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Yes, another recommendation thread

RedWagnum

RedWagnum

Gawd
Joined
Mar 30, 2007
Messages
615
Yes, another monitor recommendation thread. With so many choices, specifications, and details, my brain has gone into meltdown with information overload. Then looking at retail user reviews at Amazon, NewEgg, Best Buy, etc doesn’t help much. “This monitor is great!” “This monitor sucks!” “This monitor is meh…” So I thought I would turn to the [H]ard community I trust the most for advise.

I recently purchased a 43” LG UJ6300 4K TV to use as a monitor. That turned out to be a mistake. That TV is not well suited to use as a monitor, especially given my space limitations. I returned the TV and have decided to go with a monitor instead of a TV.

There really ought to be a sticky for this:

1. Basic system specs:
(See Signature) Asus P8Z77-V LE Plus - Intel Core i5 3570K (@4.2GHz) CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB)​

2. Video Card:
Asus 1080 GTX Strix​

3. Usage:
General productivity, gaming, movies, videos, some image and video editing.​

4. Must have features:
Major brand, 28”-32”, minimum 2560x1440, VESA mount​

5. Nice to have features:
G-Sync​

6. Budget:
$500​

7. When are you going to buy?
NOW​

I like to game. I’m a single-player gamer, FPS and RPG mostly (Crysis, CoD, Fallout series, TES series). Haven’t been playing many recent titles due to my ancient HD6950 but that has been upgraded to a 1080 GTX Strix. I recently bought DOOM and it runs like butter with all ultra settings (@1920x1200). I’m not a hard core gamer though. Frame rate is not the be-all, end-all thing for me. I prefer image quality over frame rate. As long as the game runs reasonably smoothly with the eye candy turned up, I’m happy. With that said, if I can get higher frame rates and still keep the eye candy, I’m all for it!

I’m not a panel whore. I am currently using an Acer P244W 24” TN 1920x1080 and a Samsung S24C650 24” IPS 1920x1200 monitors. The Acer is getting long in tooth (~30k POH) and probably ready for retirement. So I have both a TN and an IPS display. Can’t say I prefer one over the other. Both have BLB but are manageable. I would prefer perfect blacks and brilliant whites, but that ain’t gonna happen on my budget! I understand VA panels have less BLB and generally better colors so I am definitely open to that.

There are a few 28” 4K displays available now but as an older gentleman, my eyesight isn’t what it was 45 years ago. Not sure if I could use a 4K display at such a small size, though I think a 32” might be okay. I’d really like a 4K display because that seems to be where the future is heading, but it is certainly not an absolute must have.

So there you have it. That is where I am coming from. Sorry about the long post but I figured the more information I provided, the better advice I would get.

TIA for your input!
 
you will not find gsync, 25x14 , 28"+ below $500.
give up on gsync and you may find some 32" 25x14, clones of the HP Omen 32".

Stretch your budget to $550 and you may find one Korean 34" 3440x1440 100Hz freesync. if one day vega is launched, you can sell your 1080 and enjoy a monitor that will last a long time.
 
Your budget will be the limiting factor here IMO.

Just to correct one thing you said, IPS panels generally have better color reproduction. VA panels can be faster, cheaper, and have less "glow" or BLB. Despite that, IPS is popular due to the color reproduction and viewing angles.

If I was in your shoes, I'd look into the Dell DS2716DG. 2560x1440p, G-Sync, 144Hz. It's a TN panel, but you said that wasn't an issue for you.

From what I've read it's a great monitor for the price.
 
geok1ng said:
you will not find gsync, 25x14 , 28"+ below $500.
give up on gsync and you may find some 32" 25x14, clones of the HP Omen 32".

Stretch your budget to $550 and you may find one Korean 34" 3440x1440 100Hz freesync. if one day vega is launched, you can sell your 1080 and enjoy a monitor that will last a long time.
Click to expand...
Yes, I'm seeing that G-Sync monitors are substantially more expensive. But as I said in the OP, it's not a deal breaker not having G-Sync. I'm really leaning towards the 32" displays right now. The HP Omen seems to be pretty popular but its tilt-only stand is a deal-breaker for me. Not really looking for a 21:9 ultra-wide though.

Bandalo said:
Your budget will be the limiting factor here IMO.

Just to correct one thing you said, IPS panels generally have better color reproduction. VA panels can be faster, cheaper, and have less "glow" or BLB. Despite that, IPS is popular due to the color reproduction and viewing angles.

If I was in your shoes, I'd look into the Dell DS2716DG. 2560x1440p, G-Sync, 144Hz. It's a TN panel, but you said that wasn't an issue for you.

From what I've read it's a great monitor for the price.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the clarification on the panel types Bandalo - but don't VA panels have the same viewing angles as IPS?

The Dell DS2716DG looks like a good monitor but for the price I'd really like something larger. If it were 30" or larger at that price I'd probably go with it.

Right now I am looking over these 2560x1440 displays, all 32", VA panels, fully articulated stands, >1B colors (probably 10bit with FRC), standard inputs (D-Sub, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort):

The ASUS PB328Q - Most expensive, 3yr warranty, speakers, no USB hub
The Samsung S32D850T - Medium priced, 3yr warranty, USB 3.0 hub, no speakers
The Benq BL3200PT - Cheapest, 1 yr warranty, speakers, USB hub

I'm liking the Asus. Good user reviews, 3 year warranty, and Asus rapid replacement for 3 years.
The Samsung also has pretty good reviews and the 3 year warranty and has a USB 3.0 hub. Seen some reports of a weird screen flashing problem in some games though.
The Benq looks like a pretty decent monitor for the price.

Also have the Dell S2816Q and the Samsung U28E590D on my radar. Both are 28" TN 4k displays. As mentioned in the OP I'd really like a 4k display but I'm not sure if it would cause eye strain problems without scaling. Any comments there? Anyone making a 30"-32" 4k display at a reasonable price?
 
RedWagnum said:
Yes, I'm seeing that G-Sync monitors are substantially more expensive. But as I said in the OP, it's not a deal breaker not having G-Sync. I'm really leaning towards the 32" displays right now. The HP Omen seems to be pretty popular but its tilt-only stand is a deal-breaker for me. Not really looking for a 21:9 ultra-wide though.


Thanks for the clarification on the panel types Bandalo - but don't VA panels have the same viewing angles as IPS?

The Dell DS2716DG looks like a good monitor but for the price I'd really like something larger. If it were 30" or larger at that price I'd probably go with it.

Right now I am looking over these 2560x1440 displays, all 32", VA panels, fully articulated stands, >1B colors (probably 10bit with FRC), standard inputs (D-Sub, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort):

The ASUS PB328Q - Most expensive, 3yr warranty, speakers, no USB hub
The Samsung S32D850T - Medium priced, 3yr warranty, USB 3.0 hub, no speakers
The Benq BL3200PT - Cheapest, 1 yr warranty, speakers, USB hub

I'm liking the Asus. Good user reviews, 3 year warranty, and Asus rapid replacement for 3 years.
The Samsung also has pretty good reviews and the 3 year warranty and has a USB 3.0 hub. Seen some reports of a weird screen flashing problem in some games though.
The Benq looks like a pretty decent monitor for the price.

Also have the Dell S2816Q and the Samsung U28E590D on my radar. Both are 28" TN 4k displays. As mentioned in the OP I'd really like a 4k display but I'm not sure if it would cause eye strain problems without scaling. Any comments there? Anyone making a 30"-32" 4k display at a reasonable price?
Click to expand...

IPS generally has much wider viewing angles than VA.

Personally, I will buy monitors based on panel quality and picture features. USB hubs, speakers and such would not be a deciding factor for me in any case. I've never heard a set of monitor speakers that sound better than a $30 set of desktop speakers, and good USB hubs are cheap and you can velcro one to the monitor back if you need it.

Having looked at a few monitors, I'm personally not interested in a 4k monitor that's <30". It's hard to see the difference over a 1440p panel at that size. That's personal opinion though, everyone's eyes are a bit different. But remember you're going to pay a big price in processing power for running at 4k if you want to keep anything at 60Hz or higher. You may not need 100Hz or 144Hz, but you'll want at least 60Hz to keep it smooth.
 
Bandalo said:
IPS generally has much wider viewing angles than VA.

Personally, I will buy monitors based on panel quality and picture features. USB hubs, speakers and such would not be a deciding factor for me in any case. I've never heard a set of monitor speakers that sound better than a $30 set of desktop speakers, and good USB hubs are cheap and you can velcro one to the monitor back if you need it.

Having looked at a few monitors, I'm personally not interested in a 4k monitor that's <30". It's hard to see the difference over a 1440p panel at that size. That's personal opinion though, everyone's eyes are a bit different. But remember you're going to pay a big price in processing power for running at 4k if you want to keep anything at 60Hz or higher. You may not need 100Hz or 144Hz, but you'll want at least 60Hz to keep it smooth.
Click to expand...
Interesting. Each of the WQHD displays I listed above show viewing angles of 178º/178º, same as IPS. Perhaps the panel technology has improved?

I agree that panel quality is probably the most important thing. The only reason I mentioned the speakers and hubs was that other than price and warranty, those things were the only differences. They may have other underlying technology differences, but specs-on-paper wise, they are the same. I'm still rockin' my old Klipsch ProMedia 5.1s so built-in speakers mean nothing to me, and as you said, USB hubs are cheap, small, and easy to place so their inclusion in a display is pretty meaningless too.

I hear what you are saying about the 4k monitors. I went to my local Best Buy and a couple of other places to try to demo a 27" - 28" 4k display but none were to be found hooked up to a PC. BB had the Samsung U28E590D available but not one hooked up. I really wanted to see how the desktop and/or office type apps looked on it. I think they also had a Dell S2716G hooked up but to a Playstation of something. Can't make much of a comparison with that! :D The 1080 Strix seems to be able to drive most modern games pretty well with most settings on high or better at 4k but none-the-less I think I'll skip the 4k monitors for now until I have a chance to demo desktop apps on one.

So, comments about the three 32" WQHD displays I have listed in my previous post? I'm leaning towards the Asus because of the warranty and the "rapid replacement" (which I am assuming means they will cross-ship). I've have and had Samsung products before and find them to be reasonably well made. Benq is practically a complete unknown to me. I hear the provide good value for the money.
 
RedWagnum said:
Interesting. Each of the WQHD displays I listed above show viewing angles of 178º/178º, same as IPS. Perhaps the panel technology has improved?

I agree that panel quality is probably the most important thing. The only reason I mentioned the speakers and hubs was that other than price and warranty, those things were the only differences. They may have other underlying technology differences, but specs-on-paper wise, they are the same. I'm still rockin' my old Klipsch ProMedia 5.1s so built-in speakers mean nothing to me, and as you said, USB hubs are cheap, small, and easy to place so their inclusion in a display is pretty meaningless too.

I hear what you are saying about the 4k monitors. I went to my local Best Buy and a couple of other places to try to demo a 27" - 28" 4k display but none were to be found hooked up to a PC. BB had the Samsung U28E590D available but not one hooked up. I really wanted to see how the desktop and/or office type apps looked on it. I think they also had a Dell S2716G hooked up but to a Playstation of something. Can't make much of a comparison with that! :D The 1080 Strix seems to be able to drive most modern games pretty well with most settings on high or better at 4k but none-the-less I think I'll skip the 4k monitors for now until I have a chance to demo desktop apps on one.

So, comments about the three 32" WQHD displays I have listed in my previous post? I'm leaning towards the Asus because of the warranty and the "rapid replacement" (which I am assuming means they will cross-ship). I've have and had Samsung products before and find them to be reasonably well made. Benq is practically a complete unknown to me. I hear the provide good value for the money.
Click to expand...

Claimed viewing angle and actual viewing angle will be different. VA panels will all see varying degrees of color shift when you move off-center. Bothers some people, some don't mind. It's a limitation of the technology, you can reduce it, but you can't eliminate it. It's fairly obvious when you're at the store though, so you can see for yourself.

Benq makes good products in general, and they're usually pretty well reviewed. All three are very comparable, and I'd honestly go with the cheapest if I had to pick between the 3. Unless you're convinced about that warranty, then I'd get the Asus.
 
Went ahead and ordered the Asus PB328Q this morning. Should be here in a few hours. Will post back with my initial impressions...
 
ng4ever said:
Isn't 2 hour delivery free with Prime ? Where do you live btw? Your lucky you got Prime Now!
Click to expand...
The 2 hour deliver was not available when I placed the order (at 1am). Probably just outside the range for that anyway. I'm in NE San Antonio and I think the distribution center is in San Marcos, about 30 miles north from here.
 
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