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literally this big
Jan 10, 2007



Here comes
the Squirtle Squad!
Hello thread! I was directed here from the PC building thread.

I'm looking to replace my dying monitor with something a little nicer. It's an old Samsung SyncMaster 906 (1440x900 @ 75Hz). It has served me well, but the screen is getting all old and fucky, so it's most definitely time for something new.

I'm having trouble deciding on what level of monitor to get, and how much to spend. I'm definitely looking to upgrade from 1440x900, and to something that uses HDMI. I plan on retiring my current PC soon and moving it out to the living room, and building a new main computer for my room. So I'm looking for a decent mid-tier monitor to hold me over until I build my new PC, and then serve long-term as my secondary PC's monitor. Usage will be a split between gaming, streaming, browsing, and general home media. I'm trying to decide on resolution (1080 vs 1440) and refresh rate (75 vs 144). Better resolution would be nice, but I'm wondering how much I'll appreciate it on an occasional-use PC. But I also don't mind paying more for a genuinely superior product, and I'm looking for a quality multi-media monitor that will last me for years. What are some bang-for-your-buck monitors at each price range?

The Acer SB220Q (1080 @ 75Hz) for $90 seems like a deal, but perhaps a bit anemic for long-term use. An increased refresh rate doesn't seem too worth it on a 1080 monitor, and all the decent 1440 monitors are $360+.

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literally this big
Jan 10, 2007



Here comes
the Squirtle Squad!

K8.0 posted:

It's hard to tell you much with just this information. I guess the first question is what kind of gaming are you doing/do you plan on doing, and with what hardware, budget, long-term plans, etc? It doesn't usually make sense to overspend in one area and underspend in another, so more information could help. You say occasional use, so depending on your other hardware and what you're doing with it a cheap 1080p monitor may indeed be the best buy for you.

Sorry for the vagueness, I was still figuring out what I wanted. Primarily, I'd say I'm looking for bang-for-your-buck 1080 monitors to consider.

For size I'm considering 22-24", with 24" being the largest I can fit, but also wondering how much sharper a smaller screen would look. Refresh rate isn't so important, anything above 60 is just bonus. I guess I'm a 'Power User', but I don't want to sink too much $ into refresh rate or unnecessary features on this one. Once I build a new PC, this PC/monitor will go out in the living room for home media/video editing/multi-tasking/occasional browsing/entertaining guests/casting to TVs. I built my current PC with mid-range parts circa 2014. It'll run 1080 pretty well, but I'm not sure about anything much larger than that.

I put some filters on Amazon and this is what I'm looking at.

These four catch my eye:
HP L3N74AA
LG 22MK430H
Asus VS228H
Philips 226E9QDSB

Is there a consensus on TN vs IPS? They seem to be about the same price.

literally this big
Jan 10, 2007



Here comes
the Squirtle Squad!

K8.0 posted:

Seems like you just need a generic 1080p monitor. Any 1080p IPS monitor with good reviews on Amazon should be fine, as long as a stand that looks OK to you and the connectivity you need. HDMI should be fine, having DP would be a nice bonus but isn't found on many cheap monitors.

I see some of these monitors come with Free Sync. What is that? Does it matter if my PC has an Nvidia card?

literally this big
Jan 10, 2007



Here comes
the Squirtle Squad!
OK, great. I think I'm going to go with the Asus VA229HR, does that seem good?

literally this big
Jan 10, 2007



Here comes
the Squirtle Squad!

K8.0 posted:

Nvidia does not support AMD's Freesync over HDMI, so Freesync support on that monitor won't do you anything. That said Freesync on low-refresh displays is not that valuable anyway and the monitor will work fine for you.
Are there any equivalent Gsync monitors out there? All I can find at that range is FreeSync, the only Gsync monitors I can find are pricey.

Should I maybe go with an Acer XF240H to benefit from Gsync and 144Hz? This computer has a GTX 780. Anything else I should consider?

literally this big
Jan 10, 2007



Here comes
the Squirtle Squad!

Wibla posted:

780? That thing has a beard by now. Grab a cheap used 1080/2070 or something now that everyone is panic-selling theirs for the new 3000-series :sun:

I'm only looking for a new monitor for this computer right now, all my parts budget will being going towards a new computer that I'll be building soon. I like that Acer monitor because it seems like a very cost-effective modern 1080 IPS monitor. But if I could get something similar that also has Gsync, I would. Unfortunately all the Gsync 1080 monitors I can find on PCPP are in the $250-500 range, which far exceeds my budget for this monitor. Anything I'm missing?

literally this big
Jan 10, 2007



Here comes
the Squirtle Squad!

K8.0 posted:

No. Gsync is stupid expensive because it involves a hardware module, it's not worth considering on a budget. The next step up that makes sense would be $160ish 1080p 144hz IPS Freesync monitors (which have full proper Freesync support)
How about the VIOTEK GFV22CB? It seems to fit the bill, has Gsync compatibility,
and seems fairly well reviewed. It seems pretty ideal.

literally this big
Jan 10, 2007



Here comes
the Squirtle Squad!

K8.0 posted:

It doesn't matter, "Gsync compatible" is just an Nvidia Freesync certification, it still requires a 10 series or newer GPU to function. Also that's a VA panel which (aside from a few very new and expensive Samsung panels) are not great for gaming, because they respond quite slowly. Also I don't think it's an actual "G-Sync compatible" AKA certified by Nvidia monitor, not that that matters but the marketing is weird like that.
OK, bummer, no Gsync for my 780. I'll go with the budget Asus then.

I'll need to pick a 2560x1440 for my new computer next.

literally this big
Jan 10, 2007



Here comes
the Squirtle Squad!
I think I'm looking for the same thing. 2560x1440 @ 120+Hz for a new gaming computer.

Paul MaudDib posted:

there used to be some options at $300 but right now $350 is about the best you can do on those. TN isn't significantly cheaper anymore either, the market is still all screwed up from COVID and everybody building home offices.
I'm having trouble understanding the value of IPS over TN. Wouldn't a better response time give TN panels the edge for gaming? What's the real tradeoff of image versus response time? Is there anything wrong with this Acer KG271U for $300, other than it's a TN?

literally this big
Jan 10, 2007



Here comes
the Squirtle Squad!

K8.0 posted:

The answer to all of you is to just buy a 27GL83A off amazon, set up a nowinstock alert and it won't take that long to get. That or wait six months and see what comes around, new monitors are usually announced around January and available around late Feb/early March.

Paul MaudDib posted:

IPS has better color range, better viewing angles (27" is really getting a bit large for TN, you can notice some color shift as you move your head around), and marginally slower response times (about 5ms vs TN doing about 3ms) but fast enough.
Fair enough. And I'll be watching a lot of stuff from various parts of my room, so an IPS could be worth it. But $500 is just a bit too much for a monitor if I can help it. How's this Viewsonic IPS for $300?

literally this big
Jan 10, 2007



Here comes
the Squirtle Squad!

Klyith posted:

AFAIK that is the monitor du jour for people who want gaming plus good general use. The only problem is good luck ever getting one because they're always out of stock and everyone is watching like a hawk.

K8.0 posted:

It's a perfectly good monitor. It's an Innolux panel so it responds slower than the LG panel, but it does have better contrast. For $300 right now it's a very reasonable buy.
OK, I went ahead and ordered the $300 ViewSonic. It might not be the absolute best monitor out there, but it sure seems to be the best deal at the moment. It doesn't ship until November 1st, so I can keep an eye out for an even better deal until then.

literally this big
Jan 10, 2007



Here comes
the Squirtle Squad!

Verviticus posted:

are there a few recommended 144hz 1440p gaming monitors that are kinda just "pick from one of these they're all pretty good"? i saw someone mention the VX2758-2KP-MHD but im pretty sure theres 0 stock in the entirety of canada and i was wondering if there are any others

i saw someone mention the LG 27GL83A-B about 12 pages back or so
I went with the ViewSonic and it's in the mail now. I bought it for $300 two days ago, but it looks like it's now $400+ on Amazon. :stonk: If you can get it for $300 it seems like a good deal, but if you're going to spend $400+, go with the LG everyone has been recommending.

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literally this big
Jan 10, 2007



Here comes
the Squirtle Squad!
The ViewSonic said it wouldn't ship until November 1st, but it shipped right away. So I don't know how much faith you can put into those dates.

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