Buy LN LCD or IPS

[internetlad]

I'm currently working with a 19 or maybe 17 inch square monitor, not even sure of the brand. It's an older LCD that i got free from a friend. Literally anything would be an upgrade but if i'm going to be dropping money on it i'd rather get something that will look good. I'm a big fan of Price/Performance over having the latest and greatest.

I'm particular to samsung screens, mainly for their low response time and because i have had good experiences with the samsung name in the past.

I'm wondering if it's worth it to upgrade now or wait until the price for OLED monitors is reasonable. I do a lot of gaming mainly so a widescreen with low response time and no bleeding would be what i'm looking for, mainly. I'd also heard about another term i'm not familiar with. ICS or e-ICS or something like that, that was like a high end LCD. To be honest i don't know what i'm talking about, it was just something i had read that was referenced.

Any input would be good as to whether i should buy now, wait, or if there's an alternative i could look into. Thanks in advance!

Edit: 3D isn't a huge sell for me on a monitor but if it comes with at a decent price it might be good for futureproofing.

 

[jaguarskx]

OLED is not going to be affordable for several years. But if you really, really, really want an OLED monitor and you have some cash to burn then you can buy a Sony 25" OLED monitor for $30,000 or a Sony 17" OLED monitor for $15,500.

http://www.buyoledmonitor.com/2011/02/

Consumer level LCD monitors with LED backlight sometimes have a bluish hue to them because LED (a.k.a. WLED) backlight uses blue LEDs with a yellow phosphorous coating to imitate white.

RGB-LED backlit LCD monitors exist and they can truly create white, but are geared towards graphic professionals and will run you at least $2,500 and as much as $6,000.

ICS or e-ICS or something like that...

That's IPS or e-IPS. IPS generally refers to H-IPS, P-IPS and S-IPS panels which are considered high end. I prefer using these types of monitors. Great for color accuracy and pretty good for gaming, but most people prefer cheaper and "inferior" TN panel monitors. e-IPS is kinda like a combination of an IPS and TN panel. Generally speaking, better than TN panels, but not quite as good as IPS panels when it comes to color accuracy and viewing angles. e-IPS panels have 8ms response times which is slow than TN panels (as fast as 2ms) and IPS panels (as fast as 5ms), but that should still be fine for playing games.

 

[internetlad]

As much as i'd like to spend more money on my monitor than on my car, i'd have to go with the current tech then lol.

So, How do i search specifically for a IPS monitor, and is it worth the increased cost? I've never seen a tab to exclude all but IPS monitors on the online vendors i've used

 

[jaguarskx]

There are not site that allows you to filter on the type of panels to the best of my knowledge. It's it worth the cost? That's up to you to decide.

Here's a link to TFTCentral which talks about the different types of panel tech and they also have some reviews:

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/specs.htm

 

[jaguarskx]

To me buying H-IPS panels were worth the high expenditures; I bought a high end and a higher end H-IPS monitors.

I also have a TN panel monitor that I only use about 4 - 6 hours a month. I bought it because it was only going to be used around 15 - 20 hours per month at the time I purchased it. However, it annoys me that it is a TN panel so come next year I'll replace it with another IPS panel that costs around $500 - $700 even though it will still be used for 4 - 6 hours per month.

Is it worth it to me to purchase an IPS monitor (excluding e-IPS)? Yes. But I'm others will have a different opinion.

 

[internetlad]

i checked a few of the H-IPS monitors and they seem to be about double the cost of traditional TN panel.

Maybe a little less than double. Now considering i'm running a probably five or six year old flatscreen 19" square monitor on a VGA connection, probably anything on a DVI with a decent resolution would blow me away. Am I a videophile? not so much, but If it's worth it to take a step up then i'll at least consider it.

That said, my better half gave me a budget of under 300, is that an amount one could work with for something around a 22" or 24" widescreen H-IPS monitor? Preferably from a solid brand, even if a smaller one. (IE. i own a vizio tv, and I like it.)

EDIT: http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ML239H-23-Inch-Monitor-Black/dp/B004R5SLJG/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1307574936&sr=1-1

23 inch ASUS (brand i like) IPS Screen for 200 bucks. Any thoughts on it?

Or maybe http://www.amazon.com/HP-ZR22w-21-5-inch-S-IPS-Monitor/dp/B003D1CFHY/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1307574936&sr=1-5

21.5 inch HP with H-IPS for 275, i'm not a huge fan of HP (crap customer service and cut corners in my experience)

One i'd prefer to the HP is http://www.amazon.com/LG-E2370V-BF-23-Inch-Widescreen-Monitor/dp/B004SBCFLE/ref=sr_du_18_map?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1307574936&sr=1-18

23 inch LG with IPS and low response time for 230. I'm kind of here and there about LG. No good experiences but no complaints either.

Any others to reccomend? (I'd prefer to order from amazon as I have a prime account for free 2 day or 3.99 1 day shipping with them)

 

[jaguarskx]

My advice is to sell your car and get something like what's in the picture below to scrounge up money for a H-IPS monitor.

==============================================

$300 is not enough for a large H-IPS monitor. Ultimately it depends on what you are looking for in a monitor. The safest bet is to just buy a TN panel monitor because that is what you most likely have currently. TN panels have improved a little bit over the past 4 years so if your monitor is that old or older, you should see an improvement. TN panel monitors are preferred by most gamers because the low response time means less chances of ghosting.

An e-IPS panel is within your $300 budget. The most popular model is generally the Dell U2311h. The site I provided above has a review for that monitor. It has wider viewing angles which means less color shifting than a TN panel monitor so if you and your significant other wanna watch a movie on the monitor both of you will see less color shifting on the Dell.

The U2311h has a response time of 8ms which is good enough for gaming. While not as fast as a 2ms or 5ms TN panel, there shouldn't be much ghosting. Some people don't see ghosting on a 14ms response time monitor.

I have not seen a review on the HP ZR22w S-IPS panel monitor. If it is a true S-IPS panel monitor, then it should be able to truly 16.7m color unlike an e-IPS or TN panel monitor which must rely on temporal dither to blend up to around 16m colors. This means less potential color banding issues and image artifacts on a S-IPS panel monitor. Since it is also rated at 8ms any ghosting effect will be similar to the U2311h. S-IPS panel monitors do not shift colors as much as e-IPS and TN panel monitors.

Of the two, I would prefer the HP ZR22w simply because it uses a S-IPS panel, but I would need to read some type of in-depth review of it before dropping money on it.

 

[jaguarskx]

The Asus and the LG both use e-IPS panels. While better than TN panels, they are not as good as S-IPS panels.

I have to state that I am a bit wary of the HP ZR22w because S-IPS panels are generally expensive to manufacture and carry a higher price tag. I am wonder if it is just another derivative of an IPS panel that is being passed along as a "S-IPS" panel. That's why I would prefer reading a review before passing judgement.

I also need to state, that I am a bit more critical about monitors than most consumers. Therefore, if I sound a bit cautious it is due to the fact that I have a certain minimum expectations that are above what the average consumer would have.

 

[internetlad]

So i'm at home now and i can see that my current monitor is a SyncMaster 712N, 17" box screen (seems bigger when i'm playing games lol)

Lol reading the specs I figure samsung must have been pretty proud of this monitor when they made it back in 2005 because this is the spec report on it

Samsung SyncMaster 712N is a 17-inch TFT-LCD offering razor-sharpness and innovative features. An analog monitor with a 0.6" ultra-thin bezel and wall-mount capability, it delivers a 600:1 contrast ratio, 0.264mm pixel pitch, 1280 x 1024 resolution, scanning frequency of 30-81 KHz horizontal and 56-75 vertical, and 160/140 degree horizontal/vertical viewing angle. Compatible for use with VESA wall mounts (wall mount optional) Unit Size - 14.6 x 15.0 x 6.9 inches (on included table base) Unit Weight - 9.6 pounds 3-Year Samsung Warranty covering Parts/Labor/Backlight

600:1 contrast ratio! .6 inch bezels! 17 inches of LCD goodness!

in any case, it doesn't look like it was a bad monitor, but considering it's at least 6 years old anything would be an upgrade.

I guess i should say that i work at a computer store and don't notice much of a difference no matter what screen i'm looking at, I suppose i don't really pay attention to the details, or maybe they're all cheapo screens (mostly acers and an HP, also a Hanns G for a desktop screen, also whatever LG panel is in a laptop screen as well)

 

[internetlad]

one thing I'm a little unclear on, when it states a monitor is "IPS" does that mean that it's e-IPS and the only true IPS monitors are h-IPS/ s-IPS etc?

Also there seems to be a horrible standard of rating among websites contradicting itself as to what exact panel is in a screen, first they'll state it's h-IPS then say it's just IPS or s-IPS etc.

also thanks for the input cloudy, and not to sound rude but it would take a really, REALLY good deal to get me to buy anything from Michael Dell.

 

[jaguarskx]

"IPS" is a generic term since it can be applied to all variants of that panel tech.

I suppose the confusion stems from IPS's current popularity amongst average consumers. LG Display's inexpensive e-IPS panels kinda help that along. I am a bit confused by the HP ZR22w being a S-IPS panel monitor because S-IPS panels are relatively expensive to manufacture which is why I recommend researching it before buying it.

Personally, I am used to spend a lot on a monitor and I did exhaustive research before dropping around $2,100 for my two H-IPS monitors.

 

[internetlad]

I am a bit confused by the HP ZR22w being a S-IPS panel monitor because S-IPS panels are relatively expensive to manufacture which is why I recommend researching it before buying it..

Every place i've read (amazon/newegg/HP site) all say that it's a S-IPS panel and all the reviews i've found, while not numerous, have all seemed to be favourable. Not that i'm running out to buy it, but that it seems to be legitimate. I don't love HP as a brand, and it is fairly expensive for a 22 inch HP monitor, not comparable to a 2000 dollar drop for sure but considering you could find an hp 22 inch LN monitor for half the cost on a good day.

 

[jaguarskx]

I'll have to follow up on this a bit later since I'm currently replying with my cellphone.

 

[internetlad]

I'll have to follow up on this a bit later since I'm currently replying with my cellphone.

its all good.

Edit: The HP screen on newegg is about 85 dollars more. I'm not sure why the price is cut so low on amazon. . . either a good deal or a bad deal i'm not sure which lol

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824176166&cm_re=IPS_monitor-_-24-176-166-_-Product

Double Edit: Now i'm really confused. There are 2 monitors listed, apparently identical, but one is a "promo" at a different price

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=zr22w&x=0&y=0

wat? are they offloading faulty screens at a price that a mainstream (read:ignorant) user (like myself) won't notice the fault in?

 

[jaguarskx]

Amazon has something similar to Newegg as well...

Here is one HP ZR22w for $277:
http://www.amazon.com/HP-ZR22w-21-5-inch-S-IPS-Monitor/dp/B003D1CFHY

Here is what apparently is the same HR ZR22w for $343:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004UCV94U/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B003D1CFHY&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=04RCB3ZJ6ER8F8Z29X0B

Your best bet is to call HP to find out what's the difference between model numbers VM626A4#ABA and VM626A8#ABA.

 

[internetlad]

good eye, i didn't catch the difference between the two. I thought they were the same.

 

[jaguarskx]

Here's a review of the HP ZR22w, however it is in German so you will need to use Google Language Tools to translate to English. There is an English version of the review, but you need to pay for it.

http://www.prad.de/new/monitore/test/2011/test-hp-zr22w.html

http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en


Overall, their rating for it is "gut" which means "good".

 

[internetlad]

I realized something (I did know it beforehand) about the screen I use that should tell you just how much I actually notice on my screen. I was looking closely at my screen, realized it was covered in dust and little splash droplet marks from stuff i ate/drank around it, and has a big S shaped scratch on the top left of the screen that i barely notice 98 percent of the time.

It was then I realized that I really, really don't have that high of priorities when it comes to the quality of my screen lol. I assume as long as this HP panel doesn't have bleeding or motion blur then it'd be aces for me. heck, even something half the price would probably be good.