I have and x-star and I love it, the screen is matte so it does not reflect and it has zero dead pixels. I think they now have a multi-input model, you can also over clock the refresh rate of the monitor up to 120hz, mine is at 115hz.
You should get an X-Star DP2710 you can OC the refresh rate up to 120hz. http://www.ebay.com/itm/X-STAR-DP2710-LED-MULTI-27inch-AH-VA-Panel-WQHD-2560x1440-Computer-Monitor-/331180242313
My 840pro had 20gb of free space and I get 15 second boot times. I think your SATA is not in AHCI mode but in IDE mode. Switch it to AHCI and make sure fast boot is on.