Is 2560 x 1440 best for a 27" screen?

[s35]

Hi everyone, I'm looking to get my first LCD monitor; coming from a 10 year-old CRT. (I know it sounds crazy, as my PC is actually a 2014 hexa-core used for video editing and cg animation). I haven't really had the need to upgrade until now; I've been using a HDTV for a secondary monitor in video editing, but when working on CG modelling, my single 4:3 screen is pretty cramped!

So I took a look at new LCD screens. Surprisingly for someone who's lived in a bubble, the 1080p screens larger than 23" in the stores looked like garbage: pixellated text and graphics. I was shocked, as my CRT (18" diag. viewable) is currently running at 1024x768 which is 71.11 ppi and those 27" 1080p screens should be 81.59 ppi but my CRT looks far better (though it is worn out after 10 years)! The 1080p screens actually looked like my screen running 800 x 600.

The screens were connected either via HDMI or VGA and they all looked bad, regardless of the connection. The 2560 x 1440 screens looked much better at this screen size. Is this normal in 2015, considering my CRT looks better at a much lower PPI?

Also I'd appreciate your recommendations on EITHER a 23" 1080p OR 27" 1440p monitor in IPS, PLS, AHVA, or VA. My primary use is CG animation / video editing, but I'd like to do some mild gaming on it. I have a GTX 970 SC, capable of G-Sync, and I really do detest screen tearing, however, I'm willing to try a FPS cap or something if need be and G-Sync or 144 Hz is not an option on the monitor.

Something around $600-ish for a 27" screen, but cheaper is always welcome. I just about pulled the trigger on a Dell U2715H, but then read some have had screen uniformity issues (with the left side being dimmer than the right).

Thanks so much for your valuable time and advice!

~Adam

 

[bliq]

The go to GSync 27 right now is the Asus ROG Swift PG278Q. I think that hits all of your buttons.

 

[xapoc]

As far as picture quality you cant go wrong get either IPS or PLS. Everything else is old. This is just some options that I found and are very good deal, so its just something to consider. Not sure of your budget, there are some very nice monitors specification wise that are 400+ bucks.

Acer CB280HK 4K 28" Ultra HD Monitor $ 300 bucks only
http://www.costco.com/Acer-CB280HK-4K-28%22-Ultra-HD-Monitor.product.100171400.html

and

HP Pavilion 27xw 27" IPS LED $159.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1132862&gclid=CIyata-y48kCFZEXHwodDk4Kiw&Q=&ap=y&is=REG&A=details

 

[s35]

Thanks bliq for taking the time to respond! The PG279Q I believe is the IPS version of that monitor. I'm sure it's good, but unfortunately is $1200 in my area of the world!

 

[s35]

Thanks xapoc! Thank you also for the links. Have you found HP to be good for quality control?

 

[Suzuki@1473780084@1473780163]

I would say so. 2560x1440 is a lot more pixels than 1920x1080, so you'll have more detail available on screen, provided you use it at it's native resolution. In order to see the extra detail, then that's up to your visual acuity, and viewing distance. Majority of people fall between 20/20 6/6 visual acuity, so I think it's safe to say you'll be more happy with 1440p, provided the panel it's using is of higher quality than the 1080p.

The difference between 23" (23.5-6-8") and 27", is only that it's 3 inches wider, and 2 inches taller, those that say 1080p won't look good on a 27", have no clue what they're talking about whatsoever. It's not normal what you saw, that's probably a companys sad attempt to make 1440p look a lot better than 1080p. It certainly is better, but not to the point where 1080p looks pixelated, that's ridiculously inaccurate. Companies are doing the same thing to 1080p TV's currently, to make the jump to 4k a lot easier for the consumer, it's sad what's going on to say the least.

I recently recommended this monitor: http://www.amazon.com/BenQ-BL3200PT-32-inch-Monitor-Creative/dp/B00ITORMNM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450373344&sr=8-1&keywords=bl3200pt

-32"
-2560x1440
-4 ms GTG -- doesn't mean anything, but VA is faster than IPS and IPS don't ghost like crazy so people are overexattering, or have no clue what they're even talking about.
-20 ms input lag
-100% sRGB
-VA
-60 Hz

I believe this is the best monitor for your needs, and I think you should buy it. Regarding uniformity, VA are known to have great uniformity, and it's not common with defects. No glow, clouding, bleed. If you do get either clouding or bleed, RMA, as it's not supposed to be seen on VA monitors, that's an IPS and TN thing, which manufacturers are accepting.

Edit: If you're buying from Australia, then this monitor is probably around $800. It's definitely worth it, but it's out of your budget. There are no smaller 2560x1440 VA monitors on the market currently. There are however a bunch of 1920x1080 24-27" VA monitors, but not really suited for color accurate work, in my opinion. You're better of with IPS, but defects are very common, and often very visible, so if you think you can win the panel lottery, then get an IPS. Plenty of options available to you.

 

[s35]

Thanks so much Suzuki for that in-depth reply! I agree with you completely about companies trying to make 4K tv's look so much better. I was in Best Buy and they were playing what looked like a 720p VERY muddy signal through coaxial cable into their HDTV's, but a different, high-res one through their 4K tv's! The thing with the 27"+ 1080p monitors though, is they were connected to either desktops or laptops and running at 1080p, yet they looked pixelated from about 18 - 24" inches away (one was running VGA and the other was HDMI).

There are however a bunch of 1920x1080 24-27" VA monitors, but not really suited for color accurate work, in my opinion.

Is there a reason why the BenQ-BL3200PT would be better for color accurate work, seeing it too is a VA panel? I really don't like the idea of the panel "lottery" game. If there's a type that's more reliable, I'll go for it. I'm shocked at how loose companies' policies are though regarding dead pixels. How have you found BenQ's quality control and customer service to be? Do you own any of their monitors?

 

[xapoc]

Thanks xapoc! Thank you also for the links. Have you found HP to be good for quality control?

I think HP uses LG panel IPS tech. PLS would be samsung panel. As far as reliability I've seen DOA brand new expensive electronics out of the box. With so much tech out there, one can mostly go by reviews left by others.

 

[s35]

I think HP uses LG panel IPS tech. PLS would be samsung panel. As far as reliability I've seen DOA brand new expensive electronics out of the box. With so much tech out there, one can mostly go by reviews left by others.

Thanks... yeah, that's true. It seems you get lousy products from all major manufacturers. I guess try to find a panel without a specific known design flaw (to avoid continuous RMA's) and the manufacturer with the best warranty!