Question Advice on a gaming monitor that can do photo editing as well

[TimCee]

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a gaming monitor (or at least one that reaches 60Hz or more and with a reasonable response rate). I'm not a an expert gamer so I don't need it to be insanely fast I just want a screen that reaches the minimum requirements (or more) that is recommended for gaming. I do want it to be at least 27 inches and
2560 x 1440. I'm undecided on a budget, but I can't afford a monitor in the £1000 region!

My problem is I do a lot of photography and graphic design, and I'm wondering if anybody has any ideas on a screen that has 100% sRGB as well as being able to game on? I'm not bothered about it being Adobe RGB as I don't ever send to professional printers.
I currently have the BenQ sw2700-b, which is good for editing but won't go over 59Hz.

I do have an old Korean Crossover monitor that I haven't used for years... if I remember rightly can these be overclocked using software?

Any advice on either of my questions would be great!

Thanks in advance

 

[digitalgriffin]

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a gaming monitor (or at least one that reaches 60Hz or more and with a reasonable response rate). I'm not a an expert gamer so I don't need it to be insanely fast I just want a screen that reaches the minimum requirements (or more) that is recommended for gaming. I do want it to be at least 27 inches and
2560 x 1440. I'm undecided on a budget, but I can't afford a monitor in the £1000 region!

My problem is I do a lot of photography and graphic design, and I'm wondering if anybody has any ideas on a screen that has 100% sRGB as well as being able to game on? I'm not bothered about it being Adobe RGB as I don't ever send to professional printers.
I currently have the BenQ sw2700-b, which is good for editing but won't go over 59Hz.

I do have an old Korean Crossover monitor that I haven't used for years... if I remember rightly can these be overclocked using software?

Any advice on either of my questions would be great!

Thanks in advance

It sounds like you are not a photographer, but you are you a video editor. You want to look ok at the DCI P3 and Rec 709 Rec 2020 coverage along with the Delta E After calibration. HDR 400 or higher is almost mandatory.

BenQ makes some good ones. You can find them in your price range if you don't mind used. Monitors rarely if ever go bad. Just make sure to get a picture of the screen on and off. People who don't know any better clean their screen with alcohol or other solvents and that dissolves the plastic anti reflective diffuser making it smeary looking.

IPS delivers the biggest color gamuts but the blacks can be washed out unless you have local dimming. I like VA for the good blacks and response time. But the colors quickly distort off axis and it lacks the same color space coverage.

There's a section dedicated to monitors here at Tom's. But www.dpreview.com has a section on monitors and professional calibration too.

 

[TimCee]

It sounds like you are not a photographer, but you are you a video editor. You want to look ok at the DCI P3 and Rec 709 Rec 2020 coverage along with the Delta E After calibration. HDR 400 or higher is almost mandatory.

BenQ makes some good ones. You can find them in your price range if you don't mind used. Monitors rarely if ever go bad. Just make sure to get a picture of the screen on and off. People who don't know any better clean their screen with alcohol or other solvents and that dissolves the plastic anti reflective diffuser making it smeary looking.

IPS delivers the biggest color gamuts but the blacks can be washed out unless you have local dimming. I like VA for the good blacks and response time. But the colors quickly distort off axis and it lacks the same color space coverage.

There's a section dedicated to monitors here at Tom's. But www.dpreview.com has a section on monitors and professional calibration too.

Thanks for your reply. I do a bit of video, but I'm a photographer and graphic designer by profession, it's just most of my content is mostly for online . I always keep my screen calibrated using my i1profiler. That's why I still want accurate colour and I was talking in terms of 100% sRGB. Adobe RGB almost messes me up as you get over-saturated images that aren't ever going to be printed.

I don't know much about DCI P3 and Rec 2020, and Delta E etc. I need to do some homework. Thank you for the link to dpreview as well. I actually asked a similar question on their forum and they said such a screen doesn't exist! Maybe I can't have my cake and eat it!

Again any pointers to screens that might fit the bill would be great, if it indeed does exist!

Edit: Although I don't edit a lot of video, my workflow does stay mostly in the online sRGB realm... does that mean I should look for a screen that is advertised as good for video i.e. I've noticed some gaming monitors that are advertised as being 'good for editing video' are they the screens I need to be looking at?

Cheers

 

[digitalgriffin]

Thanks for your reply. I do a bit of video, but I'm a photographer and graphic designer by profession, it's just most of my content is mostly for online . I always keep my screen calibrated using my i1profiler. That's why I still want accurate colour and I was talking in terms of 100% sRGB. Adobe RGB almost messes me up as you get over-saturated images that aren't ever going to be printed.

I don't know much about DCI P3 and Rec 2020, and Delta E etc. I need to do some homework. Thank you for the link to dpreview as well. I actually asked a similar question on their forum and they said such a screen doesn't exist! Maybe I can't have my cake and eat it!

Again any pointers to screens that might fit the bill would be great, if it indeed does exist!

Edit: Although I don't edit a lot of video, my workflow does stay mostly in the online sRGB realm... does that mean I should look for a screen that is advertised as good for video i.e. I've noticed some gaming monitors that are advertised as being 'good for editing video' are they the screens I need to be looking at?

Cheers

You'll want an HDR IPS. They have slower response times ,and black level isn't as good unless you get local dimming. But they offer 60Hz no problem. And sRGB is the smallest of the color spaces. The 59.9Hz issue is tied to the old broadcast standard which is tied to power frequency signals. Old TVs used the power line current direction change as their clock source. This was before the invention of modern crystals oscillators. As the entire grid was timed to within fractions of a second it made aligning rf frequencies to screen lines relatively easy.

In terms of color space:
sRGB < ARGB < DCI.P3 < Rec 709 < Rec 2020

Rec is recording industry standard used for television and film reproduction.

Delta E is uniformity of the color space across a color scale. Ie: is 10% white really 10% brightness of 100% white.

Color deficiencies like gamma and gain can be corrected by a color profiles or on screen controls...somewhat. But be careful. Many HDR monitors will not allow on screen color adjustment like color temp when in HDR mode. Be sure to read the reviews.

HDR 400 means 400 nits brightness. But HDR 1000 is really where it's premium quality.

 

[digitalgriffin]

Amazon.com: BenQ PD2700U 27 Inch 4K UHD IPS Factory Calibrated Computer Monitor for Designers with AQCOLOR Technology, 100% Rec.709, sRGB, DualView, Eye-Care Anti-GlareKVM Switch, Daisy Chain, Height Adjustable : Electronics

 

[hotaru.hino]

Edit: Although I don't edit a lot of video, my workflow does stay mostly in the online sRGB realm... does that mean I should look for a screen that is advertised as good for video i.e. I've noticed some gaming monitors that are advertised as being 'good for editing video' are they the screens I need to be looking at?

I wouldn't worry too much about which market the monitor is advertised for. The only reason why some gaming monitors may be advertised as good for editing video is because the monitor is already a premium product. Imagine spending $1000 and getting a TN panel.

Considering you're working in sRGB, that to me implies you're mostly working with SDR video. So you can ignore HDR features. And if you wanted to get into HDR, I'd argue don't do it unless you're using an HDR 1000 LCD display or an OLED.