IPS Monitor advice/recommendations for gaming ~$300 US.

[chili dude96]

Hello,

My five year old Soyo Topaz S is finally dying and I am in need of a new monitor. This monitor is a true 24 inch 1920x1200. I am looking to replace it either with another true 24 inch 1920x1200 or a 27 inch 1920x1200. The reason I am being so specific here is I do not want one of the 1080p 23.6 inch monitors that have become so common. They are too short.

I also ideally want a monitor with height adjustment. This monitor would mostly be used for gaming such as competitive CS:GO and other every day computer stuff. I would like to keep it ~$300 US.

I am pretty sure that I want an IPS monitor because of its super color reproduction and that many articles have convinced me that response time gets over-hyped and a 6ms IPS really won't show any more ghosting that a 2ms TN.

I am looking for some advice on what I should get. I am currently stuck between this Asus PA248Q and this Dell U2412M.

This Asus MX279H is also very attractive but it lacks height adjustment.

I would like some suggestions for 27 inch panels that do have height adjustment.

Fire away with advice! Thanks!

 

[tmacg55]

- The problem with 1200p monitors is that come standard in 24" display sizes only, there are no available 27" 1200p screens on the market, I use an NEC PA241w and love my 1200p screen . The Dell U2412M is one of the most praised affordable 1200p screens and hear great things about it, but Dell likes to use a lot of AG coating so you may get a grainy looking picture due to that.

- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236331 - This monitor does not seem to have height adjustment, but has VESA so you can buy a monitor arm or mount it somewhere. When you said you intend to game on the monitor though, this might fit nicely since it boasts a response time of 5ms and has an IPS panel.

- The ASUS you mentioned above is also a great option as well with the 6ms and fits nicely with your gaming needs.

 

[chili dude96]

I would be ok with a 27inch 1080p because it would be slightly taller than the 24inch 1200p I have now. I just don't want to be stuck with one of those shitty 23.6inchers. They are too darn short.

 

[chili dude96]

Man this monitor is really tempting because its $220 after promo code and rebate. But it has no height adjustment and no DVI.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236337

Can anyone comment on whether or not stretching the 1080p over 27inches instead of 23.6inches causes a lot of pixelation. I've seen people complain about it and others say its fine.

 

[chili dude96]

Ok so I have basically made up my mind and I am stuck between these two monitors, the Asus PA248Q and the Asus VX279Q.

The VX279Q is larger at 27 inches, and is $220.
The PA248Q is smaller at 24 inches, and is $300.

I like the height adjustable stand of the PA, rather than the not adjustable/non-removable stand of the VX. The VX is going to be grainer, because it is 1080p over 27 inches and the PA is 1200p over 24 inches. Also the PA might have better color because it is factory calibrated. But the VX uses an AH-IPS panel which is better than the PA e-IPS panel. The VX price is very tempting.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236287
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236337

 

[cookybiscuit]

Qnix QX2710, blows away anything you can get at $300.

 

[chili dude96]

Qnix QX2710, blows away anything you can get at $300.

I take it this is one of those korean panels that were rejected by the major companies? My only issue with these are quality control and warranty.

 

[cookybiscuit]

Pretty reasonable worries. Warranty is one year, not a great duration but sellers absolutely do honour it, though returning it would probably be quite time consuming compared to just sending it around in your own country.

Quality control is not really an issue, I looked around alot before choosing to go with them and whenever people had a dud they simply returned it. It's not like they are rejected because they have totally horrid colours, or half of the screen is super dark or something. They don't seem to get dead pixels at all, but a thing they do get is backlight bleed, but if you're happy to take it apart you can fix it yourself with some black tape and 20 minutes.

I see you want it for gaming and ideally it would have height adjustment. It has a fixed stand, only adjustments are tilt, but you can remove it and fit another. Response time is 8ms, more motion blur than TN but this is going to be the same with any PLS or IPS display. It's real up points are that it is PLS, so has excellent colours, is 1440p, and its advantage for gaming is that it does 96Hz.

If you don't trust imports, plan to use it on a console (no scaler, wont work) or aren't either happy taking it apart/living with a bit of bleed if you are unlucky enough to get it, don't bother with them.

 

[chili dude96]

I also have a 6870 graphics card and I don't think it is powerful enough for that monitor.

 

[cookybiscuit]

Yea, 1440p gaming is pretty demanding. If you aren't planning on upgrading your GPU to something around a 760-tier card any time soon then you are probably better off with a 1080p display, 1080p looks best on 1080p displays, upscaling always ruins the image.

 

[chili dude96]

I think I'm leaning towards the VX. Even though it isn't adjustable, its larger, way cheaper, and has a better panel. Sucks it doesn't have a DVI input, but it has hdmi and display port, which my graphics card supports.

 

[chili dude96]

One last question. Can anyone address how grainy the 1080p over 27 inches will be? I read a lot of stuff saying if you aren't that close its fine but I sit about 2 feet away and most people said under 3 feet you will notice it. I currently have no issues with my 24inch 1200p at 2 feet.

My current monitor is 94.34 PPI and the new one would be 81.59. That would be a decent difference.

 

[tmacg55]

I switched to 1080p res on my 1440 27" Yamakasi and it looks in comparison very pixellated, but if I sat a good distance away it was not as noticeable.

 

[chili dude96]

I switched to 1080p res on my 1440 27" Yamakasi and it looks in comparison very pixellated, but if I sat a good distance away it was not as noticeable.

How far away is a good distance? I sit 2 feet away.

 

[tmacg55]

Judging from looking at my 27" with 1080p resolution setting it starts looking good from about 2.5ft-3ft away. When I put it back to 1440p res, I can look at it 1ft away and it still looks crystal clear.

 

[chili dude96]

So I better stick with a 24inch then? Or maybe risk getting one of those korean panels.

 

[tmacg55]

Well when I bought my Korean Yamakasi Q270, I searched a for a "Perfect Pixel" model which was only $40 more than the cheapest options on ebay and ended up getting a panel in perfect cosmetic condition, zero dead pixels, and no defects. I've been using this everyday since April 2012 and will be turning a year old soon and runs like the day I bought it. It has a true 8bit IPS panel, not those cheap e-IPS panels that use 6bit+FRC dithering, so the colors on the Yamakasi will be as good as you expect them to be on a professional monitor. I can't speak for other brands like Qnix, Achievia, or X-Star. Never had experience with those panels before, but I'm sticking with Yamakasi if I ever decide to buy a second one.
If you don't want to risk getting into a Korean panel, then I recommend getting a 23"-24" 1080p as the pixel density will better.
*Note- A (27" 1440p screen) has the same pixel density as a (21" 1080p screen). Hope this explains more.

 

[chili dude96]

I ended up buying an Asus PA248Q. I went to a store and I have to say if you sit less than 3 feet away from those 27 inch 1080p they are really grainy! It would have driven me nuts.