Help in choosing a monitor

[Nihilis]

Hi there,

Thanks for reading. I need a new monitor for my PC.

My current monitor is a Hanns G HG216D 22", which is ok, but I would quite like to upgrade.

Could anyone suggest me what I need based on the information below?

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Budget: Not above £300 (currently $492 USD)

Monitor usage: Gaming - MMO>RPG>some competitive FPS. A little movie watching/photo editing, but all secondary to gaming.

Preferred Website: Any, though must be UK based.

Size: 23" or 24" - No larger or no smaller. Must be 1920x1080.

Attatched to: PC - HDMI, VGA or DVI - preferably HDMI.

Functions: Just need a bit of tilt/movement so I can properly position it.

Additional requirements: I play a lot of MMOs and RPG, so I'm looking for something with excellent colours and nice sharp images. Speed isn't so important, although I would ideally like to go up to 120MHz for the few FPS shooters I play, and also because my current is only 60MHz and camping that range wouldn't feel like much of an upgrade. 5ms response time is minimum, preferably looking for something along the lines of 2ms/3ms.

Colour+Image Quality>Speed.

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I was looking at the LG W2486L.
http://computers.toptenreviews.com/monitors/lg/lg-w2486l-review.html
However I was under the impression from a thread I read at OCuk that IPS would be best for me, and that monitor is TFT.

Any and all help would be appreciated

Thanks ever so much,
-Nih

 

[MauveCloud]

Okay, some things to mention first:
1. Manufacturer quoted response times aren't all that meaningful or comparable - I've read from others here that they had monitors with quoted response times of 16ms yet didn't have significant ghosting issues. Avoiding monitors with quoted response times of 25ms or higher would still be a good idea, though.
2. IPS is a subtype of TFT, so if you see TFT in the specifications, that doesn't prove it isn't an IPS panel. However, I looked up the LG W2486L at prad.de, and it uses a TN panel.
3. 120 Hz refresh is pretty much only available with TN at the moment.

I'm not sure why you prefer HDMI connection, since video drivers often require overscan/underscan adjustment when connected that way, but not when connected via DVI, so I suggest the Dell U2311H:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-046-DE

 

[Nihilis]

Thanks for your reply.

I prefer HDMI because I've been told it gives better image quality. I've never tried it before, but was planning to

So you'd suggest IPS>TN for me?

Thanks for the suggestion!
-Nih

 

[MauveCloud]

If you're going for image quality, IPS (even e-ips, which is lower quality than other subtypes of ips) is better than TN. As far as connection type, HDMI is not inherently better or worse than DVI, because the signal is basically the same (no processing is required to convert between DVI and HDMI).

 

[Nihilis]

Best answer selected by Nihilis.