Looking for the best 27" under $500...

S

Syxx676

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Feb 19, 2009
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Well, I live at my computer. I have an older 21" Acer at the moment, but I need to upgrade really bad.

I'm redoing my whole little entertainment area (http://i.imgur.com/bMirN.jpg - sorry, it's a mess), and just purchased new 5.1 speakers, and a nice receiver for my mass amounts of things I constantly switch between (tv, computer, projector, Xbox, ceiling speakers). I'll be short on space, so I will either move my Xbox, or hope that I could mount the new monitor on the back part of my desk...

Anyways... I think I mainly need to upgrade to HDMI, for my Xbox gaming. That, and I just want bigger and better...
 
Personally I have a Hanns-G 28" which has been rock solid for me. It was only $300. I just bought 2 new Hanns-G 27.5" to use in a 3x1 setup. They all have HDMI and all support 1920x1200 resolution. Note, the viewing angle is not the best and they are very limited as far as adjustments, but for $300 apiece they are a great deal imho. As long as you are using them for computer/console gaming and sitting pretty much around eye level they work very well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254052
 
Hm, that looks pretty nice. Is it bad that it's not LED backlit? Or, is Hanns-G a good company?
 
Syxx676 said:
Is it bad that it's not LED backlit?
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Unless you're looking for the slimmer profile or power savings i would personally ignore the word "LED" when searching for the right monitor.

I'd be more concerned about the picture quality and performance, as you are, than the type of bulb it used ;)

TV's on the other hand are a different story because they use different type of LED backlights, good ones and bad.
 
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Syxx676 said:
Hm, that looks pretty nice. Is it bad that it's not LED backlit? Or, is Hanns-G a good company?
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Hanns-G is a decent company, they make a decent monitor. It is a low cost, low price monitor that still works well. It has been a favorite of many PC gamers in my area for a few years. It is not an LED monitor, its a TN/TFT Active Matrix monitor. LED in monitors is not really worth it, you don't get much better performance out of them, and they generally cost a lot more.
 
The Asus ve278q is a great monitor, great colors real bright (if you're into that sort of thing), fast response time, I haven't tried many monitors, but this one is great.
 
zechs3 said:
The Asus ve278q is a great monitor, great colors real bright (if you're into that sort of thing), fast response time, I haven't tried many monitors, but this one is great.
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That one looks pretty good...
 
NoOther said:
2 Reasons, 1) it is an IPS panel, they tend to cost more to manufacture. The 2) reasons is that it does 2560 x 1440 (WQHD) resolution which is not at all common for a 27". Most 27" monitors only do 1920x1200 at most.
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Do you think it's worth it? If I was willing to spend it? Also, how important is the response time...?
 
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WalkedAirplane said:
I think the HP ZR2740w is a good middleground for the 27"
http://www.costcentral.com/proddetail/HP_ZR2740w/XW476A8ABA/11450766/

Bit more than $500, but can be had a good bit cheaper than the U2711 too.

2560x1440, IPS panel, LED backlight, and a bit less lag than the U2711 all in one. Less inputs, no OSD, so you need to weigh your own needs on that one.
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[/QUOTE]

Hm, nice... but does it not have HDMI? Also, how does one change settings without the OSD? Sorry, a bit new to the monitor world these days...
Oh, yea, and I just edited in my question about response time and how important it was?
 
Syxx676 said:
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HP ZR27 is garbage due to the aggressive AG coating which makes text hard to read due to the tiny pixel pitch and whites+light colors look grainy. Movies look like they were shot with 3200 ISO and games with light colors which don't have a film grain option (left 4 dead/mass effect) look like they have permanent film-grain which you can't turn off.

Buying a 1440p monitor is also a waste for 360 use since most games are 720p or less. You want the glossy HP 2711x or matte Asus VE278Q. Also consider the 24" Sony 3D display which uses a VA panel (much better image quality+3D) vs 27" 1080p TN's
 
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Thanks guys! I think I have it narrowed down now...
ASUS VE278Q - $330
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VE278Q-27-Inch-LED-Monitor/dp/B0043T34RK/ref=pd_cp_e_0

Dell UltraSharp U2711 - $815
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-UltraSha...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1321572008&sr=1-1
(http://accessories.dell.com/sna/pro...e_bnrank=0&baynote_irrank=0&~ck=baynoteSearch)


Gosh, I don't know why I like the Dell so much... is 6ms response time a deal breaker (mainly for Xbox gaming)? Although, I do live on my PC as well...
 
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The Dells response time is fine, ignore the numbers they are meaningless. It uses the same coating as the HP. All IPS panels are made by LG=same terrible coating (except the Apple Cinema Display and Dell ST2220T/Eizo Foris FS2332).

You are throwing away your money, the 360 can only display up to 1080p and most games are 720p-.

If you can spend 815$ get the 24" Sony 3D display, even if you don't care about 3D it's worth the price because it will have much better image quality than any monitor.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+Co...ndle/2891051.p?id=1218360683860&skuId=2891051
 
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Well, I really do want the bigger size. Also, I live on my computer and on the internet. The 360 is just something I wanted to get the best quality with.
 
Bigger doesn't mean better, but if you must have a 1440p display the Samsung S27A850D is the only option. You will need an HDMI-DVI adapter but it works fine with the 360. The Sony will still be much better for gaming, plus you can game/watch movies in 3D=amazing.
 
Well, I don't really watch too many movies on my monitor. And I know bigger doesn't always mean better, but I'm really feeling a decent 27"
 
NCX said:
Bigger doesn't mean better, but if you must have a 1440p display the Samsung S27A850D is the only option. You will need an HDMI-DVI adapter but it works fine with the 360. The Sony will still be much better for gaming, plus you can game/watch movies in 3D=amazing.
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Just because you hate it doesn't mean it's terrible. I have both a U2711 and a ThunderBolt display and I like both of them. I think you're making a massive deal out of something that's not too bad.
 
Oh no, its bad. Some people notice it less than others, more power to them, but its bad.

I've been trying allot of 27" monitors lately, honestly I think I have tried all of them, and I cant find one that I really like, not one. Im really picky but come on.



Dell U2711 = Flawless except for the AG coating the ruined the whole thing.

Asus VE278Q = Really decent actually. Bad color shift at angles, terrible color and really hard to configure. The only preset that doesn't crush and blow everything out is standard, and in that setting the gamma is way off and makes everything washed out. I had to adjust the gamma in my nvidia control panel to make it look correct. Was fine as a pc screen but poor as a console screen as consoles don't have gamma adjustment. Had just the right amount of AG.

Samsung S27A950D = Best TN I have ever seen. 120hz was amazing, 3D was amazing, color was good, very little color shift. Back-light uniformity was atrocious. Bleed and pinch everywhere, genuinely enough to be distracting. From everything I read, all of them are like this.

Samsung S27A750D = Tried this because I was hoping it might be like the 950D but with less bleed because the stand was in the right place. I was wrong. Its exactly the same, in every way, right down to the problems. If anything it was worse.

I have not tried the 850D, but from what I've read the back-light uniformity is pretty bad like the others.

Apple Cinema Display = By far the best so far, by far. Fantastic on a computer, even a PC. But here are the problems, NOT good for consoles, at all. Ugly, pixely, and I can't seem to get an adapter that works correctly with my PS3. Also, its high maintenance. The glass lets dust get in, so if you want it to stay clean, you have to pull the front glass off every once and awhile and clean it. Plus its expensive as hell. I still have this, but im trying to replace it as I really want to play some PS3 games lol. Update: I've decided to stay with this monitor for the foreseeable future. The image quality just outweighs everything else, everything. Ill update this post if I ever find a good way to use the PS3 with it. :) UPDATE: I tried a Kanex HD adapter off amazon, works great for the PS3. Finally!!! This is now the best monitor and my pick of all of them. If you cant afford it, save up, its that good.

HP 2711x = Im trying this one right now. Just ok over all, kinda like a glossy VE278Q, but cheaper. Viewing angles are the worst of the bunch, and colors, while punchy, have no depth (edit: this wasn't fair, I was used the IPS, I would like to correct this to say the viewing angles are standard TN, not better or worse than that). Also, quite bad glow from the bottom. Just sort of decent, but not good enough when I have a Cinema Display already, I will say the blacks are its party piece, really really good.

LG E2770V-BF =Update: So to report, its not very good. The color is punchy, but not accurate, the blacks crush really badly, and the contrast ratio is pretty poor, even compared to an IPS. The viewing angles are good for a TN. By far the biggest problem though, is the pixel walk. My goodness is it bad, everything grey is super grainy, and if you move your head in really close the grain is moving like noise. I tested it here at lagom: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/inversion.php, and it failed miserably. It also had a strange problem with sharpness, you could set it from 1-10 in the menu, but 5 was to sharp, and 4 was to blurry. Iv never seen that on a monitor before. Its been returned.

Hope this helps!
 
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LG E27=LG=Same coating as the U2711

I have an 850D and there is almost no bleeding unlike the 950D which I could see the light bleeding even with the lights on.
 
NCX said:
LG E27=LG=Same coating as the U2711

I have an 850D and there is almost no bleeding unlike the 950D which I could see the light bleeding even with the lights on.
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Not necessarily. Have you seen an E27 in person or just asuming? An lg tn panel doesn't necessarily have anything to do with and ips panel. Lg actually makes almost all of the monitor panels for companies like dell, and it wasn't until the ips panels that the ag problem started.
 
I'm assuming but every LG TN I have seen uses aggressive AG coating. Same goes with other brands which use LG panels. An example would be the HP 2311x. I haven't seen the E27 but I doubt it would be any different.
 
I have the Asus VE278Q monitor, it had the right price vs performance and size for me. I just turned the brightness down a little and love it.
 
NCX said:
I'm assuming but every LG TN I have seen uses aggressive AG coating. Same goes with other brands which use LG panels. An example would be the HP 2311x. I haven't seen the E27 but I doubt it would be any different.
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Well it will be here tomorrow so I guess ill let you know.

Edit: actually shouldn't be bad at all based on the pics and discussion on the first page of this thread http://www.overclock.net/t/995181/updated-lg-e2770v-bf-review-thread-pics

The pics make it look like the ag is way toned down from my U2711
 
Yea, hope to see you report back here after checking out that LG. Also, is the AG really that bad on the U2711...? Is it the same as the smaller versions? If so, maybe I'll go make another stop at the store and check em out.
 
No the AG coating is amazing and I'm just trying to mislead you rather than warn you.

Topaz said:
I had to return my U2711 due to the hideous AG, and no, I didn't know anything about AG at the time. I was simply comparing to my old monitor (ironically also a Dell Ultrasharp, a TN from 2005, but with a much cleaner picture by comparison). It was only after getting on here and reading about others' experiences that I even understood what the problem was.

So yeah, I had no formed prejudice, but I couldn't stand it. It was like trying to see the screen through a coating of oil dusted with rainbow sand. Graphics editing is one of my pastimes, and it was so bad I couldn't tell the difference between the coating and actual image artifacts, nor could I be sure of color accuracy. It also gave me headaches looking at it too long.

Dell gave me a hell of a runaround about returning it too. Took months for them to give me my money back. Never again. My plan now is to buy a Samsung SA850. Backlight issues notwithstanding, at least I know it'll have a clear picture.
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Zinn said:
My Dell U2711 (which I sold) and Dell 3011 at work had a very similar AG coating. It was barely tolerable on the 30" because of the bigger dot pitch, but I just couldn't deal on the 27" with its smaller text. I use the monitors for coding, so I'm staring at text all the time... it was really unacceptable. Sparkles everywhere. I had a Dell 2407WFP, which I think is a PVA panel, and it was not nearly as bad... not bad at all actually. I'm not sure why companies "need" to put such aggressive coatings on these monitors.

I've switched to Apple Cinema Displays because they have extremely good color quality and response time and no horrendous coating. You just need to be a little careful how you position them because of the glare...
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^^^
What this guy said. I refuse to buy any monitor that uses LG's aggressive AG coating, and I RMAed my POS U3011 for that exact reason. The entire screen looked like it was caked in crystals. Granted, this may not bother some people which is fine, but for me personally a display panel that looks like a mineral farm is absolutely not acceptable. Unfortunately, that disqualifies almost every LG IPS monitor on the market.
 
Well, I've just never really paid attention to the AG coatings, and have pretty much lived on my Acer AL2051W for years. I suppose I wouldn't like an aggressive AG coating, but was just wondering exactly how bad it was on the U2711...
 
FinalJenemba said:
Oh no, its bad. Some people notice it less than others, more power to them, but its bad.

I've been trying allot of 27" monitors lately, honestly I think I have tried all of them, and I cant find one that I really like, not one. Im really picky but come on.



Dell U2711 = Flawless except for the AG coating the ruined the whole thing.

Asus VE278Q = Really decent actually. Bad color shift at angles, terrible color and really hard to configure. The only preset that doesn't crush and blow everything out is standard, and in that setting the gamma is way off and makes everything washed out. I had to adjust the gamma in my nvidia control panel to make it look correct. Was fine as a pc screen but poor as a console screen as consoles don't have gamma adjustment. Had just the right amount of AG.

Samsung S27A950D = Best TN I have ever seen. 120hz was amazing, 3D was amazing, color was good, very little color shift. Back-light uniformity was atrocious. Bleed and pinch everywhere, genuinely enough to be distracting. From everything I read, all of them are like this.

Samsung S27A750D = Tried this because I was hoping it might be like the 950D but with less bleed because the stand was in the right place. I was wrong. Its exactly the same, in every way, right down to the problems. If anything it was worse.

I have not tried the 850D, but from what I've read the back-light uniformity is pretty bad like the others.

Apple Cinema Display = By far the best so far, by far. Fantastic on a computer, even a PC. But here are the problems, NOT good for consoles, at all. Ugly, pixely, and I can't seem to get an adapter that works correctly with my PS3. Also, its high maintenance. The glass lets dust get in, so if you want it to stay clean, you have to pull the front glass off every once and awhile and clean it. Plus its expensive as hell. I still have this, but im trying to replace it as I really want to play some PS3 games lol.

HP 2711x = Im trying this one right now. Just ok over all, kinda like a glossy VE278Q, but cheaper and lower quality. Viewing angles are the worst of the bunch, and colors, while punchy, have no depth. Also, quite bad glow from the bottom. Very very meh. Its going back.

LG E2770V-BF = I just found out about this one, and its on the way. I don't know how I overlooked this one. Its not super popular, but the people who have it say its the best TN you can buy. Its not a 120hz, its actually a 60hz, that's why it has some bad marks. Colors are supposed to be great, and some people thought it was IPS the viewing angles where so good. Cant wait to try this one. Ill report back when I do, should be here tomorrow!

Hope this helps!
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How do you remove the glass on the Apple?

Also, I know it's double the price, but the Apple LED monitor is amazing, and I would recommend it to anyone.
 
About the U2711, I've also read that the 1440p resolution will require lots more graphics horsepower... ?
 
Sky15 said:
How do you remove the glass on the Apple?

Also, I know it's double the price, but the Apple LED monitor is amazing, and I would recommend it to anyone.
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You just pull it off lol. Get your finger nail between the glass and the aluminium and it comes right off, its held on with magnets.
 
Well I have the LG. First off, the AG coating is PERFECT, seriously its the perfect compromise, way to go LG.

Only drawbacks, really bright blacks, and it pixel walks like nothing I have ever seen...

I don't know guys, I just don't know if I can give up the Cinema. Regardless of cost, maintenance, poor ps3 performance, whatever, its just so damn good.



Update: So to report, its not very good. The color is punchy, but not accurate, the blacks crush really badly, and the contrast ratio is pretty poor, even compared to an IPS. The viewing angles are good for a TN. By far the biggest problem though, is the pixel walk. My goodness is it bad, everything grey is super grainy, and if you move your head in really close the grain is moving like noise. I tested it here at lagom: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/inversion.php, and it failed miserably. It also had a strange problem with sharpness, you could set it from 1-10 in the menu, but 5 was to sharp, and 4 was to blurry. Iv never seen that on a monitor before.

So all in all not very good. I've decided to stick with the Apple. Its just so spectacular to behold in most situations. I just need to try and figure this PS3 thing out. :/

PS. Who'd have though the best feature of an LG display would be the perfect AG coating? Not me lol
 
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Hm... so how does one connect the Apple Cinema Display to a PC or 360? Also, is it not worth it if I'm gonna be gaming on my 360 a LOT?
 
Syxx676 said:
Hm... so how does one connect the Apple Cinema Display to a PC or 360? Also, is it not worth it if I'm gonna be gaming on my 360 a LOT?
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The Apple LED Cinema Display is an awesome monitor, and while you can hook it up to a 360 or PS3 with the Atlona HD620, upconverting from 1080p to 1440p does cause some noticeable video degradation. If you're within a few feet away of the screen, the video is slightly pixelated. Considering I game 90% of the time on the PC, and only use consoles off and on for a few select exclusives, for me its not that big of a deal. But if you use a console as your primary gaming machine, the Cinema Displays may not be a good fit.
 
Syxx676 said:
Also, is it not worth it if I'm gonna be gaming on my 360 a LOT?
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NCX said:
Buying a 1440p monitor is also a waste for 360 use since most games are 720p or less.
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NCX said:
You are throwing away your money, the 360 can only display up to 1080p and most games are 720p-.
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?

The ACD costs at least 800$+converter box+display port converter.

The Samsung 850D is around 800$, you need a 10$ HDMI-DVI converter or dvi-hdmi cable if you don't already own 1 to hook up to your 360. If you are mainly console gaming 1440p displays are a waste of money since you could buy a 42-50" 3D Panasonic/Samsung Plasma with far better image quality for the same price

A high end PC+gpu (Sli/xfire preferably) combo is required to to run games @1440p.
 
Yea... I'm still debating on the Dell U2711 or the Asus VE278Q...

If you HAD to choose one... which would it be?
 
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I would rather chop off my pinky finger than be stuck with a U2711. I don't understand why you are fixated on owning one, the S27A850D has better picture quality and clear semi-glossy coating.
 
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