[SOLVED] Need a new monitor

Mar 21, 2020
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My rig is pretty old but I'm looking for a new monitor that will run pretty well with it. I'm pretty sure it will have to be a 1080p monitor.

GTX 680 Lightning
i5-2500k
8GB Corsair Vengeance
 
Solution
Yeah, we'd all like an OLED panel. If they weren't like three thousand dollars.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=OLED+mon...6011&ref=sr_nr_p_n_feature_three_browse-bin_1

OLED is NOT what you are looking for. OLED panels and televisions are GROSSLY expensive and are generally reserved for people with rather deep pockets. If that's you, then great, but unfortunately these are primarily TV oriented and the few monitors that exist in the consumer market are, as I said and linked to, outrageously expensive.

This monitor, which I and many others around here have, is a little bit bigger, but it's extremely difficult to find something better without...
How much do you want to spend on a monitor?

Are you looking for anything specific as far as refresh rate, response time, VESA mounting, panel type, etc?

Is this going to be primarily for gaming?

Are you more concerned that it be fast or that it have very accurate colors? Viewing angles important? Need all of the above?

Monitors are very person specific. What is fine for one person will be considered complete trash to somebody else, so it's best to know exactly what criteria you consider essential and what is only a nice to have or is unimportant.
 
Mar 21, 2020
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Price isn't as issue. Just want something pretty good that will run well with that setup. I need all of the above. Doesn't need to be VESA. IPS panel preferably..
 
You are aware of the issues with IPS panels, yes? You are familiar with the much slower response times (In most cases) and IPS glow that is common to pretty much all IPS panels?

It's not as prominent in rooms that are well lit but if you tend to game or do other tasks in semi-lighted or darker rooms, you are probably going to notice the glow on the majority of panels pretty easily. Honestly, a very good VA panel has the best of both worlds IMO. They tend to have very good color accuracy, excellent black uniformity, no IPS glow around the edges/corners, pretty good and sometimes excellent response times, pretty good and sometimes excellent refresh rates, many models with G-sync, Freesync or G-sync compatible Freesync and to my experience tend to be a bit easier to calibrate as well although that might just be because the models I've used have had fairly good calibration out of the box.

Is there a specific size of monitor you wish to stick to?

Are you looking for high refresh rate or just looking for 60FPS gaming? Or is gaming even your primary requirement? You don't really say a whole lot in your posts. A bit more information about your requirements and needs would help to ensure you don't end up with a monitor that isn't what you are actually in need of.
 
Mar 21, 2020
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It's going to be used for gaming. I thought high end IPS panels were the most desired. I guess I had VA and IPS confused. I'm looking for high refresh rate but color is also important. I'll be upgrading my rig sometime in the near future but I just need a nice monitor to hold me over until that point. About monitor size, I'm not sure what's common nowadays as I've been out for a while. Maybe 27"?
 
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IPS panels are typically sought after by graphic artists and color purists. But they are not necessarily the better options. I don't think you had them confused, I think that the media and reviewers, as well as tech sites and know nothings, have confused the issue.

IPS panels would be great if they figured out how to eliminate the IPS glow, and there ARE some models that have very little of it, but they are not cheap. Even less cheap are the good IPS panels that ALSO have low response times and high refresh rates.

TN panels are just cheap, but good for many gamers because they have very fast specs.

Some people don't like a 27 inch monitor at 1080p because they think it's too big for that resolution. If you have EXCELLENT eyesight you probably want something smaller at 1080p. Personally, I think 27" at 1080p is fine, and I have two such monitors, but recently I've moved up to 1440p on a 32" monitor for my main/gaming display.

Normally I'd say go to a store and check them out in person to determine what works best for you. Obviously, that's probably not possible OR desirable right now with this virus crap going on.

So I'd say if you have great eyesight, you want a 26" or smaller panel at 1080p, otherwise a 27" is fine. And it's fine anyhow honestly. I like a 27" panel at 1080p. Any bigger and it NEEDS to be 1440p or 4k.

But obviously when you increase the resolution you decrease the performance you can squeeze out of your graphics card as well so 1080p needs to be the max for your graphics card.

Are you in the US?
 
There are a few models that might fit the bill nicely, but before that let me ask if you have ANY plans on making a change of graphics card in the next, say, year or so? The reason I ask is because if you have any plans to upgrade the GPU there are a LOT more options in the 1440p realm than there are for 1080p these days, IF you want a monitor with a good panel AND either G-sync or a G-sync compatible Freesync capability.

If not, that's fine, but it's worth asking first because you don't want to buy a monitor that is good for your current card, at 1080p, just to find out that you might have been better off going with something else once you change cards.
 
Mar 21, 2020
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Sorry, I caved and bought a monitor at MC to hold me over BUT I will be upgrading my whole rig within the next couple months. It will be Intel/Nvidia and I will want 1440p. What would you recommend?
 

sub3marathonman

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Apr 25, 2013
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OK, maybe I can follow in Cardiak23's footsteps a bit here. :)

And following Darkbreeze's answers too.

I have been focused on the VA panels, as we currently watch the LG OLED TV here and I'm guessing that the VA panel is closest to an OLED experience.

I have found many what seem to be very good IPS panels though, and at least for my search I'm still considering some. And I've found the excellent IPS panels, with the prices far above what I can reach though.

I've also put the requirement of 10-bit (or 8-bit frc). I know some monitors have a Look-Up-Table at 13 or 14 bits, but I'm not understanding how that helps unless it somehow specifies the frc to be ever so slightly different?

One thing I don't understand about Cardiak23's question, and it goes along somewhat with my dilemma, is the GTX 680 graphics card. Isn't an upgrade of the card equally as important as the upgrade of the monitor? Wouldn't you get at least a 2560x1440 monitor at this point, instead of locking on what the GTX 680 can do at the moment? Couldn't you give up the G-Sync requirement, which as I'm understanding adds about $100 to the price, expand the monitor choices, and work on getting a newer NVIDEA graphics card that is compatible with Free-Sync too?

I've already got the GTX 1660 TI, but I can't figure out exactly what resolutions it can do, instead having to try to gauge based on reviews of different games with different resolutions, which doesn't seem very precise.
 
Yeah, we'd all like an OLED panel. If they weren't like three thousand dollars.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=OLED+mon...6011&ref=sr_nr_p_n_feature_three_browse-bin_1

OLED is NOT what you are looking for. OLED panels and televisions are GROSSLY expensive and are generally reserved for people with rather deep pockets. If that's you, then great, but unfortunately these are primarily TV oriented and the few monitors that exist in the consumer market are, as I said and linked to, outrageously expensive.

This monitor, which I and many others around here have, is a little bit bigger, but it's extremely difficult to find something better without spending over 500 dollars. In fact, you probably CAN'T find a 1440p monitor that works with G-sync cards, for less than this.



These were selling for like 499.00 a while back. For the last year or so they've been available for around 299.00 on sale through various places at different times, like Microcenter, Amazon, B&H, etc. but right now Amazon is not shipping any PC or tech hardware and with the whole lack of imported goods, not being shipped, shortages, etc., they are a bit more. If you wait long enough they'll likely be back down around that price.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1426796-REG/lg_32gk650f_b_32_class_qhd_gaming.html
 
Solution
LG generally doesn't make curved monitors. I'm not sure they have ANY curved monitors. What they DO have, is non-gimmicky, high quality, above average performance monitors using some of the best panels and surrounding it with features that actually matter. MSI on the other hand, is very fond of the curved panels, but the majority of their models suffer terribly in reviews.

I don't really know anybody who is a hard core gamer around here that is much of a fan of the curved monitors except for triple panel surround displays. Maybe.

I'm sure they're fine and all, but honestly I dislike them and they don't actually seem to offer any tangible benefits. I've looked at several of them and have played in front of them on systems belonging to friends and such, and I am not convinced there is much of anything to it on something this small. If it was a giant screen, then it makes some sense, but not for something ~36" or smaller. Maybe that's just me. There are some who like them.

Edit: Actually LG DOES make some curved displays, but they are ALL over 34", which makes more sense based on my observations that it doesn't make sense for smaller panels.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/monitor/#m=129&C=1&sort=price&page=1
 

sub3marathonman

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Apr 25, 2013
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Yeah, we'd all like an OLED panel. If they weren't like three thousand dollars.

...

This monitor, which I and many others around here have, is a little bit bigger, but it's extremely difficult to find something better without spending over 500 dollars. In fact, you probably CAN'T find a 1440p monitor that works with G-sync cards, for less than this.


https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1426796-REG/lg_32gk650f_b_32_class_qhd_gaming.html

OK, that is one that was "on the radar" in my search.

What I've been troubled by is that it is 8-bit as opposed to 8-bit+frc. Obviously for Darkbreeze this isn't an issue, so I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't worry about either. I've also found a couple with a LUT at 13 bit or even 14 bit, how important could that be? Does it somehow increase the color accuracy?

One other minor technical point is that this monitor has 92 pixels/inch, and some I've been looking at had around 109 pixels/inch. I think the 4K ones (27") are up around 160 ppi. So is that not as important as I have been thinking either?

I guess it is still the huge debate too, but one guy I've corresponded with, supposed to be an expert too, says the VA monitors' colors are "washed out." Then another person says no, they're more "lifelike" and the IPS monitors are "too much."

With the curved vs. flat debate, it could also depend on the curvature. Some are 1800R, which seems fairly subtle, and many are 1500R, which is a bit more pronounced, and I guess they're even working on 1000R, which is extremely curved. On a theoretical basis, it seems the curved should be better, and the curved monitors have a huge following despite being more expensive, and I'm still thinking a curved monitor as my choice.

Somewhat it is overwhelming by the sheer volume of choices, and obviously it is something that you're going to be living with on a daily basis for a long time.
 
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sub3marathonman

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Apr 25, 2013
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but I only need about a 30" to be happy.
I don't really know anybody who is a hard core gamer around here that is much of a fan of the curved monitors except for triple panel surround displays. Maybe.
...
I am not convinced there is much of anything to it on something this small. If it was a giant screen, then it makes some sense, but not for something ~36" or smaller. Maybe that's just me. There are some who like them.

Edit: Actually LG DOES make some curved displays, but they are ALL over 34", which makes more sense based on my observations that it doesn't make sense for smaller panels.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/monitor/#m=129&C=1&sort=price&page=1

I'm thinking Darkbreeze is right on this, a 30" or 32" curved monitor isn't going to be any benefit. I think, as LG does, that 34" is the minimum choice. I've seen some gigantic ultrawide monitors, but I think at some point it becomes too much, probably if you can get 36" or 38" that is spectacular, but the price starts going up faster.

I found The Tech Chap on youtube, he discussed 4K vs ultrawide at 3440x1440:
4K vs Ultrawide 21:9
He said he really likes the ultrawide better, but he's got close to the ultimate with a 38" one.
 
Anybody can think they are a "pro" when you look at Youtube. For monitors, I tend to look at reviews from Rtings, Blur busters and pcmonitors.info, although lately I've been unable to access pcmonitors so IDK if they are shut down or having server issues or what. There are a few others I tend to trust monitor reviews from as well, such as techspot.
 

sub3marathonman

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Apr 25, 2013
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For monitors, I tend to look at reviews from Rtings, Blur busters and pcmonitors.info, although lately I've been unable to access pcmonitors

I took Darkbreeze's advice, and checked on pcmonitors.info, for me it worked fine. I found this article: 3440x 1440 monitors

I think the 3440x1440 resolution is the one to get on a 34" ultrawide curved monitor. Sticking with 32" monitors probably 4K resolution. The Samsung CHG70 looked interesting, but there are many negative reviews, so maybe Darkbreeze (or somebody who has the CHG70) would know more about it.
 
Seems to be working fine for me now as well. It was not before, so it may have had some intermittent down periods. Maybe they had been doing site service or something.

As much as I like Samsung for televisions, storage devices and a variety of other things, I'm really not too big on them for monitors. I'm sure they have some good stuff, but they are also proud of it and the prices tend to reflect that, plus the majority of monitor reviews I've looked at for Samsung that are in the "everyman" price range tend to be poor or not favorable.

Personally, I don't like the ultrawides. Windows doesn't play that nicely with them, and I have found the few occasions I've worked on them I have much preferred simply working with two monitors rather than one ultrawide. That's just my preference though, and probably doesn't reflect any kind of general consensus necessarily.

And you are right. There are definitely some important concerns on the professional reviews for that CHG70. Chiefly, which happens to be one of my biggest pet peeves, is the fact that that unit has poor black depth and uniformity. That is a deal breaker for any monitor I am looking at. If it can't do black properly, I'm not even interested in it.

Plus it has poor viewing angles, and for an ultrawide, or for anybody who might tend to use the display communally with others sitting nearby, that might also be a let down but if you don't care about or need wide viewing angles and will only ever be concerned about how it looks right in front of the unit, then it may be ok for you. Can't get past the cloudy, poor black uniformity though.

Seems all the refresh rate and Freesync issues have been ironed out though with more recent Freesync drivers, so the Freesync 2 now apparently works correctly across the full Freesync range with no issues, according to the Rtings review, which is comprehensive.