Best Monitor in the game???

[bennyg1357]

I have been out of building computers for some time now and I have just put together what I would call " middle of upper level" rig. I only have 1 VC right now, but I should have the 2nd card in the next week or so, it's on the way. Right now, I have a Samsung curved S27E510c. This monitor was a birthday gift and I thought was a pretty high end monitor. As I learn though, I'm not sure its the right monitor after some of the reading that I have been doing. Apparently I need something with a 120 MHz refresh rate (mine is 60) and I'm also seeing a lot of 1 & 2 MS response times, mine is 4. I want to run 2 monitors eventually, can I buy a high end monitor (1 MS / 120 MHz) and combine with the one I have now. Or do I just get 2 brand new monitors and take the 27 I have now to the office and use it there. It should be fast enough to run Word, Excel, and Outlook.

Asus Z97 - A
Intel I5-4690 @ 3.5
EVGA - GTX 970 FTW+ ( Soon to be 2x)
Corsair Vengeance Pro - DDR3@2400
2x - PNY CS2100 Series XLR8
Corsair CX 750
Windows 10
Samsung - S27E510C

 

[Gallarian]

Going to be honest mate, if you're a casual gamer (i.e. someone who doesnt spend hours and hours screaming at Counter Strike), then a normal 1080p 60hz with below 10ms latency is absolutely fine.

Many review sites actually claim that its only until 40ms that the average person will notice the lag at all (obviously serious/pro gamers will notice sooner).

As for refresh rates, again 60hz is fine for most people. 120-144hz really only benefits people who play competitive shooter games (CS:GO, CoD, BF etc), as it gives a more responsive feel to motion.

A 1ms 120+hz screen is a luxury some are willing to pay for, but you don't need it.

If you're planning on running a multi monitor setup (and etxending the same program/game over all the screens) then I would advise you get identical monitors. Trying to mix and match rarely ends up with a pleasing effect. Mixed monitors is fine if youre going to be doing one thing on one, and another thing on the other though.

 

[spagalicious]

I personally would never go back to 60Hz after experiencing what it is like to game at 100Hz, especially if your system is capable of maintaining over 60FPS. There is a huge difference between 60Hz and 100Hz+, the responsive, fluidness, and smoothness of all games is intoxicating.

If you've spent $1500+ on a rig, why cheap out on the one component that you spend 99% of your time looking at when using that system? Spending the money on a rig only to buy a $200 1080p 60Hz monitor is like buying a Ferrari so you can sit in traffic.

However if you are considering buying a new monitor based on manufacturer advertised response times, quite simply, don't. Most if not all of those figures are exaggerations or just flat out false. To get an actual measure of 'lag', most reviewers and consumers consider this a combined total of signal processing time and response times.

From TFTCentral:

To avoid confusion with different terminology we will refer to this section of our reviews as just "lag" from now on, as there are a few different aspects to consider, and different interpretations of the term "input lag". We will consider the following points here as much as possible. The overall "display lag" is the first, that being the delay between the image being shown on the TFT display and that being shown on a CRT. This is what many people will know as input lag and originally was the measure made to explain why the image is a little behind when using a CRT. The older stopwatch based methods were the common way to measure this in the past, but through advanced studies have been shown to be quite inaccurate. As a result, more advanced tools like SMTT provide a method to measure that delay between a TFT and CRT while removing the inaccuracies of older stopwatch methods.

In reality that lag / delay is caused by a combination of two things - the signal processing delay caused by the TFT electronics / scaler, and the response time of the pixels themselves. Most "input lag" measurements over the years have always been based on the overall display lag (signal processing + response time) and indeed the SMTT tool is based on this visual difference between a CRT and TFT and so measures the overall display lag. In practice the signal processing is the element which gives the feel of lag to the user, and the response time of course can impact blurring, and overall image quality in moving scenes. As people become more aware of lag as a possible issue, we are of course keen to try and understand the split between the two as much as possible to give a complete picture.

These are the top panels. As you can see, even the best panels out there who advertise 1ms response times are only capable of ~3ms combined lag times. As a rule of thumb, anything with a combined lag time of 10ms or under MEASURED lag times can be considered a top tier panel suitable for all but the most hardcore, competitive fighter enthusiast.

That said if you are looking for a high refresh rate panel (a definitively better gaming panel compared to a 60Hz variant), it is best to first establish a budget. There are many great choices out there, but as always, it is pay to play.

What's your budget?

 

[Suzuki@1473780084@1473780163]

The best gaming monitor is the FG2421, with it's VA panel rather than TN. Huge advantage over others who don't use VA, when it comes to details in dark areas/shadows. It's quite expensive, and it's hard to find. Two of the most popular choices however available at pretty much every PC store/website, are the VG248QE and XL2411Z.

 

[bennyg1357]

Going to be honest mate, if you're a casual gamer (i.e. someone who doesnt spend hours and hours screaming at Counter Strike), then a normal 1080p 60hz with below 10ms latency is absolutely fine.

Many review sites actually claim that its only until 40ms that the average person will notice the lag at all (obviously serious/pro gamers will notice sooner).

As for refresh rates, again 60hz is fine for most people. 120-144hz really only benefits people who play competitive shooter games (CS:GO, CoD, BF etc), as it gives a more responsive feel to motion.

A 1ms 120+hz screen is a luxury some are willing to pay for, but you don't need it.

If you're planning on running a multi monitor setup (and etxending the same program/game over all the screens) then I would advise you get identical monitors. Trying to mix and match rarely ends up with a pleasing effect. Mixed monitors is fine if youre going to be doing one thing on one, and another thing on the other though.

I'm definitely a "casual gamer" I'm 43 years old, I have a wife and full time job that I spend 10-14 hours a day at. However I love to play BF 4 with my older brother on Sat. and Sun. I want to use the duel monitors for both applications. I want to use them to play BF 4( both screens running the same program / game), but also I do a lot of CAD work from home so I use the double monitor set up for that, so I can have a CAD drawing on one monitor and another holding a spread sheet or a word doc. This 27" Samsung that I have is a great monitor, I 'm running BF 4 on ultra everything and it's smooth as silk, I bet your right and I wouldn't even notice the difference. Since I'm going to use them for the same game, your saying I need another Samsung like the one I have. Did I understand you right, that the monitors need to be the exact same size, model #, refresh rate, everything has to match exactly, right??? Thank you so much for the reply, it has been very helpful. If you ever own a house in Orlando Fl. and need a fence or rail system, or any other type of fabricated, powder coated aluminum product, I'm your man!!! LOL Thanks for the 411

 

[bennyg1357]

I personally would never go back to 60Hz after experiencing what it is like to game at 100Hz, especially if your system is capable of maintaining over 60FPS. There is a huge difference between 60Hz and 100Hz+, the responsive, fluidness, and smoothness of all games is intoxicating.

If you've spent $1500+ on a rig, why cheap out on the one component that you spend 99% of your time looking at when using that system? Spending the money on a rig only to buy a $200 1080p 60Hz monitor is like buying a Ferrari so you can sit in traffic.

However if you are considering buying a new monitor based on manufacturer advertised response times, quite simply, don't. Most if not all of those figures are exaggerations or just flat out false. To get an actual measure of 'lag', most reviewers and consumers consider this a combined total of signal processing time and response times.

From TFTCentral:

To avoid confusion with different terminology we will refer to this section of our reviews as just "lag" from now on, as there are a few different aspects to consider, and different interpretations of the term "input lag". We will consider the following points here as much as possible. The overall "display lag" is the first, that being the delay between the image being shown on the TFT display and that being shown on a CRT. This is what many people will know as input lag and originally was the measure made to explain why the image is a little behind when using a CRT. The older stopwatch based methods were the common way to measure this in the past, but through advanced studies have been shown to be quite inaccurate. As a result, more advanced tools like SMTT provide a method to measure that delay between a TFT and CRT while removing the inaccuracies of older stopwatch methods.

In reality that lag / delay is caused by a combination of two things - the signal processing delay caused by the TFT electronics / scaler, and the response time of the pixels themselves. Most "input lag" measurements over the years have always been based on the overall display lag (signal processing + response time) and indeed the SMTT tool is based on this visual difference between a CRT and TFT and so measures the overall display lag. In practice the signal processing is the element which gives the feel of lag to the user, and the response time of course can impact blurring, and overall image quality in moving scenes. As people become more aware of lag as a possible issue, we are of course keen to try and understand the split between the two as much as possible to give a complete picture.

These are the top panels. As you can see, even the best panels out there who advertise 1ms response times are only capable of ~3ms combined lag times. As a rule of thumb, anything with a combined lag time of 10ms or under MEASURED lag times can be considered a top tier panel suitable for all but the most hardcore, competitive fighter enthusiast.

That said if you are looking for a high refresh rate panel (a definitively better gaming panel compared to a 60Hz variant), it is best to first establish a budget. There are many great choices out there, but as always, it is pay to play.

What's your budget?

We'll when it comes to the budget, of course I want to pay the least as I can, however I'm not one of those cheap- scape type guys who bitches about every dollar. Also I am a 43 year old husband and I'm a field operations manager of a huge fence and rail company here in Orlando Fl. so I spend more time working then anything else. Having said that, my favorite hobby is playing BF 4 with my older brother on Sat. and Sun mornings. I also love to benchmark my rig and see what kind of scores I can get. My money has been very tight during the last 5-6 years and this is the first rig I have assembled in years and this also the first one I have ever done by myself. I used to have enough money to pay a guy to put all of my stuff together. So since I have been "out of the loop" for so long and its not like I was an expert when I did it before, I just had alot more money then I do now, but I'm also not starving and I have and will spend money on my rigs. I don't know if you saw what I have - a curved, 27" Samsung - 27E510C. It appears to be working great and my game play seems perfect, but I have also never played with anything @ 120 or +. I would also hate to have to buy 2 more high end monitors, and explaining it to the wife might be a challenge as well. Since I'm using this rig for games and CAD work do I have to have the exact same brand, size, refresh rate, response time, Etc. Etc.??? Let me know what you think and thanks a bunch for the help / advise

 

[Gallarian]

Going to be honest mate, if you're a casual gamer (i.e. someone who doesnt spend hours and hours screaming at Counter Strike), then a normal 1080p 60hz with below 10ms latency is absolutely fine.

Many review sites actually claim that its only until 40ms that the average person will notice the lag at all (obviously serious/pro gamers will notice sooner).

As for refresh rates, again 60hz is fine for most people. 120-144hz really only benefits people who play competitive shooter games (CS:GO, CoD, BF etc), as it gives a more responsive feel to motion.

A 1ms 120+hz screen is a luxury some are willing to pay for, but you don't need it.

If you're planning on running a multi monitor setup (and etxending the same program/game over all the screens) then I would advise you get identical monitors. Trying to mix and match rarely ends up with a pleasing effect. Mixed monitors is fine if youre going to be doing one thing on one, and another thing on the other though.

I'm definitely a "casual gamer" I'm 43 years old, I have a wife and full time job that I spend 10-14 hours a day at. However I love to play BF 4 with my older brother on Sat. and Sun. I want to use the duel monitors for both applications. I want to use them to play BF 4( both screens running the same program / game), but also I do a lot of CAD work from home so I use the double monitor set up for that, so I can have a CAD drawing on one monitor and another holding a spread sheet or a word doc. This 27" Samsung that I have is a great monitor, I 'm running BF 4 on ultra everything and it's smooth as silk, I bet your right and I wouldn't even notice the difference. Since I'm going to use them for the same game, your saying I need another Samsung like the one I have. Did I understand you right, that the monitors need to be the exact same size, model #, refresh rate, everything has to match exactly, right??? Thank you so much for the reply, it has been very helpful. If you ever own a house in Orlando Fl. and need a fence or rail system, or any other type of fabricated, powder coated aluminum product, I'm your man!!! LOL Thanks for the 411

Casual gaming and CAD? In that case, if you want to replace your monitor then you'd benefit more from a good IPS panel display that gives superior image and colour quality rather than a 'gaming display' with high refresh rates (most gaming spec monitors sacrifice quality for speed and use older TN panels).

To be able to run a program/game over two monitors, they dont have to be the same, but it would make your life a lot easier if they were. If not, one might be taller than the other or the bezels wont line up or the image quality of one might be totally different to the other, and running a game over both would be like seeing with one good eye and one bad one!

So my advice to you would be to pick up another one of your Samsung S27E510c and match them up, or if you have the cash laying around to grab 2x IPS panel monitors like the ASUS VX279H and move your Samsung to the office.

For gaming, a single 970 won't be great for 2 monitors (as your effectively doubling the horizontal pixel count), but your second 970 will take care of that!

 

[spagalicious]

For the technical specifications to work correctly, yes you will need the two of the same panels. However, you can just purchase a cheap monitor if you want an additional screen for productivity purposes.

If you want to game on both panels at the same time through Nvidia surround, you will want two of the same panels. If you can deal with gaming just on your 27", you can buy a cheaper/smaller monitor to use as an additional screen. They don't need to be identical, you can extend your desktop when not gaming and use the 27" exclusively when gaming.

 

[bennyg1357]

The best gaming monitor is the FG2421, with it's VA panel rather than TN. Huge advantage over others who don't use VA, when it comes to details in dark areas/shadows. It's quite expensive, and it's hard to find. Two of the most popular choices however available at pretty much every PC store/website, are the VG248QE and XL2411Z.

Wow, I just copied the FG2421 in to the search bar in Amazon, and holy moly, I wasn't expecting that price. I make pretty good money and I don't mind spending a certain percentage of mine on higher end comp parts, but that's just a little out of my league. It's like when I was picking my card ( because I knew I was going to add a 2nd card in the first month or so) I really wanted a GTX Titan X, but I only have so much money so I got what I could. Having said that, I also didn't buy a GTX 750. I went with the EVGA 970 FTW+, because 2 of them in SLI with a tiny little OC makes for some sweet FPS. One more question and I will stop chewing your ear off, does my second monitor have to be the exact same make, model, refresh rate, response time, Etc. Etc.

 

[bennyg1357]

Going to be honest mate, if you're a casual gamer (i.e. someone who doesnt spend hours and hours screaming at Counter Strike), then a normal 1080p 60hz with below 10ms latency is absolutely fine.

Many review sites actually claim that its only until 40ms that the average person will notice the lag at all (obviously serious/pro gamers will notice sooner).

As for refresh rates, again 60hz is fine for most people. 120-144hz really only benefits people who play competitive shooter games (CS:GO, CoD, BF etc), as it gives a more responsive feel to motion.

A 1ms 120+hz screen is a luxury some are willing to pay for, but you don't need it.

If you're planning on running a multi monitor setup (and etxending the same program/game over all the screens) then I would advise you get identical monitors. Trying to mix and match rarely ends up with a pleasing effect. Mixed monitors is fine if youre going to be doing one thing on one, and another thing on the other though.

I'm definitely a "casual gamer" I'm 43 years old, I have a wife and full time job that I spend 10-14 hours a day at. However I love to play BF 4 with my older brother on Sat. and Sun. I want to use the duel monitors for both applications. I want to use them to play BF 4( both screens running the same program / game), but also I do a lot of CAD work from home so I use the double monitor set up for that, so I can have a CAD drawing on one monitor and another holding a spread sheet or a word doc. This 27" Samsung that I have is a great monitor, I 'm running BF 4 on ultra everything and it's smooth as silk, I bet your right and I wouldn't even notice the difference. Since I'm going to use them for the same game, your saying I need another Samsung like the one I have. Did I understand you right, that the monitors need to be the exact same size, model #, refresh rate, everything has to match exactly, right??? Thank you so much for the reply, it has been very helpful. If you ever own a house in Orlando Fl. and need a fence or rail system, or any other type of fabricated, powder coated aluminum product, I'm your man!!! LOL Thanks for the 411

Casual gaming and CAD? In that case, if you want to replace your monitor then you'd benefit more from a good IPS panel display that gives superior image and colour quality rather than a 'gaming display' with high refresh rates (most gaming spec monitors sacrifice quality for speed and use older TN panels).

To be able to run a program/game over two monitors, they dont have to be the same, but it would make your life a lot easier if they were. If not, one might be taller than the other or the bezels wont line up or the image quality of one might be totally different to the other, and running a game over both would be like seeing with one good eye and one bad one!

So my advice to you would be to pick up another one of your Samsung S27E510c and match them up, or if you have the cash laying around to grab 2x IPS panel monitors like the ASUS VX279H and move your Samsung to the office.

For gaming, a single 970 won't be great for 2 monitors (as your effectively doubling the horizontal pixel count), but your second 970 will take care of that!

Awesome answer!!! I choose your's as the best one. I think I'm just going to add another Samsung 27 like the 1 I have. The one I've got really looks great and after what I spent on everything to get started ( I had not one thing, I had to buy every single part brand new) my chick would kill me. She already flipped because I bought a 2nd card. I might even have to wait on the 2nd monitor. Anyway, thanks again for the great answers and reply's, I had forgotten how cool most people are on these forums!!! I will keep you posted

Thanks Again man,