Recommendations for 27 inch monitor?

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Daramue

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Feb 27, 2013
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Hey guys, title says it all; I'm interested in best bang for my buck on a 27 inch monitor.

Before I did any research, I ended up finding this monitor by LG: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005369 Sure, it's only 1080p, but from what I've deduced, if I want a resolution higher than that I am going to have to dish out 800+ bucks, not something I can afford on my current budget.

After a little research I heard of the "Catleap Q270" monitor sporting an awesome as hell 2560 x 1440 resolution. I managed to find that here: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Yamakasi-Cat...rs&hash=item19d8b1dc80&_uhb=1#ht_30595wt_1163 Amazing price for what you're getting (Although I'd imagine you'd have to find an AC adapter converter for the korean plug), it makes me wonder what the catch is. I've been trying to decide between these two.

So, what are your suggestions for getting the best bang for your buck? I really think the catleap is nice but I was curious as to whether this is the best place to purchase it from (The ebay seller, I mean). Thank you in advance.
 
Daramue said:
Hey guys, title says it all; I'm interested in best bang for my buck on a 27 inch monitor.

Before I did any research, I ended up finding this monitor by LG: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005369 Sure, it's only 1080p, but from what I've deduced, if I want a resolution higher than that I am going to have to dish out 800+ bucks, not something I can afford on my current budget.

After a little research I heard of the "Catleap Q270" monitor sporting an awesome as hell 2560 x 1440 resolution. I managed to find that here: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Yamakasi-Cat...rs&hash=item19d8b1dc80&_uhb=1#ht_30595wt_1163 Amazing price for what you're getting (Although I'd imagine you'd have to find an AC adapter converter for the korean plug), it makes me wonder what the catch is. I've been trying to decide between these two.

So, what are your suggestions for getting the best bang for your buck? I really think the catleap is nice but I was curious as to whether this is the best place to purchase it from (The ebay seller, I mean). Thank you in advance.
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The catch? You arguably have no warranty. And by arguably, I mean almost definitely, but I can't be 100% certain that nothing's changed from a couple months ago when I got mine.

You also aren't going to get a scaler, on screen display, or multiple inputs. For most people, I don't think the OSD is going to be much of an issue, but the lack of a scaler and inputs may. If you have dual-link DVI, you'll probably be fine. What graphics card do you have?

As far as the AC adapter goes, all you need is the standard cable like what goes into your power supply.

If you look in this section, you'll find a thread with all this information and much, much more.
 
I see....

I have a gtx660TI, the factory overclocked one from GALAXY with 3gb of RAM. The warranty is a bit of a big one, so it's a bit of a gamble. I'm well aware that I'm likely going to be constrained by my video card in more demanding games at the resolution the catleap outputs at, so that is something to think about as well, I suppose.

You mentioned you owned one; what are your impressions of it? Is it worth it? I've already read that the color/contrast isn't anything beyond average (For what you pay for it, I'd be surprised for anything more, honestly). Do you stick by it, or have you decided there are better alternatives to the catleap?
 
I recommend reading the existing thread about the Korean monitors starting from the back. There's a lot of good information there and you'll get posts about how people have dealt with problem monitors etc.

I bought mine almost a year ago and have been using it as my primary monitor since. I haven't had any issues with it. With that said I would not purchase another one.

They are fantastic deals as long as you get one you're happy with. The problem is if you're not happy there is no economical way to get a refund or exchange. It's important to set the right expectation - don't bank on getting a perfect monitor.

Mine has an imperfection about an inch from the left side. I'm not as bothered by it anymore but I still try to avoid putting windows over that spot. I consider myself lucky and would not play the lottery again by buying another one.
 
Monoprice 27in is under $400 and a great screen, I just got one and am extremely pleased. Microcenter sells a cheap 27in 1440p display as well

You could also check out overlord computers if you dont mind waiting a bit to get it :)

All three companies are very reputable and based in the US
 
What's your budget, what are you looking to use it for? With a 660ti 3gb I'd say 2560x1440 would be difficult in maxing out games but you could play most on high. Games like Crysis 3, Far Cry 3 etc. will need to be played on lower settings.

I can personally recommend the Catleaps, I owned three in surround a while back. Although, I might take a look at one of the Lightboost 2 monitors (BenQ, Asus). With an Nvidia card you can get zero motion blur with the lightboost hack, which IMO would probably better than having an IPS panel if you plan on gaming often.
 
Dell Ultrasharps go in the mid 500's regularly lately. Right now there is one you can pick up for $504. There is also the bare bones Monoprice option in the upper 300's.

$800 seems a bit higher than the going rate if you're willing to be patient. Personally 2560x1440 is what I want, but I have a hard time justifying paying 2x or more for it when 1920x1080 IPS monitors can be found as low as $199 (the HP 27xi deal the other day). I think I'm going to hold out for summer and see what happens at the 1920x1080 IPS price drops have been pretty recent and pretty fast. I'm hoping similar drops on 2560x1440 @ 27" are coming in the next few months.
 
Ohmycaptain said:
What's your budget, what are you looking to use it for? With a 660ti 3gb I'd say 2560x1440 would be difficult in maxing out games but you could play most on high. Games like Crysis 3, Far Cry 3 etc. will need to be played on lower settings.

I can personally recommend the Catleaps, I owned three in surround a while back. Although, I might take a look at one of the Lightboost 2 monitors (BenQ, Asus). With an Nvidia card you can get zero motion blur with the lightboost hack, which IMO would probably better than having an IPS panel if you plan on gaming often.
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Mostly gaming/general web surfing/occasionally work. I'm aware that a GTX 660 ti 3gb is not up to snuff to max things out at that resolution; I'd definitely have to make sacrifices (Lower the resolution, turn off anti-aliasing, etc.) but even just for the screen real estate I feel it's worth it to go big or go home.

My budget? I'd rather not go this high but $500. If I could get one under 400, that'd be awesome, but if not, I'm willing to budge 100 bucks.

FRZ said:
Monoprice 27in is under $400 and a great screen, I just got one and am extremely pleased. Microcenter sells a cheap 27in 1440p display as well

You could also check out overlord computers if you dont mind waiting a bit to get it :)

All three companies are very reputable and based in the US
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I see. I took the liberty of looking into those; monoprice seems good but is currently out of stock.

Microcenter seems quite nice as well, I found it here: http://www.microcenter.com/product/384780/EQ276W_27_IPS_LED_Monitor# Based in the US means it's likely I will have a warranty and have less in the way of getting replacement parts in the event of a failure. It basically addresses all the cons of the Catleap while still being the same price. I don't see a reason I shouldn't go with this, as of right now. Going to mull it over for a day and then make a decision. Thank you for the find!
 
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Daramue said:
Microcenter seems quite nice as well, I found it here: http://www.microcenter.com/product/384780/EQ276W_27_IPS_LED_Monitor# Based in the US means it's likely I will have a warranty and have less in the way of getting replacement parts in the event of a failure. It basically addresses all the cons of the Catleap while still being the same price. I don't see a reason I shouldn't go with this, as of right now. Going to mull it over for a day and then make a decision. Thank you for the find!
Click to expand...

I'm in a similar boat looking for monitors, so I thought I'd mention to check the forum thread on the Microcenter monitor (Auria EQ276W). It's a decent monitor, but the specs are no longer correct. Recent versions, despite the same model name and package marking, are showing up with a matte AG coating (not glossy) and are CCFL lit and not LED. Not sure if that makes a difference, just wanted to make sure you knew.
 
whoami? said:
I'm in a similar boat looking for monitors, so I thought I'd mention to check the forum thread on the Microcenter monitor (Auria EQ276W). It's a decent monitor, but the specs are no longer correct. Recent versions, despite the same model name and package marking, are showing up with a matte AG coating (not glossy) and are CCFL lit and not LED. Not sure if that makes a difference, just wanted to make sure you knew.
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Interesting find, and I appreciate bringing this to my attention. I'm okay with matte over glossy, it doesn't really make a difference to me.

Interesting that the monitors went backwards and now use CCFL, which is older than LED. This does affect my purchase because I'm pretty certain CCFL does not have as long a lifespan and in general is not as good. Why such a large step backwards? I know nobody can answer that but now I'm not so sure it's worth it.
 
Daramue said:
?.. Why such a large step backwards? I know nobody can answer that but now I'm not so sure it's worth it.
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One theory is Dell is transitioning from the U2711 to the U2713 so there were a bunch of excess 2711 panels floating around. Or maybe the factory that produces them gave Auria a deal since Dell cut their orders. As such, also note the Auria now has wide gamut color, which is generally a headache unless you need it professionally.

Right now I'd go for the Monoprice 27" if you can live with single DVI input (and find one in stock,) or wait for the multi-input version.
 
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