Completely new to monitors need some help

[oachs83]

Hi everyone I apologize for such a new guy question but I am very green with anything tech and really could use some advice. I also noticed this is mainly a PC board so please don’t destroy me too bad as I’m asking about gaming on a console.

I recently got a PS5 and decided to upgrade my monitor. My old monitor was a BenQ GL2760H. I did some research mainly on rtings and decided that the best monitor for my budget was the HP Omen 27i. I brought it home yesterday and I feel a little underwhelmed. Not sure if it’s going from a TN panel to a IPS panel but everything seems very dim which then makes it feel like the colors don’t pop. Also this is suppose to be a 1ms panel but at that setting the picture quality is absolutely terrible. I have to set it to 4ms. My old BenQ could have a good picture at 2ms. The Omen was 3x the price yet doesn’t seem to be any better.

I do understand that PS5 doesn’t broadcast a 1440p signal yet but Sony has said they are more than likely going to patch it in the future. Will this help? Also on rtings they have a calibration of this monitor that can be downloaded but I can’t seem to understand how that works is anyone familiar with that?

I just would like some advice before I decide to return the monitor. Thank you for taking the time to read my questions.

 

[P4-630]

As far as I know most people use a TV for a console.

 

[oachs83]

Monitors are being used a lot more with consoles now. Games like Call of Duty have shifted competitive console gaming to monitors. I play a baseball game MLB the Show and to play in the upper tier online a monitor is a must. Response time is everything.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Monitors are being used a lot more with consoles now.

Not really. Because gaming consoles are frequently used for multi-player games, TVs (often big screen TVs) are much more commonly used. In fact, not only are TVs used for gaming consoles, but more and more TVs are also used with computers, since virtually all TVs these days support computer input too.

Note too that many, if not most monitors still don't come with speakers. So again, TVs are very often used.

That said, yes, monitors are some times used with game consoles. As far as competitive gaming - it is important to note portability is factor too.

As far as your disappointment with your new monitor, I think you should try that monitor with a computer and/or perhaps a Blue-Ray movie to see how it looks.

I note much depends on personal preference but generally, IPS is preferred.

 

[oachs83]

Thanks for the response. I should reiterate with my statement. Competitive online gaming is where monitors are being used more with consoles. Many competitive shooter games are this way too. The game I mostly play undoubtedly monitors are used more than TVs on the competitive side. As far as speakers that is a non issue as headsets are the norm in competitive gaming.

When trying to decide on a monitor Reddit and YouTube are filled with tons of threads asking for monitor recommendations and reviews for the new PS5 and Xbox. If I try to use my tv on game mode it doesn’t compare when I use a monitor. Yes your casual gamer who wants to play sonic the hedgehog will be on tv.

I think I will try to stick with this panel and work with it as it got very good reviews and me being such a noob am probably missing something or I’m just not use to a IPS panel. Thanks again!

 

[Deleted member 202104]

I think I will try to stick with this panel and work with it as it got very good reviews and me being such a noob am probably missing something or I’m just not use to a IPS panel. Thanks again!

Good Plan - Give yourself some time to get used to the new screen. Our brains sometimes see 'different' things as worse things.

I recently moved to a 32" 165Hz curved gaming monitor. I couldn't stand it at first. About three weeks later now, I don't think I could ever go back.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I should reiterate with my statement. Competitive online gaming is where monitors are being used more with consoles.

And that is probably true. But competitive gaming is just a very tiny sliver of the entire gaming console market. So when you say monitors are being used "a lot more with consoles now", that's like saying 100 gallons of water is a lot more than 2 or 3 gallons - which is true. But not really when that water is being dumped into the Pacific ocean.

Regardless, that really has nothing to do with the point of your thread.

And to that point, I agree with the weekendgeek and your plan to give this new monitor some time. We (humans) are resistant to change. Give it some time to see if your brain gets used to it. Just watch the calendar so you don't miss the deadline for "no questions asked" returns.

 

[Chrispy_]

I don't have a PS5 but look for settings that are related to colour space, HDMI black level, dynamic range, etc.
It's an 8-bit panel so make sure you're set to 8-bits per pixel, full range (0-255), sometimes called RGB 4:4:4.

Also, it's going to look like ass in a dark room because that particular monitor has pretty terrible 750:1 contrast ratio due to (IMO) unacceptably high black levels. It's nice and bright though so it should look fine in a well-lit room or on a bright day.

If you want colours to pop you really need a VA panel, but it's important to get one that doesn't have bad dark transitions as VA panels with poor overdrive control can produce some awful smearing in fast-moving dark scenes. RTings is a good place to look for that since they provide both 0-20% and 0-40% response curves in their charts, and have a table which gives "dark average" response times. As long as VA is no more than about 10ms dark average, it'll be fine - with all the benefits of a wide gamut and excellent contrast probably 3-5x better than your Omen 27i.

IMO, IPS panels are best suited to professionals requiring colour-accuracy during daytime work. IPS panels can make for a half-decent gaming experience if you prioritise response time above colour richness and "pop" but the more typical setting for gaming is during the evenings where ambient light is much lower and contrast levels really matter. Games rarely care about colour accuracy as long as the monitor is at least in the right ballpark, especially since a lot of games apply colour-wash filters or tint the whole experience away from realism/accuracy for artistic effect anyway.

 

[Rei]

As @Chrispy_ noted, you might have gone from a better contrast ratio of your previous TN panel monitor to a slightly worse contrast ratio of your new IPS monitor which is why the brightness & possibly the colors don't pop out as much. You either have to adjust the monitor's settings to the best of it's ability or adjust the positioning of your monitor to a better spot or in an extreme case, get a new VA panel monitor which typically has 3000:1 contrast ratio.

You also seem to be using overdrive on your monitor which is unnecessary considering consoles don't typically take advantage of super fast pixel response time & input lag of a monitor when paired with the clunkiness & latency of wireless controller as compared to keyboard & mouse. Revert monitor overdrive to default to prevent overshoot.

If you primarily play your console on your living room or any wide area room, just use a TV otherwise use a monitor if you're console gaming on a desk or table. Using a monitor isn't going to give you an edge in competitive online gaming though you can probably gain a bit of advantage in responsive maneuver if you can pair your console with a mouse & keyboard.

If I try to use my tv on game mode it doesn’t compare when I use a monitor.

In what way does it not compare? Can you clarify?

 

[Chrispy_]

I think he means that the TV looks rubbish in game mode.

IME most TV's have terrible game modes that jack up the contrast, screw around with gamme, sharpness, and edge-enhancement - and also pump up the backlight so hard that you can get washout of subtle bright detail.

The only way to run a TV these days is with all of the post-processing disabled, and most TV OSDs make that a chore that requires both experience and some trial-and-error.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

@oachs83 you might have to forgive people for not entirely understanding your intent here, I doubt there are many true competitive gamers on TPU that actually know what you're asking. TBH, I dont either, I do know going from one type of panel to another does take some getting used to. I'd suggest finding the forums for whichever games you want to compete in and post questions there as well.

 

[oachs83]

@oachs83 you might have to forgive people for not entirely understanding your intent here, I doubt there are many true competitive gamers on TPU that actually know what you're asking. TBH, I dont either, I do know going from one type of panel to another does take some getting used to. I'd suggest finding the forums for whichever games you want to compete in and post questions there as well.

Yeah I’m kind of catching that drift. I was searching for monitor questions and this site kept coming up so I threw out my questions. That being said I feel everyone has given me good advice and there is a lot of knowledge here. I was aware this monitor was not the best in dark environments as I was reading most IPS panels struggle with this. This monitor has some very nice backlight and I believe helps with that some.

This monitor was on the upper end of what I feel comfortable spending right now as technology is only going to get better with the PlayStation 5 console being able to run 4K at 120hz. I felt a monitor like this will bridge the gap until that time may come. In this price range I could tell you can’t have it all. It reminded me of when I was purchasing PA sound equipment and there was a saying with subwoofers. “When buying subs you have options cheap price, good sound, light weight, you can only pick two of the three options. That’s how I felt with this monitor.

To answer some of the other questions about the actual need of one on a console. I play a baseball game that requiresfast response time. Years ago when I started getting really into it I noticed once I got to the more advanced levels I could not compete. Trying to recognize a fastball and by the time you place the target on the ball and hit swing the ball would be in the catchers glove. In the game you basically have a circle (target) that you move with a joystick that you have to try and lineup with the ball pitched to you and then time the swing of your bat. As you get inhigher levels the target shrinks and the pitch speeds are fast.

A big ol fancy tv in game mode may still only have around 20ms and that is just too slow for this game. Once I bought my first monitor that was 2ms what an absolute difference. There’s more time to recognize your pitch and when you hit the button to swing it almost feels instant. Anyone serious about shooter games Call of Duty being the most popular can relate and typically all use monitors.

I do want to say once I got over the initial shock of this new monitor not being as bright as my old on and start looking at it close I can say I think it’s not near as bad as I thought. The colors may not be vibrant but I feel they are deep and actually better. The clarity is better I just played a game where the field had overcast clouds and it really looked nice. I never noticed such detail before. It’s gonna take some tweaking and I definitely learned panels make a big difference. Take for example you have a car or something that the paint is faded on it and you pour water on it. That paint now looks darker but has deep rich color with the water on it. That’s kind of how I feel this monitor looks compared to my old one.

Thanks again to all of you that took the time out of your day to answer my questions, Happy Holidays!