![[H]ard|Forum](/styles/hardforum/xenforo/logo_dark.png){kind=logo}
First off, I've been looking through these threads, and you guys have a particular passion and knowledge about displays that makes me believe in people again. I've spent the past three weeks researching various monitors, and most places are just filled with...well, you know how the internet is. This is a very pleasant oasis in comparison!
Now, as I said, I've been searching for three weeks. In that time, I have discovered that literally everything I knew about monitors when I last bought one (11 years ago)...well, other than 'make pretty pictures into my eyes' is fairly irrelevant. Most of that time has been spent researching all the new buzzwords and marketing terms and things, and after my current marathon of a session (5 hours), in which I was determined to pick one or the other monitor that I had eventually narrowed down, I find that in the real world, they were both problematic options. I have learned all about HDR400-1000 and the differences in the specification; the 3 levels of G-Sync and the need for a hardware chip in some of them; I have learned all manner of things about DCI, high refresh rates, different adaptor bandwidth capabilities and protocol versions... For reference, my last (and current) monitor, is a Dell 2408WFP which has proven to be an absolute workhorse of a monitor with not a SINGLE objective issue since I got it. I am truly stunned at the quality of this piece of kit, and it will serve wonderfully as a second monitor. The only subjective issue I have with it is the brightness - even at level 0 it is too bright for me at night, and blacks just really -aren't-. Which was fine, but I have some money now and I'm redoing my whole PC setup, so it's time to move on.
I -had- been looking at both the Acer CG437K and (you probably guess it already just from that) the Asus PG43UQ. All based on reviews - even some highly technical ones like Tom's - that said 'wow'. That's why I was trying to decide between the two of them. The CG seemed to have a lower minimum brightness, so that's the one I picked. And then I did what I always do (I'm autistic, I spend waaaaaay too much time researching things to make sure I get the 'perfect' thing), I started looking for real world reviews and issues with it, which lead on to a whole other research spree of things like ghosting, inverse ghosting, halo effect, motion blur and so on. Now don't get me wrong, I know these have always been problems in the past, just it seems like the last time I looked all the monitors available were on mosty equal footing in these regards, so it was rarely something that came up in reviews. Seeing and reading these real life reviews has made me entirely rethink my position.
So I'm hoping you lovely generous people would be able to share your wisdom and recommend for me some monitors. I'm looking to move in to the modern age, as it were, but I'm not sure what the viable trade offs are any more. 4k seems the minimum way to go, and the PPI of the Dell I use is pretty much perfect for me so looking at those 43" monitors seemed like a wonderful increase in real estate - I essentially see it as 4 of my current monitor without the annoying breakup with the bezels and it makes me excited at the possibilities. I use my monitor to watch TV shows as well, and that size seems to be a wonderful happy medium that means I don't have to do what I currently do and move my monitor 6 inches from my legs when I'm sitting on the sofa! It can sit on my soon-to-be-installed PC desk and I can see it fine from the sofa. I do game, a lot, but I'm too old to do FPS any more, it's mostly things like Kerbal and RTSs with the occasional FPS RPG like Fallout or Skyrim and some older games as well. I'm much more interested in that magical medium of 'pretty, but playable', which is why I've been fine with 60Hz thus far, but, especially with older games and getting a 2070 Super, I feel from reading about high refresh rates that might make things seems a little bit prettier, actually being able to use the power in them. As I watch TV shows and movies as well, HDR seems to be a thing that might be nice. The biggest thing though is something that has a lower brightness than I currently have, and much darker blacks. I can't seem to find any such benchmarking information for the Dell to compare, however.
I realise this is a block of text, sorry.
TL,DR:
You are all lovely people. I'm looking for a monitor about 43". 4k yes, HDR yes, >60Hz yes, gsync nice to have, low minimum brightness, daaaaark blacks (OLED would be perfect), but overall top-notch visual fidelity - minimal ghosting/motion blur/halo etc. Compromises can be made. Budget up to CG437K/PG43UQ prices.
Thanks, Steve
Now, as I said, I've been searching for three weeks. In that time, I have discovered that literally everything I knew about monitors when I last bought one (11 years ago)...well, other than 'make pretty pictures into my eyes' is fairly irrelevant. Most of that time has been spent researching all the new buzzwords and marketing terms and things, and after my current marathon of a session (5 hours), in which I was determined to pick one or the other monitor that I had eventually narrowed down, I find that in the real world, they were both problematic options. I have learned all about HDR400-1000 and the differences in the specification; the 3 levels of G-Sync and the need for a hardware chip in some of them; I have learned all manner of things about DCI, high refresh rates, different adaptor bandwidth capabilities and protocol versions... For reference, my last (and current) monitor, is a Dell 2408WFP which has proven to be an absolute workhorse of a monitor with not a SINGLE objective issue since I got it. I am truly stunned at the quality of this piece of kit, and it will serve wonderfully as a second monitor. The only subjective issue I have with it is the brightness - even at level 0 it is too bright for me at night, and blacks just really -aren't-. Which was fine, but I have some money now and I'm redoing my whole PC setup, so it's time to move on.
I -had- been looking at both the Acer CG437K and (you probably guess it already just from that) the Asus PG43UQ. All based on reviews - even some highly technical ones like Tom's - that said 'wow'. That's why I was trying to decide between the two of them. The CG seemed to have a lower minimum brightness, so that's the one I picked. And then I did what I always do (I'm autistic, I spend waaaaaay too much time researching things to make sure I get the 'perfect' thing), I started looking for real world reviews and issues with it, which lead on to a whole other research spree of things like ghosting, inverse ghosting, halo effect, motion blur and so on. Now don't get me wrong, I know these have always been problems in the past, just it seems like the last time I looked all the monitors available were on mosty equal footing in these regards, so it was rarely something that came up in reviews. Seeing and reading these real life reviews has made me entirely rethink my position.
So I'm hoping you lovely generous people would be able to share your wisdom and recommend for me some monitors. I'm looking to move in to the modern age, as it were, but I'm not sure what the viable trade offs are any more. 4k seems the minimum way to go, and the PPI of the Dell I use is pretty much perfect for me so looking at those 43" monitors seemed like a wonderful increase in real estate - I essentially see it as 4 of my current monitor without the annoying breakup with the bezels and it makes me excited at the possibilities. I use my monitor to watch TV shows as well, and that size seems to be a wonderful happy medium that means I don't have to do what I currently do and move my monitor 6 inches from my legs when I'm sitting on the sofa! It can sit on my soon-to-be-installed PC desk and I can see it fine from the sofa. I do game, a lot, but I'm too old to do FPS any more, it's mostly things like Kerbal and RTSs with the occasional FPS RPG like Fallout or Skyrim and some older games as well. I'm much more interested in that magical medium of 'pretty, but playable', which is why I've been fine with 60Hz thus far, but, especially with older games and getting a 2070 Super, I feel from reading about high refresh rates that might make things seems a little bit prettier, actually being able to use the power in them. As I watch TV shows and movies as well, HDR seems to be a thing that might be nice. The biggest thing though is something that has a lower brightness than I currently have, and much darker blacks. I can't seem to find any such benchmarking information for the Dell to compare, however.
I realise this is a block of text, sorry.
TL,DR:
You are all lovely people. I'm looking for a monitor about 43". 4k yes, HDR yes, >60Hz yes, gsync nice to have, low minimum brightness, daaaaark blacks (OLED would be perfect), but overall top-notch visual fidelity - minimal ghosting/motion blur/halo etc. Compromises can be made. Budget up to CG437K/PG43UQ prices.
Thanks, Steve
