What is a good monitor?

25 Jul 2012

Hello everyone, this is off-topic from the main forum so I figured that I would post it here.

So recently, my friend wanted to try out dual-monitoring and he uses the same monitor as me so, he decided to buy the monitor off me and I figured that it is the perfect time to change my monitor as well but I am not sure about what monitor to go for... Any advice for a newbie like me?

- I know that the 'max' resolution is 1920 x 1080, am I right? I tried reading that that is about 23" so is that the minimum inch I should go for?

- I read about 120Hz thingy but am not sure about all those, will I have a noticeable effect?

- Is there anything else I would need to know before choosing any monitor?

- Any recommended brands for me? I am currently using this Acer monitor for 3 years now and still kicking fine. By visual inspection, there isn't any dead pixels, etc...

Sorry for the text wall and thanks in advance.

Zepher · 25 Jul 2012

Max resolution currently for consumer lcd monitors is 2560x1600, found on 30" monitors.
27" monitors come in 1920x1080 and 2560x1440

What do you do on your pc?
Do you need very accurate colors and even brightness?
Were you happy with your old monitor? You say you have an acer but I can't tell if that is the one you are selling or a spare that you happened to have.
I can't comment on the 120hz monitors as ive never seen one in person.
And what is your budget.

25 Jul 2012

Zepher said:

Max resolution currently for consumer lcd monitors is 2560x1600, found on 30" monitors.
27" monitors come in 1920x1080 and 2560x1440

What do you do on your pc?
Do you need very accurate colors and even brightness?
Were you happy with your old monitor? You say you have an acer but I can't tell if that is the one you are selling or a spare that you happened to have.
I can't comment on the 120hz monitors as ive never seen one in person.
And what is your budget.

Thank you for the reply, sir. Sorry for lacking all the information.

- I am currently a student and so I will only be using it for casual gaming.
- I am happy with the current monitor of mine, Acer P193w (1440 x 900) due to its durability. I am selling away this one to my friend so I can top up with some money and buy a new monitor.
- I am willing to spend up to USD$200 if it is durable/good.

Lastly, thank you.

pparks1 · 25 Jul 2012

Maximum PC recently did an indepth look at monitors and they loved the Asus PA238Q. It's a 23" IPS planel, that does 1920x1080. Has a 6ms response time and is currently $259 at NewEgg.
Newegg.com - ASUS PA Series PA238Q Black 23" 6ms HDMI Height,Swivel,Pivot & Tilt adjustment LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 ASCR 50000000:1

IPS gives you an advantage in color accuracy and viewing angles as compared to TN displays. It has a fully adjustable height stand. It's color calibrated right at the factory and Maximum PC agreed that the results were impressive

I know this is $60 more than you wanted to spend, but don't skimp on your monitor. It's what you look at and interact with 100% of the time that you are actually using your computer. You will find quite a number of complaints about backlight bleed on this display. Even Maximum PC said, "our review sample had the whiff of backlight bleed on the right-hand edge, and like all IPS screens, there's a little backlight glow at some angles when viewing dark tones". Some people are fine with that, others find it completely unacceptable. It's going to depend upon your personal preferences as to whether it's acceptable to you or not.

smarteyeball · 26 Jul 2012

120hz monitors provide a 'smoother' feel over 60hz monitors. Atm, all of them use TFT panels which is one of the 'lowest image quality' type of panels. If budget allows, IPS is the way to go.

And to really benefit form a 120hz monitor, you need the GPU grunt to back it up. Especially if you like using v-sync. A 560ti won't cut it for the majority of titles. It would not be able to sustain 120FPS + highest/max settings.

27 Jul 2012

Thank you, smarteyeball and pparks1. Sorry, I couldn't give rep due to this thread being in the 'Chillout Room'.

Thank you again, pparks1 for the recommendation on the Asus monitor, I have seen videos about how it looks like, etc. I am really in fond of the features it can deliver so far. Fit all of my expectations and more so I think you are right on not skimping.

But, I am not sure by what you meant in the "our review sample had the whiff of backlight bleed on the right-hand edge, and like all IPS screens, there's a little backlight glow at some angles when viewing dark tones"... I couldn't find the details or image on how it looks like. Is there a link which I can understand or see better of how 'bad' it is? Sorry and thanks.

Also, thank you, smarteyeball for the explanation on the 120Hz monitor. I am a complete newbie on monitor. Thanks again.

Also, I don't have to worry too much about the rest of the specifications like Contrast Ratio, right? I have read that the faster response time, the better it is, right? I have seen some monitor selling at my country having a standard of 5ms but I can't remember what model number since all of them have different different number combination.

Thanks for all the help so far and sorry for more questions.

05 Aug 2012

Bump~! Not sure can I do this but, sorry and thanks.

A Guy · 05 Aug 2012

I can't provide specifics, but unless you view at some extreme angle, and not straight on, the angle issue shouldn't be a problem. And the edge backlight bleeding being described as a "whiff" would mean on a black background, there would be a slightly brighter area on the edge. Not uncommon on any LCD monitors/TVs. Unless you do professional image editing, it probably won't be a big issue.

Newegg TV: ASUS PA Series PA238Q LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor Overview - YouTube

http://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/m...onitor-review/

These guys geek it up real good. From expecting to reviews

Asus PA238Q - 23" IPS - [H]ard|Forum

A Guy

06 Aug 2012

A Guy said:

I can't provide specifics, but unless you view at some extreme angle, and not straight on, the angle issue shouldn't be a problem. And the edge backlight bleeding being described as a "whiff" would mean on a black background, there would be a slightly brighter area on the edge. Not uncommon on any LCD monitors/TVs. Unless you do professional image editing, it probably won't be a big issue.

Newegg TV: ASUS PA Series PA238Q LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor Overview - YouTube

http://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/m...onitor-review/

These guys geek it up real good. From expecting to reviews

Asus PA238Q - 23" IPS - [H]ard|Forum

A Guy

Thank you, A Guy for the wonderful information. I have read them all but the main reason suddenly is the monitor seems to be out of stock and the ones that is selling are selling at quite expensivr and as a student like me, it is sadly over my allowed budget. I may hold and look for other cheaper alterbatives.