reading. It's generally not too bright in my room, but it's still difficult to read if I use a dark background, like what's here on hardforum. My eyes keep trying to focus on the reflection, instead of the text.
I have dark brown walls, medium brown furniture, and dark brown carpet. Still, I have too much glare.

It's beautiful for games, and if that's all I did - I'd probably keep it. But I don't, and I plan to sell it as soon as I get my new Samsung.

To give you an idea: I have to set the background color to about C8C8C8 (200, 200, 200.) to comfortably kill the glare, when I'm reading. If I go darker, I'm in trouble. (That's with the brightness set just a little above minimum, too.)


BUT, I would rather have glossy than thick/grainy anti-glare. (My U2311H, it was horrible.)
 
icor1031 said:
So, it's not that my pictures are useless
Click to expand...

Yes they are. Without moving the mouse at the same speed when viewing the same content, the pictures are 100% useless.

BallerX said:
ACER H236HL. IPS. Looks decent. Not as good as the ASUS VS238H-P. Glossy.
ACER S236HLtmjj. IPS. Slowest response time of them all. Glossy. Most expensive.
Click to expand...

The S236HL and H236HL are the same, except the S236HL does not use LED PWM Dimming which actually makes it faster than your other choices since it is free from PWM induced motion blur.

PRAD's VS238H (white version) measured pixel response times

PRAD's H236H Pixel response time measurements.

The VS238H's slightly faster, measured pixel response times (Trace Free 60) are negated by the use of PWM while the Acer suffers from a bit of overshoot ghosting but is PWM free and is nearly as fast as a "1ms" TN. It is possible to reduce the S236HL's overshoot ghosting by accessing the service menu overdrive settings. Acer's IPS panels are usually significantly faster than the rest fyi, but suffer from overshoot ghosting, which can be reduced by accessing the service menu.

Why aren't you considering the Dell P2314H (=DEAD='s Review, use Google or Chrome to Translate)? It only costs 200$ (24" is 205$, TFT Central's Review) from Amazon and is better than the VS239H. The height adjustable stand is worth paying a bit more for.
 
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NCX said:
Yes they are. Without moving the mouse at the same speed when viewing the same content, the pictures are 100% useless.
Click to expand...


Did you get the part about "typical?"
It didn't matter how fast I moved the mouse on the TN, it wasn't close to as bad as the IPS.

You're insufferable, I'm done.
 
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