2 monitors (gaming & work) or 1 dual purpose?

waldoh

Member
Mar 3, 2013
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I have been using high hz monitors for a long time, from the Samsung 2233rz to ASUS vg248qe. While I still game I would appreciate more vibrant colors, higher color accuracy and more resolution. All of this adds up to buying an IPS type monitor but the decision is complicated by the new gsync/144hz models.

I would also like to be able to connect my rMBP to the monitor and switch off between desktop and laptop.

I am not totally satisfied with the ASUS vg248qe. The color is way off, the monitor has color shift and viewing angles are pretty horrible (I know this is just describing a TN panel).

a. Buy a semi-professional grade (10bit) IPS in a 2k or 4k variant and keep the ASUS for just gaming.

b. Buy something like Acer XB270HU and sell the ASUS.

c. Buy something like Acer x34 Predator and deal with a lesser gaming experience.


What would you do and why?


Does the Acer XB270HU compete in a semi-professional space to something like a Dell ultrasharp? or are there too many compromises to push the 144hz?
 

Headfoot

Diamond Member
Feb 28, 2008
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I've found IPS light bleed (IPS glow) to be more distracting than inaccurate colors while gaming by far. Games with lots of darkness become very hard to see well (Metro Last Light and H1Z1 play poorly on my IPS monitors). Not to mention most IPS monitors have poor blur reduction (e.g. none, or bad pixel overdrive). There are good ones but it takes some digging. Sure an midrange IPS is going to be better than a $120 bargain basement 1080p TN but thats just because its a higher tier monitor in general. Adaptive refresh rate tech is going to be more noticeable and a bigger advantage by a mile compared to color accuracy for gaming too. So is higher max refresh rate.

IMO a good gaming monitor has traits ranked in this order of importance:
1. Adaptive Sync tech
2. Maximum refresh rate OR resolution -- I think these are tied for 2nd most important as long as you're at 1080p or higher.
3. Blur reduction/frame persistence overall cleanliness of high motion picture
4. Dark black levels for dark games
5. Vibrancy of colors
6. Accuracy of colors/color shift (games are fake, the reproduction you see on the screen is the reality so it really doesnt matter much if its accurate or not so long as it looks good)

A good photoediting/print design work monitor is probably:
1. Color accuracy/ 8-bit / 10-bit support (this also means color shift needs to be at a minimum)
2. Color space support (sRGB, Adobe RGB, etc.) (also 1 and 2 are linked to a great degree and could flip flop the #1 slot depending on your particular use case)
3. Resolution.
4. Everything else.

If you need color accuracy for your work, id just get a separate monitor for that. If you separate purposes it makes it easier for tax write off purposes as well if you're self employed. Might be able to justify the purchase to your company if you're employed with a company.
 
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borderdeal

Member
Aug 4, 2013
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Probably the Acer XB270HU would be your best bet since you are used to the high refresh rate and it would be hard to go to a 4k 60 refresh rate. It is an ISP panel and it has great reviews. About being as accurate as the Dell most likely not but they are different markets. One is a work monitor and the other is a gaming monitor. It should be a great improvement over the TN panel you have.

For productivity a 4k panel wins hands down, and for gaming no single card can keep 60 fps so 144Hz will be useless for at least a few years on a 4k monitor. I recently upgraded to a 4k monitor and I am really really happy with it for work. I do some gaming but even with 290 CF is really hard to keep 60 fps. I usually hoover in the 50-55 range which is fine for me since it is still in the freesync range and it is still smooth. I do about %80-85 work and like %15-20 gaming on mine so the decision to go 4k was easy for me and I have no regrets. You can always get a 4k monitor and keep ur Asus for gaming (But I doubt you will want to game once you see games in 4k)

If you decided to go 4k there are no gsync monitors that I know of. There is always the Korean 4k panels like the Crossover 404 40" panel or the Crossover 434 43" with freesync or the wasabi mango UHD420 42" with freesync. I would read the threads at OC about those monitors and decide if that is something you want to try. Some have issues (but they are a minority) and it sucks if you are one of the unlucky ones. I am really happy with mine a wasabi mango UHD490 no light bleeding, no uniformity issues and only one dead pixel but it is so tiny that you really have to look for it on a black or dark screen (Working or gaming I have never seen it and I only saw it when I looked for dead pixels)
 

waldoh

Member
Mar 3, 2013
155
6
81
I was trying to avoid the double monitor setup to keep costs down but seems like the "ideal" setup would be to buy a semi-pro grade IPS for work related things and eventually buy a 144hz IPS Acer or Asus to replace my 144hz TN.
 

96Firebird

Diamond Member
Nov 8, 2010
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What work will you be doing with the monitor? What benefit would you get from more accurate colors? If you are doing photo editing or something similar, I could see the need for 10bit IPS. If you are just doing some casual work, I don't see the benefit over a higher-Hz screen that will benefit gaming.