Which 27" 1440p Monitor should I buy?

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Niddi

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Sep 14, 2014
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I'm building a new PC at the moment. The decision on what parts I wanted was easy, except for one thing: the monitor. Oh boy, I would have never thought that it could take so long. There are so many options ...

What do I want?
My current monitor is a Dell 2407 WFP-HC (1920x1200 / S-PVA) from 2007 with ~30k hours. It has fulfilled it's duty without so much as a hiccup but I'd like to upgrade to something bigger (although I might keep the Dell as a secondary display). It would be great if the new monitor would also last several years.

What am I willing to pay?
As much as the most expensive monitor on my list costs (see below).

What do I do with my computer?
~40-50% Gaming (nothing fast-paced, except maybe Borderlands, mostly RPGs, Adventures, singleplayer Action / Shooter - Elite: Dangerous once it's released)
~30-40% Videos (Youtube) / Movies / TV-Series / surfing
~10-20% Work (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Graphpad Prism, reading lots of pdf)
So no color-sensitive work. I don't own a colorimeter and I don't intend to buy one, but I will try to adjust some settings using the Lagom LCD monitor test pages.

I looked at the 34" 21:9 displays and even though they seem really nice, I fear that they are a bit to much for a single GPU (I'm not planning on using SLI / CF). So I took a closer look at the 27" 1440p monitors. I figured that an IPS / VA panel would be my best choice as the games I play don't really need the low response times a TN panel can provide. After reading reviews on sites like Prad, TFTCentral or from NCX I narrowed my choices down to these monitors:

AOC q2770Pqu (~460 €)
BenQ BL2710PT (~469€)
Eizo FlexScan EV2736W (~599€)
ViewSonic VP2770 (~489€)

The prices given are the costs at the dealer of my choice (in Germany).

Now all of these monitors have their pros and cons. Better out-of-the-box performance / colors, better waranty, more / less quality control issues etc.
I just can't decide which monitor would be the best for my usage and so I would like to ask you to give me a nudge in the right direction :)
 
This is going to sound crazy but I've personally tested 3/4 of the monitors you're looking at and the best ones I've seen aren't on the list.

All 3 of the Korean overclocking monitors I've had the fortune of owning were practically perfect. I paid 600$ for the Yamakasi Catleap 2B OC I currently own, and I still thank my lucky stars I decided to overpay for it because I love the thing so much. When it dies a little piece of me will go with it. It runs at 120hz all the time.

Both the more affordable Qnix units I had were practically perfect too. One of them was literally glow free and the other wasn't much different.

Unfortunately they need calibration or at least .icc profiling, but GPU power is optional. You can run these at 60hz or 72hz for movie watching or all the time. Or you can run them at 96hz even if you avg. 60hz it will look great. Can buy 2 of them for the price of an Eizo.
 
Oh yeah, I forgot about the korean monitors. I know that you get a lot of bang for your buck but I'm not sure if I really want to buy one of them. I've read about ipsledmonitors.com but we don't have something like that in Germany, so I can only buy one on ebay. And if it's defective it will not be so easy to return it as it would be with a local dealer. I've also read that the casings are really bad mor often than not. Is that true?
 
Personally, I would buy only *VA monitors of that size. Maybe an IPS but only with a polarizer or some other mean to reduce the glow. The biggest downside of VA panels is their pixel response time, but you've said it is not your priority. They have good viewing angles, no IPS glow and superior blacks and contrast.
 
Choose a FW900. It's a 24" 1600p CRT that can do up to 240Hz.
 
Niddi said:
Oh yeah, I forgot about the korean monitors. I know that you get a lot of bang for your buck but I'm not sure if I really want to buy one of them. I've read about ipsledmonitors.com but we don't have something like that in Germany, so I can only buy one on ebay. And if it's defective it will not be so easy to return it as it would be with a local dealer. I've also read that the casings are really bad mor often than not. Is that true?
Click to expand...

I definitely see your points. I may have gotten lucky repeatedly and you might not. Just wanted to throw it out there, also, I found the Korean resellers on eBay to be excellent, but who knows.

If returning any of the 4 monitors you listed is not a problem, then I would start with the BL2710 Benq, it is the fastest of these.

I do like my Eizo FG2421, which is the fast VA gaming monitor with deep dark colors and greyscale, but my wife uses it for her laptop, so its speed is being wasted. I prefer to use my 1440p monitor. For whatever reason, the IPS Catleap I ended up with has better perceived black levels than any of the other 1440p monitors I've had on my desk. It only scores ~900:1 contrast ratio, though.
 
rabidz7 said:
Choose a FW900. It's a 24" 1600p CRT that can do up to 240Hz.
Click to expand...

#1: no, it does not do 240hz; max. is around 160hz
and #2) i would not recommend a (at least) 10 year old crt like that without knowing what you are getting into

i have a korean 27"; if there are any questions with shipping and taxes (i'm also in germany); feel free to pm me OP
 
Meeho said:
Personally, I would buy only *VA monitors of that size. Maybe an IPS but only with a polarizer or some other mean to reduce the glow. The biggest downside of VA panels is their pixel response time, but you've said it is not your priority. They have good viewing angles, no IPS glow and superior blacks and contrast.
Click to expand...

Richard Jones said:
From your description a good 1080p AMVA+ would be the right thing.
Click to expand...

Great, now I've got even more choices ;)
Any good *VA monitors you two can recommend?


Bluesun311 said:
If returning any of the 4 monitors you listed is not a problem, then I would start with the BL2710 Benq, it is the fastest of these.

I do like my Eizo FG2421, which is the fast VA gaming monitor with deep dark colors and greyscale, but my wife uses it for her laptop, so its speed is being wasted. I prefer to use my 1440p monitor. For whatever reason, the IPS Catleap I ended up with has better perceived black levels than any of the other 1440p monitors I've had on my desk. It only scores ~900:1 contrast ratio, though.
Click to expand...

I work close to one of the biggest german retailers, so I could return stuff during my lunch break ;)
The Eizo FG2421 looks like a nice monitor but it would be a downgrade (in size) from my current monitor. I'd really like to have a bit more space.

Ashratt said:
i have a korean 27"; if there are any questions with shipping and taxes (i'm also in germany); feel free to pm me OP
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Thanks. I'll have to think about these monitors some more. I'll contact you if I have some questions.
 
Asus PB278Q around $450 and an awesome monitor....Its PLS display..
 
glow free Eizo EV2736W>glow free AOC Q2770QPU>BenQ BL2710PT>non-glow free AOC Q2770QPU>ViewSonic VP2770>Asus PB278Q

The new Asus PB278QR is PWM free and is available in Europe. It should be fine, but trying the EV2736W first is the wisest choice since glow free PLS panels have much better black levels and detail in dark scenes.
 
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Ashratt said:
#1: no, it does not do 240hz; max. is around 160hz
and #2) i would not recommend a (at least) 10 year old crt like that without knowing what you are getting into

i have a korean 27"; if there are any questions with shipping and taxes (i'm also in germany); feel free to pm me OP
Click to expand...

NOTHING BEATS THE GDM-FW900! NOTHING...

And I have the Rolls Royce of the trade when it comes to GDM-FW900 and you know it...

UV!
 
NCX said:
glow free Eizo EV2736W
Click to expand...
About that anyone figured if there's a panel lottery or not ?
Because IIRC some people reported getting units with quite noticeable glow, just like your average AH-IPS.
BLB seems quite common on those as well.
 
Richard Jones said:
@Niddi: check here: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1803228
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. Unfortunately they are all 1080p. I'd like to upgrade to 1440p.

NCX said:
glow free Eizo EV2736W>glow free AOC Q2770QPU>BenQ BL2710PT>non-glow free AOC Q2770QPU>ViewSonic VP2770>Asus PB278Q

The new Asus PB278QR is PWM free and is available in Europe. It should be fine, but trying the EV2736W first is the wisest choice since glow free PLS panels have much better black levels and detail in dark scenes.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'll try to get a look at the Eizo at my local store first (they definitely sell it) and then I'll decide.
 
Richard Jones said:
About that anyone figured if there's a panel lottery or not?
Click to expand...

I think 2/4 of the recent reports provide proper details (room lighting and brightness), while the others are less clear. A glow free panel with obvious back-light bleed will still look awful when the brightness is kept cranked in a dark room. I did not realize my Qnix was glow free until I fixed the bleed.
 
NCX said:
I think 2/4 of the recent reports provide proper details (room lighting and brightness), while the others are less clear. A glow free panel with obvious back-light bleed will still look awful when the brightness is kept cranked in a dark room. I did not realize my Qnix was glow free until I fixed the bleed.
Click to expand...
I see. Well I suppose BLB is fixable on those EIZO if needed.
Now if only it wasn't so expensive... *sigh*
 
I guess OC'ing isn't important to you.

Man, euro pricing is expensive. I know the USD is weaker, yet here the prices are less than what you have to pay in euro. :eek:

I can't imagine how much it'd cost you to get the Asus Swift ROG. :eek:
 
Yeah, I normally don't OC. That's why I'll buy a Xenon and a good single GPU.

The Asus costs ~750 € / 969 USD.
 
^ Wow, the Asus is $800 (US) here in the USA. So basically it costs 20% more in Germany and probably the other monitors are about that, too.
 
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