Best gaming monitor for my rig?

[apav]

Hey guys: I'm looking for a good monitor for my new build.

I'm not sure if you need to know my specs but:
Asus P8Z68-v
Dual HD 6950's CF

My budget is I can't really go over $200(except for shipping and taxes)

I'm looking at 4 monitors:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/LG+-+IPS+Series+23%22+LED+Monitor/2031077.p?id=1218306466603&skuId=2031077&slref=10&slloc=01

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005196

http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/LG-W2453V-PF-24-inch-LCD-HD-1080p-Monitor-Refurbished/4231663/product.html

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824176211

I'm fine with the last two being refurbished, as long as the monitor doesn't have any major scratches.

I'm probably going to go with the LG from overstock because it seems the best picture quality and its cheap.

First off are any of these 120Hz? How is 120hz vs 60hz? I plan on playing games like BF3 and Skyrim, so I don't know about my framerates yet. Also, do you guys have any other recommendations? Is it okay to purchase refurbished tvs(as in the qualities are high right).

One more thing. I know it defeats the purpose of buying a tv now but I won't be home till next month so I am sending it to my Dad's house. What if I come home in a month and it's DOA? Will I still be able to return it? Or should I just wait until I get home to buy a monitor?

 

[apav]

Anyone help? Need advice!

 

[psyxix]

Wow you spent 500$ on 2X6950 and can't buy a monitor over 200$... damn you wasted your cash my friend.

Anyway, they're good monitors, I don't know about the LG IPS monitor since there aren't many review on them (so far not too good for gaming --> Input lag 16.5 ms). If you have the money for it, I would go for a dell U2311h for amazing image quality and good response times. It's an ips panel that goes for 225-250$ during random sales... such as the ones occuring this week at DELL.com.

If you don't want amazing quality for an awesome price then go for an asus 24" monitor such as the VE248H or VE248Q. Samsung also provides good choices such as the PX2370 or S24A300B.

Hope this helps 😉

 

[apav]

Hey how is 2 6950's wasting my cash? I want to make sure I can max everything 😛

To me(or what I've seen) the picture quality of most $300 monitors look the same as the $200 ones.

I will buy used, because its significantly cheaper and unless it has scuffmarks its fine!

Do you honestly think thats a waste?

 

[apav]

Also all the LG's are 5ms response time.. is that ok?

 

[psyxix]

Hey how is 2 6950's wasting my cash? I want to make sure I can max everything 😛

To me(or what I've seen) the picture quality of most $300 monitors look the same as the $200 ones.

I will buy used, because its significantly cheaper and unless it has scuffmarks its fine!

Do you honestly think thats a waste?

Sorry if I seemed offensive here, it was not my intention. For present games the 2X6950 with a 1900 X 1200 resolution is pretty much an overkill to me . You could have bought 1X6950 and a great monitor and played the crap of anything (MAX settings) that comes out (probably reduce the AA to 2X) to later upgrade at a minimal cost during a boxing day sale to totally rule anything that comes out for at least a year and an half. Anyway, that would have been my strategy ^_^... but that's me and I'm pretty patient and tolerant when it comes to pc upgrades 😛. So, ya... waste of money cause you could have more than you bought in the end but I have to admit , in informatic you get the best price for NOW.

My question is ... have you seen with your own eyes an H-IPS or S-IPS panel? The TN panels are pale in comparison when it comes to color fidelity 😉

I would be weary of the response times presented since they mostly are gray-->gray measures. The interesting ones are black to white which are usually 8-16 ms and input lag (can't remember the standards). A response time of 5 ms is good... if it's really 5 ms that is ! 😛. To know the real one, you'll have to find a review that tests it using a response tester (a kind of clock that monitors the speed of the screen). The input lag is the time the screen processes the information from the computer to actually show it, this is particularly important in FPS games or anything that moves pretty fast. Now for the response times 1-9 ms cannot be distinguished, more than that and you'll start to feel a slight difference between the mouse movement and the motion displayed.

For the screen, you'll also want to look for ghosting or trailing, which are both visible when the screen becomes blurry after movement or objects displayed leave a trail behind (lines on the screen).

Those are the things important to look at for a good gaming screen. IPS are kind of slow when it comes to gaming.... but only very very keen eyes will see the lag the produce in games. TN panels are very fast (they however can produce ghosting or trailing although it's less frequent than IPS panels) but they lack any color vibrancy and look bland, to me that is.

My comparison:

Office work: IPS PANEL wins => clear text and smooth images, your eyes will thank you
Movies: IPS panel wins => Vibrant colors and distinctive black levels make for an awesome viewing experience
Games: TN wins => Fast and accurate they produce the less trailing or ghosting. The IPS is very close though and may not be faster but it certainly provides a more accurate color and a more immersive experience (especially in colorful games like Bioshock where art really dominates visually)
Imaging/Photoshop: IPS Wins => NOthing else to say
Price/Quality: Tie => The IPS cost a lot more but also provide a lot more. TN gives good color and good gaming depending on the brand and most of the time the price fits the bill.

That's about it! Wow that was long 😉

 

[apav]

So then I either want an IPS or TN screen! This rig is being built for a pure gaming experience.

Well, I am looking to play mostly BF3, and at E3 the dev's couldn't keep stable and smooth fps at 1080p on their GTX 580.. so I considered 2 6950's CF would certainly do it!

I won't start building probably till November, so maybe I'll save up my cash until around Black Friday, and ask around these forums if I catch any good deals.