Time for a new monitor. Help and suggestions are appreciated!

[testudo]

Hello,

I hope that I am in the correct forum for this. If not, I apologize. I didn't see one dedicated to monitors.

Okay, so I have a brand spanking new G1 980 ti on its way. I am currently gaming on a 23" Dell 1080p IPS monitor(s). I think that with the new GPU, I would like to match it up with a great monitor. I know there are so many choices and I have no clue. I don't really have a budget, but I would like to keep it as reasonable as possible.

1. Should I go for another 1080p, but at 120 or 144 Hz? I mean, what should I get to play whatever game I want with all of the bells and whistles, at least 60 FPS?
2. Should I jump up to a higher resolution, like 4K?
3. Is there a certain feature that I should be looking for, like IPS, G Sync...etc?
4. What are the top brands I should be looking for?
5. Should I even be considering an HDTV? I will have 2 monitors for work and the HDTV would essentially be the gaming/movie display.

Those are all of the concerns that I can remember, but I am sure as soon as I post this I will remember others.

Thank you in advance for any and all help!

 

[Bill_Bright]

I don't really have a budget, but I would like to keep it as reasonable as possible.

As reasonable as possible might mean < $150 for some and less than < $500 for others. You need to be specific. What is the maximum you want to spend?

5. Should I even be considering an HDTV? I will have 2 monitors for work and the HDTV would essentially be the gaming/movie display.

This confuses everything for me.

Are you looking for new HDTV or a computer monitor?

And you need to specify what size you want. You cannot go by what anybody else says because there are too many variable, not least of which is the distance be the monitor and user, and personal preference.

You should probably research you favorite games too as many do not take advantage of 4K monitors. And note you will probably need to spend more, perhaps a lot more than $500 for a decent size 4K monitor. So again, we need your budget.

 

[Frick]

In my view you have two choices: 1080p 144Hz, or 1440p IPS. Personally I'd go for a 1440p, a decent one should be about €300 and upwards, a good 144Hz 1080p is north of €200. Or if you have the money, 144hz 1440p.

I'm not sure you need G-sync if you can push a higher FPS, but I dont really know how the technology works.

 

[testudo]

As reasonable as possible might mean < $150 for some and less than < $500 for others. You need to be specific. What is the maximum you want to spend?

This confuses everything for me.

Are you looking for new HDTV or a computer monitor?

And you need to specify what size you want. You cannot go by what anybody else says because there are too many variable, not least of which is the distance be the monitor and user, and personal preference.

You should probably research you favorite games too as many do not take advantage of 4K monitors. And note you will probably need to spend more, perhaps a lot more than $500 for a decent size 4K monitor. So again, we need your budget.

Thank you for your response!

Yeah, I am little confused myself lol...

I can go HDTV or monitor. I will mostly be playing games on it, that is kind of why I was looking at an HDTV. I am not set on it, though. I will be sitting about 8-10 feet away from the TV, but, of course, only about 2-3 away from the monitor.

I would say my budget is a bit over $1000. I am not opposed to having a 1080p monitor. I know many will say that having a 980 ti for a 1080p monitor is overkill, but I say that if I want every game that I play running with all the fancy stuff checked off and hold a consistent 60 FPS, if can be worth it.

Edit: I am sorry. I think I got confused. I think I mean 1440p instead of 4K...

 

[RCoon]

I am currently gaming on a 23" Dell 1080p IPS

IPS has superior colour reproduction over TN panels, and obviously they have superior viewing angles too. As you are used to using IPS panels, I don't imagine you'd enjoy going back to TN, regardless of response time and max frequency.

I'd say unless you're a really keen CSGO player, there's really not much reasoning to suggest 144hz. I had a 144hz 24" monitor 2 years back, and I much prefer having better colour and viewing angles on IPS.

With the 980ti, 4K1440p is definitely an option, my 970 was 100% capable of a solid 60FPS in most titles on 1440p. I also notice you're used to Dell IPS panels, and to be frank, Dell make some of the best panels out there, and they come competently factory calibrated.

As for Freesync and GSync, I find no reason to purchase it myself. The additional cost over standard operating panels is too much for me to consider it financially valid.

 

[testudo]

IPS has superior colour reproduction over TN panels, and obviously they have superior viewing angles too. As you are used to using IPS panels, I don't imagine you'd enjoy going back to TN, regardless of response time and max frequency.

I'd say unless you're a really keen CSGO player, there's really not much reasoning to suggest 144hz. I had a 144hz 24" monitor 2 years back, and I much prefer having better colour and viewing angles on IPS.

With the 980ti, 4K1440p is definitely an option, my 970 was 100% capable of a solid 60FPS in most titles on 1440p. I also notice you're used to Dell IPS panels, and to be frank, Dell make some of the best panels out there, and they come competently factory calibrated.

As for Freesync and GSync, I find no reason to purchase it myself. The additional cost over standard operating panels is too much for me to consider it financially valid.

Thank you very much!

After that response, I think I may just stick to with what I have lol. The Dells I have are glossy and I love the color pop. They are great monitors. Could you suggest a 1440p IPS monitor?

 

[RCoon]

Could you suggest a 1440p IPS monitor?

Depends on budget and preferences. Your budget is $1000. Are you interested in a professional IPS panel? If so I'd opt for Dell or EIZO. Do you need cheap crap quality 5W speakers in your new monitor? What sort of monitor size? 24", 27", 32"?

EDIT: By no means go solely on my opinion, there are plenty of ladies and gents around the forums that know an awful lot more about panels than I do, like Samsung's VA and PLS panels, as well as overclocking said panels for higher refresh rates.

 

[Frick]

One of the cheapest 1440p monitors here is the Dell U2515H. Seems to be nice, apart from just-normal-and-not-excellent-IPS glow. Otherwise, the HP Dreamcolor z27x is just under €900.

EDIT: In fact HP seems to make some really good monitors lately.

 

[testudo]

Depends on budget and preferences. Your budget is $1000. Are you interested in a professional IPS panel? If so I'd opt for Dell or EIZO. Do you need cheap crap quality 5W speakers in your new monitor? What sort of monitor size? 24", 27", 32"?

I do not need speakers. I will not be doing too much work on it, so it will be basically for gaming. A professional IPS panel would be nice, but not entirely necessary. I have 23" monitor now. It is not bad from 2-3 feet out. I really cannot grasp what a larger one would look like without having it in front of me. The largest screen that I have had was a 24" 1080p. I figure with the higher resolution, I could probably go with a larger display. What would you suggest for that viewing distance?

 

[RCoon]

What would you suggest for that viewing distance?

27" is a sweet spot. 24" is ideal for close quarters on short desks, 27" is better if you're a good few feet away. I had the issue with my 27" 1440p monitor that it was too close to my face, so I ended up looking up a lot and it caused strain on my neck.

I actually ended up getting a 24" 4K monitor for home gaming and moving the 27" 1440p to work because of the drastic differences in desk depth. My neck feels a whole lot better.

EDIT: In fact HP seems to make some really good monitors lately.

HP make some of the best monitor mounts ever! We use a lot of their 17"/19" models for office desks because our staff get super angsty when they can't tilt their monitor on every axis by 90 degrees.

 

[testudo]

27" is a sweet spot. 24" is ideal for close quarters on short desks, 27" is better if you're a good few feet away. I had the issue with my 27" 1440p monitor that it was too close to my face, so I ended up looking up a lot and it caused strain on my neck.

I actually ended up getting a 24" 4K monitor for home gaming and moving the 27" 1440p to work because of the drastic differences in desk depth. My neck feels a whole lot better.

24" 4K? Oh damn lol! I thought we were looking at 1440p. How would a 4K monitor fare? Someone posted up that many games may not even support 4K.

 

[testudo]

One of the cheapest 1440p monitors here is the Dell U2515H. Seems to be nice, apart from just-normal-and-not-excellent-IPS glow. Otherwise, the HP Dreamcolor z27x is just under €900.

EDIT: In fact HP seems to make some really good monitors lately.

Thanks! I will definitely take a look.

 

[RCoon]

How would a 4K monitor fare? Someone posted up that many games may not even support 4K.

Most games don't even have 4K textures, so you'd be upscaling their standard textures and not really seeing any benefit besides not having to turn on Anti-Aliasing. Some games *cough*League of Legends*cough* don't really have correct UI scaling either, so you end up struggling to read tool-tips in game. I'd also only get a 4K monitor if you have Windows 8/10, because Windows 7's native DPI scaling is actually rather terrible for 4K, especially if you have multi-monitors like me. Windows 8 has some great multi-monitor DPI scaling algorithms that make everything a lot easier to set up resolution and size-wise.

 

[testudo]

Most games don't even have 4K textures, so you'd be upscaling their standard textures and not really seeing any benefit besides not having to turn on Anti-Aliasing. Some games *cough*League of Legends*cough* don't really have correct UI scaling either, so you end up struggling to read tool-tips in game. I'd also only get a 4K monitor if you have Windows 8/10, because Windows 7's native DPI scaling is actually rather terrible for 4K, especially if you have multi-monitors like me. Windows 8 has some great multi-monitor DPI scaling algorithms that make everything a lot easier to set up resolution and size-wise.

I have Windows 8.1, soon to have 10. So, 24" at 1440p is a good choice?

 

[RCoon]

2-3 feet out.

So, 24" at 1440p is a good choice?

At that distance, I'd say 27".

 

[Bill_Bright]

I will mostly be playing games on it, that is kind of why I was looking at an HDTV.

See, that is where I am confused. If mostly playing games, why get a TV unless you need a TV too?

 

[testudo]

See, that is where I am confused. If mostly playing games, why get a TV unless you need a TV too?

I think I threw that in there because I was one a different train of though with 4K when I should have been on 1440p. Sorry, I have not been awake ling. Let's throw the HDTV option out of the window lol.