Help me pick a new monitor for games

[Nvidiaguy07]

I bought a 21.5" acer H214H monitor a year or two ago, and I'm thinking about upgrading to a 27". The monitor is okay, but my biggest issues are with gaming.

here it is if you wanna check out the specs: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009157

I think it must have a crappy viewing angle from above and below, because staring straight at the monitor, the bottom and top are both bleeding light pretty badly.

In addition, if im playing a darker map, I have to tilt it down so i can distinguish where people are. So im not sure if this has to do with a bad viewing angle, or crappy contrast.

I also sometimes experience a flickering when the screen gets dark when playing my 360 over HDMI.

So obviously I want a bigger monitor, but when picking a new one, things i am considering are:

LED? - I am guessing LED LCD's are a little bit better, and will be brighter and have a better contrast ratio, so should I go with LED?

3D - not a huge deal to me, but if its only a little more, id like to have the option. I will be playing xbox on this, and i heard some games are 3d capable. Also a note on 3d monitors - is this the same as a 3d tv? or are there different versions? I've seen nvidias 3dvision, and also regular 3d stuff. I havent really looked into it, but id like the option for the future.

Contrast ratio - very important to me for games.

res - 1920*1080 is probably fine for me, I've seen some higher res screens, but they were much more expensive.

taking those factors into account, I was considering this monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824005203 but I really havent looked around that much, because im not sure what I should be looking for.

What do you guys think?

 

[Castiel]

That looks like a really nice monitor but pricey. I just upgraded to this and i love it

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009222

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

That looks like a really nice monitor but pricey. I just upgraded to this and i love it

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009222

Is it fully 3d capable? (will xbox and ps3 work on it? i dont know anything about 3D)

Also hows the viewing angle/contrast ratio? My main reason for getting a new monitor is to play 360 on it.

 

[Skurge]

Yeah, that one is 3D capable. Its a good monitor as well, a friend of mine has it. The viewing angles are good for a TN panel.

If you want a larger one, this is pretty good.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001431

Its not 3D capable though.

 

[Castiel]

Is it fully 3d capable? (will xbox and ps3 work on it? i dont know anything about 3D)

Also hows the viewing angle/contrast ratio? My main reason for getting a new monitor is to play 360 on it.

Yes it is 3D capable

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

Yeah, that one is 3D capable. Its a good monitor as well, a friend of mine has it. The viewing angles are good for a TN panel.

If you want a larger one, this is pretty good.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001431

Its not 3D capable though.

Its a really nice monitor, but I'm worried itll still have the same contrast/bleeding issues as my current monitor. This is why I was considerding a LED Monitor. I figure the contrast is better and blacks are deeper.

Playing really dark games is my main concern. aaaaand maybe having it be 3D capable, since that might end up being pretty cool.

 

[snuuggles]

I'm waiting on the Acer hn274h, which will be the first 27" 120hz (3d) monitor to hit the market. There's a review here, if you are interested:

http://3dvision-blog.com/tag/acer-hn274h-review/

I'm really hoping that Andand will review it as well, just to get a second opinion, but as long as you can stomach the price, I doubt there will be a better gaming display device available when it comes out...

hth!

 

[Castiel]

I'm waiting on the Acer hn274h, which will be the first 27" 120hz (3d) monitor to hit the market. There's a review here, if you are interested:

http://3dvision-blog.com/tag/acer-hn274h-review/

I'm really hoping that Andand will review it as well, just to get a second opinion, but as long as you can stomach the price, I doubt there will be a better gaming display device available when it comes out...

hth!

700 dollars? Ha!

 

[snuuggles]

700 dollars? Ha!

Just note that it'll likely be more like low-to-mid 600s at retail, it's 27" not 24", and it comes with the glasses, which are at least $150. So if you were getting the glasses anyway, and you could score it for 650 (not unreasonable), the price delta between what you recommended and this is 150, not really that bad for 25% more screen area.

 

[snuuggles]

Just note that it'll likely be more like low-to-mid 600s at retail, it's 27" not 24", and it comes with the glasses, which are at least $150. So if you were getting the glasses anyway, and you could score it for 650 (not unreasonable), the price delta between what you recommended and this is 150, not really that bad for 25% more screen area.

Also, this may not matter to you at all, but it comes with an HDMI 1.4a port so you can hook up a bluray or PS3 and get 2d/3d movies or games that way. Not something I'd pay extra for myself, but kind of a neat-to-have.

 

[wuliheron]

LED back lighting has a slightly better picture, but their real advantage is they use less energy and can last twice as long.

There aren't that many 27" 3D monitors on the market right now, but you can expect more in the near future. Size really does matter when it comes to 3D. I'd check out these sites for reviews on them:

http://3dvision-blog.com/

http://www.mtbs3d.com/

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

Also, this may not matter to you at all, but it comes with an HDMI 1.4a port so you can hook up a bluray or PS3 and get 2d/3d movies or games that way. Not something I'd pay extra for myself, but kind of a neat-to-have.

THIS is what I meant by full 3D. Sorry i didn't know the correct terminology, but this is what I had in mind.

I see the earlier monitor is 3d for nvidia vision or whatever its called, but i wouldnt be able to hook up my 360 and play it in 3D.

I would pay a little extra for this feature, but nothing significant.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Yeah, that one is 3D capable. Its a good monitor as well, a friend of mine has it. The viewing angles are good for a TN panel.

If you want a larger one, this is pretty good.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001431

Its not 3D capable though.

Costco had this one for $280 (last week)

 

[Kenmitch]

This one kinda looks like it may work for you....No 3d but it's LED backlit and 27"

http://www.provantage.com/asus-ve278q~7ASU91H8.htm

Google didn't turn up much info on it. Couple mini reviews which seemed favorable. Blacks are black and whites don't look pink or something like that.

 

[snuuggles]

THIS is what I meant by full 3D. Sorry i didn't know the correct terminology, but this is what I had in mind.

I see the earlier monitor is 3d for nvidia vision or whatever its called, but i wouldnt be able to hook up my 360 and play it in 3D.

I would pay a little extra for this feature, but nothing significant.

I just re-read your OP. Unfortunately, the hdmi port on the hn274h will accept the "frame packing" 3d format only. This is what's used by most 3d blueray players, ps3 games, and (it's my understanding), most other 3d-outputting devices.

The only devices that don't use frame-packing (that I'm aware of) are:
- PCs that use the nvidia 3d vision to output true full-resolution, 120hz steroscopic 3d. The monitor supports this format over it's DVI-D port.
- xbox 360, which uses "side-by-side" 3d format (not sure what that is, but it's different than frame-packing). The hn274h *will NOT* support this format.

Sorry for the confusion, it sucks that there are so many formats, especially when none of the others are as good as the nvidia format. It's the hdmi spec that's causing the problems.

 

[hawtdawg]

I just picked one of these up

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...439&Tpk=bx2331

Once I got it calibrated it didn't turn out to be too bad, but I think I've decided that I'm just not a fan of TN panels. For games it's pretty nice, but for web-browsing, there is definitely some noticeable color-shifting, but that's just how it goes with TN pannels

Im considering returning it and picking up one of these instead, because this is a hell of a deal.

http://www.amazon.com/NEC-EA231WMi-B...8089286&sr=8-1

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

alright, so I've done a lot of back and forth whether or not I want to pull the trigger on a new monitor.

I think maybe is a few years ill give 3d a chance again, but for now I think I just want to go with something big!

For me it comes down to these two LG monitors:
both 27"
same res
both 5ms

LED BackLight
250 cd/m2 brightness
5,000,000:1 contrast ratio
$419.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&SID=u00000687

with TV Tuner
300 cd/m2 DC
50000:1
$349.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824005142

I dont really care about the TV tuner, and the extra 70 bucks would only sway me if they were about the same.

Which of these two will be better for gaming? Which will have better contrast? no bleeding?

lmk what you guys think because im probably gonna end up buying soon!!!!!!! Im probably leaning towards the cheaper one, since they look pretty much identical in specs. Plus it has more reviews, and less of a chance of having something wrong with it.

 

[Labze]

alright, so I've done a lot of back and forth whether or not I want to pull the trigger on a new monitor.

I think maybe is a few years ill give 3d a chance again, but for now I think I just want to go with something big!

For me it comes down to these two LG monitors:
both 27"
same res
both 5ms

LED BackLight
250 cd/m2 brightness
5,000,000:1 contrast ratio
$419.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&SID=u00000687

with TV Tuner
300 cd/m2 DC
50000:1
$349.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824005142

I dont really care about the TV tuner, and the extra 70 bucks would only sway me if they were about the same.

Which of these two will be better for gaming? Which will have better contrast? no bleeding?

lmk what you guys think because im probably gonna end up buying soon!!!!!!! Im probably leaning towards the cheaper one, since they look pretty much identical in specs. Plus it has more reviews, and less of a chance of having something wrong with it.

Neither, i would go with the previously suggested samsung monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&SID=u00000687

Don't go for LED LCD's unless you really care about power efficiency, not that they are any worse than tradiotional CCFL LCD but neither are they better, often just more expensive for the same performence. Truth or myth people tend to say that LED's end up having worse blacklight bleeding.

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

Neither, i would go with the previously suggested samsung monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&SID=u00000687

Don't go for LED LCD's unless you really care about power efficiency, not that they are any worse than tradiotional CCFL LCD but neither are they better, often just more expensive for the same performence. Truth or myth people tend to say that LED's end up having worse blacklight bleeding.

Its out of stock, but i called and they said it should be in march 2nd.

Ill probably end up getting that, but this one looks very similar, and it a little cheaper too: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001392

the response is a little slower, but thats it. Its on a weekend special right now. Worth it?

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

I think you should get the asus 23" 120hz monitor. You don't have to get the 3d vision kit right now but when you're ready at least your monitor is 3d capable. I think 3d is going to blow up as far as gaming real soon. I believe 3d gaming is here to stay. I use to say it's just a gimmick until I tried it for myself. I haven't even got started on the benefits of the higher 120hz refresh rate. I think anyone buying a monitor today that isn't 120hz are screwing up.

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

I think you should get the asus 23" 120hz monitor. You don't have to get the 3d vision kit right now but when you're ready at least your monitor is 3d capable. I think 3d is going to blow up as far as gaming real soon. I believe 3d gaming is here to stay. I use to say it's just a gimmick until I tried it for myself. I haven't even got started on the benefits of the higher 120hz refresh rate. I think anyone buying a monitor today that isn't 120hz are screwing up.

I do 90 percent of my gaming on the 360 - which I thought uses a different type of 3d. If there were a monitor that can do it and is 27"or bigger, I would get it, or at least wait for its release. The awesome one made by acer may have been perfect for me, but I don't think that works on the 360.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Why not get a 3D LCD HDTV?

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

Why not get a 3D LCD HDTV?

I have a projector for my big screen, and like to sit at my computer desk and play 360.

I also would like to have a newer, bigger computer screen, as I have to look at huge apple monitors at work and then come home to my 21" (and I used to think it was big)

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

$280 for a 27" tv/monitor seems like a good deal to me. Samsung is usually quality stuff. You'll end up kicking yourself if you don't get it and have to pay near retail starting Monday.

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

$290 for a 27" tv/monitor seems like a good deal to me. Samsung is usually quality stuff. You'll end up kicking yourself if you don't get it and have to pay near retail starting Monday.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001392
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001431

Or is it worth it to wait a few more days and get the one that is slightly better for 320? (1ms response, and 70,000:1 contrast) although they also both have 1000:1 as the contrast ratio. Is the refresh rate the only difference?