Looking for a Monitor

[Vortex88]

Hey everyone,

 

Right now I have two monitors sitting on my desk. One of them is an Acer P243W, which I bought on a whim back in 2008. It's probably one of the nicest TN panels I've ever seen, and I'm still impressed by it even though it's not an IPS.

 

The other monitor is a Nixeus Vue 27. It's a 27 inch IPS panel with a resolution of 2560x1440. The problem is that the Nixeus came with some funky colors right out of the box, and I'm not sure they're entirely accurate even after calibrating the display with a colorimeter. 

 

Comparing the two displays, I've noticed that the TN panel seems much more vibrant than the IPS. The colors really pop, while the picture on the IPS panel seems greyed out in comparison. Despite this, it does seem that the colors are more accurate on the IPS. I noticed this after running the same video across both of them. The TN panel is much darker, which allows bright colors to pop a little more, but shadows and dark areas seem to have an effect on the surrounding picture making it darker than it probably should be. If the IPS is greyed out, then the TN is blacked out.

 

Anyway, let me get to the point here. I am trying to find a vibrant monitor that is as close to perfect as possible when it comes to its picture and colors. At the same time, it also needs a low input lag and response time for gaming. I also want a resolution of 2560x1440. Is there an IPS panel out there that meets this criteria, or am I going to be stuck waiting until OLED monitors start going into production?

[ZetZet]

Anything that has close to 100% sRGB would work for you I think. Or VA, it has nice blacks so colours do pop.

[Vortex88]

Any suggestions as far as specific models go?

 

Also, from what I've heard about VA panels, it sounds like they don't always have the greatest response times and suffer from ghosting issues. Not to mention that the colors aren't as good as an IPS panel. I don't have any experience with VA panels, but just from reading around, it doesn't sound like it would be a good option.

[Vortex88]

Actually...the more I look at VA panels, the more appealing they seem to be. Better colors than a TN and better contrast than an IPS. Are there any 2560x1440 VA panels out there that anyone would recommend?

[GrizzlyBear]

Actually...the more I look at VA panels, the more appealing they seem to be. Better colors than a TN and better contrast than an IPS. Are there any 2560x1440 VA panels out there that anyone would recommend?

The Benq BL3200PT has gotten good professional and user reviews.

 

But for me, 32" is too big for a 16:9 monitor. If it was 27", I'd own it already.

[Vortex88]

I have been looking at that BenQ. Right now I am trying to decide between that and the Samsung S32D850T. Both monitors seem to trade blows. Supposedly, the Samsung has better colors, but the BenQ has less input lag and a better response time. I do have a colorimeter, so I will be able to calibrate the monitors, but even then reviews are showing that the Samsung still has better colors even after calibration. The BenQ is supposed to have better contrast.

 

I was thinking about going with the Samsung just because the color accuracy is supposed to be better, but the difference between the two might be negligible especially after calibrating them. Not to mention, it looks like some people are having flickering issues with the Samsung display which is turning me off a bit. What do you guys think? If you had to have one, which would you pick?

[GrizzlyBear]

I've used the BL3200PT briefly (like an hour) and liked it a lot. Good contrast, good colors, no light bleed. Didn't notice any flickering though although some people have like in the Samsung. Both have the same panel afaik.

 

But like I said, I personally don't like the size. I'd rather have a smaller monitor with a higher PPI.

 

*Sigh*

 

It's such a shame there's so few quality VA monitors out there.

[Vortex88]

Yeah, I agree. The size is a little bit much. I just don't understand why there aren't 27 inch models available. Every other 2560x1440 monitor on the market is 27 inches, and you'd think that if 20 inch 1920x1080 VA panels are possible that they'd make a 27 inch 2560x1440 model. 

 

Now this has got me wondering if I should just get a smaller 24-inch VA monitor at 1920x1080. It's more manageable and has about the same pixel density. Just eyeballing it without looking at any reviews beforehand, the BenQ EW2440L is catching my eye:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0ZX1CA5693

 

It has no bezels at all, so it might even be pretty awesome for Nvidia Surround.

 

***Edit***

After looking at some pictures, it does look like the monitor has bezels. The marketing just makes them look smaller than they actually are. They are still very small though.

 

*****Update*****

So...apparently the smaller VA panels only support 16.7 million display colors. This is compared to the 1.07 billion display colors in the 32 inch models. If this is the case, why would I bother getting a VA panel at 1920x1080 if it has the same color as a TN panel that will have better response times and input lag? Maybe that's not 100 percent how it works, but still....I can't find any really detailed reviews on it either.