PC Monitor Brands & Choices

[Carl7811]

Hello. I am having some trouble lately looking for a Monitor that will fit with my Build that I have currently ordered and received. So the last thing on my list is a new Monitor to accommodate it. My build is;

CPU - Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU COOLER - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler for All Intel/AMD CPU's
MOTHERBOARD - MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 (Socket 1150) Motherboard
MEMORY - G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
STORAGE HDD - Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
STORAGE SSD - Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
VIDEO CARD - EVGA Nvidia GeForce GTX780 Superclocked ACX Cooler 3GB GDDR5
CASE - Cooler Master HAF X Gaming Tower Case
POWER SUPPLY - Seasonic M12II EVO Edition 750W '80 Plus Bronze' Fully Modular
OPTICAL DRIVE - Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer

So what would be the best monitor brand to get and also what sort of refresh rate am I looking for? I am interested in either a 24 or 25 inch as any bigger as that is what I think is a good size. (Unless of course someone has other size ideas of course)

Any help would be amazing and I would really appreciate it. Thank You

 

[Diox55]

I'd buy this monitor as a primary choice:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007HSKSMI/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1398624581&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

BenQ make good monitors and this is especially good for gaming. It has a 1 ms response time and 2 HDMI inputs. I think its a 60 hz monitor, which is usually plenty good.

Here's another monitor same specs as that one but its 23 inches and an Asus
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ANKMNXO/ref=mp_s_a_1_20?qid=1398624885&sr=8-20&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

If you wanted an IPS monitor, their are a few options.

This is a near border less Viewsonic 23 inch IPS monitor. It has 1 HDMI and 1 dvi port, and around a 5 ms response time.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008RM235I/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?qid=1398625047&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

IPS monitors are better if your doing graphics design or something like that

 

[JackNaylorPE]

1. Pick resolution....then size..... but for your build, given parts selection I am assuming gaming rig, I'd recommend the Asus 144Hz model.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236313

At 1920 x 1080..... 23.0 - 23.6 is the ideal size....otherwise pixel pitch gets too small. The human eye on average can distinguish individual pixels below 96 dpi.....below that you can start to see individual pixels and image looks "grainy"

23.0 = 95.8 ppi
23.6 = 93.3
24.0 = 91.8
24.6 = 89.6
27.0 = 81.6


2. Combo Deals - I'd consider his combo If $38 in savings (+20MIR) and faster RAM is attractive. It's only 8GB, so you'd need another 2 sticks to get back up to 16GB which normally I wouldn't recommend but with a Hyper 212, your OCs will be limited by the cooler before the extra load from 4 versus 2 memory sticks comes into play.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1461027

3. Alternate Suggestions - Finally can't get behind any EVGA SC product (Superclocked). The EVGA Classified is a superb card but the SC series historically uses reference PCBs and reference VRMs whereas Asus, Gigabyte and MSI have typically used custom PCBs and VRMs. As such the SC series has never been able to match the overclocking capabilities of the competition as is starkingly brought out here:

http://us.hardware.info/reviews/4639/10/nvidia-geforce-gtx-780-asus-vs-evga-vs-inno3d-vs-msi-conclusion

All four manufacturers - ASUS, EVGA, Inno3D and MSI - made something special out of their GeForce GTX 780. The card that impressed us the most, however, was the ASUS GTX780-DC2OC-3GD5. The new cooler works like charm, and its performance is clearly reflected by the test results. The card also manages to stay very quiet and offers the best overclocking potential thanks to the new cooler. ASUS earns the Gold Award for its card.

We can't leave out the card from MSI. While it's slightly less overclocked and has less overall overclocking potential than the cards from Inno3D and EVGA, it's extremely quiet under load, the most silent of them all. It's also significantly cheaper than the other three, so if you're not planning on extreme overclocking, this MSI card is the best option.

An honorable mention goes to the Inno3D card. Out of the box it's the fastest, and while you can yourself get the other cards to the same level of performance, it's nice to have it guaranteed if you're not an experienced overclocker.

The EVGA ACX Superclocked also isn't a bad card. The only problem is that about the same amount of money will net you the ASUS card, a card which is superior in terms of cooling, noise and overclocking potential. EVGA will have to drop its prices to MSI levels to keep its card interesting.

It is worth noting that MSI no longer makes the version of the card in the test, the new N Gaming series upped the ante a bit. Instead of a Core Clock of 902, it now comes outta the box at 954 MHz.

MSI is $500, Asus is $509
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127746

As for the case, the HAF-X used to be No. 2 on my list ... like in Intel 920 days ..... but at $179, even with a $20 MIR off that, I just can't get behind it anymore as it's gone a "bit long in the tooth" as the saying goes.

Alternatives:

Enthoo Primo - $219 took case of the year award home from Comdex
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811854001

Corsair 750D - $129 ($159 - $20 MIR - 10 off w/ promo code EMCPFHH38, ends 4/28 ). Bit mundane but functional.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139024

Corsair 500R - $79 ($139 - $30 newegg discount - $20 MIR - $10 off w/ promo code EMCPFHH242, ends 4/28. One of the easiest cases to build in I have aver come across.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139010

NZXT H440 - $129 In many ways a mini version of the Enthoo but it's lack of any 5.25" bays is a deal killer for many.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146148

Enthoo Luxe - MSRP= $139 available suppossedly at end of April. At under $200, this would be my choice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3lQwRQ3UaM
http://phanteks.com/#&panel1-1&panel2-1

 

[Carl7811]

Hi, Thanks for the great response. Really appreciate it. So I should have mentioned some stuff really to help you and others to help me =D. So I recently thought of getting this Monitor http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-S24C300HS-inch-HDMI-Monitor/dp/B00CDP6JBE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1398625758&sr=8-2&keywords=samsung+monitor but someone said I would be better looking for a 120Hz refresh rate because of the 60Fps Cap and with my GPU it would be wasted.

I will be using the Montior for Gaming/Films/Recording/Editing/Rendering. So I want something that can put up a good display for all of them. Hope this helps a bit more.

Btw thank you for taking time to help me with this and also thanks for the links they are definitely good Monitors and as I am looking for a 24 Inch, they definitely got me there. (Oh and I am in England so £ for me =D doesn't matter though as I just searched the ones you gave me on Amazon uk version

 

[Carl7811]

Thanks JackNaylorPE for your response. That ASUS Monitor definitely looks good for the price of it. I'm not sure what you meant about the Ram though, if you didn't mind re phrasing for me sorry. As for the GPU I haven't had any experience with anything but integrated graphics of my other Computers so first time for me. I did sooooo much research on the GPU (actually every part of the build) so I made sure what I got would do what I wanted and all good reviews for the EVGA, but that being said I appreciate your comments as I am always grateful of different views on stuff like that so thank you. I shall see how it goes and if need be change.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Generally it is advisable to uses 2 x 8GB rather than 4 x 4GB the reason being pushing and synching 4 modules presents more of a challenge to the memory controller than 2 does. So let's say you manage a 4.7 Ghz OC with 2 x 4Gb of 2400 Mhz RAM. When you go to add another 2 x 4GB, you might find the OC no longer stable. This might be solved by upping RAM and / or CPU voltage ..... or it might mean having to get more conservative on RAM timings. A few have even said they best they could do was drop the CPU down a notch to get stable.

My guess is however, with the Hyper 212, you will hit thermal limits with an OC in the 4.4GHz range, long before you get to OC's where this becomes an issue. If you had a Phanteks PH-TC14-PE air cooler or water cooling, I'd be more inclined to worry about this. At 4.4 Ghz, I strongly dount this will be an issue, not to mention the fact that we talking 1866 or 1600 speed RAM rather than high end 2400 or higher stuff.

Ooops....I'm sorry I missed the part about ordered and rec'd .... I had a PC partpicker window up from the last post I read and confused it with yours (almost exact same parts) and I was thinking you were ready to buy.

Getting back to monitors..... there is no "best all around" monitor. Have a $1,000 Dell IPS monitor here that is great for photo editing but makes a blah gaming monitor. Also have a 120 Hz Asus and a 144 Hz Asus ..... If ya a photo enthusiast and do grandmas glamour photos, you'll want to use the Dell IPS ..... not a cheap alternative mind you, ..... if you then open those photos on an uncalibrated Asus 120/144 Hz, she'll look like a New Orleans house madam

If ya don't tone them down, the TN monitors tend to be set with an exaggerated color saturation which of course can be adjusted. However side by side, when gaming, edges look kinda fuzzy on the IPS and colors don't have the sharpness and depth as the do on the high refresh ones..... there's also some ghosting on the IPS which you can see even on the very expensive models..... Seem images below for examples of ghosting


Check out the Del 2414 IPS below

23.8" 8ms G2G LG.Display AH-IPS


Versus the Asus 144 Hz model in this image

27" 2ms G2G Chi Mei Innolux TN Film +144Hz (Trace Free = 60)