How even should an edge-lit panel be?

Rainbrew · September 3, 2023

I recently made the plunge and finally got my long awaited gpu + monitor upgrade. I unfortunately received my GPU without the new NVIDIA power adapter so I'm currently running my Samsung G7 27' off of my poor 1060 (it is not having fun) while I wait for the missing accessories to arrive next week. I've heard bad things about Samsung's QA when it comes to monitors so I have spent the last two days testing the panel in the few games I can run above 30 fps and trying various colour profiles/test screens/settings etc. to make sure that my model works correctly. I've run into a quirk where the monitor will sometimes lose signal for a few seconds however I'm willing to chalk that up to the included DP cable which is very short and seems a bit wonky that I'll be replacing on monday with a better one.

The primary issue I've noticed that I highly doubt will be fixed by the new cable is that the monitor has some uneven backlighting at the very top and very bottom of the panel. There's a small kind of uneven strip of dimness at the top and bottom which is not very noticeable (and doesn't bother me), however both the bottom corners have a quite noticeable drop in brightness that is not present anywhere else on the screen (which does bother me). It's very difficult to catch on camera but purely eyeballing it I'd say there's a round splotch about 4-5mm wide in both corners that is about 10-20% dimmer than the rest of the screen regardless of what is currently being displayed.

I've had no other issues with the panel and am stunned by how big the jump from 75hz to 240hz is. The contrast is also incredible and I'll have trouble going back to anything IPS again. Because I'm so impressed by certain parts of the monitor I feel like I've been flashbanged by the wonder of new technology and this seemingly small issue is bugging me as it stands out when compared to the glory of everything else that my eyeballs are witnessing. I briefly tested a friend's 1440p TUF monitor that also has a VA panel and I didn't see any inconsistent backlighting there hence my concern.

How evenly lit should such a panel even be? Is it unreasonable to expect that the backlighting would be smooth? I never noticed any issues in my old panel so it's hard for me to say what is even considered normal for an edge lit VA monitor.

Edit:

I just realized I've been sitting way too close to it and after moving back a bit the problem is less noticeable although still visible. My new concern is figuring out how to mount this thing to be able to sit ~1m away from it...

Stahlmann · September 4, 2023

12 hours ago, Rainbrew said:

I recently made the plunge and finally got my long awaited gpu + monitor upgrade. I unfortunately received my GPU without the new NVIDIA power adapter so I'm currently running my Samsung G7 27' off of my poor 1060 (it is not having fun) while I wait for the missing accessories to arrive next week. I've heard bad things about Samsung's QA when it comes to monitors so I have spent the last two days testing the panel in the few games I can run above 30 fps and trying various colour profiles/test screens/settings etc. to make sure that my model works correctly. I've run into a quirk where the monitor will sometimes lose signal for a few seconds however I'm willing to chalk that up to the included DP cable which is very short and seems a bit wonky that I'll be replacing on monday with a better one.

The cable could be the issue. Included cables are not always high quality ones. If the problem persists after switching out the cable check for a newer firmware for the monitor. If the problem still persists, you have a defective unit.

12 hours ago, Rainbrew said:

The primary issue I've noticed that I highly doubt will be fixed by the new cable is that the monitor has some uneven backlighting at the very top and very bottom of the panel. There's a small kind of uneven strip of dimness at the top and bottom which is not very noticeable (and doesn't bother me), however both the bottom corners have a quite noticeable drop in brightness that is not present anywhere else on the screen (which does bother me). It's very difficult to catch on camera but purely eyeballing it I'd say there's a round splotch about 4-5mm wide in both corners that is about 10-20% dimmer than the rest of the screen regardless of what is currently being displayed.

That is vignetting. A very common issue on LED backlit monitors like the G7.

12 hours ago, Rainbrew said:

I've had no other issues with the panel and am stunned by how big the jump from 75hz to 240hz is. The contrast is also incredible and I'll have trouble going back to anything IPS again. Because I'm so impressed by certain parts of the monitor I feel like I've been flashbanged by the wonder of new technology and this seemingly small issue is bugging me as it stands out when compared to the glory of everything else that my eyeballs are witnessing. I briefly tested a friend's 1440p TUF monitor that also has a VA panel and I didn't see any inconsistent backlighting there hence my concern.

Vignetting - like backlight bleed and IPS glow - vary from unit to unit. All of these issues are normal to some degree, but if it's too distracting to you, contacting your retailer for a replacement is the only thing you can do. There's no guarantee that the new monitor will be better though.

12 hours ago, Rainbrew said:

How evenly lit should such a panel even be? Is it unreasonable to expect that the backlighting would be smooth? I never noticed any issues in my old panel so it's hard for me to say what is even considered normal for an edge lit VA monitor.

Curved displays are more prone to backlight bleed, uniformity issues and so on. Maybe that's why your older monitor didn't have these issues.

12 hours ago, Rainbrew said:

Edit:

I just realized I've been sitting way too close to it and after moving back a bit the problem is less noticeable although still visible. My new concern is figuring out how to mount this thing to be able to sit ~1m away from it...

If possible, go for a wall-mount. It'll also free up more desk space as a bonus.

Rainbrew · September 4, 2023

4 hours ago, Stahlmann said:

The cable could be the issue. Included cables are not always high quality ones. If the problem persists after switching out the cable check for a newer firmware for the monitor. If the problem still persists, you have a defective unit.

That is vignetting. A very common issue on LED backlit monitors like the G7.

Vignetting - like backlight bleed and IPS glow - vary from unit to unit. All of these issues are normal to some degree, but if it's too distracting to you, contacting your retailer for a replacement is the only thing you can do. There's no guarantee that the new monitor will be better though.

Curved displays are more prone to backlight bleed, uniformity issues and so on. Maybe that's why your older monitor didn't have these issues.

If possible, go for a wall-mount. It'll also free up more desk space as a bonus.

Thanks for the detailed response, I really appreciate it!

I also noticed some banding issues with red/green gradients and the random black screens have appeared a few times more so I think I'll end up going for a replacement and if the issues persist in the new one a full refund. Sad that these panels have so many issues because it is an incredible display in certain aspects but the QA is all over the place for most models it seems.