Auria 27" 2560 x 1440 Korean Panel from Microcenter for $400, what do you all think?

[gigahertz20]

Looking to get a new monitor since my old one died and it's either going to be the Dell u2412m 24" 1920x1200 monitor, or the Auria 27" 2560 x 1440 one from Microcenter (has the same panel as the much more expensive Dell Ultrasharp display and Apple display). I've read through all the previous threads I linked to below so I have alot of info, but still on the fence. Anybody here have the Auria and has had a good experience?


There is a Microcenter 1.5 hours away from me that just got a new shipment in 10+ of the Auria 27" 2560 x 1440 monitors, the reviews on the microcenter site are pretty solid and the good thing is I can go to the store and test out the monitor for dead pixels/defects first before I buy it, and if I don't like it I can just return it. And there is always the option of getting an extended warranty easily from squaretrade as well to protect it.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/384780/EQ276W_27_IPS_LED_Monitor#


Bunch of threads below with reviews on it, some love it, some hate it. Hard to decide what to do, everyone pretty much agrees the stand stucks but the display is of course the most important.

Slickdeals thread with tons of reviews and info about this monitor:
http://slickdeals.net/f/4492270-Auria-27-WQHD-2560x1440-LCD-Monitor-399-99-B-M-Micro-Center

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1694047&page=17

http://www.overclock.net/t/1288941/...auria-eq276w-27-led-monitor-from-micro-center

I actually learned about this monitor from the comment sections on a tomshardware review, seems this monitor is pretty popular
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/aoc-i2757fh-viewsonic-vx2770smh-ah-ips,3385.html

 

[Eureka]

Just do a search on this website... it's been such a popular monitor now that there's no way you haven't found the complete spectrum of information on it by now.

General opinion here is the same everywhere else... luck of the draw with dead pixels, bad stand, backlight bleeding, but other than that the screen is beautiful. And most microcenters will probably not let you test it out (since they can't sell it as new anymore).

 

[Throckmorton]

Holy crap, I better buy one.

 

[Itchrelief]

You might end up going through a couple to find one that doesn't have a dark spot or a miscolored area that stands out on an all-white background. Have the technicians unbox it for you while you're there and go through the rigamarole without having to drive back and forth multiple times.

edit: one minor niggle, only somewhat related to the monitor itself, is that the high resolution of the screen means that your graphics card is not going to idle at its lowest state as it will with a 19xx by 1xxx monitor.

 

[gigahertz20]

Trying to decide between the Dell and Auria. Newegg has the Dell U2713HM at $650 right now with a $50 Newegg gift card so essentially its $600. The Auria is $400 but if you buy it at Microcenter you'd have to pay tax of course so it's around $430 + I'd want to add another couple years of warranty to it instead of just the 1 year that comes with it + I'd want to buy a new stand instead of using the crap one that comes with it. So really that would put the Auria at around $500 total price compared to the $600 Dell.

I'm beginning to think it's not really worth the hassle for the $100 savings for the Auria especially with the slow input switching/BIOS screen not displaying issues/quality control questions from an unknown company/etc when you can just pay the extra $100 for the Dell and know you're getting a quality monitor and 3 years of warranty.

 

[Pohemi]

For me personally, an extra $100 is worth the peace of mind.

 

[Throckmorton]

Trying to decide between the Dell and Auria. Newegg has the Dell U2713HM at $650 right now with a $50 Newegg gift card so essentially its $600. The Auria is $400 but if you buy it at Microcenter you'd have to pay tax of course so it's around $430 + I'd want to add another couple years of warranty to it instead of just the 1 year that comes with it + I'd want to buy a new stand instead of using the crap one that comes with it. So really that would put the Auria at around $500 total price compared to the $600 Dell.

I'm beginning to think it's not really worth the hassle for the $100 savings for the Auria especially with the slow input switching/BIOS screen not displaying issues/quality control questions from an unknown company/etc when you can just pay the extra $100 for the Dell and know you're getting a quality monitor and 3 years of warranty.

You are forgetting one thing. That Dell has an awful nasty grainy matte coating.