[SOLVED] Need a monitor for graphic/story based games

[arnoldfrea]

so i was looking at the differences between tn and ips panels. turns out, i actually dont play that many fps games, most games i play are league of legends and right now classic wow. games ill be playing later are call of duty and cyberpunk and whatever else catches my eye. so im leaning more towards ips for the graphics instead of the 1ms that most tn panels typically carry because i dont really play games that intensely but i do always enjoy watching stuff and playing games like god of war on the ps4 and tomb raider or assassins creed.

so for my build of a ryzen 7 3700x combined with a msi rtx 2070 armor 8g oc, a budget of about 500/id probably be able to push to 600 if the upgrade is worth it, prefered maybe something above 60hz and 27 inches or more. what should i be looking for, what have you all been looking at, what kind of display should i be aiming for that my build should be able to run.

i also have another idea of maybe upgrading to a 2080 first then trying to find a better monitor because i hear the 2070 isnt as great as the super or 80 :/ and i sadly bought it before i even realized i might be able to save a few bucks to even buy those 2.

 

[Aeacus]

To pick a monitor, it's good when you know more about different monitor panel types. There are 3x kinds of monitor panels: TN, VA and IPS. Actually there are more (variations of the main three) but i focus on these main ones.

TN panel is oldest of the three and also cheapest. Where TN panel excels is it's performance, most notably response time (1ms) and refresh rate. At current date, only TN panel monitor can achieve 240Hz but other panel types are catching up with refresh rate.
Though, TN panel also has it's downsides. Prominent ones are: poor color accuracy (washed out colors), very narrow view angle and poor contrast ratio (max 1000:1).

Gaming wise, TN panel monitor is best suited for fast-paced games (FPS, racing etc), where you don't care as much about pretty colors as you do about smoothness of movements.

IPS panel has been around for some time and is also the most expensive of the thee.
Where IPS panel excels is it's color accuracy, which is the best of the thee. Also, it has widest viewing angles of the three.
But where IPS panel falls short is response time. IPS technology by design can't be any faster than 4ms (compared to the 1ms most TN panels are). Another area where IPS panel falls short is it's poor contrast ratio which is equal to a TN panel (max 1000:1), despite it's great color accuracy. This is most prominent when looking at black image and where black isn't black but instead gray or some form of blue. Refresh rates aren't IPS panel strong side either and many IPS panels are 60Hz, especially on higher resolutions. There are some 1440p 165Hz and 4K 120Hz IPS panel monitors out there but they are few and far apart, also costing a fortune.

Gaming wise, IPS panel monitor is best suited for slow-paced games (RPG, strategy etc), where you have time to see all those pretty colors and where smoothness of movements isn't that important.

VA panel is the newest of the three and price wise, it falls between TN and IPS. VA panel was created to take the best of both worlds (TN and IPS) and combine them.
Where VA panel excels is it's contrast ratio (min 3000:1), where you'd see the deepest and richest blacks. Also, it doesn't fall short on other aspects as well. VA panel color accuracy isn't as good as it is for IPS panel but it's close to the levels of IPS panel (considerably better than TN panel). It's viewing angle is also a notch smaller than that of an IPS panel but again, considerably better than that of a TN panel. Refresh rate wise, VA panel is more capable on different resolutions than IPS panel but it doesn't match the 240Hz of a TN panel (at least not yet). Response time is another area where VA panel does good. While VA panel can't naturally be any faster than 4ms (just like IPS panel), it can achieve the magical 1ms response thanks to the software solution in it.
Downside of VA panel monitor is that not many of them are around at current date.

Gaming wise, VA panel monitor is suited for all kinds of games. VA panel is like Jack of all trades but master of none.


For RTX 2070 and future RX 2080, you'd be looking towards 1440p or 4K monitor. Here are some suggestions within budget and with VA and IPS panels;

1440p with G-Sync
IPS panel, 27", 144 Hz, 4ms, 1000:1 contrast ratio,
Acer Predator XB271HU bmiprz, amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-XB271HU-bmiprz-2560x1440/dp/B06ZXZ3QBD

IPS panel, 27", 165 Hz, 4ms, 1000:1 contrast ratio,
Asus ROG Swift PG279QZ, amazon: https://www.amazon.com/PG279QZ-Ergonomic-G-Sync-Gaming-Monitor/dp/B07HZSBW7V

VA panel, 31.5", 165 Hz, 4ms, 3000:1 contrast ratio,
Acer Predator Z321QU, amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-Z321QU-bmiphzx-Technology/dp/B07BDQNDKY

1440p without G-Sync
IPS panel, 27", 144 Hz, 4ms, 1000:1 contrast ratio,
Asus MG279Q, amazon: https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-FreeSync-response-DisplayPort-MG279Q/dp/B00ZOO348C

VA panel, 27", 144 Hz, 1ms, 3000:1 contrast ratio,
AOC Agon AG273QCX, amazon: https://www.amazon.com/AOC-AG273QCX-DisplayHDR-Adjustable-DisplayPort/dp/B07MJCF5N4

VA panel, 31.5", 144 Hz, 1ms, 3000:1 contrast ratio,
MSI Optix MAG321CQR, amazon: https://www.amazon.com/MSI-Non-Glare-Adjustable-Optix-MAG321CQR/dp/B07NQG1FFB

1440p ultrawide without G-Sync
VA panel, 34", 75 Hz, 4ms, 3000:1 contrast ratio,
Samsung SJ55W, amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SJ55W-Ultrawide-monitor-LS34J550WQNXZA/dp/B07FBS36W2

4K without G-Sync
IPS panel, 27", 60 Hz, 5ms, 1000:1 contrast ratio,
LG 27UL850-W, amazon: https://www.amazon.com/LG-27UL850-W-Display-DisplayHDR-Connectivity/dp/B07MKT1W65

VA panel, 32", 60 Hz, 5ms, 3000:1 contrast ratio,
LG 32UD59-B, amazon: https://www.amazon.com/LG-32UD59-B-32-Inch-LED-Lit-FreeSync/dp/B0748KJY4Q

There are quite a lot 4K monitors out there that fit your budget but none of them have higher refresh rate than 60 Hz. There are few 4K monitors with 144 Hz but they cost triple of your budget.