Is IPS bad for gaming?

[ericarzou81]

I was just wondering if it would be bad to get an IPS panel for gaming. I heard that it is slower than a TN Panel, but would their be a difference between a 5ms 60hz IPS Panel and a 5ms 60hz TN Panel? Thanks.

 

[i7Baby]

Most people like the color and clarity you get with an IPS screen. I don't notice it. And I don't think the extra cost is worth it.

IPS has a worse response time than TN, but I don't think you'd notice it unless you were playing at more than 200 fps and had a monitor that could keep up to the fps.

So its a personal thing rather than technical. If you can see a lot of difference and figure its worth it, then buy an IPS.

 

[thor220]

If they have the same refresh rate and input lag then there is no difference. If you can find an IPS monitor with an acceptable input lag than it may be the better choice. IPS monitors almost always have better color reproduction and a wider viewing angles. The IPS panel you are looking at is probably one of the new panels types.

Here is an article about IPS panels if you want to learn more about the sub-types of IPS panels
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/articles/content/ips_technologies.htm

It takes trained eyes to notice anything less than 9 ms, so unless you are super sensitive to input lag, you will probably be happy with an IPS panel.

 

[Pinhedd]

I was just wondering if it would be bad to get an IPS panel for gaming. I heard that it is slower than a TN Panel, but would their be a difference between a 5ms 60hz IPS Panel and a 5ms 60hz TN Panel? Thanks.

I use a 30 inch IPS panel and game on it all the time. The response time of the display is fairly inconsequential, but it can be noticeable. Ghosting is non existent on high quality displays (this problem was solved a long time ago) but fine text can be hard to see while the scene is in rapid motion. For example, it may be hard to view the name of a character in an MMORPG while running around, especially while turning. This is not an easy task to do even on an ultra fast TN panel.

The biggest advantage to IPS panels is the colour reproduction. Most high end IP panels are designed around full 10 bit colour depths with most consumer graphics cards supporting 8 bit colour depths. Most TN panels accept 8 bit colour depth and then downsample internally to 6 bits which can result in dithering and colour banding, neither of these are present in reasonable quality IPS panels. TN panels often look washed out compared to IPS panels so manufacturers apply glossy screen coatings to increase reflectiveness and make the display appear sharper than it really is.

If you ever get the chance, take a look at an IPS panel and TN panel side by side. You'll immediately know what I'm talking about.

I view my Dell U3011 as the best $1100 that I ever spent.