Question When purchasing displays, is it always better to buy together?

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modeonoff

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Hi, I want to do a triple monitor setup. However, a store only have two available. Back order 2-3 weeks later. Is it better to buy from another store that has all three together? I read that some ordered their displays in different time periods and even they are of the same models, the color or something else is different.
 

Ralston18

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There are no guarantees about any of that.

And all sorts of other factors may make a difference: video cable, GPU or l/O panel port.....

Even all three monitors being from the same store there could well be some difference. Maybe some monitor that was later returned to stock - unopened.

All you can do is to purchase the monitors and if one of them is different enough in some manner to matter then return that monitor.

Be sure to check the store's return policies beforehand.
 
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modeonoff

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Thank you. I recently ordered three TVs from Samsung. All three have issues. On with a patch of dust under the screen and the other two have strange lines on the screen surface even they are not turned on. They were not made in Korea but in Mexico. Also have issues of displays from Sony and BenQ. The QC is just so bad these days. It is like manufacturers don't care about QC and push out their products hoping that customers do not notice any issue. I have also seen courier guy swinging a TV during delivery. Getting a display without issue these days is indeed a lottery. Getting all three without issue is even more difficult.

So just get the two available now (actually they are on my way), get the 3rd one via backorder or from another store. Check the image qualities of all three "in mirror mode" when used at the same time and see if there is any difference? Alternative, if I can find a store with all three available, buy from that store?

A store mentioned that usually the last few displays are the ones with issues since they have been sitting in the warehouse for a longer time. Is this correct?
 
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What is the make/model of the units that you are buying?

While units may be slightly different in colors, there is usually an adjustment that can be made via OSD controls or by gpu controls to make them match better.

Have you considered a single wide unit which would resolve your issue?
They come in up to 49" and curved.
 

modeonoff

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Samsung M8. Compared with typical monitors, one undesirable thing with it is that when viewed at an angle, the screen is like a mirror. Not sure if they have fixed this in latter batch.

Besides the units maybe slightly different in color, what else could be different when not buying the monitors at the same time or got them from different batches?

Tried ultra wide option two times already. Got very sick viewing curved screens.
 

USAFRet

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Hi, I want to do a triple monitor setup. However, a store only have two available. Back order 2-3 weeks later. Is it better to buy from another store that has all three together? I read that some ordered their displays in different time periods and even they are of the same models, the color or something else is different.
Some years ago, I had two matched HP IPS panels.
Bought as a set, came in the same box.
Almost sequential serial numbers. Likely came off the assembly line the same day.

There was always a tiny bit of color difference, no matter how much I fiddled with them. Even using a hueyPro hardware colorimeter.

They were always just a tiny tiny bit off.
Not enough to be annoying, though.
 
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modeonoff

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Some years ago, I had two matched HP IPS panels.
Bought as a set, came in the same box.
Almost sequential serial numbers. Likely came off the assembly line the same day.

There was always a tiny bit of color difference, no matter how much I fiddled with them. Even using a hueyPro hardware colorimeter.

They were always just a tiny tiny bit off.
Not enough to be annoying, though.

There are too many uncontrollable factors. The monitors could be QC-issue free but they could be dropped during transportation. So far, I don't have much good luck in getting three perfect displays.

What is the best course of action? Accept those two to be delivered and buy the 3rd one from another company, reject delivery and buy all three from another store or take all five and hopefully get three in perfect condition?
 

modeonoff

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What is the purpose of this setup?
If it is for gaming, it looks like 60hz is the max refresh rate.

I like the looks of the units and the small bezels.

It is mainly for office productivity, CAD, 3D Modelling and gaming.

I had three 144Hz BenQ monitors but I did not notice any improvement in gaming. Frame rate also dropped below 20 at max settings. So 60Hz is fine with me.

One concern is that Rtings said this monitor is only 8-bit. Other sites said it is 10-bit. Which is correct? Isn't 8-bit bad as it means it can display 256 colors only?
 
About every aspect of a display is subject to some variation between units. This includes color reproduction, backlight brightness for a given value, backlight uniformity, viewing angles, everything.

While it would be nice to have every monitor have the same display characteristics, in reality, most people won't care about the small differences in them. Just pick a reference monitor and master your content on that. That way, any inconsistencies is at least constant throughout, rather than dependent on which monitor you were using to master the content.
 

USAFRet

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‘I don’t quite understand. Would you please clarify?
Assuming you can't get ALL monitors exactly equal in the color/brightness/contrast realm....choose one for your graphically sensitive applications.
CAD/photo/whatever.

They will all be very very close. Maybe even so close that YOU can't tell the difference, and this whole conversation is meaningless.

But if you CAN, then choose one, and do your main work on that one.
That way, your output will be consistent.
 
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modeonoff

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Thanks. I don’t seem to be able to tell the difference between 10bpc and 12 bpc. Can most people tell the difference?

The only time I noticed difference in white background is having two different models next to each other. One is white-ish and the other blue-ish. Face color in dark scene in one display looked normal while the other looked reddish. Even they are both from Samsung with same settings.

I have more issues with Backlight bleed, dust under the screen, uneven or scratch-like coating on screen surface.
 
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Thanks. I don’t seem to be able to tell the difference between 10bpc and 12 bpc. Can most people tell the difference?

The only time I noticed difference in white background is having two different models next to each other. One is white-ish and the other blue-ish. Face color in dark scene in one display looked normal while the other looked reddish. Even they are both from Samsung with same settings.
What you're seeing is a potential issue with color accuracy, which has nothing to do with color depth. Color accuracy is how close the monitor can cover the area defined in a standard color space. For example, this is the test result of a display to see how accurately it covers the sRGB color space:
saturations_srgb_575px.jpg
 

modeonoff

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What you're seeing is a potential issue with color accuracy, which has nothing to do with color depth. Color accuracy is how close the monitor can cover the area defined in a standard color space. For example, this is the test result of a display to see how accurately it covers the sRGB color space:
saturations_srgb_575px.jpg

What do I need to perform such test at home?
 

modeonoff

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Delivery guy came. One monitor arrived with the box opened. How could that happen? It got threw around? I asked the delivery guy. He said it is not opened even it is. It was like the box got deformed and the opening opened or it was opened by somebody and then somebody put a tape on it but did a poor job.
 
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modeonoff

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Do you mean they are different things?

I am very sorry but still at a lost.

Are 8-bit image, 8-bit per subpixel and 8-bit panel the same?

What I have in mind is that 30 years ago in PowerPC Mac Era, when we chose 8-bit (256 Colors) from System 7, we could see gradient of color with ugly transition. Later, with better video cards, we could choose 16-bit color to see smooth transition of color gradients. These days when people say 8-bit, it means something different?
 
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