Which £300 1440p monitor?

[only1shadowman]

I have been looking a 1440p monitors for the last few weeks, hoping i would come to a decision as to which one to buy, but no such luck. So now I am turning you you guys for some help.

I'm after a 27" 1440p monitor for under £300 that will be suitable for gaming and all the general pc uses (movies, youtube, office docs etc) My pc has a GTX970 so I am aware that in order to get around the 60fps mark I will need to turn down settings (which is also the reason i'm steering clear of 144hz monitor - that and also because they are out of budget) My budget is firm - I cannot go any higher than £300 so no alternatives above that figure to try and tempt me because I've been tempted to spend more!

I think I have a list of monitors to choose from, but for the rules on HEXUS, I cannot link to them because i don't have 20 posts or something (or they think I'm a spambot or something

Anyway, the displays i have in my final list are as follows

• BenQ GW2765HT (I think its a AHVA panel 1000:1 native contrast 4ms) found on Amazon and CCL(Ebay) for £280
  Acer 27" G277HU (TN panel) £246 (SCAN)
  Acer B276HULA (AHVA, 6ms) £258 (SCAN)
  Acer CB270HU (IPS, 6ms) £270 (SCAN)
  Acer K272HU (IPS 4ms) £274 (SCAN)
  AOC Q2778VQE (TN, 1ms 1000:1 Native Contrast) £240 Ebuyer
  AOC Q2770PQU (IPS of some variant I think, 5ms, 1000:1 (Ebuyer - £300)

Other than those on that list, there are a couple of 4k screens which are within budget but I'm not looking at them because I feel my 970 would struggle when gaming at that resolution. I did have a very brief thought of going for a 32" 1440p screen but having watched a couple of videos on youtube regarding the use, I think a 27" is the optimal size for myself.

Any comments on any of the above? Which one should i go for? if all are the same spec wise, should i just go for the cheapest screen in the list (AOC Q2778 @ £240 from Ebuyer?

[kalniel]

If not photo editing then yes, that looks fine, good gaming monitor. Ebuyer support aren't too bad either, go for it!

[EndlessWaves]

I'd be inclined to go for the larger one to get more normal sized text if you're doing Office stuff, 2560x1440@27" is unusually small, but that depends on how far away you're viewing the monitor from.

There are several 2560x1080 screens around which gives you more peripheral vision in games and the space to have documents side by side but are easier to drive and a lot cheaper at the same pixel sizes as the ones you're considering (25" diagonal gives the same width of screen).

[aidanjt]

Unless you have actually productive reasons to go 1440p, I'd sooner bag a 24" 144Hz g-sync 1080p display and just use dynamic super-resolution for games that can handle 1440p and 4K at high fps, you'd get much more out of gaming with that than some extra pixels on a big slow fixed-sync display. For example the AOC G2460PG comes in at £286 from Aria, which is comfortably under your budget ceiling. It may not seem like much of an upgrade swapping 1080p panels, but 144Hz alone makes a huge difference, and g-sync is night and day ahead of your old monitor.

[only1shadowman]

The main reason i'm looking at 1440p monitors and not 144hz 1080p is that I am used to using 2x 1080p monitors. I say that however I lost one to the kids a few weeks ago, and with them also getting a second computer for christmas, they are taking my current 1080p for that, leaving me with none! If i were to buy 1080p again, even going 2560x1080, i would then need to buy a second panel to give me the same work space as what I would have if I went 1440p (it made sense in my head, hope it does to you.)

As for the 32" monitor. I do like the idea of having that size of screen, and it kind of works out to the same sort of pixel density of a 1080p monitor, but as i sit approx 2 feet away from the screen, it may be too big to deal with.

One further question - my current screen is a TN panel, how much difference am I going to see if I went for a AHVA screen - basically, is there any point paying more for the different panel type? and how is the response type liable to affect gameplay if any?

[EndlessWaves]

As for the 32" monitor. I do like the idea of having that size of screen, and it kind of works out to the same sort of pixel density of a 1080p monitor, but as i sit approx 2 feet away from the screen, it may be too big to deal with.

Yeah, probably best to go on the lower side for such a close viewing distance.

The main reason i'm looking at 1440p monitors and not 144hz 1080p is that I am used to using 2x 1080p monitors. I say that however I lost one to the kids a few weeks ago, and with them also getting a second computer for christmas, they are taking my current 1080p for that, leaving me with none! If i were to buy 1080p again, even going 2560x1080, i would then need to buy a second panel to give me the same work space as what I would have if I went 1440p (it made sense in my head, hope it does to you.)

That depends on how you use the computer. I wouldn't assume you'll find it just as easy to stack documents vertically as to have them side by side horizontally. Many tasks will only benefit from increases in one dimension.

If your current screens are good enough to be nicked then the remaining one could work nicely alongside a 2560x1080 display to get the extra space without having to buy a second monitor. If you ever get the second one back it'll also make a nice triple screen setup.

One further question - my current screen is a TN panel, how much difference am I going to see if I went for a AHVA screen - basically, is there any point paying more for the different panel type? and how is the response type liable to affect gameplay if any?

It's exchanging one set of flaws for another, so the best choice would be to go with the flaws you notice least. TN is good if ghosting bothers you, IPS/PLS/AVHA is good if the colour gradient of a TN is annoying, MVA/PVA is best if it's the grey blacks that tick you off.

[only1shadowman]

Yeah, probably best to go on the lower side for such a close viewing distance.



That depends on how you use the computer. I wouldn't assume you'll find it just as easy to stack documents vertically as to have them side by side horizontally. Many tasks will only benefit from increases in one dimension.

If your current screens are good enough to be nicked then the remaining one could work nicely alongside a 2560x1080 display to get the extra space without having to buy a second monitor. If you ever get the second one back it'll also make a nice triple screen setup.



It's exchanging one set of flaws for another, so the best choice would be to go with the flaws you notice least. TN is good if ghosting bothers you, IPS/PLS/AVHA is good if the colour gradient of a TN is annoying, MVA/PVA is best if it's the grey blacks that tick you off.

I've never really noticed any issues with my current panel which is a TN panel - my thoughts originally were that if i'm spending £300 on a screen, then i want it to be the best I can get for the money, and from what i've read, everybody is saying go for IPS (AHVA, AMVA) becuase the colours are btter than TN, but like I say I only have a TN panle to go against and haven't seen any IPS or their varient

As for my screen situation - my kids have a pc with an old 19 inch monitor. that failed so they took my 22" 1080p and left me with a 24" 1080p. As a surprise, they are getting a second pc, so will be taking my current 24" (which they don't know about) and then i would buy a new 1440p monitor and go singular.

As for workflow, before I lost my 22" monitor, i would have movie/youtube running on one screen (full screen) whilst either playing a game full screen or browsing internet/working on documents. (screens were side by side)

one final question; Is AOC a decent brand? I mean the hexus review from march 2015 seems to suggest it is a good panel for the MRRP at the time (the Q2778VQE -£240) but is lacking a little in the stand. Then again, the review was from 6 months ago - is the monitor industry like the GPU in that better things come along quickly?

[aramil]

I have had an "AOC Q2778VQE (TN, 1ms 1000:1 Native Contrast) £240 Ebuyer" for about a month for general use (not photo editing/some gaming) and really enjoying the extra screen space when having multiple windows open (coming from 24"1920x1080). no issues. loads of calibration/profile/setup options, and if you are wanting software to help set it up, I-Menu (AOC website & disc) has all the OSD menu options too.

[EndlessWaves]

I've never really noticed any issues with my current panel which is a TN panel - my thoughts originally were that if i'm spending £300 on a screen, then i want it to be the best I can get for the money, and from what i've read, everybody is saying go for IPS (AHVA, AMVA) becuase the colours are btter than TN, but like I say I only have a TN panle to go against and haven't seen any IPS or their varient

As for my screen situation - my kids have a pc with an old 19 inch monitor. that failed so they took my 22" 1080p and left me with a 24" 1080p. As a surprise, they are getting a second pc, so will be taking my current 24" (which they don't know about) and then i would buy a new 1440p monitor and go singular.

As for workflow, before I lost my 22" monitor, i would have movie/youtube running on one screen (full screen) whilst either playing a game full screen or browsing internet/working on documents. (screens were side by side)

That doesn't sound like a workflow that's going to be particularly easy on a single large screen. A 1920x1080 youtube video, the same size as before, will leave a 640 pixel gap horizontally, a space only some documents will work in - and very few webpages.

I would definitely have a good think about how you're going to use the space and whether that resolution will work for you.

Ebuyer have LG's cheapest 2560x1080 display for £145, at that price you could have two of them within budget. More space than your current setup and you retain the advantages of two screens.
http://www.ebuyer.com/715907-lg-25um...nitor-25um57-p

[only1shadowman]

That doesn't sound like a workflow that's going to be particularly easy on a single large screen. A 1920x1080 youtube video, the same size as before, will leave a 640 pixel gap horizontally, a space only some documents will work in - and very few webpages.

I would definitely have a good think about how you're going to use the space and whether that resolution will work for you.

Ebuyer have LG's cheapest 2560x1080 display for £145, at that price you could have two of them within budget. More space than your current setup and you retain the advantages of two screens.
http://www.ebuyer.com/715907-lg-25um...nitor-25um57-p

I've just been checking Ebuyer this morning, after looking at the link yuo left in your last post - the cheapest AOC on my list has gotten even cheaper - now £216 delivered! As for workflow, I can just about get two webpages side by side on my 24" wihtout having to scroll sideways to read, so would imagine that the increase in pixel density would enable me to have more space for each page. As for youtube and movies and the like - I'll resize everything to allow me to continue doing what i need to.

The ultrawide screen you linked to is a very nice idea, as it gives an additional 60% screen space over and above my existing setup, however it won't fit on my desk if I have them side by side (which is how i'd want them) My desk is 90cm wide and is in an alcove with a little space either side (I'm sitting at the entrance to the alcove) so the only way to have two of the LG screens is to stack them, and I have tried theat before with my current screen and didn't like it because it gave me a sore neck constantly looking up. (if you are wondering , I had the two screens angled into each other to fit them both on the desk, with a small overhang)

Aramil - What screen did you have before the AOC and how does it compare to that? what is your impression of the AOC for gaming specifically? Understandably, your gaming experience is different to mine (you have a 980, i've the 970), do you have any issues with ghosting or the like?