Cat leap vs unbranded HP refurb

prism

Senior member
Oct 23, 2004
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I'm in the market for a new monitor to replace my aging 21inch sceptre. Newegg has unbranded 27inch HP refurbs for $250 and are getting really good reviews. I know they're only 1080p, but how do these compare to the $300+ catleaps on eBay? I have a 3 year old rig that was average when I built it, so I know there's no way in hell I can max out the catleaps resolution on games and have them stay playable, but are other programs and applications better looking with that high of a Res?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 

hokies83

Senior member
Oct 3, 2010
837
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Get a Catleap i have one it is a great panel.

Once you go 2560x1440 IPS you dont go back. lol
 

prism

Senior member
Oct 23, 2004
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Is there anything I should look for when browsing the Catleap monitors on eBay? I've seen a few different model numbers. Also, is the warranty worth it? I've read about some people getting monitors with bad lighting issues, etc...Should I just be looking for a highly-rated seller?

EDIT: I see some of these have free 2-5 day express shipping!! From Korea!!!!! Will this still get stuck in customs forever over here? Also, is there any point in spending an extra $100+ for the ones with the "A-" rating?
 
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felang

Senior member
Feb 17, 2007
594
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Is there anything I should look for when browsing the Catleap monitors on eBay? I've seen a few different model numbers. Also, is the warranty worth it? I've read about some people getting monitors with bad lighting issues, etc...Should I just be looking for a highly-rated seller?

EDIT: I see some of these have free 2-5 day express shipping!! From Korea!!!!! Will this still get stuck in customs forever over here? Also, is there any point in spending an extra $100+ for the ones with the "A-" rating?

I had no problems with customs, I got a Shimian because it was cheaper than the Catleap at the time and didn´t get any stuck pixels or anything. Works great.
 

hokies83

Senior member
Oct 3, 2010
837
2
76
Is there anything I should look for when browsing the Catleap monitors on eBay? I've seen a few different model numbers. Also, is the warranty worth it? I've read about some people getting monitors with bad lighting issues, etc...Should I just be looking for a highly-rated seller?

EDIT: I see some of these have free 2-5 day express shipping!! From Korea!!!!! Will this still get stuck in customs forever over here? Also, is there any point in spending an extra $100+ for the ones with the "A-" rating?

BigClothCraft and Green-Sum are who ppl have been buying them from both offer good customer service aswell.

I have the Q270 SE DL DVI only plan and simple yet everything you need.
 

stuartl89

Member
Feb 4, 2012
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I bought a catleap from ebay and love it. If you're the OCD, worries about every little detail type, it may not be for you, but if your willing to overlook a few possible small flaws, and want a 2560x1440 display for between 300 and 400, this is the ticket.
 

maddie

Diamond Member
Jul 18, 2010
5,203
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Is there anything I should look for when browsing the Catleap monitors on eBay? I've seen a few different model numbers. Also, is the warranty worth it? I've read about some people getting monitors with bad lighting issues, etc...Should I just be looking for a highly-rated seller?

EDIT: I see some of these have free 2-5 day express shipping!! From Korea!!!!! Will this still get stuck in customs forever over here? Also, is there any point in spending an extra $100+ for the ones with the "A-" rating?
ALL of the panels have an A- rating.

I paid an extra $35 for a pixel perfect Shimian Lite model from Ta-Planet.

I have little light bleed, good color balance, deep blacks, good contrast.

I also have ~ 25% of one green sub-pixel permanently lit. I'm thinking of writing a post for this, as it is NOT a stuck pixel but a VERY slight irregularly shaped hole in the liquid crystal layer. Suggested methods of fixing stuck pixels WILL NOT work and I wonder if more damage can result by attempting to fix it. Not a problem as it is the limit of my vision. I'm still amazed I saw it, as even if I know where to look, I can barely see it. A few other owners have reported similar sized bright spots.
 

prism

Senior member
Oct 23, 2004
967
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ALL of the panels have an A- rating.

I paid an extra $35 for a pixel perfect Shimian Lite model from Ta-Planet.

I have little light bleed, good color balance, deep blacks, good contrast.

I also have ~ 25% of one green sub-pixel permanently lit. I'm thinking of writing a post for this, as it is NOT a stuck pixel but a VERY slight irregularly shaped hole in the liquid crystal layer. Suggested methods of fixing stuck pixels WILL NOT work and I wonder if more damage can result by attempting to fix it. Not a problem as it is the limit of my vision. I'm still amazed I saw it, as even if I know where to look, I can barely see it. A few other owners have reported similar sized bright spots.

Yeah, I can easily live with that. I have a dead pixel (I think it's dead, it looks greenish) on my Sceptre and it really doesn't bother me.

How is color saturation/accuracy on these monitors? My friend has a cheaper 19 inch Samsung that, while at a lower resolution than my Sceptre, makes my monitor look completely washed out.
 

iiiankiii

Senior member
Apr 4, 2008
759
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91
I have one of those LG S-IPS monitor from Korea. It's not cat leap. I have the PCBank one. Since I bought one with the guarantee perfect pixel, the monitor is nearly perfect. It's head and shoulders above those TN monitor.
 

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,712
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tbqhwy.com
i have 2 shimian QH270s from SK, had them a month, they have been flawless, neither has any stuck pixels, 1 of them has some light bleed that you cant really notice unless running a pure black background. color accuracy is great, no issues with gaiming and whatnot
 

rickon66

Golden Member
Oct 11, 1999
1,824
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1440p and 1080p should not be used in the same sentence. 1080p on a large screen monitor =FAIL. In other words no comparison.
 

prism

Senior member
Oct 23, 2004
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Bit the bullet and ordered a Catleap from green-sum a couple days ago. Some of his auctions had an estimated delivery date starting at 7/19, others said 8/2. I bought one from a 7/19 auction, but now eBay has the estimate at 8/2, and the DHL tracking link isn't working yet...this wait is killing me!!!
 

KingFatty

Diamond Member
Dec 29, 2010
3,034
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Good choice. I'm curious, have you considered keeping the old monitor around for some mutli-monitor goodness?
 

Subyman

Moderator <br> VC&G Forum
Mar 18, 2005
7,876
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Oh god, good thing you got the Catleap. 1080p TN panel on a 27" screen is not worth it these days. There will be a subtle problem with your screen such as uneven backlight or a few dead/stuck pixels but it will still be well worth it!
 

prism

Senior member
Oct 23, 2004
967
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Just got my catleap!! Why wouldn't any of you tell me that I needed a standard American power adapter for this?! Don't you know that I'm dumb?! Do any chain stores carry these?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 

prism

Senior member
Oct 23, 2004
967
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Never mind, the cable I used for my sceptre (that didn't have a power adapter) worked!! This thing is INCREDIBLE!!!! Now how do I go about calibrating this bad boy???

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 

Joseph F

Diamond Member
Jul 12, 2010
3,522
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You'll have to do it in your video drivers.
(Or, better yet, with a hardware image calibrator, such as a Colorvision Spyder)
 

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
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Never mind, the cable I used for my sceptre (that didn't have a power adapter) worked!! This thing is INCREDIBLE!!!! Now how do I go about calibrating this bad boy???

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

There is no OSD from what I understand. All must be done in software. If you search around I'm sure someone has some settings you could try.


What usage are you going to be using this panel for? Because I'd like you to do some testing in games if you wouldn't mind. Play some fast FPS games with vsync off and let me know if you have any motion blur, ghosting, noticeable lag of any kind etc. Thanks in advance. I'm having a very hard time determining the quality of catleap panels purely from a gaming perspective. I understand the IPS display is better colors but I'm not looking for a screen for photo work. I also don't know if I really want a 60hz display again. A 120hz display seems really attractive for gaming. I understand the higher resolution will allow the use of lower AA levels in games at comparable IQ, but the motion and control is what I'm on the fence with. I know my system can handle 2560x1440 but perhaps not in BF3 where I'd be at a lower FPS than might be desirable for competitive play. I understand the catleap panels don't have scalers so you can't run lower resolutions at 1:1 for example, might not be an issue but I'd still like to know more details from the perspective of gaming.
 
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Phynaz

Lifer
Mar 13, 2006
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ALL of the panels have an A- rating.

I'm thinking of writing a post for this, as it is NOT a stuck pixel but a VERY slight irregularly shaped hole in the liquid crystal layer.

I'm having a hard time trying to reconcile how an A- grade panel has a hole in it.

Maybe C grade, but A grade?
 

Destiny

Platinum Member
Jul 6, 2010
2,270
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I'm having a hard time trying to reconcile how an A- grade panel has a hole in it.

Maybe C grade, but A grade?

In his issue, it looks like bright/dead sub pixel... A- Grade Panels allow up to 5 bright pixels...
 

SheHateMe

Diamond Member
Jul 21, 2012
7,251
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I was wanting to get a 27'' Monitor also...but what are the benefits to the above stated and how rich do I have to be?
 
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cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
I was wanting to get a 27'' Monitor also...but what are the benefits to the above stated and how rich do I have to be?

Catleap 27" panels are going for just over $300 and about $360 will get you one that has been checked out for very bad pixel issues (not a perfect screen, but better chance to have fewer or no dead pixels).
 

maddie

Diamond Member
Jul 18, 2010
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I'm having a hard time trying to reconcile how an A- grade panel has a hole in it.

Maybe C grade, but A grade?

In his issue, it looks like bright/dead sub pixel... A- Grade Panels allow up to 5 bright pixels...
The TINY green flaw is irregular in shape when viewed at 20X magnification (jewelers loupe) and ~ 25% subpixel size when viewed with a red screen or blue screen. The adjacent lit subpixels are very regular vertical rectangles. When using a green or white screen, it disappears. The subpixel is lit like any good one. I take this to mean that the other 75% of that subpixel is working normally.

Doing some reading on LCD panel manufacturing flaws showed that this is certainly possible.

The thing is, it can't be fixed, but no problem. Way tiny.