Looking for a Gaming & Professional monitor?

[RobTheStump]

Hi guys! It's my first time posting here and I am looking for advice and guidance..

 

WHAT FOR: Long story short, I am a former graphic designer and now a 3D artist (mainly modelling and texturing), I am looking to buy a new monitor for my home setup. I work with textures and rendering, and would like something that's pretty acurate for colors. The problem is I am a big gamer on my spare time.

CURENT SETUP: 27" Samsung monitor from 2002 as a main and an old 21.5" HP that s*cks on the side for entertainement or reference. My GPU is a Zotac GTX1080 Founders Edition.

IDEAL: Idk if there is such a thing but I would prefer to have a 120-144hz G-Sync compatible monitor if possible, 2K or better.

I want to purchase one for now and maybe eventually a 2nd or even 3rd one - unless it's an ultra wide, only 1 would do.

 

 

I've been doing a lot of research and it seems that since it's also for professional use I should go with an IPS panel, the problem is all the ones I was looking at suffer from bad BLB (ASUS PG279Q for example).

I have considered the Dell S2716DG but I keep reading that the colors are washed out and its due to the TN panel... it's a shame, it would have been so much cheaper.

I just don't know what to look for anymore.. I don't want to spend 800$ (CAD) on a monitor and have that kind or problems... it's beyond me that it's a thing...

I'd be willing to spend a little more for maybe an ultra wide monitor at this point but only if the quality control is better and won't have issues with BLB.

I also noticed VA panels have issues with ghosting and such..

 

So.. Is there such a thing as a gaming AND professional monitor? is there better IPS monitors known for little to no BLB? or are the TN that bad for designing purposes? Should I wait for new stuff or Black Friday deals?

Please help! Thanks in advance

[Mira Yurizaki]

23 minutes ago, RobTheStump said:

So.. Is there such a thing as a gaming AND professional monitor?

Not really, because it's two different markets wanting two different things. Even if there was such a monitor, it'd be ungodly expensive.

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is there better IPS monitors known for little to no BLB?

Backlight bleed is technically a manufacturing defect that happens to any display. What you're probably thinking of is IPS glow and is inherent in IPS panels. It's also only really a problem if you view an IPS display off axis in a dark room with primarily dark content. It's not a problem otherwise.

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or are the TN that bad for designing purposes?

Considering that TN panels are likely still 6-bit with AFR and will color shift at the slightest off-angle axis, yes. But as far as color accuracy is concerned, no. TN panels can be accurate. In fact, TFT Central managed to get a TN panel monitor to be more accurate than Dell's Ultrasharp monitors (http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/asus_rog_swift_pg278q.htm#comparison).

[RobTheStump]

Thanks for the reply.

About the BLB or IPS glow, I am just worried that if I try to view a render of a darker scene it will throw me off due to the highlights and in order to be more efficient I would prefer to not have to move around my image or window to see how it looks every time I apply changes or what not..

I got really dissapointed when I saw this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mje_fmayu0k    

Specially for how much more they cost..

My main screen would be sitting right in front of me and I would use my current 27" at an angle, in this case, if I understood correctly, TN panel could do a good job?

If this is the case I would reconsider the Dell S2716DG or even that Asus PG278Q or PG279Q

[Blasteque]

32 minutes ago, RobTheStump said:

<snip>

I do CAD and 3D modelling (Solidworks at work and 3DSMax as a hobby) and in my experience color accuracy and image quality are critical.  You don't want to render an image that looks great on your monitor and then looks like junk elsewhere because you couldn't see the banding in dark areas, or slightly mis-matched colors, etc. due to your monitor. 

 

IPS is going to the safest bet due to image consistency, though there plenty of poor IPS displays.  TNs can be accurate, as @M.Yurizakimentions, but the image shifts in color depending on the viewing angle; so the top of the image will look different then the bottom and you will have to move your head up and down to check your renders.  Don't do this to yourself.

 

Unfortunately, IPS panels that have a great image usually aren't great for gaming (and cost a lot).  There have been a few from time-to-time (I have an Overload that is fantastic; now they're out of business), but I don't know what is a good choice now.  You need to look for image uniformity, calibration response, and color accuracy. Unless you get real lucky, this will lead you in the opposite direction of a gaming monitor.

 

The obvious solution is two monitors.  

[Mira Yurizaki]

19 minutes ago, RobTheStump said:

About the BLB or IPS glow, I am just worried that if I try to view a render of a darker scene it will throw me off due to the highlights and in order to be more efficient I would prefer to not have to move around my image or window to see how it looks every time I apply changes or what not..

It's the combination of dark content, dark ambient lighting, and the off-axis viewing that causes IPS glow to be more noticeable. If you have dark content but bright ambient lighting, IPS glow is practically invisible.

 

If anything, you should create your content in a manner you think your viewers are going to consume it in.

 

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I got really dissapointed when I saw this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mje_fmayu0k    

Specially for how much more they cost..

This was a problem way back when. I have one and I don't notice anything odd about it. Then again, I feel like I'm the odd one where I don't use my computer with the lights out and everyone else is an oversensitive vampire. Or they just do one scenario and call it a day.

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My main screen would be sitting right in front of me and I would use my current 27" at an angle, in this case, if I understood correctly, TN panel could do a good job?

If this is the case I would reconsider the Dell S2716DG or even that Asus PG278Q or PG279Q

No. At 27", you will see color shifting towards the edges even if you view the monitor head on.

[RobTheStump]

@Blasteque Thanks for the comment! I appreciate having an opinion from a professional since most of the time I get only the gamer point of view. 2 monitors can be an option but my ideal setup would've been 2 or 3 of the same, to enjoy my racing games with a triple monitor setup but I wasn't going to purchase them all together, not that kind of budget. I guess I can do 2 screens side by side and move to one when gaming and the other when working. Not ideal for what I had in mind but if that's the best option I guess I'll consider it.

 

9 minutes ago, M.Yurizaki said:

This was a problem way back when. I have one and I don't notice anything odd about it. Then again, I feel like I'm the odd one where I don't use my computer with the lights out and everyone else is an oversensitive vampire. Or they just do one scenario and call it a day.

That's another thing I was wondering, has there been changes to those same models? I see a lot of these videos have been posted quite some time ago, was there revisions to try to correct those things or improved quality control? Did you get yours recently? I mean I saw that it's more noticeable when in a dark room but I've seen that when you're simply viewing a dark image you will also see it? Sorry I don't want to be anal but since you have one I want to have a better idea about what I would have to deal with before spending that amount of money. Your help is really appreciated btw!

[Mira Yurizaki]

1 minute ago, RobTheStump said:

That's another thing I was wondering, has there been changes to those same models? I see a lot of these videos have been posted quite some time ago, was there revisions to try to correct those things or improved quality control? Did you get yours recently? I mean I saw that it's more noticeable when in a dark room but I've seen that when you're simply viewing a dark image you will also see it? Sorry I don't want to be anal but since you have one I want to have a better idea about what I would have to deal with before spending that amount of money. Your help is really appreciated btw!

I got mine in mid 2016. And no, when you view a dark image in a lit room, it's not obvious. It's also likely if you use mood lighting around the monitor it'll lessen the apparent visibility of it.

[RobTheStump]

In the end I think even for my budget it would be better if I get a Dell S2716DG - 2K TN panel G-sync 144hz 1ms for gaming

 

Now for work, I saw the Dell P2715Q that is pretty affordable "With 99-Percent sRGB color coverage, and a factory color calibration report to certify that each monitor arrives at a deltaE of and lt;3, youcan be sure that colors are as accurate as they can be" @Blasteque is it something you would consider? or any reasonable options for a 27"?

I saw a really nice Dell and BenQ but I don't really want to get in the 30+ monitors unless its an ultrawide that I'd game and work on and have only that one screen.

 

I would use the TN panel as a main in front of me to model and game on it and have my render viewers and work my textures on the IPS on my right slightly tilted

What do you think?

 

I can potentially pick them up for 500$ CAD each 

[jones177]

Hi

I am a former 3D artist(retired). 

Color accuracy is not that important to me since my output is viewed by the client on their monitors & printed on their printers.

For textures I use pantone colors supplied by the client. In 3D the colors shift with the lighting used, so images have to be corrected to a pantone swatch in PhotoShop anyway.

 

For creating content for games a TN panel is in excellent choice since that is what the average gamer uses.

I now use VA panels. They are great for viewing low light scenes but the details that make the scene great disappear in the shadows when viewed on a TN panel.

 

For texture work I use 4k panels. Textures are closer to 100% in PhotoShop when viewed. For me that is less of a chance I will make a mistake. 

 

 

 

 

[RobTheStump]

4 minutes ago, jones177 said:

Hi

I am a former 3D artist(retired). 

Color accuracy is not that important to me since my output is viewed by the client on their monitors & printed on their printers.

For textures I use pantone colors supplied by the client. In 3D the colors shift with the lighting used, so images have to be corrected to a pantone swatch in PhotoShop anyway.

 

For creating content for games a TN panel is in excellent choice since that is what the average gamer uses.

I now use VA panels. They are great for viewing low light scenes but the details that make the scene great disappear in the shadows when viewed on a TN panel.

 

For texture work I use 4k panels. Textures are closer to 100% in PhotoShop when viewed. For me that is less of a chance I will make a mistake. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the imput! so I'm guessing I should be good with a Dell S2716DG + Dell P2715Q 

[RobTheStump]

Do you guys know if I would have an issue running the S2716DG at 144hz (with G-Sync) and the 4k panel at 60hz? am I going to have FPS issues of some kinds? is my 1080 going to handle both of them at the same time? or if it's going to cause more imput lag or something while gaming?

[Blasteque]

On 7/4/2018 at 7:25 AM, RobTheStump said:

In the end I think even for my budget it would be better if I get a Dell S2716DG - 2K TN panel G-sync 144hz 1ms for gaming

 

Now for work, I saw the Dell P2715Q that is pretty affordable "With 99-Percent sRGB color coverage, and a factory color calibration report to certify that each monitor arrives at a deltaE of and lt;3, youcan be sure that colors are as accurate as they can be" @Blasteque is it something you would consider? or any reasonable options for a 27"?

I saw a really nice Dell and BenQ but I don't really want to get in the 30+ monitors unless its an ultrawide that I'd game and work on and have only that one screen.

 

I would use the TN panel as a main in front of me to model and game on it and have my render viewers and work my textures on the IPS on my right slightly tilted

What do you think?

 

I can potentially pick them up for 500$ CAD each 

That Dell looks reasonable on the surface to me.  My experience with BenQ is very hit-or-miss, but that was some time ago.