Changing from a TV to actual monitors. Where to start looking?

[Tomsta]

Because i have lived in a flat with limited space i have not had the space to seperate my PC from my TV when it comes to the display

 

However as im looking at moving to a bigger place soon i will finally have more room, meaning i need to actually buy some monitors and not just a TV

 

Problem is that the world of displays is a rabbit hole and im not sure if i need a "gaming" monitor as im not doing competative gaming, at least not to the extent where a gaming monitors response rate would affect it

 

Im only doing 1080p gaming and as im looking at buying two monitors i am not wanting to break the bank when it comes to monitors

 

Not sure which brands to flat out avoid

[Vishera]

I use a 1080p office monitor and i really enjoy my gaming experience with it.

I bought it for $100.

 

For shooters you may want high refresh rate,but you can play them on 60Hz panels as long as the response time is low enough.

My monitor is 5ms which is low enough for gaming (not the same as high refresh rate,but you will at least have low enough response time.).

I have a  AOC E2270SWHN 21.5"

[Morrie Sells Wigs]

1 hour ago, Tomsta said:

Because i have lived in a flat with limited space i have not had the space to seperate my PC from my TV when it comes to the display

 

However as im looking at moving to a bigger place soon i will finally have more room, meaning i need to actually buy some monitors and not just a TV

 

Problem is that the world of displays is a rabbit hole and im not sure if i need a "gaming" monitor as im not doing competative gaming, at least not to the extent where a gaming monitors response rate would affect it

 

Im only doing 1080p gaming and as im looking at buying two monitors i am not wanting to break the bank when it comes to monitors

 

Not sure which brands to flat out avoid

I'd absolutely advise getting a 1440p-144hz monitor. 

 

There are very reasonable prices these days, especially with the January sales and what not.

 

Buying a 1080p monitor, especially at 60hz, just holds you back and is, in my opinion, a sub par experience. 

 

You will probably upgrade eventually, so why not do it now while you are in a position to buy something new?

[Tomsta]

10 minutes ago, Maury Sells Wigs said:

I'd absolutely advise getting a 1440p-144hz monitor. 

 

There are very reasonable prices these days, especially with the January sales and what not.

 

Buying a 1080p monitor, especially at 60hz, just holds you back and is, in my opinion, a sub par experience. 

 

You will probably upgrade eventually, so why not do it now while you are in a position to buy something new?

Because im still in my flat and dont have the space. Plus recently dropp a lot of money on a guitar so

[RONOTHAN##]

I'd shoot for a high refresh rate panel if possible, 1080p 144Hz is pretty cheap yet very capable, with 1440p 144Hz being the overall sweet spot for desktop PCs IMO. If you've never used a high refresh rate panel before, head to a best buy or something and take a look at one one display. Just moving your cursor around should let you know if it's a good idea for you to get one or not, some people can't see it, other (like me) wonder how you ever lived without it. 

 

As for other factors, take a look at the panel tech. IPS is probably gonna be the most expensive, but it'll be the most color accurate and will have the best viewing angles. VA panels aren't as color accurate but are a bit more vibrant and have better black levels. TN panels have the fastest response times and are usually the cheapest, but have terrible viewing angles and color accuracy. I've personally used a pretty good TN panel for a while, but recently moved to a good IPS, and the difference was night and day. It's to the point where my first thought when looking at a TN panel isn't "that's a TN panel," but "what broke on that monitor?" I'd personally try to go for a VA or IPS panel, just because of how bad TN panels really do look. 

 

Response times don't really matter that much outside of Esports level monitors, and honestly anything lower than 5-8ms is fine. I'd stay away from much higher stuff since high response times just make everything look like a smeary mess. Also, just to emphasize, response times =/= input latency. Response time is how long the monitor takes to change from one color to another. Input latency is how long a monitor takes to display a rendered frame. You want them both to be as low as possible, but which one is more important depends on the situation.

 

As for brands to stick to and to avoid, there really aren't any. All monitor makers have made some bad panels, but most of them have made some pretty freaking nice panels as well. Read reviews of the specific panel you're looking at, and make sure to take it into account with the prices around you. Prices do fluctuate a lot in this industry, even from region to region, so a review might say "don't bother with this, just get that" because they're very similar but one of them was a lot cheaper, so if prices shifted it would make sense to get the other one. 

[SolarNova]

The AOC 24G2 (24G2U) is a good budget option.

 

Since ur moving home and dont want to break the bank you probably wont be wanting to spend much more per monitor than what these usually come in at. ~£180/$250.

 

As its name suggests is also 24" in size, so space shouldnt be an issue.

 

https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/aoc/24g2

 

[Morrie Sells Wigs]

4 hours ago, Tomsta said:

Because im still in my flat and dont have the space. Plus recently dropp a lot of money on a guitar so

Right, but how is this a space issue?

 

A 1440p-144hz monitor won't take up any more space than any other monitor, so I'm a little confused as to why space should be an problem. 

 

[Morrie Sells Wigs]

58 minutes ago, SolarNova said:

The AOC 24G2 (24G2U) is a good budget option.

 

Since ur moving home and dont want to break the bank you probably wont be wanting to spend much more per monitor than what these usually come in at. ~£180/$250.

 

As its name suggests is also 24" in size, so space shouldnt be an issue.

 

https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/aoc/24g2

 

I definitely agree he should go for a 120-144hz option, but why 1080p?

 

There seems little point in sticking with a resolution that really isn't up to the job.

 

Yes, a lot of people, the majority, are still using a 1080 screen...but would they stick with that if they were buying a new monitor?

 

I'd suggest probably not.

 

1440 is giving you some future proofing, at least to a degree.

 

I just see no point in buying a new 1080 panel these days when an entry level 1440p, or even 4k, high refresh rate screen can be bought for at or around the same money as the one you linked to.

[IPD]

1080p is shooting yourself in the foot.  Zero point in even upgrading if you are considering 1080p.

[Tomsta]

43 minutes ago, Maury Sells Wigs said:

Right, but how is this a space issue?

 

A 1440p-144hz monitor won't take up any more space than any other monitor, so I'm a little confused as to why space should be an problem. 

 

Because i currently have a TV amd i dont have space for a TV and a monitor

[Tomsta]

19 minutes ago, IPD said:

1080p is shooting yourself in the foot.  Zero point in even upgrading if you are considering 1080p.

Its not upgrading its replacing. The TV would now go where its meant to. In the lounge; meaning id have no display

[Morrie Sells Wigs]

1 hour ago, Tomsta said:

Because i currently have a TV amd i dont have space for a TV and a monitor

Then what are you even asking?

 

You stated in your OP that you are moving shortly and that you want (a) (possibly two) gaming monitor(s) so you don't have to use your t.v.

 

Now, you are saying you don't even have space for a monitor, which is irrelevant as you said you will have soon, hence your OP. 

 

Again, if you don't have the space, which is the case, why even ask?

 

If you will have, which is what you said and is why you wanted advice, why bring up the issue of space at all?

 

No offence, but you aren't making any sense.

[Morrie Sells Wigs]

1 hour ago, IPD said:

1080p is shooting yourself in the foot.  Zero point in even upgrading if you are considering 1080p.

Agreed. 

[IPD]

2 hours ago, Tomsta said:

Its not upgrading its replacing. The TV would now go where its meant to. In the lounge; meaning id have no display

Take $50, go down to your local Goodwill, and buy whatever they have on the shelf.  That's good enough.  Don't waste your cash on a new 1080p.

[Morrie Sells Wigs]

27 minutes ago, IPD said:

Take $50, go down to your local Goodwill, and buy whatever they have on the shelf.  That's good enough.  Don't waste your cash on a new 1080p.

Good enough for what?

 

The point is to buy something that will enhance the experience. 

 

Either wise, why bother?