Assistance picking out a new monitor

[pimpin-tl]

I currently own an Apple Cinema 27" A1316 model. Has been a great IPS monitor. I have played all sorts of games on it including Black Ops 3, BF4, GTA5, etc.

But I really want to upgrade to a better monitor and larger. I have $1200 to spend.

My system has a EVGA 970 GTX video card. Only a few months old actually.

What I am interested in is the UltraWide panels and curved panels. I am also open to multiple monitors. That new LG 34UC98-W has my interest since it seems they fixed a lot of the issues they had. But I want a quality panel (like the Cinema is), and one that will do just fine in games. ACER and ASUS with their quality control lately scare me a bit. So I am unsure on those. I am willing to listen to everyones opinions here and see what you guys think with what reasons.

I mostly use my computer for Gaming, web browsing, photo editing, and basic documents,etc.

Edit: Another option would be this....Buy a Dell U3415W, and with the saved money, pick up a Nvidia 1080 GTX. Thoughts?

 

[4K_shmoorK]

Thoughts?

There are a ton of panels out there for every need, want, desire, etc.

At the end of the day, it really comes down to preference. Want high refresh IPS? There are only a couple panels that have that combination. Throw in adaptive sync and you've already narrowed down panels pretty far.

Same goes with ultrawides. Want curved IPS? The LG LM340WU2-SSA1 AH-IPS panel is actually shared between the PG348Q, X34, and U3415W. Throw in the UC98/UC88 and XR341CK (same panel as X34 but Freesync) and that's pretty much all of them.

I find its best to narrow you price down (low or high, the choice is yours) and identify panels that peak your interests. With a few candidates in mind, browse sites like tftcentral.co.uk and pcmonitors.info and read up on reviews.

I can tell you a couple panels to avoid if that helps:

- All 28" 4K panels (subpar innolux TN panel)
- Curved VA panels (not conducive to VA pixel arrangement, IQ compromised)
- Panels with PWM backlighting (can result in discomfort/fatigue)

 

[pimpin-tl]

Thanks for the info. Hoping to get more opinions from others as well. I am strongly leaning towards that Dell U3415W for the price and being able to get a 1080 with the difference. The gaming difference probably won't be much. I only get about 8 hours a week in gaming time for. If that. Probably going to get less and less the way my life is going as well.

 

[digitaldurandal]

Supposedly there are some new monitors being announced soon (maybe computex?) super ultrawides from LG and Samsung I believe. One is a 32:9.

 

[pimpin-tl]

Oh wow, when is that digital? I can wait a bit longer if it's soon.

 

[4K_shmoorK]

Oh wow, when is that digital? I can wait a bit longer if it's soon.

Not sure on the 32:9 model but AUO did tease 30" and 35" VA 3440x1440 144Hz models a while back(Q2/Q3). These might be pretty sweet, assuming the response times of VA won't be an issue like they were with the XR3501 and other 200Hz 2560x1440 panels.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1588390/tftcentral-new-panels-from-lg-samsung-and-au-optronics

I thought I read something about the 32:9 model being 48Hz and 14ms response times, but don't quote me on that. I've had a couple of drinks :sneaky:

 

[pimpin-tl]

Oh man, if they are VA panels, then that is a no for me. I only want IPS panels. Better be drinking the good stuff!

 

[pimpin-tl]

Just picked up a LG34UM95 for $450 bucks from a guy. That will get me buy till the better ones drop in price.

 

[biostud]

Wait until dp 1.3/1.4 monitors are released.

 

[Puffnstuff]

VA panels look great and it comes down to user preference so you might want to look at one in person before you buy. I almost bought an lg ips 34" curve but the stand issue was just too much so I ended up with the hp envy 34c and its va panel looks fantastic to me.

 

[pimpin-tl]

Wait until dp 1.3/1.4 monitors are released.

Yep, exactly. Reason why I got this one for now.

 

[Fire&Blood]

An alternative that got forgotten due to it's launch price is the LG 31MU97-B, price came down since it's release, it goes for $899 shipped vs $1400 at launch. A huge PPI boost over 27" 1440p, 149 vs 108 while increasing the overall real estate. It is 4096x2160 and no HDMI 2.0, price is still up there but it caters to video/image professionals. At it's price point, I have yet to find a comparable IQ in competition.