HELP! PC Monitor Recommendations

[Guest]

I am looking for a monitor with good color accuracy and color range to create 3D models, art, and animation. My budget is $500. What would you recommend?

[Skanky Sylveon]

10 bit color depth?

Are you going to calibrate the monitor later?

[lieder1987]

18 minutes ago, lxxvii_fold said:

I am looking for a monitor with good color accuracy and color range to create 3D models, art, and animation. My budget is $500. What would you recommend?

What resolution?

[Guest]

@Cinnabar Sonar I probably won't calibrate it, but I could maybe rent one of those calibration devices and calibrate it anyways.

[Guest]

@lieder1987 I would like 2560 x 1440, but I would not be against 1920 x 1080.

[Skanky Sylveon]

@lxxvii_fold https://www.amazon.com/Dell-UltraSharp-27-Inch-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B00P0EQD1Q

This is a pretty good budget monitor.

2560 x 1440 resolution.

It looks like it's true 8 bit.  (if you don't know whether you need 10 bit or not, don't get 10 bit)

IPS which is good for color accuracy. (99% sRGB with a deltaE <3)

It's also calibrated from the factory, and should come with a copy of the calibration report.

 

No back light flicker since it doesn't use PWM.

 

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2715h.htm

Here is a full detailed review.

[Guest]

@Cinnabar Sonar That looks like a pretty good option, I will have to read the review. What about these seven monitors? For 10 bit color what type of graphics card do I need and if I were to make a 10 bit image and display it on an 8 bit monitor wouldn't that cause color banding?

1. https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/monitors/curved/27--ch711-curved-monitor-lc27h711qenxza/#specs
2. https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/monitors/uhd-and-wqhd/s27d850t-samsung-wqhd-27-led-monitor-ls27d85ktsr-za/#specs
3. http://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-27UD68-P-4k-uhd-led-monitor
4. https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PB278Q-2560x1440-DisplayPort-Monitor/dp/B009C3M7H0/
5. https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PB258Q-2560x1440-DisplayPort-Monitor/dp/B00VRKVGJG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487899101&sr=8-1&keywords=pb258q
6. https://www.benqdirect.com/bl2420pt.html?fee=29&fep=1178&_ga=2.25064697.257227388.1515867095-1632738036.1515867095
7. https://www.benqdirect.com/pd2500q.html?fee=29&fep=1361&__hstc=51037238.3f7ed89efc2aed4167ca0ea06e45c580.1515867101938.1515867101938.1515873144671.2&__hssc=51037238.12.1515873144671&__hsfp=2944635657&_ga=2.234665181.257227388.1515867095-1632738036.1515867095
8. https://www.benqdirect.com/pd2700q.html?__hstc=51037238.3f7ed89efc2aed4167ca0ea06e45c580.1515867101938.1515867101938.1515873144671.2&__hssc=51037238.15.1515873144671&__hsfp=2944635657&_ga=2.234665181.257227388.1515867095-1632738036.1515867095

Link number 2, 3 and 8 are monitors with 10 bit color.

[Skanky Sylveon]

@lxxvii_fold 

The 27UD68-P looks like an excellent value, LG states that it is factory calibrated, which is good.  Only negative that I have seen is slightly worse then average quality control.

 

The CH711 is a VA panel, which has slightly worse colors and viewing angles, but have an amazing contrast ratio.  Their input delay is not the best either.

I can't say whether you wold benefit from a better contrast ratio, or better color reproduction.  Vivid color a lot of times translates to over saturation, so watch out with that as well.

Also, some people have issues with curved monitors and dimensional accuracy.  Your mileage may vary.

 

The SD850 doesn't state it's panel type, it just says LED.  Meaning that it's probably a TN panel, which I don't recommend for color accurate work.

 

The PB278Q is fairly old, but solid.  I don't think it's factory calibrated though.  (they usually advertise that)

 

The BL2420PT looks solid as well, but I again don't see any factory calibration, and 24 inches is kinda small for it's resolution.

 

The PD2500Q looks like a 25 inch variant of the BL2420PT with a few extras sprinkled in.  Still a bit small though.

 

The PD2700Q is an even bigger variant, this one is standard size.  I still don't see factory calibration though.

 

I think that was all of them.

If I were you, I would go with the 27UD68-P.

 

Quote

For 10 bit color what type of graphics card do I need

A Quadro or a Firepro.  They are not cheap.

Quote

if I were to make a 10 bit image and display it on an 8 bit monitor wouldn't that cause color banding?

Yes, i'm not sure if it will be any worse then an 8 bit image on an 8 bit monitor though.

 

Also, read this.

http://davidjohnstone.net/blog/2013/06/be-careful-when-buying-a-wide-gamut-monitor

[Guest]

@Cinnabar Sonar I just read 2 articles and basically the "LG 27UD68-P" monitor is an 8 bit monitor that can simulate 10 Bit color with "Frame Rate Control" (FRC). FRC was originally designed for 6 bit TN panels to make them closer in color to 8 bit. Basically FRC is when your monitor flickers between two shades of a color to trick your mind into seeing the shade in-between, that it can't visually produce. At least that's how I understand it from what I read.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frame_rate_control

http://en.tab-tv.com/?p=14163

 

This thread explains FRC really well http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3320965/true-10bit-8bit-frc.html

 

 

This is good news in respect to possible viewing problems on the web that you mentioned in this article (http://davidjohnstone.net/blog/2013/06/be-careful-when-buying-a-wide-gamut-monitor) because the monitor is actually 8 bit. Also it means I might not need a Firepro/Radeon Pro. Also, I don't think I would get a NVidia graphics card with this monitor because it has AMD Free Sync.

 

My only concern is I don't won't the FRC flickering to cause long term eye strain. The LG 27UD68-P does have a flicker safe mode which may turn off the FRC or make it less straining. I don't know what the specialty feature of Flicker Safe mode really does though.

 

On a side note...

 

The Radeon Pro WX 5100 supports 10 bit color and HDR which would be good if I end up going that route. https://pro.radeon.com/en/product/wx-series/radeon-pro-wx-5100/

It's only $388 on PC Part Picker. https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Hnwqqs/amd-radeon-pro-wx-5100-8gb-video-card-radeon-pro-wx-5100

[Skanky Sylveon]

3 minutes ago, lxxvii_fold said:

I just read 2 articles and basically the "LG 27UD68-P" monitor is an 8 bit monitor that can simulate 10 Bit color with "Frame Rate Control" (FRC). FRC was originally designed for 6 bit TN panels to make them closer in color to 8 bit. Basically FRC is when your monitor flickers between two shades of a color to trick your mind into seeing the shade in-between, that it can't visually produce. At least that's how I understand it from what I read.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frame_rate_control

http://en.tab-tv.com/?p=14163

 

This thread explains FRC really well http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3320965/true-10bit-8bit-frc.html

If done well, it's near indistinguishable.

4 minutes ago, lxxvii_fold said:

This is good news in respect to possible viewing problems on the web that you mentioned in this article (http://davidjohnstone.net/blog/2013/06/be-careful-when-buying-a-wide-gamut-monitor) because the monitor is actually 8 bit. Also it means I might not need a Firepro/Radeon Pro. Also, I don't think I would get a NVidia graphics card with this monitor because it has AMD Free Sync.

That's only the case if you can turn the FRC off.  According to the Amazon page it's possible.

"Color mode conversion between Adobe RGB and sRGB is available on the 'Color Mode' menu."

Quote

My only concern is I don't won't the FRC flickering to cause long term eye strain. The LG 27UD68-P does have a flicker safe mode which may turn off the FRC or make it less straining. I don't know what the specialty feature of Flicker Safe mode really does though.

Flickering between two colors isn't really an issue.  Flickering between brightness is what causes issues.

But since you can turn off FRC, this should be a non issue.

 

[Guest]

@Cinnabar Sonar Now my next thought is if I go with the Radeon Pro WX 5100 Graphic Card to support the 10 Bit color, I should really have a monitor that also has HDR too since the WX 5100 supports it. The LG 27UK650-W is only $50 more than the LG 27UD68-P and has HDR. The only caveat is it hasn't been released yet and the tech specs are not available. In the end I think I will go with either the LG 27UK650-W or the LG 27UD68-P. Although they are both pushing my budget I think the extra cost is worth it for the additional features like free sync.

 

Thanks for taking your time to help me decide on a monitor you have been very helpful and I appreciate it!

[Skanky Sylveon]

@lxxvii_fold That is something that only you can decide.  The only thing that I can say is that monitors generally become obsolete slower then many other PC components, it's not like you are going to upgrade anytime soon after that.  You could do much worse when it comes to splurging.

[Guest]

@Cinnabar Sonar Thanks! That's a good point!

[Skanky Sylveon]

Just now, lxxvii_fold said:

@Cinnabar Sonar Thanks! That's a good point!

Yeah, just make sure that you can still pay the bills.  

[Guest]

@Cinnabar Sonar Lol! I will!

[Guest]

@Cinnabar Sonar What do you think of this monitor? It's a VA panel, but its true 10 bit color, has 1ms MPRT, 178/178 degree viewing angles and 3000:1 contrast ratio, 125% sRGB coverage, HDR, 2560x1440 resolution, and AMD free sync.

https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/monitors/gaming/27--chg70-gaming-monitor-with-quantum-dot-lc27hg70qqnxza/#specs

 

I think this Amazon review sums it up. https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R315X5VL2U9Q1P/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_viewpnt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B06XSQ5QN8#R315X5VL2U9Q1P

 

Never mind, this review shows its shortcomings and I am not interested in it any more. http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/samsung_c32hg70.htm

[Guest]

@Cinnabar Sonar Maybe a contender for 10 bit color and HDR?

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_up2718q.htm

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-UP2516D-Screen-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B012AQIPLM/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1515943200&sr=1-1&keywords=dell%2Bultrasharp%2B25%2Bmonitor%2Bwith%2Bpremiercolor%2B-%2Bup2516d&th=1

[Skanky Sylveon]

@lxxvii_fold The CHG70's color coverage is terrible.  Word of advice, if a manufacturer says stuff on their product page like "lifelike" or "vivid" it's probably crap.

Most monitors over saturate, since it looks better to most people.

I am surprised on how well the response times are on that panel though (for a VA).  VA is usually terrible in that regard, for a VA, that isn't bad.

 

The UP2718Q seems to be a solid choice.  It seems to have a slight over coverage in the greens, but nothing significant.

Panel uniformity is good as well as gamma.

That panel is over 1500.00 though.  What you have on amazon is the UP2716D.

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Cinnabar Sonar said:

That panel is over 1500.00 though.  What you have on amazon is the UP2716D.

@Cinnabar Sonar Well poop.

[Guest]

@Cinnabar Sonar Well I think I have finally come back to earth. I have decided 8-Bit color is enough, that Full HD will do, color gamut is my main priority, and 60 Hz is all I need. I have found a monitor that I think will meet my needs. Blender recommends 2 Full HD 8-Bit color monitors for an optimal setup. I think one Ultra Wide Full HD monitor will do and this is the one I have found with in a good budget for me. Do you see anything I am missing or have a better option based on my more solid and grounded criteria? I like that this one has Free Sync because I think if I going to pay all this money for a powerful Blender focused PC I should be able to play a few games on it too.   http://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-29UC88-B-ultrawide-monitor I realize the curve may cause some problems and the fact that it isn't color calibrated from what I can tell isn't as nice, but I have had a lot of difficult sorting through other brand options than LG because of their lack of spec focused searching. I did find this dell monitor on Newegg.https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4P06J93614 But I can't find it's sRGB accuracy. https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-27-monitor-se2717h/apd/210-aizr/monitors-monitor-accessories

[Skanky Sylveon]

@lxxvii_fold According to this http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/lg-34uc98-34-inch-curved-freesync,4574-3.html the color is pretty good.

It has 2 HDMI and one DisplayPort, as well as VESA compatibility, so you can get an aftermarket stand if you so desire.

Such as this one. https://www.amazon.com/Ergotech-Freedom-Arm-Silver-FDM-PC-S01/dp/B00CEHME92

If 10 bit color isn't advertised, then it probably isn't.

 

I would say go for the LG.  Mine had a color calibration report even though it wasn't advertised.

I use blender and have an ultra wide, I love it.

One tip, Blender likes CUDA, so you might not be able to use GPU rendering if you get an AMD GPU.

Although GPU prices are terrible right now.

 

Sorry for the late reply.

[Guest]

@Cinnabar Sonar Yeah, I have noticed the GPU crisis and I hate it. I feel like in some respects it's the worst time to build a PC.

[Skanky Sylveon]

@lxxvii_fold It should get better eventually.