Urgent suggestions for new monitor- ordering today

[fergie]

Hi, I am ordering a new monitor today and have narrowed it down to Dell UltraSharp 27-inch U2711 or Alienware 23 inch 3d with 3d kit.
Does anyone have any other suggestions ? My budget is £750.

This is going to be just for gaming. Is it a good idea to future proof with the 3d monitor or go with the higher res of the Dell ? Sorry, I'm having a real struggle deciding.

 

[fergie]

Why don't I ever get any replies on here?
Do you just have nothing to say or am I just hated by everone?

 

[jaguarskx]

This sub-forum has very little traffic.

Look at all the threads on in this section and note the number of replies, then compare it to the other sections like Graphics & Displays (don't know why "Display" is there since there no sub-forum for it), or CPU & Components. Note the vast difference in the number of replies.

The only active posters in this sub-section are Rofl_My_Waffle and myself. Adriod pops in every now and then...

Now regarding your question...

You need to figure out what is more important to you. Higher resolution? 3D gaming?

Generally speaking, "Higher Resolution" allows you to see more on the screen (it also depends on how the game is programmed) so that it is possible you can react faster. But "seeing more on the screen" can also lead to information overload to the gamer which means slower reaction time. It depends on the gamer.

3D gaming... never seen a 3D game. I have seen the movie Avatar and the 3D effect of the movie wore off on my in less than 30 minutes... In other words, I did not find the 3D effect impressive.

My choice would be the Dell U2711 because I really don't care about 3D gaming. More importantly, it uses better panel technology (H-IPS) than the Alienware (TN) for color accruacy and viewing angle purposes. The higher resolution also means I have "more space" to work with; mutliple windows openned. Also good for watching movies...

However, the Dell U2711 has a few negatives as far as gamers are concerned...

1. Price - Most "hardcore gamers" prefer to spend money on the video card than the monitor. There's a $600 difference between the Dell and Alienware. This mostly due to higher manufacturing costs for H-IPS panels and more materials need for a 2560 x 1440 resolution monitor.

2. Response time is 6ms for the Dell and 3ms for the Alienware. Not a big difference, some gamers would gripe about the 6ms.

3. The input lag of the Dell U2711 is considered a bit high for most hardcore gamers' taste. It's input lag has been tested to be about 30ms. That is nearly a two frame lag; 1 frame of lag = 16.67ms. Most hardcore games would want this to be less than 10ms. I don't know what the input lag of the Alienware is; never read a review on it.

In case you do not know, input lag is amount of the between an action you are performing on the keyboard / mouse or a gamepad and when it appears on the screen.

 

[fergie]

I really appreciate your info.
My wife has just told me she can get the Dell for £520 through her work.It's normally £840 so I think at this price I'd be mad not to go for it. The Alienware is £400 but I can't get a discount on that.

My two GTX 480s should be okay to play everything at 2560 x 1440 resolution ?

 

[jaguarskx]

See following review of the GTX 480 SLI for gaming benchmarks at 2560 x 1600. Since the Dell U2711 is slightly lower resolution, performance will be slightly higher. Note that the CPU used in the test is an Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/geforce-gtx480-sli.html

The performance difference between 1920 x 1080 (not 3D) and 2560 x 1600 can be quite high; close to a 48% drop in frame rates for Crysis Warhead. On a 2560 x 1440 resolution monitor, the performance drop is probably closer to 44%

 

[fergie]

Thats great. Would my i7 930 at 4.2 ghz be faster than 975 at stock or does it not work like that ie is there a larger cach or something that would make 975 faster. sorry proably pretty noob question but ive wondered this before? Cheers

 

[rofl_my_waffle]

I personally tried 3D gaming a couple of times on a friends computers. The experience was..... different. I won't say better or more fun... just different.

For one aiming in shooters is harder since my depth perception is all wrong. Its cool for the first few times but after a while the experience isn't that great.

The colors are terrible and the brightness is depressing. No thanks to the 3D glasses, and not to mention I already wear glasses so having two pairs of glasses is quite uncomfortable.

I would definitely go for the U2711. In fact I have one.
Your computer would definitely be able to drive the monitor in the latest games.

 

[fergie]

Thanks, that's what I was hoping to hear. I was thinking that the novelty would probably soon wear off. Right that's sorted, i'll order the dell.

 

[Explo]

What price did you get on it? Are there any good deals atm? I for one am waiting till Monday to check out the U2711, we'll see what happens. I'm not in a rush though.

 

[rofl_my_waffle]

I got it off an ebay seller for $800 Canadian, local pick-up.
It was brand new, unopened in original packaging.

I seen many going for $800 - $900 on ebay but shipping was pretty expensive. You might have better luck if you live in the US.

You can also order direct from Dell. I haven't seen any good sales yet. Their current price is only $100 off @ $999 USD.

 

[fergie]

I just received the Dell U2711 today and I must say the picture is fantastic. Playing Cod
Black Ops at 2560 x 1440 with everything turned up at over 100fps is a sight to behold.

Can anyone recommend any games to really test it out? I've already got Crysis.

 

[lancelot48]

You could have purchased that Monitor in Vancouver for $666.99 CDN. I'm buying one today.