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Narrowing down IPS monitor for Gaming & Photography: Asus VS239H vs Dell S2340M

C

Comp625

n00b
Joined
Aug 8, 2012
Messages
38
So I am a n00b and I've read over many of the other "budget monitor" threads. However, I'm still torn and have narrowed down my selection to 3 monitors based on my limited budget of $150-$170.

I also thought about buying a used IPS monitor (e.g. Dell 2007WFP) but I'm looking for a 1920x1080 monitor.

1. Dell S2340M (23")
2. Asus VS239H-P (23")
3. LG IPS234W (23")

Here are my uses:
  • I will primarily use this monitor for gaming purposes. The Asus VS239H is tempting because it has a 5ms GTG response time.
  • I also do heavy photography work. I know these are budget IPS-e 6-bit monitors, but I think they are "good enough" for my non-professional uses. The limited information that I've gathered shows the Dell has an edge in color rendition.
  • The LG IPS seemed flimsy, but the fact that it was an affordable IPS caught my eye when I was at Costco.
  • I am also considering the 21.5" versions of these monitors. It's only about $20 less, but the higher DPI may be nice.
  • I am also attending my first LAN party, which means I need a monitor. I'm using my Panasonic Plasma right now for PC gaming. Thus, the slightly smaller physical size would be very nice.

I know that if I were to fork over another $100-$150 or so, I can get a more awesome monitor. However, with a new car payment and Christmas gifts coming up, I can't justify the extra money. Thoughts?
 
The Dell has obvious ghosting issues (overclock.ru has a review), and the IPS234 is good, but is a bit on the slow side (PRAD.de has a review in German) compared to models like the Dell U2312, Asus VG23AH and PA238Q.

The Asus has adjustable overdrive (6x Trace Free settings which control the pixel response times) so it's the best for gaming since the LG and Dell lack overdrive settings. None of the above models have any input lag

As far as image quality goes, well IPS panel quality control is pretty terrible and the same models can vary quite a bit. If one could get a "best case," model of each and compare them they would all be relatively the same, but that will never happen (unless you buy a bunch of each or get lucky) so it really comes down to the gaming performance and which places with good return policies sell them...

Costco, Best Buy, Buy, Dell (they hassle you when returning, not exchanging) and Amazon all have hassle free return+exchange policies. I think Microcenter does too, but I live in Canada and have never checked...

Also keep in mind that all of the matte 23" IPS panels use a very grainy matte coating, except for the Asus VG23AH, so coming from a clear plasma you may be in for a shock...ie grainy/sparkly whites and light colors. The Dell S23 is glossy but it has the most obvious ghosting issues
 
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I see the Asus VG23AH mentioned quite a bit on these forums, and it is about $250 on Amazon (extra $100 over my budget). However, I would consider spending that extra money on the VG23AH since I also keep seeing mentions about the "grainy" matte screen.

When I was at Costco, I did notice that the matte screen on the LG IPS 234W was unattractive. I had attributed it to crappy store lighting and for the fact that I've been conditioned to prefer gloss screens due to its abundance in the laptop/TV market. Also, you are right -- I DO enjoy the "semi-gloss" look on my Panny Plasma.

However, I think gloss screens are a sin in the world of photo-editing, no?
 
Gloss screens are a sin in a lit room- Most, if not all Apple monitors are mirrors. You should be editing with the lights down and windows covered, and the brightness on the monitor down, to ensure that your eyes get the best opportunity to see what they're supposed to, for whatever you're trying to edit (paper, digital photography, etc.).

That said, when it comes to gaming, many (many) displays have issues with input lag, adding up to an extra frame or two. It's probably the worst tested metric, but it's an issue if you're playing 'twitch' shooters, as you'll always be that much behind.
 
Dell 2312HM: lowest input lag on IPS panel ever reviewed by TFTcentral to date: average 0.6ms, max 10ms. Plus it has displayport AND pivots to portrait mode, making it a good monitor for multiscreen gaming
 
I'm being indecisive - ugh! :mad:

After increasing my budget by an extra $100, I'm now leaning towards the Asus VG23AH, especially after NCX's suggestions about my comfort with semi-gloss (Plasma TV) screens and the "trace free" feature for gaming.

Many user reviews do not really mention photography in detail. Is there anything I should know about the Asus VG23AH from a color calibration/photo-editing perspective?
 
All of the review units (Cnet, 3D Vision Blog, Hardware UK and mine) had very good colour accuracy (near 6500k colour temperature, 2.2 gamma, low delta E and high contrast/deep blacks for IPS). Typically with IPS panels you will see review units with much lower contrast and worse gamma, though I'm not saying that there aren't VG23AH's with much lower contrast and worse gamma, just I haven't seen one yet and I read all of the review sites.

The U2312 is very grainy, lacks adjustable overdrive and 72hz support. A best case scenario U2312's colours are not as good as the VG23AH's, but Dell has a way better service warranty.

All of the recent 23" 1080p IPS panels have negligible input lag.
 
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