Choosing a Monitor Pair for RX480

[Zelement]

Hi guys,

 

I'm planning to do a decent RX480 build once I receive my tax return. As attractive as Ultrawide displays are, I think I'd prefer to have two 1080p monitors instead. There are a few budget options that I've found and are considering. The two main requirements that I was looking for were Freesync, and IPS. Obviously it's difficult to find any decent affordable options with both of these. I was also trying to find anything with a >60Hz refresh rate, but that's going to heavily drive up costs along with the other requirements that I had. So, because of my budget I've been trying to make some compromises, and I'd enjoy the input from the community. Here's what I've found, but please include any suggestions.

 

Samsung C22F390 22" ($129 USD)

- 1920x1080

- 60Hz

- VA Panel (I hear that this produces similar color to IPS, but please let me know of your experiences.)

- FREESYNC (One of the main focuses here!)

- Vesa Mountable (Huge plus, as I'd like to get a dual monitor arm.)

Pro: Freesync, Vesa Mounting

Con: 60Hz, VA Panel

 

Asus VP239H-P 23" ($129 USD)

- 1920x1080

- 75Hz (Newegg and BHP seem to suggest that this monitor can be 75Hz refresh rate.)

- IPS Panel (Highly Preferable panel type)

- Vesa Mountable

Pro: 75Hz, IPS, Vesa Mounting

Con: No Freesync

 

Asus VG245H 24" ($189 USD)

-1920x1080

- 75Hz

- TN Panel (Gross, but I've heard that Asus make some of the best color producing TN Panels.)

- FREESYNC

- Vesa Mountable

Pro: Freesync, 75Hz, Vesa Mounting

Con: TN Panel

 

Lenovo LI2364D 23" ($115 USD)

- 1920x1080

- 75Hz

- IPS

- Freesync? (Some places suggest that it is Freesync, and other websites do not list that feature for it?)

Pro: Freesync?, 75Hz, IPS

Con: No Vesa, May be questionable panel quality....

 

Again, feel free to drop me any suggestions, especially if I missed anything. (United States merchants only please.)

[dany_boy]

Don't do double monitor gaming. Period. Don't do multi-monitor gaming with a mid tier card. Period

[DarkBlade2117]

The Lenovo one or Samsung one for sure. Also, if you happen to have I think a visa the Lenovo one is $25 off.

Also if you are into Curved monitors Samsung has a curved Freesync IPS monitor for $120 atm

[DarkBlade2117]

2 minutes ago, dany_boy said:

Don't do double monitor gaming. Period. Don't do multi-monitor gaming with a mid tier card. Period

What are you on... who said he was going to try and do eyefinity or what not? It's nice having the extra screen room

[Zelement]

4 minutes ago, dany_boy said:

Don't do double monitor gaming. Period. Don't do multi-monitor gaming with a mid tier card. Period

Just to clarify, Not planning on doing dual monitor gaming. It'd be more for having my game on one monitor, and other things like Twitch/Youtube/Netflix on the other. I just really would prefer my monitors to match.

[Zelement]

2 minutes ago, DarkBlade2117 said:

What are you on... who said he was going to try and do eyefinity or what not? It's nice having the extra screen room

Exactly, thanks for understanding me. ;D

[dany_boy]

1 minute ago, DarkBlade2117 said:

What are you on... who said he was going to try and do eyefinity or what not? It's nice having the extra screen room

Right I guess I didn't' quite explain myself. For gaming its a terrible experience, for productivity its a different story.

[DarkBlade2117]

3 minutes ago, dany_boy said:

Right I guess I didn't' quite explain myself. For gaming its a terrible experience, for productivity its a different story.

Even if it is a pure gaming machine. 1 monitor is not enough. Discord, TS3, OBS, ReLive, hardware monitoring, browser ect. I could fill up 4 screens worth of space atm and I only have 2 monitors. Other than OBS/Relive, there are tons of programs I personally use that I wish were up at all times.

[Zelement]

On 2/17/2017 at 10:01 AM, huilun02 said:

Is the C24F390 an option?

Its the C22F390 but at 24"

That would be perfect.

The lackluster contrast of IPS panels makes dark gradients look really bad in bright environments, and IPS glow makes dark scenes glow especially in dark environments.

VA solves both of those jarring problems. And 60Hz won't be a problem with Freesync.

Sure. I'm not too familiar with VA panels, but from what I understood they're a decent alternative to IPS panels. So they provide higher contrast compared to IPS? Any idea what the overclocking potential is with these panels? Do they have a decent freesync range?

[Zelement]

On 2/22/2017 at 10:54 PM, huilun02 said:

VA is actually very good alternative to IPS. In exchange for the slightly lower color space and accuracy (which some may not notice), it solves both the contrast and glowing which have been unavoidable annoyances. The deep blacks more than make up for the loss in color. You will really appreciate it if you play in dim/dark environments and dark images.

 

Overclocking is anyone's guess as with all displays, but its uncommon to get one that can't reach at least 70Hz. The Freesync range on the C24f390 is 48-72Hz (yes, despite being a 60Hz panel, but indicative of OC potential without having to hack the Freesync firmware) You should not have a problem maintaining 48fps with an RX480. 

Great, thanks for your help. I'm still going to shop around for a bit, but this does seem like my current front runner.