DELL U2711 or Other??

[Huddo93]

Hi guys,

I've been looking into 2560x1440p monitors for a long time. Considered going for a Korean monitor but have always been put off due to possibility of dead pixels / build quality / stand quality and warranty.

Due to Christmas I have a few extra dollars to spend, and since I spend ALOT of my holidays / weekends gaming (my hobby ) Which is why I dont see why I should cheap out on the most important piece of equipment which is the bit we have to stare at for the many hours we sit here on our PC's doing what we enjoy!

Im in Australia btw, and the Dell UltraSharp 27" seems to sell for around $749.

I realize this monitor has been around for a while, and I hear it is still a great monitor, but are there are monitors out there that have better specs for around the same price and resolution? OR is the Dell U2711 still the top dog for picture quality? I'm not really to fussed about USB ports or speakers in the like. I'm really here to get the best picture quality for the $750 price range.

I've been using a 23" 1080p IPS monitor for a while, and love the picture quality which is why I'm really keen to get into the 1440p monitors!

Thanks for any advice TPU!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

[MxPhenom 216]

i like the Dell 27" U2713M. Ive been wanting one for a while, but id probably have to get another 680 if i did.

[Huddo93]

Originally Posted by MxPhenom 216

i like the Dell 27" U2713M. Ive been wanting one for a while, but id probably have to get another 680 if i did.

Hopefully my GTX670 will suffice.

I dont think I'd have to much of a problem running my games off 2560x1440p. I play alot of MMO/RPG games and non graphical intensive FPS like CS:GO and Black Ops II.

With BF3 and Far Cry 3 my GTX670 would probably struggle :P

[MxPhenom 216]

Originally Posted by Huddo93

Hopefully my GTX670 will suffice.

I dont think I'd have to much of a problem running my games off 2560x1440p. I play alot of MMO/RPG games and non graphical intensive FPS like CS:GO and Black Ops II.

With BF3 and Far Cry 3 my GTX670 would probably struggle :P

CS:GO and Black Ops 2 are the very least of your worries in terms of graphical intensive FPS lol. Now BF3 and Far Cry 3 are what you should be worried about at this point.

[Huddo93]

Originally Posted by MxPhenom 216

CS:GO and Black Ops 2 are the very least of your worries in terms of graphical intensive FPS lol. Now BF3 and Far Cry 3 are what you should be worried about at this point.

Correct, tiz what I said :P

Edit:

Just had a look on the Dell Website, they are doing the Dell U2713HM for $539 which seems pretty cheap compared to the U2711 @ $750.

Worthwhile?

[MxPhenom 216]

Originally Posted by Huddo93

Correct, tiz what I said :P

Edit:

Just had a look on the Dell Website, they are doing the Dell U2713HM for $539 which seems pretty cheap compared to the U2711 @ $750.

Worthwhile?

yep, your video card cant produce all the colors the U2711 is capable of doing anyways.

[Huddo93]

Hmm, looked into thorough reviews that looked into ghosting and input lag. It would seem that these are deal breakers for my usage. Input lag for the U2711 is around 30ms average, and the U2713HM is around 28ms. The response times are also a little high and cause some ghosting problems. the U2711 not so much compared to the U2713HM.

After all this, it looks like im leaving dell completely, and going for ASUS PB278Q which has better grey to grey and input lag figures which shouldnt bother me as much.

[Naito]

They're a bit of a gamble, but these monitors can be rather decent:

Achieva Shimian

Only have DVI-D input, but the advantage is that there is way less input lag, as it is practically your GPU driving the panel straight up.

Reviews here and here, and a brand name review here.

[Huddo93]

Originally Posted by Naito

They're a bit of a gamble, but these monitors can be rather decent:

Achieva Shimian

Only have DVI-D input, but the advantage is that there is way less input lag, as it is practically your GPU driving the panel straight up.

Reviews here and here, and a brand name review here.

I still have a hard time with buying the brand. I realise there is no real danger with the product showing up broken, its just the support / warranty side that I have a problem with. Plus there is no denying that the build quality of the ASUS PB278Q would be higher than that of the Shimian. I stated this in my OP

[Naito]

Originally Posted by Huddo93

I still have a hard time with buying the brand. I realise there is no real danger with the product showing up broken, its just the support / warranty side that I have a problem with. Plus there is no denying that the build quality of the ASUS PB278Q would be higher than that of the Shimian. I stated this in my OP

I know, but was just offering a suggestion. If $300+ more is worth the peace of mind, the ASUS PB278Q is probably the fastest PLS/IPS-type monitor (excluding some of these LG Panel S.Korean monitors). It'd be what I would go if I was looking for that kind of monitor from a brand name.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by MxPhenom 216

i like the Dell 27" U2713M. Ive been wanting one for a while, but id probably have to get another 680 if i did.

The idea of having to get multiple gpus or get a dual gpu to run 2560 x 1440 in games at ultra is what has kept me at 1920 x 1080 as well.

I personally don't feel comfortable with SLIs or CFs, maybe when a single GPU will be able to run most games at ultra and achieve 60FPS average or 120FPS on 3d at the 2560 x 1440 is the day i will officially get such res for gaming.

On the other hand i can buy such for video editing and photo editing, in fact soon I'll be in the market for 4K (3840 x 2160 or 4096 x 2304) for video and photo editing.

[Frag Maniac]

Originally Posted by Huddo93

Hopefully my GTX670 will suffice.

At 1440p, don't count on it. Even an OC model of 7970 can be barely enough to get smooth gameplay and adequate frame rates on some of the latest games at 1080p with max settings. Some of the latest games are also very OC sensitive, so don't even count on OCing (CPU or GPU) to make up for it.

[theonedub]

Originally Posted by Huddo93

Correct, tiz what I said :P

Edit:

Just had a look on the Dell Website, they are doing the Dell U2713HM for $539 which seems pretty cheap compared to the U2711 @ $750.

Worthwhile?

The U2713HM would be a great choice, and thats a great price to get it at. I recently bought one and it's really the best monitor I have owned. In the end it was not worth it to take a chance on the popular KR Displays, rather have peace of mind.

[Huddo93]

Originally Posted by Frag Maniac

At 1440p, don't count on it. Even an OC model of 7970 can be barely enough to get smooth gameplay and adequate frame rates on some of the latest games at 1080p with max settings. Some of the latest games are also very OC sensitive, so don't even count on OCing (CPU or GPU) to make up for it.

I have looked at the TPU review for the GTX670's and at 2560x1600 the games I play are still above 60 fps, so ill be fine in that regard

[mediasorcerer]

I'm looking at the dell or the asus too , still haven't got a decent monitor yet either and want to shout myself for xmas Huddo, have you bit the bullet yet old son? Or still looking, be good to hear what you think if you have bought either one, i'm leaning to the Asus atm!

[repman244]

Originally Posted by Huddo93

Hmm, looked into thorough reviews that looked into ghosting and input lag. It would seem that these are deal breakers for my usage. Input lag for the U2711 is around 30ms average, and the U2713HM is around 28ms. The response times are also a little high and cause some ghosting problems. the U2711 not so much compared to the U2713HM.

After all this, it looks like im leaving dell completely, and going for ASUS PB278Q which has better grey to grey and input lag figures which shouldnt bother me as much.

Did you consider HP ZR2740w? It has low input lag but a bit higher response time than the 2711. It does have a poor choice of input connections but you should still consider it.

yep, your video card cant produce all the colors the U2711 is capable of doing anyways.

The U2711 is an 8-bit panel (+FRC) so you don't have any problems, if it was a native 10-bit panel then you need a workstation graphics card.

[Huddo93]

Originally Posted by repman244

Did you consider HP ZR2740w? It has low input lag but a bit higher response time than the 2711. It does have a poor choice of input connections but you should still consider it.

Yes I did look into it, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be easily obtainable in Australia.

Originally Posted by repman244

The U2711 is an 8-bit panel ( FRC) so you don't have any problems, if it was a native 10-bit panel then you need a workstation graphics card.

I didn't know that! thanks for letting me know.

[digibucc]

Not to change your mind or anything - but just as a note I got a Yamakasi off of ebay and could not be happier. LED backlight, 27", 1440, < $400 shipped. imo you can't beat that. going on 4 months ownership now.

pixels were a concern for me too, but they really aren't that common. I have yet to buy a display with dead pixels, and I believe every company has a limit to how many they will repair/replace for. in my opinion one dead pixel is a no go. I spend too much time on this thing and it is too distracting for me, so no matter who i bought from it was a risk.

anyway, i'm really happy with my Yamakasi and while not pushing i do suggest you at least read up a little on them, failure rates etc, and also look at Dell and HP's policy on dead pixels. Id be surprised if they would replace your screen for 1 or maybe even 3 dead pixels. and the price difference imo is just not worth it.

[PatoRodrigues]

In BF3 and Far Cry, playing in 1440p with this GTX670 (even at 1300MHz, with the performance being greater than a reference GTX680) will be complicated but possible in high settings. CS;GO and BO2, not a worry.

Here in Brazil, the Dell Ultrasharp U2711 (the most recommended 1440p i saw this far) costs $1400. Fu***** taxes.

[Huddo93]

Originally Posted by mediasorcerer

I'm looking at the dell or the asus too , still haven't got a decent monitor yet either and want to shout myself for xmas Huddo, have you bit the bullet yet old son? Or still looking, be good to hear what you think if you have bought either one, i'm leaning to the Asus atm!

Just waiting for monday and ill buy it then. Ive decided on the Asus for its slightly better gaming specs over the dell. $689 AUD for the Asus PB278Q which is actually fairly competitive for a Australian store compared to USA it would seem. Ill update with a photo and some brief results (ghosting/input lag/colour reproduction) when I plug it in and try some games.

[lemonadesoda]

Originally Posted by repman244

The U2711 is an 8-bit panel (+FRC) so you don't have any problems, if it was a native 10-bit panel then you need a workstation graphics card.

This statement is not true.

A regular 8 bit card can drive a native 10-bit panel. It will still be better than an 8-bit panel. Why? Because you have contrast and brightness settings on the monitor that will give you extra headroom on the 10-bit panel - should you need it. So rather than adjusting in-game gamma and getting bloom-out, you adjust the panel for higher brightness/contrast. However, for FULL QUALITY and software control, you need a 10-bit workstation card to drive it.

It is often said you need OpenGL to drive 10-bit and 12-bit output, and compatible application designed to drive that kind of output. A DX game might only offer 8-bit colour depth even with a pro workstation card. This point has no GENERAL answer and will be specific to each game engine and which DirectX pipeline is used. I believe DX10+ offers full colour depth, but the game engine might not.

Additional info that might help you make your decision.

An 8-bit GPU plus monitor means 8bit red, 8bit blue, 8 bit green. This gives you a total of 24bits of colour depth, or "16 million colours".
A 10-bit GPU plus monitor means 10bit red, 10bit blue, 10bit green. This gives you a total of 30bits of colour depth, or "1 billion colours".
You need special drivers for the 10bit output.

What about greyscale and B&W?
To get a pure grey, then all channels are set equally. With an 8 bit GPU plus panel you therefore only 8-bits of greyscale or 256 shades of grey! WHAT!
On a 10 bit GPU plus panel you get 10-bits of greyscale or 1024 shades of grey! WHAT!

As you can see, this is pretty crap especially if you are a doctor working with a digitised X-RAY. That is why professional GPUs and medical monitors are designed to work in 10bit and 12bit greyscale to get 1024-4096 shades of grey. This is really important on x-rays and still isnt that much really!
You need special drivers for the 10bit greyscale and a compatible 10bit greyscale monitor.

If you ever want to do B&W/greyscale work, then I recommend you find a 10-bit panel if you can. While your 8bit GPU might not be able to drive more than 256 shades of grey, at least the panel can help you by having manual controls on brightness and colour. Moreover, if you did get a workstation GPU, you would really see the improved quality especially in shadows and highlights. Combining highest performance and 10bit is expensive. However there are cheap 10bit GPUs out there... designed for 2D-desktop, just don't expect them to drive 3D. Not unless you want high end CAD at $$$$$.

Note that CHEAP CONSUMER panels aren't even 8bit. They are 6bit. And they "dither" from 6-bit to 8bit. That is why some people see "sparkle" on their cheap TFTs. Especially my cheap TN panel from Samsung that I want to replace with IPS for exactly this reason.

[Huddo93]

Originally Posted by lemonadesoda

This statement is not true.

A regular 8 bit card can drive a native 10-bit panel. It will still be better than an 8-bit panel. Why? Because you have contrast and brightness settings on the monitor that will give you extra headroom on the 10-bit panel - should you need it. So rather than adjusting in-game gamma and getting bloom-out, you adjust the panel for higher brightness/contrast. However, for FULL QUALITY and software control, you need a 10-bit workstation card to drive it.

It is often said you need OpenGL to drive 10-bit and 12-bit output, and compatible application designed to drive that kind of output. A DX game might only offer 8-bit colour depth even with a pro workstation card. This point has no GENERAL answer and will be specific to each game engine and which DirectX pipeline is used. I believe DX10+ offers full colour depth, but the game engine might not.

Additional info that might help you make your decision.

An 8-bit GPU plus monitor means 8bit red, 8bit blue, 8 bit green. This gives you a total of 24bits of colour depth, or "16 million colours".
A 10-bit GPU plus monitor means 10bit red, 10bit blue, 10bit green. This gives you a total of 30bits of colour depth, or "1 billion colours".
You need special drivers for the 10bit output.

What about greyscale and B&W?
To get a pure grey, then all channels are set equally. With an 8 bit GPU plus panel you therefore only 8-bits of greyscale or 256 shades of grey! WHAT!
On a 10 bit GPU plus panel you get 10-bits of greyscale or 1024 shades of grey! WHAT!

As you can see, this is pretty crap especially if you are a doctor working with a digitised X-RAY. That is why professional GPUs and medical monitors are designed to work in 10bit and 12bit greyscale to get 1024-4096 shades of grey. This is really important on x-rays and still isnt that much really!
You need special drivers for the 10bit greyscale and a compatible 10bit greyscale monitor.

If you ever want to do B&W/greyscale work, then I recommend you find a 10-bit panel if you can. While your 8bit GPU might not be able to drive more than 256 shades of grey, at least the panel can help you by having manual controls on brightness and colour. Moreover, if you did get a workstation GPU, you would really see the improved quality especially in shadows and highlights. Combining highest performance and 10bit is expensive. However there are cheap 10bit GPUs out there... designed for 2D-desktop, just don't expect them to drive 3D. Not unless you want high end CAD at $$$$$.

Note that CHEAP CONSUMER panels aren't even 8bit. They are 6bit. And they "dither" from 6-bit to 8bit. That is why some people see "sparkle" on their cheap TFTs. Especially my cheap TN panel from Samsung that I want to replace with IPS for exactly this reason.

Thanks for the insight!

[OneMoar]

word on the street is that the Yamasaki CatLeap's are the CatsMeow

[Huddo93]

So shops have finally re opened since the christmas break and I went and got my new monitor today! Went for the Asus PB278Q, and just thought I'd let you guys know how it is so far.

In the image above I have the Asus PB278Q 27" next to my LG Flatrom IPS231 23" just to show some size difference. Unfortunatly due to having no proper photography equipment I cant really show you color differences.

In terms of performance in games and video I have yet to notice any ghosting or input lag (BF3, Black Ops 2, WoW, Anno 2070, CS:S and CS:GO). In saying that, if you are particularly sensitive to these effects then you may pick up on them, but if you are used to playing on a IPS/PLS panel then I doubt you will notice it either.

In terms of Colour, I am very impressed as it does seem to give a lot better white/grey clarity over my LG IPS231 monitor. I cannot compare this monitor to the Dell IPS equivlents as I do not own them / used them, but I definitely feel it was $690 well spent I am one very excited man right now!

[BarbaricSoul]

Originally Posted by Frag Maniac

At 1440p, don't count on it. Even an OC model of 7970 can be barely enough to get smooth gameplay and adequate frame rates on some of the latest games at 1080p with max settings. Some of the latest games are also very OC sensitive, so don't even count on OCing (CPU or GPU) to make up for it.

My non-GHZ non-OC'ed HD7970 isn't having any problems @ 1600p

Originally Posted by Huddo93

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/2...0102184727.jpg

Nice, enjoy. I know I enjoy my 2560*1600