Large Gaming Monitor Advice

[k4p84]

Hi all,

I'll be in the market for a new monitor soon.

I use my rig for everything, gaming, web, work.....

I have SLI GTX 280's so i can power high res with no issues. So 1900 x 1020 i think is the target area, 2560 x 1600 would be great but probably out of my price range.

I'm currently running on an AOC 19" 5:3 that i have had for years but i want more screen real estate.

I have been looking at 24" and above.

Now the thing is how much difference will i see between a £300 24" and say a top spec Dell 27" ?

The AOC is really only poor when it comes to viewing angles but i have not used any other monitors on my rig to judge any further. I do run it through my 42" Bravia but that is not practical when the misses wants to watch Sky :-O

For gaming fast response is good but i have never noticed any on the current monitor, 8ms, or the TV. The lower priced panels will be TN's yes but they give you the best responses for gaming though not the greatest colour replication.

So guys and gals give me a hand hear.

My budget is up to £600

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The HP LP2475W is the best 24" LCD monitor for under £500 IMHO.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&sou...ZbjU-R8O6-OdEw

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&sou...azTz9zWHd7mfLw

It uses an H-IPS panel and has excellent viewing angles and colour accuracy.

You can get it for under £400 directly from HP either using the discount codes HPSPLDIS or HPSHARE and the cashback website Quidco.

[nightkhaos]

Moniters are complicated beasts now. There are three main varients of moniters.

• TN - These are really cheap to produce and the moniters you see in and out. With good calibration and lighting conditions they can produce really good images, like they do on expensive televisions.
• IPS - These are slightly better than TN and have a very fast response time, but they suffer by not having a really deep black when compared to PVA panels.
• PVA - These have slightly worse response times than than E-IPS panels but have the best colour definition, including high quality blacks, of any LCD panel. They also tend to have the widest viewing angles.

So what kind of games do you play?

• If you play FPS then you want IPS panels.
• If you play RTS then you want PVA panels.
• If you watch a lot of video you want PVA panels.

I can recommend a varienty of Panels within your budget, but first let understand your usage pattern. Is fast response a requirement because you play a lot of fast paced FPS games, or is colour defintion more important because you play graphics intensives games that wouldn't look right on a cheap TN panel?

I personally have a Dell 2408WFP 24" S-PVA panel because I watch a lot of movies/television and I have high powered system, so how a game looks is important to me (I am not happy if I can't have my game running at native resolution on the highest quality settings).

However you might be better of, if playing lots of FPS games, with the H-IPS HP panel suggested above.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I would say IPS panels are the best choice for colour accuracy especially the newer generation S-IPS and H-IPS panels. I would say the any IPS panel is leagues ahead of a TN type display and cannot be compared when it comes to colour. The older iMacs used IPS panels and the new ones use TN panels for example and the new ones look crap when compared to the old ones. I use the Dell 2408WFP and a 30" Apple Studio Display at work and they are both excellent monitors(the Dell is S-PVA and the Apple S-IPS) however the latest H-IPS panels have very deep blacks which are as good as the current S-PVA displays. This is why the HP gets my vote over the Dell and it is also cheaper.

[nightkhaos]

I would say IPS panels are the best choice for colour accuracy especially the newer generation S-IPS and H-IPS panels. I use the Dell 2408WFP and a 30" Apple Studio Display at work and they are both excellent monitors(the Dell is S-PVA and the Apple S-IPS) however the latest H-IPS panels have very deep blacks which are as good as the current S-PVA displays.

Ohh.... if I had the monies I would go and buy an HP H-IPS panel...

Why then does the E-IPS seem to perform so poorly at colour definition? Do you think Dell implementation of IPS in the 2209WFP is just a poor example, or were they using last generation panel technology to reduce production costs?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Ohh.... if I had the monies I would go and buy an HP H-IPS panel...

Why then does the E-IPS seem to perform so poorly at colour definition? Do you think Dell implementation of IPS in the 2209WFP is just a poor example, or were they using last generation panel technology to reduce production costs?

It could be electronics as it is a cheaper panel.The 2209WA is the only monitor which uses an E-IPS panel and the more expensive HP2275W uses an S-PVA panel and hence until another monitor comes along with E-IPS tech I am uncertain whether there is actually any issue with it. However some reviews do praise the colour accuracy of the 2209WA though:

http://www.richardlovison.com/?p=571

http://www.flatpanelshd.com/review.p...&id=1248173915

http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/revie...ll-2209wa.html

I wish I could afford the HP LP2475W as I recommended one to someone I know and they bought it last week. Looks like I will have to stick with my P-MVA Philips 200W6CS for the time being. It looks like P-MVA tech has also disappeared too!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Oops! Double Post!!

[nightkhaos]

It could be electronics as it is a cheaper panel.The 2209WA is the only monitor which uses an E-IPS panel and the more expensive HP2275W uses an S-PVA panel and hence until another monitor comes along with E-IPS tech I am uncertain whether there is actually any issue with it. However some reviews do praise the colour accuracy of the 2209WA though:

http://www.richardlovison.com/?p=571

http://www.flatpanelshd.com/review.p...&id=1248173915

http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/revie...ll-2209wa.html

Moniters are confusing. Their are so many factors that affect picture. I have read so many conflicting reviews on the same moniter it's hard to actually tell what moniter is better until you see them in the flesh. I got my second hand, (my friend wanted to upgrade to 2709WFP) so I new exactly what kind of performance I would get out of her.

But that comes with the terroirty when it comes to computer parts. The choice is starting to boogle the mind.

[ajones]

Whilst I can't comment on the HP, I've a 2407WFP at home, and a 2408WFP at work, and love them both to bits!

[k4p84]

Hi all,

Cheers for all the fast replies.

Been onto the HP site and that monitor is going for just shy of £400 with the promo codes added. Cheers for those too.

My rig is mainly for gaming though the reviews of the above panels seem to state it as been a good all rounder really. Since i do watch blu ray and do some photo editing it does seem to be a good option.

Have you got any suggestions for the larger screens, 27-28"...

ED

[staffsMike]

For 27" I wouldn't look past the Dell 2709WFP. It's a cracking monitor with loads of inputs and has a fantastic picture. There are cheaper monitors certainly but not much better.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Hi all,

Cheers for all the fast replies.

Been onto the HP site and that monitor is going for just shy of £400 with the promo codes added. Cheers for those too.

My rig is mainly for gaming though the reviews of the above panels seem to state it as been a good all rounder really. Since i do watch blu ray and do some photo editing it does seem to be a good option.

Have you got any suggestions for the larger screens, 27-28"...

ED

Don't forget Quidco:

http://www.quidco.com/hewlett-packard/

[Syd]

Hi all,

Cheers for all the fast replies.

Been onto the HP site and that monitor is going for just shy of £400 with the promo codes added. Cheers for those too.

My rig is mainly for gaming though the reviews of the above panels seem to state it as been a good all rounder really. Since i do watch blu ray and do some photo editing it does seem to be a good option.

Have you got any suggestions for the larger screens, 27-28"...

ED

I have been trying to convince myself to buy a bigger screen for quite a while - currently running a Dell 2405 (had for 3 -4yrs) TBH I could upgrade but I can't find a reason

The dell 27 is same res as 24 but bigger pixels - so I can't see the benefit, and the 3008 has worrying backlight issues - oh and it costs over a grand!!!

I a nutshell, if I was buying a screen today I would either sell a kidney and buy the 3007/3008 and hope that the b/l wasnt an issue or buy the 24" HP.

[k4p84]

I a nutshell, if I was buying a screen today I would either sell a kidney and buy the 3007/3008 and hope that the b/l wasnt an issue or buy the 24" HP.

I rather like my kidneys..... You guys do seem to be rather taken by this model then !

[Syd]

I rather like my kidneys..... You guys do seem to be rather taken by this model then !

Come on you will still have one left................................

Re the HP, it does appear to be the best rated 24 out there for the money atm. Custom PC/Bit Tech have done a couple of reviews of both the original screen and the new revision:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/mon...n-tft-review/1

[Bugbait]

The dell 27 is same res as 24 but bigger pixels - so I can't see the benefit, and the 3008 has worrying backlight issues - oh and it costs over a grand!!!

I a nutshell, if I was buying a screen today I would either sell a kidney and buy the 3007/3008 and hope that the b/l wasnt an issue or buy the 24" HP.

I believe the 3008 backlight issues have mostly been addressed by the A02 revision. It had to do with quality control (surprise, surprise) and the fitting/spacing of the panel. I have the 3008 A02 and have been very happy with it, especially since moving to Windows 7. Under Vista, tabbing in and out of games always caused several seconds delay as the monitor adjusted the frequency (no idea why it needed to). In Windows 7 this is gone and if everything is run at the same, native resolution then it's nearly instant. My only major gripe with the 3008 gone (price tag aside)!