Help with buying a monitor

[Halfabrain]

Hey,

I've been trying to choose a monitor all night and have narrowed it down to a few I'd like to spend £180 max but I'd like to get the best for my money so far I've narrowed it down to:


http://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-benq-rl2455hm-rts-pro-gaming-led-monitor-2xhdmi-dvi-vga-1920x1080-250cd-m2-12m1-1ms-speakers

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-068-AC&groupid=17&catid=1851

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-024-AO&groupid=17&catid=1851

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-iiyama-prolite-ge2488hs-pro-gamer-monitor-hdmi-dvi-vga-1920x1080-250-cd-m2-5m1-1ms-speakers

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-benq-bl2411pt-led-ips-displayport-dvi-vga-1920x1200-300cd-m2-20m1-5ms-speakers

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-benq-xl2411z-lcd-1920x1080-vgadvi-dl-hdmi

I've been asking alot of people and they feel like response rate doesn't matter below 5ms as much as other things. Alot seem to recommend IPS however it does not allow more than 60Hz refresh rate to my understanding?
I am liking the look of BenQ monitors however AOC also look good for their price but I want a manufacturer I can trust and know it'll last a while.

I play alot of PC games but I am also considering buying an xbox one and will run this through my monitor which is why I need a new one as my current one does not have an HDMI port and obviously I will need an audio in so that my speakers can pick up the audio from the xbox one (if i do decide to get one)

I primarily play PC games though mostly league of legends but I do play graphically heavy games such as ARMA III, DayZ and most single player games which interest me. I found the Acer one to be interesting as it is £100 cheaper than anywhere on that site but it is out of stock so wondered if its worth the wait. If it matters my card is a nvidia geforce gtx 760 and I would prefer to run my desktop through DVI rather than VGA if possible (currently converting)

To summarise, I want the best for my money for playing PC games primarily and also maybe an xbox one in the future.

Any additional suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[viewtyjoe]

Both BenQ and AOC are fairly well regarded manufacturers of monitors, so either of the two should be fine to go through. Not sure what their warranty situation is like, but I haven't heard anything really negative about either company. You are correct in that most IPS monitors aren't going to run above 60Hz, but unless you play games for a living or otherwise stare at your monitor day in and out, that isn't a major issue for most users.

IPS tend to be recommended for their superior color reproduction and viewing angles. Of course, they also tend to be slower in response and harder to run really fast compared to TN panels. I have a pretty dirt cheap TN and really wish I'd sprung for a decent IPS monitor, because even a few degrees is enough to really affect my viewing of darker colors.

IIRC, Acer's products are fine, but may be a bit more barebones in quality compared to higher-end manufacturers or lacking in regards to warranty, so if it does fail sooner, you are more likely to be out of luck going through the manufacturer.

 

[legend001523]

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-benq-rl2455hm-rts-pro-gaming-led-monitor-2xhdmi-dvi-vga-1920x1080-250cd-m2-12m1-1ms-speakers
this is the best one out of the links

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

All the manufacturers you've chosen are trustworthy brands, some of them are just not well-known.

PC monitors have two main panel types; IPS and TN.

IPS panels are known for producing good colours and viewing angles, so they're most suited for photographers. TN panels are more mainstream and whilst they lack good colour reproduction and viewing angles, they offer faster response times and refresh rates, so they're most suited for gaming.

Like you said, I don't believe that anything below a 5ms response rate offers much benefit, so I wouldn't let that be your deciding factor.

The refresh rate is essentially the maximum frame rate supported by the monitor, so 60hz becomes 60 fps, even if the game benchmarks at 100 fps. This discrepancy can lead to screen-tearing, but vsync can counter-act this by matching the game's frame rate to the monitor's refresh rate.

As far as connecting an Xbox One goes, you've nothing to worry about. Just remember that the HDMI cable will carry both audio and video, so you may want a monitor with an audio-out jack or built-in speakers.

 

[Halfabrain]

All the manufacturers you've chosen are trustworthy brands, some of them are just not well-known.

PC monitors have two main panel types; IPS and TN.

IPS panels are known for producing good colours and viewing angles, so they're most suited for photographers. TN panels are more mainstream and whilst they lack good colour reproduction and viewing angles, they offer faster response times and refresh rates, so they're most suited for gaming.

Like you said, I don't believe that anything below a 5ms response rate offers much benefit, so I wouldn't let that be your deciding factor.

The refresh rate is essentially the maximum frame rate supported by the monitor, so 60hz becomes 60 fps, even if the game benchmarks at 100 fps. This discrepancy can lead to screen-tearing, but vsync can counter-act this by matching the game's frame rate to the monitor's refresh rate.

As far as connecting an Xbox One goes, you've nothing to worry about. Just remember that the HDMI cable will carry both audio and video, so you may want a monitor with an audio-out jack or built-in speakers.

So if I had to choose between these two monitors, as they seem fairly similar except one is IPS 60Hz and the other is LED 144Hz what would you recommend for gaming mostly. I'm more tempted to go for the 144Hz one as people have said that above 90Hz you can really see the difference.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-benq-bl2411pt-led-ips-displayport-dvi-vga-1920x1200-300cd-m2-20m1-5ms-speakers
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-benq-xl2411z-lcd-1920x1080-vgadvi-dl-hdmi

Also, I've heard that the anti-flicker on BenQ is quite nice for eye strain but something about firmware v1 or v2 can affect this.

Choosing a monitor has been one of the hardest decisions as there just seems to be no clear BEST one and obviously I want the best for my money.

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

For your use, the BenQ XL2411Z is the one I recommend. The much faster refresh rate coupled with the audio-out jack for your Xbox makes it a clear winner. You don't need an IPS panel and whilst this monitor has a slightly higher resolution, it's a marginal difference and one you won't notice.

I can't comment about anti-flicker so you may want to read up on that.

 

[Halfabrain]

For your use, the BenQ XL2411Z is the one I recommend. The much faster refresh rate coupled with the audio-out jack for your Xbox makes it a clear winner. You don't need an IPS panel and whilst this monitor has a slightly higher resolution, it's a marginal difference and one you won't notice.

I can't comment about anti-flicker so you may want to read up on that.

Okay thanks for your help I think I'd rather go for a 144Hz TN as I'm not into the colours as much as I would the quality of playing fps etc.

I've looked around again (as I said really hard decision haha) I've come across an ASUS which is around £30 more just wondered if you can compare for me and say whether its worth the extra money or whether I should stick with the BENQ XL2411Z

After this I think I'll choose one of those 2

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-asus-vg248qe-led-monitor-144hz-dp-hdmi-dvi-1920x1080-350cd-m2-80m1-1ms-speakers-nv-3d-ready

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

The ASUS has an adjustable stand, built-in cable management, is 3D-capable and has a longer warranty, so that would be my choice. That said, I'd urge you to see both monitors in the metal (or plastic) so you can get an idea of build quality. Some can feel very cheap and tacky, particularly when it comes to the stands.