On Fire: $390 - 27" IPS WQHD 2560x1440 LED monitor from Monoprice

[Kaido]

Update: On backorder until 3/2/2013

http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

Specs:

27" diagonal size
Dual-link DVI display input (DVI-D)
IPS panel with 178-degree viewing angles (Korean LG panel, same as the one Apple uses)
6ms response time
LED backlighting
65 watts (1 watt standby)
External power brick
25.5" x 16" x 2.3" (14.3 pounds)
WQHD 2560x1440 resolution
100x100 VESA mount (tilt stand included)
1-year warranty
5 dead pixel or less guarantee

This appears to be the same as the Nixeus panels sold on Amazon, or the ones you get from Korea on ebay in the $350 - $400 range (Catleap Yamakasi, Crossover, etc.). Basically Apple buys the A+ grade monitors for their iMacs and 27" standalone displays, then the other vendors get the rest. Apple charges $1,000 for their display (which also includes Thunderbolt and other stuff), so this is a pretty significant cost savings. So basically it's not the world's most fully-featured monitor and might not have a perfect panel, but you save $600 and get WQHD resolution with an IPS display, so that's ain't bad!

The only thing I can't tell is if it has a glossy display or not. It doesn't mention tempered glass in the description, but I think the eBay guys sell these in matte, glossy, and ultra-glossy (glass cover). Personally the Apple display is too reflective for my tastes, so I'm hoping this one has something decidedly less shiny...

[Conscript]

Backorder until March huh?

[SeventySeven]

I got on the mailing list last week when it was already back ordered until March. Seems like they may have sold a few then - or maybe they just added the listing too early, as I saw it in their big CES announcement email yesterday as being something new coming soon.

[Kaido]

Originally Posted by SeventySeven

I got on the mailing list last week when it was already back ordered until March. Seems like they may have sold a few then - or maybe they just added the listing too early, as I saw it in their big CES announcement email yesterday as being something new coming soon.

Yeah, folks at Fatwallet said that stock has been popping on & off:

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/expired-deals/1249116/

Current status is March ship date. Definitely interested in picking one of these bad boys up...I'd feel much better with a US-seller I trust (Monoprice), a 1-year warranty, and a 5-dead-pixels-or-less guarantee than buying it from eBay or even Nixeus.

[Anubis]

if they are like the apples or the catleaps they are a glossy display
i have 2 of the Shimians (south korea/ebay), great monitors if you wanna take the risk
the gloss isnt that bad, took about a week to get used to it. my room is pretty light controlled so no sources that would shine on them

[SeventySeven]

Originally Posted by Kaido

Definitely interested in picking one of these bad boys up...I'd feel much better with a US-seller I trust (Monoprice), a 1-year warranty, and a 5-dead-pixels-or-less guarantee than buying it from eBay or even Nixeus.

Agree with all that - plus hoping there is an active % off coupon when it comes back in!

[cytoSiN]

Nice, but glossy kills this for me. Windows on both possible walls it would face in my home office Good deal for those can wait until March and can use the glossy though!

[Kaido]

Originally Posted by Anubis

if they are like the apples or the catleaps they are a glossy display
i have 2 of the Shimians (south korea/ebay), great monitors if you wanna take the risk
the gloss isnt that bad, took about a week to get used to it. my room is pretty light controlled so no sources that would shine on them

From what I've read, they all seem to have some degree of gloss, but some optionally have the addition of the tempered glass on the front like the Apple displays. So I think their version of "matte" is just a model without the glass - but it's still glossy (just not quite as glossy due to the lack of glass). Concrete information is a bit sketchy over multiple forums

[KingFatty]

Would the Microcenter Auria be a better buy, due to the number of inputs it supports compared to the monoprice - it's about the same price?

http://www.microcenter.com/product/3...PS_LED_Monitor

[Kaido]

Originally Posted by KingFatty

Would the Microcenter Auria be a better buy, due to the number of inputs it supports compared to the monoprice - it's about the same price?

http://www.microcenter.com/product/3...PS_LED_Monitor

Not familiar with this one - is it based on the Korean LG panels, or is it a legit monitor in its own right? Seems like a pretty stellar deal either way, based on the number of inputs. Also it seems to be a non-reflective panel, which would be great!

[Gunbuster]

Originally Posted by KingFatty

Would the Microcenter Auria be a better buy, due to the number of inputs it supports compared to the monoprice - it's about the same price?

http://www.microcenter.com/product/3...PS_LED_Monitor

Depends on what you want it for. Multi-input means it will have a scaler and introduce input lag so that's a minus for gamers.

[Corporate Thug]

I'm waiting for a couple reviews of this guy.

[Kaido]

Originally Posted by Corporate Thug

I'm waiting for a couple reviews of this guy.

Monoprice has one:

Pros: No dead or stuck pixels that I was able to see
Huge display for a very reasonable price
Reasonably aesthetically pleasing

Cons: Stand is extremely wobbly
Some back light bleed in the bottom center area of the screen on my particular monitor
Color seems slightly cool or bluish to me

First off, I'm not a professional photographer, graphic artist or gamer that needs extreme accuracy in my display, nor would I likely be able to discern one high-end screen from another. I simply wanted a huge screen for work and entertainment purposes. I just received the monitor today, so I cannot attest to the longevity or long-term quality of the product.

With the above disclaimers out of the way, all in all, I am satisfied with my purchase. As I mentioned in the "cons", my monitor has some back light bleed at the bottom center of the screen this really doesn't bother me much, since I use it primarily for office work and surfing the web. However, if you often have dark colors on your screen for whatever reason and/or use the monitor in a dark environment, I can see how this could be an annoyance. The colors also appear slightly cool or bluish to me, at least relative to the last monitor I had (Dell SP2309W, which had a TN panel). Otherwise, the colors on this monitor are very crisp and vivid and look great.

As far as monitor adjustments, there are very few. You are able to adjust the amount of backlight and the speaker volume and that’s it (I don’t plan on using the speakers, so I haven’t tried them). Also, you can adjust the tilt of the monitor. You cannot adjust the height.

One last thing that was slightly annoying was the power brick, which made a quiet, rapid clicking noise when first plugged in. After about an hour, it seems to have minimized to an almost inaudible hum, so I'll have to keep an "ear" on that to make sure it doesn't start clicking again before the warranty is up.

Despite the negative traits I noted above, overall the monitor is very nice, and I'm very glad I bought it. It works well for my purposes, which, admittedly, aren't that demanding.

Seems about on-par with the Catleaps and stuff...

[einstein4pres]

If the stand is flimsy, it's in the same boat as the Auria (the 24" IPS from Microcenter). I bought an Auria, and was quickly annoyed at the stand, which had no adjustments. I ended up with the "NeoFlex" stand from Amazon, which works well for me. No rotation, but good stiffness on the height and angle adjustments (after I found the right screws to turn!).

The monoprice stands get good reviews, but are supposed to be really big.

http://www.amazon.com/Ergotron-33-31...dp/B000FLXW90/

(this one looks nearly identical, except for color and branding)
http://www.amazon.com/3M-Easy-Adjust...dp/B0013CD0DI/

[Throckmorton]

FYI the Auria 2560x1440 at Microcenter is not Korean, it's made in China.

[ElFenix]

Originally Posted by Throckmorton

FYI the Auria 2560x1440 at Microcenter is not Korean, it's made in China.

my LG branded IPS monitor here at work says made in china on the back.

[Kaido]

Originally Posted by Throckmorton

FYI the Auria 2560x1440 at Microcenter is not Korean, it's made in China.

Any idea how it compares to the Korean model? Basically the same? Inferior quality? On paper they pretty much look exactly alike...

[allies]

The "Korean" monitors simply refer to Korean market off-brand monitors. The LG IPS panels are manufactured in China.

[Kaido]

Originally Posted by allies

The "Korean" monitors simply refer to Korean market off-brand monitors. The LG IPS panels are manufactured in China.

Well, just for the point of differentiation in discussion - the Catleaps etc. ship from Korea, while the Microcenter one is apparently labeled "Made in China", i.e. Korean vs. China panel.

[Ashenor]

Have 2 catleap's from Ebay and love them.

[ElFenix]

Originally Posted by Kaido

Well, just for the point of differentiation in discussion - the Catleaps etc. ship from Korea, while the Microcenter one is apparently labeled "Made in China", i.e. Korean vs. China panel.

they're all LG panels. they come from wherever LG makes those panels, whether that's korea, china, vietnam, thailand, or the moon. previously, LG had just been dumping the rejects on the korean domestic market.

[rolodomo]

Just picked up an Auria 2560x1440 from Microcenter. The manager and tech support were very nice and helped me test it out at the store to facilitate a quick replacement in case I got a lemon out of the box (after I bought the monitor of course).

I've noticed one dead pixel so far, but more testing is needed.

One notorious issues I have NOT noticed so far. I can see most of the boot screen when using the dual-link DVI connector. Indeed, the monitor seems to initialize in a typical period of time. I'm using a Gigabyte GTX 650 2GB card.

I'm using the monitor for a custom-Mac build running Mountain Lion. The OS booted into 2560x1440 resolution no problem and looks dayum good.

[Kaido]

Originally Posted by rolodomo

Just picked up an Auria 2560x1440 from Microcenter. The manager and tech support were very nice and helped me test it out at the store to facilitate a quick replacement in case I got a lemon out of the box (after I bought the monitor of course).

I've noticed one dead pixel so far, but more testing is needed.

One notorious issues I have NOT noticed so far. I can see most of the boot screen when using the dual-link DVI connector. Indeed, the monitor seems to initialize in a typical period of time. I'm using a Gigabyte GTX 650 2GB card.

I'm using the monitor for a custom-Mac build running Mountain Lion. The OS booted into 2560x1440 resolution no problem and looks dayum good.

How reflective is the screen? I'd like to snag one for my wife's Hackintosh, since she does a lot of photo editing.

[rolodomo]

Originally Posted by Kaido

How reflective is the screen? I'd like to snag one for my wife's Hackintosh, since she does a lot of photo editing.

Definitely a glossy screen that seems very reflective. When I create a harsh back-lighting environment in the room, I can see a lot of room details reflected on the screen (when the screen if turned off).

[Dooms87]

how does this compare to the other cheap 1440p ips panels