24" or 27-28" 4k/1440p best monitor for vibrant color and picture quality.

[EnSabahNur]

I've recently built a nice single 980 GPU custom computer and wanted to ensure that I get the very best monitor for my preferences, however I wanted to take my questions to a community that often knows more than me when it concerns technical questions. 

 

Currently, i'm leaning towards getting a 4k IPS monitor, but I need some help with knowing if 24" is too small to get the full benefit of 4k, and if so, what 27-28" monitor you would recommend for the desired preferences above.

 

I'm looking for the very best 4k (or 1440p gsync enabled) monitor with the very best color and image quality. 144 refresh and fast ms is nice, but I'm mostly concerned with getting the best colors/image quality possible. 

 

 

Moreover, I need some help knowing if gsync really is worth the ridiculous price point the technology is at currently, and if so, I'd be happy to get suggestions for 1440p monitors, but I really don't think they will match the image quality of a 4k IPS panel. 

[Suffokation]

24 inches is far far to small for 4K. The minimum really you should get is 28 inches.

[Guest]

If you're looking to game a better FOV will be better, and 4k at 24 inches is way too small to take full advantage of it

1440p will be better option for gaming though, it will be easier to run than 4k especially considering you have a 980

[o0Martin]

I've recently built a nice single 980 GPU custom computer and wanted to ensure that I get the very best monitor for my preferences, however I wanted to take my questions to a community that often knows more than me when it concerns technical questions. 

 

Currently, i'm leaning towards getting a 4k IPS monitor, but I need some help with knowing if 24" is too small to get the full benefit of 4k, and if so, what 27-28" monitor you would recommend for the desired preferences above.

 

I'm looking for the very best 4k (or 1440p gsync enabled) monitor with the very best color and image quality. 144 refresh and fast ms is nice, but I'm mostly concerned with getting the best colors/image quality possible. 

 

 

Moreover, I need some help knowing if gsync really is worth the ridiculous price point the technology is at currently, and if so, I'd be happy to get suggestions for 1440p monitors, but I really don't think they will match the image quality of a 4k IPS panel. 

 

You may not be able to play more demanding games very well at a 4k resolution, even my 980Ti would struggle a bit! But yeah if I were getting 4k it would be 27" at least, you can get a 27" 4k for the same kind of prices or even cheaper in some cases than a 24" one. 

 

If you want the best colours and image quality and a 144Hz refresh rate then you'd be wanting 1440p with g sync (not 4K) and in that case you have one option right now. And that's the Acer XB270HU, then later on there will be released the Asus PG279Q but it's only worth waiting if you don't like the bezel/stand design of the Acer. These monitors don't come cheap though.

​G sync does give a noticeable improvement and it is very nice to have, but if it's worth the price point is something you'll have to decided, if you're willing to put up the cash. 

If it were priced the same as freesync I'd say it's 100% worth it without hesitation.

 

If you really want 4k and IPS then you'll need to lose the 144Hz and g sync, but you could get the Dell P2715Q (Probably the cheapest unless you want a 23") or the Asus PB279Q which is one of my favourite 4k IPS displays.

 

Hope this somewhat helps.

 

Edit: As a further suggestion, would you consider an ultrawide monitor? At 21:9 3440x1440 resolution, 34", you can get one with g sync and potentially 100Hz in the coming month (At a high price point) or for cheaper you could get one now at 60Hz without g sync for much less, such as the Dell UltraSharp U3415W That's the cheapest curved one probably and what I would say is the best to get unless you want to spend more money, but you could get a cheaper flat panel one still like the AOC U3477PQU

The main advantage of ultra wide is it's more immersive in games, and movies will run at the correct 21:9 ration so it'll look nicer (Like at the cinema) and you'll have more fit onto the screen 

[Grrizz]

27" for 1440p

34"+ (preferably 40") for 4K IMO

[Captain_Slow]

4k under 32 inch is silly

[EnSabahNur]

You may not be able to play more demanding games very well at a 4k resolution, even my 980Ti would struggle a bit! But yeah if I were getting 4k it would be 27" at least, you can get a 27" 4k for the same kind of prices or even cheaper in some cases than a 24" one. 

 

If you want the best colours and image quality and a 144Hz refresh rate then you'd be wanting 1440p with g sync (not 4K) and in that case you have one option right now. And that's the Acer XB270HU, then later on there will be released the Asus PG279Q but it's only worth waiting if you don't like the bezel/stand design of the Acer. These monitors don't come cheap though.

​G sync does give a noticeable improvement and it is very nice to have, but if it's worth the price point is something you'll have to decided, if you're willing to put up the cash. 

If it were priced the same as freesync I'd say it's 100% worth it without hesitation.

 

If you really want 4k and IPS then you'll need to lose the 144Hz and g sync, but you could get the Dell P2715Q (Probably the cheapest unless you want a 23") or the Asus PB279Q which is one of my favourite 4k IPS displays.

 

Hope this somewhat helps.

 

Edit: As a further suggestion, would you consider an ultrawide monitor? At 21:9 3440x1440 resolution, 34", you can get one with g sync and potentially 100Hz in the coming month (At a high price point) or for cheaper you could get one now at 60Hz without g sync for much less, such as the Dell UltraSharp U3415W That's the cheapest curved one probably and what I would say is the best to get unless you want to spend more money, but you could get a cheaper flat panel one still like the AOC U3477PQU

The main advantage of ultra wide is it's more immersive in games, and movies will run at the correct 21:9 ration so it'll look nicer (Like at the cinema) and you'll have more fit onto the screen 

 

 

Thanks so much for your well written post, and yes, I am very interested in ultrawide monitors. Unfortunately, I have almost no experience with ultrawide monitors but I've been really considering one ever since I saw Linus' review on an LG and how much he seemed to love it. 

 

Really, I'm most concerned with image quality and color vibrancy being the best they possibly can be, but G sync is appealing; I will however have to think if the price point is worth it. In short, I would be really interested in your best suggestions for ultra wides in the 28-30"ish range if possible. Curved or non-curved is fine, but it seems that for the price non-curved might be better. 

[o0Martin]

Thanks so much for your well written post, and yes, I am very interested in ultrawide monitors. Unfortunately, I have almost no experience with ultrawide monitors but I've been really considering one ever since I saw Linus' review on an LG and how much he seemed to love it. 

 

Really, I'm most concerned with image quality and color vibrancy being the best they possibly can be, but G sync is appealing; I will however have to think if the price point is worth it. In short, I would be really interested in your best suggestions for ultra wides in the 28-30"ish range if possible. Curved or non-curved is fine, but it seems that for the price non-curved might be better. 

 

No problem And yeah the price of all these new technologies is really high right now, they are starting to drop down, but then they add some other thing and the prices just go up again aha

 

At 29" you can get some really nice ultra wide monitors, you're right flat panel is 100% cheaper, and actually pretty good at the 29" size, curved is more needed when going up to 34". 

Of course if you're looking for a 29" then it'll be 2560x1080, not 3440x1440, but that does mean it should be easier to drive with your 980

 

As for recommendations it's hard not to recommend the LG 29UM67 or the LG 29UB55 even though the first is a freesync monitor and you wont benefit from that with your 980, it's still a very good display, and in the UK it's also one of the cheapest available. Both these monitors are pretty much the same in all other aspects. And I love monitors with that non existent bezel look. (Just to be clear the actual picture wont stretch right to the edge like you see it do on advertisements, all it means is the edge around the screen is flat, so when it's off it looks like it's all 1 panel and when it's on it look smooth and flush with the screen, no over hanging bezels.)

They both also have a good range if I/O and the LG 29UM67 supports Picture by Picture mode with any of their I/O, while the LG 29UB55 will only allow Picture by Pitcher over 2 HDMI connections. The only negative thing about it would be the lack of an adjustable stand on the LG 29UM67, but the LG 29UB55 fixes that issue with a height adjustable stand. 

 

Moving away from LG, I would then recommend the Asus MX299Q, it's essentially the same thing, just a different design, it also has all the benefits of the LG 29UB55 (Without the height adjustment) and it comes equipped with some Bang & Olufsen speakers built in (Which aren't half bad for monitor speakers, some of the best, but they aren't great in general either aha) [Oh and I don't think it has PbP mode]

 

And all of the displays above equipped with an anti glare coating, an IPS Panel and run at 60Hz

[EnSabahNur]

No problem And yeah the price of all these new technologies is really high right now, they are starting to drop down, but then they add some other thing and the prices just go up again aha

 

At 29" you can get some really nice ultra wide monitors, you're right flat panel is 100% cheaper, and actually pretty good at the 29" size, curved is more needed when going up to 34". 

Of course if you're looking for a 29" then it'll be 2560x1080, not 3440x1440, but that does mean it should be easier to drive with your 980

 

As for recommendations it's hard not to recommend the LG 29UM67 or the LG 29UB55 even though the first is a freesync monitor and you wont benefit from that with your 980, it's still a very good display, and in the UK it's also one of the cheapest available. Both these monitors are pretty much the same in all other aspects. And I love monitors with that non existent bezel look. (Just to be clear the actual picture wont stretch right to the edge like you see it do on advertisements, all it means is the edge around the screen is flat, so when it's off it looks like it's all 1 panel and when it's on it look smooth and flush with the screen, no over hanging bezels.)

They both also have a good range if I/O and the LG 29UM67 supports Picture by Picture mode with any of their I/O, while the LG 29UB55 will only allow Picture by Pitcher over 2 HDMI connections. The only negative thing about it would be the lack of an adjustable stand on the LG 29UM67, but the LG 29UB55 fixes that issue with a height adjustable stand. 

 

Moving away from LG, I would then recommend the Asus MX299Q, it's essentially the same thing, just a different design, it also has all the benefits of the LG 29UB55 (Without the height adjustment) and it comes equipped with some Bang & Olufsen speakers built in (Which aren't half bad for monitor speakers, some of the best, but they aren't great in general either aha) [Oh and I don't think it has PbP mode]

 

And all of the displays above equipped with an anti glare coating, an IPS Panel and run at 60Hz

 

Ah, so glad you turned me onto the LG panels as they seem to be a kind of gold standard for wide screen displays. After some research, it seems that the highest end, and newest version of the 29" LG displays is the P-Class 29UM65 seen here: http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-P-Class-29UM65-29-Inch/dp/B00HYZXZ7O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1437393177&sr=8-2&keywords=LG+29UM67 does this seem to be what you've found as well? If I do go the widescreen route, I just want to be sure that get the very best widescreen monitor possible, so any other suggestions are welcome as well. Do DELL and Samsung have any good competitors worth taking into consideration, as Dell's build quality in the past has proven to be quite good.  

 

Something I wanted to ask is, in all honesty, does the resolution and image quality on the more expensive 27-28" gsync 1440p panels like the Acer g sync series outweigh the benefits of the widescreen 2560x1080 panels like the LG P-class 29um65? I've heard from some that once you use a widescreen display, nothing really is quite as immersive and nice; however, I've also heard that once you go with gsync you also cant really go back. Any thoughts on these ideas?

 

Anyone with extensive experience with widescreen displays or the acer gsync IPS line; would you be so kind as to offer your recommendations? Also, Linus did a very good review on the LG 34UM95 and he really loved, but 34" is just too large for me. Does anyone know if there is a smaller size equivalent of the LG 34UM95 that has the same features and is of the same quality; maybe with the same 3440x1440 resolution? 

[EnSabahNur]

Ah, so glad you turned me onto the LG panels as they seem to be a kind of gold standard for wide screen displays. After some research, it seems that the highest end, and newest version of the 29" LG displays is the P-Class 29UM65 seen here: http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-P-Class-29UM65-29-Inch/dp/B00HYZXZ7O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1437393177&sr=8-2&keywords=LG+29UM67 does this seem to be what you've found as well? If I do go the widescreen route, I just want to be sure that get the very best widescreen monitor possible, so any other suggestions are welcome as well. Do DELL and Samsung have any good competitors worth taking into consideration, as Dell's build quality in the past has proven to be quite good.  

 

Something I wanted to ask is, in all honesty, does the resolution and image quality on the more expensive 27-28" gsync 1440p panels like the Acer g sync series outweigh the benefits of the widescreen 2560x1080 panels like the LG P-class 29um65? I've heard from some that once you use a widescreen display, nothing really is quite as immersive and nice; however, I've also heard that once you go with gsync you also cant really go back. Any thoughts on these ideas?

 

Anyone with extensive experience with widescreen displays or the acer gsync IPS line; would you be so kind as to offer your recommendations? Also, Linus did a very good review on the LG 34UM95 and he really loved, but 34" is just too large for me. Does anyone know if there is a smaller size equivalent of the LG 34UM95 that has the same features and is of the same quality; maybe with the same 3440x1440 resolution? 

 

would anyone with the relevant experience be so kind as to help me with the questions referenced above?

[xsimplyjosh]

i have played around with my brother's 4k 27" monitor a few times from samsung...

lets just say its kinda retarded, especially at 100% windows scaling things look WAAAY too small that i have to place it at 150% factor... to take advantage of the resolution hence why im on the 1440p train, abit bigger than 1080p but not too exorbitant and wiide whilst driving a moderate amouint of extra pixels rather than even more @@'' 

 

27" imo ideal for 1440p monitor, maintain a constant dpi ratio 

from what i seen there are two monitors as far as i know that have IPS, 144Hz [165Hz] and GSync at 1440p resolution for 27"... they range between 899~1189aud. [Viewsonic and asus respectively].

 

for color accuracy, you need IPS... better viewing angles, more vibrant pop in direct contrast to tn panels... the above monitors i mentioned last paragraph has a 4ms refresh rate which is a significant improvement over other ips panels on cheaper builds [8-10ms or so]

 

and Yes IPS gaming monitor IS EXPENSIVE [no surprises there], but that's to be expected given that they manage to balance it out with the trio [fast refresh rate, high frame rates and ips] all in one...

 

i personally wont talk much about 4k cos i am not on that camp at the moment but i did give some pointers on my 1440p experiences which hopefully should help