rambol

I haven't been able to find any at 1080p; only monitors with TN and VA panels.

Am I right that there are no 1080p/144Hz/IPS monitors on the market though?

I spend most of my time playing SWTOR (an MMO), which doesn't really benefit from high refresh rates. I also play a few single-player FPSs and action games but Overwatch is the only competitive FPS I play.

Hi guys, I want to upgrade my dual monitor setup and am looking for some advice. My full system specs are in my signature but I am running a GTX 1070 and an i7-5820K at 4.4GHz. I am currently using two BenQ G2220HD monitors. They are 21.5″ TN panels, have a resolution of 1920×1080 (thus a pixel density of 102.46PPI) and are overclocked from 60 to 70Hz. Their colour reproduction is obviously not on par with a good IPS panel and their refresh rate and response time is average: BenQ claims they cover 72% of sRGB and have a 5ms response time. I've never had cause to complain about them but I've never used better monitors either! While most of the games I play don't really benefit from a high refresh rate, I do play FPSs like Overwatch and I'm worried that sticking with 60–70Hz would be a sidegrade. On the other hand, I stream regularly (using one system to game and encode) and am wary of pushing too many pixels. My age-old dilemma is that I want high refresh rates but also accurate colours as I plan to use my machine for video editing (and want games to look their best). Ideally, I'd pick up a 1080p/IPS/144Hz/G-Sync monitor but none seem to exist. The closest seems to be the ever-popular ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q but it costs considerably more than I want to pay, especially as I'd prefer to have two matching monitors. Other monitors on my shortlist include the ASUS PA238Q (23″/1080p/IPS/60Hz), the Dell U2417H-2 (24″/1080p/IPS/60Hz) and the BenQ BL2420PT (24″/1440p/IPS/60Hz). They are similarly priced (despite their differing resolutions) and supposedly have 99% sRGB coverage. However, they are limited to 60Hz (maybe I can get an extra 10–20Hz with an overclock) and lack G-Sync. A few questions that might help me make a decision: How significant is the jump from 60 to ≥120Hz? Will I see much benefit from a 1440p monitor over an equivalent 1080p monitor at 24″? Can I find a 1080p or 1440p TN panel (with high refresh rate) with colour reproduction comparable to an IPS panel? From the research I've done, the consensus seems to be "no". Is gaming at 1440p and streaming on the same machine viable? Will my frame rates/performance drop dramatically? Should I wait for more HDR-enabled monitors to come to market? I'm shopping in the UK and my budget is flexible. I'd rather wait for the right monitors than make a big investment I will regret.

Hello! My rig (details in signature) is showing its age so I'm looking for some upgrade advice. Location: UK Budget: £1,000 (GBP) max. Aims: To play new and upcoming titles on high detail at 1080p/1440p and 60FPS and to stream MMOs like Star Wars: The Old Republic at 720p and 30FPS with minimal impact on my frame rate. My existing CPU (AMD Phenom II X4 960T) struggles with CPU-bound games. I'd like to reuse as much of my existing rig (case, storage, etc.) in the new build as possible. Monitors: I'm currently using one 1080p monitor but considering adding a second or upgrading to a 1440p monitor. I'm currently considering: • CPU: Intel Core i7 5820K (I understand that more cores are generally better for streaming, particularly when playing CPU-bound games like SWTOR; I'd also hope to overclock it to at least 4GHz); • motherboard: ASUS X99-A; • memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX (DDR4, 4*8GB, 2666MHz). I'm also looking at the upcoming Nvidia GTX 1070 and 1080, as my XFX Radeon HD 7950 DD is loud and starting to develop problems (artifacting) while gaming. Questions: • Is there any sense waiting for a new Intel Core i7 six-core CPU? • Will my power supply (discontinued Antec TP-550, 550W, 80 PLUS Bronze) cope with this build? • Is my existing CPU cooler (be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 2) compatible with this build? I'm concerned about RAM clearance and unsure if I need new motherboard fittings, etc.

I decided to go all out and get the circumaural Sennheiser Momentum which arrived this morning. The ear cups looked alarmingly small on first glance but they're wonderfully snug. Overall, first impressions are good: build quality is outstanding. Will give a fuller review after I've had a chance to use them out and about.

They are ticking most of the boxes. However, a common criticism seems to be poor isolation. Can you weigh in on that?

I found some positive reviews of the Sony MDR-1R. They don't fold up but the ear cups do at least lay flat and they come with a short, straight, replaceable cable. Is anyone familiar with the MDR-1R? Thoughts on sound quality, noise isolation and sound leakage?

I've always found earphones uncomfortable. Also, it's chilly here this time of year and my ears get cold.

Thanks for your responses! Those JVC headphones look interesting but I have found supra-aural headphones to be uncomfortable. The Custom One Pro actually looks like a good option. How do they perform? I've read a few reviews suggesting that are bass heavy and muddy-sounding. Otherwise, I think my only complaint would be that they don't fold up (not too a big deal, I suppose). Does anyone have an opinion on the Shure SRH440 or the Sony MDR-7506? I like the aesthetic of both; all that concerns me is the unwieldy coiled cables!

After some input from you guys (for which I am hugely grateful), I recently upgraded to a Sennheiser HD 518 and FiiO E10 for home listening. I’m delighted with them! Now I’m looking for some portable, closed cans (preferably circumnaural). I’ll be using them on public transport and in my university library so excellent noise isolation and minimal sound leakage are priorities. They also need to be comfortably driven by my SanDisk Sansa Clip+ and laptop’s onboard sound. Short (preferably replaceable) cables and solid build quality are important too: they’re probably going to get thrown around a lot and I want them to last. 3.5mm jack preferred as adaptors are clunky. I wear glasses and have found pleather ear cushions to be a nuisance at times (squeaky). The Sennheiser HD 439 and Beyerdynamic DT 250 have fabric ear cushions but I’m curious whether this impacts noise isolation/sound leakage. The Sennheiser HD 380 and Audio Technica ATH-M50 also look like good options. My budget is flexible (I'm willing to wait and save for something worthwhile) but the aforementioned cans all cost between £70 and £150 on Amazon UK. The circumnaural Sennheiser Momentum has gotten some glowing reviews but, at around £250, is markedly more expensive than the other cans I’m looking at: is it justified? Are there any other options I've overlooked? Many thanks for your time!

I'd say 9/10 for yours, Bakgrund! Nice rig.

I managed to get a half-priced HD 518 this weekend (it seemed like a steal) and will be pairing it with a FiiO E10; just waiting on the delivery! I understand the 518, 558 and 598 all use the same drivers and their frequency response curves look similar so I'm excited to try the 518 out!

Not a glowing review then?

Thanks very much for your advice; maybe I should trust my ears more. The AKG K550 has some positive reviews and it's priced similarly to the HD 558 in the UK. Do you have any opinion on them?