Monitor advice

JoeCool4433 · Jul 28, 2014

Nothing wrong with another monitor. I used an old LCD screen for my 2nd monitor until it died a week or two ago. I pretty much used it for putting TS on it so I could read chat or see who is talking. Unless you care about them not matching of course :P

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236117 is my current monitor and also the one I purchased to replace the old LCD. I really like it and it works quite nicely, but it appears to be at the top of your budget.

I suppose some things to look for would be a low response time around 2-5ms, HD resolution, and minimum of 60Hz refresh rate. You can look up the differences in LCD, Plasma, LED, or OLED for yourself and what your needs might be for both looks and budget. Its hard for me to recommend one over another because many of the pros and cons between them for watching movies, gaming, watching TV over Hulu or other services.

MadGhost · Jul 28, 2014

I am using a 40 inch Led 120hz. I can tell you that as far as TV's go I would never go less than a 120hz. Like Joe said its all about the response time with whatever you go with

o-BHG-o · Jul 29, 2014

Afaik you'll get a bigger tv than monitor for the same(ish) price but the monitor will have a better DPI(dots per inch)/pixel density, refresh rate, response time and perhaps colour contrast. That said it's not that easy to tell the difference at the low/mid range. Personally I have a cheap LG, similar to this.
I got rid of the tv and added a small (old) LCD for monitoring and TS etc. My opinion for what it's worth, get a monitor.
Your 660 will output perfectly well to anything on the market. 8GB of RAM is plenty, watch your task manager on the 2nd (monitoring) monitor when gaming. It's not likely that you'll max your RAM usage. I only see serious memory usage when running multiple Virtual Machines.

Check out the sale items at scan uk here.
Iyama are known to be good. Also BenQ.

GrammarGestapo · Jul 30, 2014

Get a cheap monitor for a 125, but I'm not sure you can find any RAM for the remainder of your pounds. At least, I've heard everything costs twice as much in the UK, not really sure if that's true.

Budgets aside, it is a great idea to get a nice monitor when you have the cash. I shunned this for years, preferring a stock monitor taken from an old workplace pre-built PC (they let me have it for some reason). However, I eventually got to try out an incredible 29 inch Asus model for photo-editing, and I can't stand inferior monitors since. People may tell you a monitor isn't worth 300 dollars, but they've obviously never experienced such a high-end monitor. It's the thing you'll be staring at for hours on end. Splurge on it a bit, if you ever get the chance.

Minupla · Aug 1, 2014

I went with one of the Korean 27"s and couldn't be happier. I got a qnix 2710 from the storewithstory ebay store. Couldn't be happier. 300 and change.

Not a single dead pixel, 2560x1440 resolution and 27". I plan on picking up 2 more for SC surround video goodness!

Ltskitzo · Aug 1, 2014

Minupla said:
I went with one of the Korean 27"s and couldn't be happier. I got a qnix 2710 from the storewithstory ebay store. Couldn't be happier. 300 and change.

Not a single dead pixel, 2560x1440 resolution and 27". I plan on picking up 2 more for SC surround video goodness!

^^^You need to overclock the pants off of that to get the most out of it, that's the true benefit of Korean monitors. Check out Toasty X. A program called CRU (custom resolution utility) . That monitor CAN (not guaranteed) be capable of running up to 120hz. ^^^

As for a new monitor, I'm not a GURU but I have a respectable amount of knowledge because I research the crap out of any kind of PC hardware.

My suggestions for that price range would be some kind of IPS panel from a reputable brand. I personally own the Dell S2340L - it's glossy, so reflective of light, but the picture and colour is 2nd to none.

It does come down to preference. But for the money you should be able to afford 23-24 inch.

Your best bet, go to a decent PC site, look up '24" IPS HDMI' and pick the one with the most/best reviews.

I will happy to make some recommendations, but I would need more details. Also, feel free to share some links of monitors you like the look of and I will dig a bit deeper for you to give my 2 cents.

Huegpaynis · Aug 6, 2014

Lienna said:
Brief background: I currently use a ~22 inch TV for my PC, which my SO has decided will look better in the lounge when we move in together in 2 weeks. This leaves me with either a 19 inch non HD TV for my monitor or me to bite the bullet and upgrade, finally stop using a TV.

So what should I go with, I really have no clue. I'm running an Intel 3.4GHz CPU with 8gb ram and a GTX 660 if those make any difference. Also thoughts on using the old 19 inch as a second monitor? Worth it or just a waste of space and power?

In addition I'm from the UK, I have a budget of £100-200, but I would take some convincing to go much over £150

Also should I kick up my ram at the same time? Probably worth it right?

It's your TV, it goes wherever the hell you say it does.
'grats on taking the cohabitation plunge, but you do what you want, within reason, with your own shit, and they do the same.

Egriz · Aug 27, 2014

Lienna said:
Brief background: I currently use a ~22 inch TV for my PC, which my SO has decided will look better in the lounge when we move in together in 2 weeks. This leaves me with either a 19 inch non HD TV for my monitor or me to bite the bullet and upgrade, finally stop using a TV.

So what should I go with, I really have no clue. I'm running an Intel 3.4GHz CPU with 8gb ram and a GTX 660 if those make any difference. Also thoughts on using the old 19 inch as a second monitor? Worth it or just a waste of space and power?

In addition I'm from the UK, I have a budget of £100-200, but I would take some convincing to go much over £150

Also should I kick up my ram at the same time? Probably worth it right?

Hi Lienna,

Are you still working on this issue? I know it's been a while.

Like Joe stated, it would be an excellent use of your old monitor to use it as a secondary monitor for Teamspeak/chat/etc.

You can get your hands on a decent 22" 1920x1080 monitor for ~$110 USD. So depending on what is available in the UK and what stores you shop at...your results may slightly vary.

Having a decent 20-24" 1920x1080 monitor as your primary and then using your old TV as a secondary monitor would be a good solution without breaking the bank.

8GB of ram is plenty for the time being. Down the road..say closer to SC release...you'll want to look into upgrading.

Let me know what you end up doing :)

SchrimPanzer · Sep 26, 2014

I have a BenQ XL2420T monitor, not exactly the cheapest but it's snappy fast! I believe there's later generations of it now as well. Maybe you can find a using one, or similar, for your budget tho?

CrashMan054 · Oct 24, 2014

I have a lovely HP monitor(the model's been scraped off, but any HP will do). I'd go with 16GB of RAM, it'll help you get those textures up to max.

GunnyCov · Oct 28, 2014

It will definitely do better than your TV, and some left over for memory upgrade http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009534

http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

Krystal LeChuck · Apr 5, 2015

Lienna said:
Necroing this thread... so I've decided that its time to upgrade, but this time I've put aside £300, though with good reason I could stretch a bit more...
I was really hoping for something 27", for gaming largely (it's 90% of my pc use). So obviously refresh rate is paramount (read some stuff on g-synch, is that actually any good?). Is the previous advice on this thread still true or have things changed in the last 8 months?
Thanks for any help you can give

Definitely go for a korean 27". I myself am using a 23" LG IPS worth like 160Euros brand new (1080p) and it is simply best purchase I've done in ages. It is OC'd up to 78Hz from 60 stock and it performs excellent. Ran it through various frame skipping tests and benchmarks and passed with flying colors. The model number is 23MP65 so you can look at the bigger sizes on the same model range if you want.

Maxgerber5250 · Apr 5, 2015

I have a 42" Sharp that came off the wall when we upgraded to a 51". I find it grainy at full screen, but still a good pitcher. dropped the res. to 1390/7 hundred something and in window, and it smooths right out. it should be better after i upgrade to a 4Gb card.

Czechmate · Apr 8, 2015

Had a dual set up for a while. One 40 inch and a 32, but having two big screens cut my fps by a good bit so I took down the 32.

Czechmate · Apr 8, 2015

Lienna said:
So I've been checking out deals, any thoughs on this: http://www.ebuyer.com/655861-acer-cb280hk-28-4k-led-hdmi-monitor-um-pb0ee-001

seems a little too good to be true for the price so I'm a bit hesitent to pull the trigger.

You could get a good 4k 50 inch tv for about that price http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sceptre-U500CV-UMK-49-4K-Ultra-HD-60Hz-Class-LED-HDTV/39664946

SeungRyul · Apr 8, 2015

Do you have the hardware to drive 4K? I hear that even solo Titan Xs have trouble keeping up 50+ FPS on the latest games. You will probably have to 980 SLI or 290X2 to power all those beautiful pixels :p

Personally (and many others) have found 1440P to be the sweet spot in terms of affordability and performance without compromise.

Qnix 27' 1440P Monitor Review:

The one in video is glossy, I got matte :P

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