Looking for advice on a new monitor

TemjinGold

Diamond Member
Dec 16, 2006
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So this Sharp 32" LED TV has served me well these past few years but recently I've been thinking about replacing it with an actual monitor again (I have a nagging suspicion the input lag is killing me in a lot of games) and then just mounting this TV in one of my guest bedrooms.

The problem is, I realize I don't know much about what to get. I know I want either one of those 3440X1440 ~34" units or perhaps a nice ~32" 4K. Leaning towards the former because I don't really want to go SLI/CF just to make the latter bearable and the extra horizontal workspace would be nice. I also know I don't want to spend more than say $1000-1500 though that's not a hard limit if there's a REAL good reason to spend more and I'm not one to spend more if I can get away with less without sacrificing much. Not being locked to 60hz would be nice but I've been locked there on this TV for the past few years so maybe that's not a huge deal. I do play some FPS games but heard that TNs look awful and should be avoided like the plague. I also work at home for my job, so I am in front of this thing like 12+ hours per day but it's office type work, not photography or anything like that. I also don't have to get something RIGHT NOW, so if waiting a few months is better, that works too. I do know that I don't like to upgrade screens often and prefer something that lasts years (though I think this is true of most people).

Given all that, what do you guys recommend? And are there other questions/considerations I need? Thanks!
 

lehtv

Elite Member
Dec 8, 2010
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I'd probably get the upcoming Acer XB270HU 1440p 144hz IPS G-Sync monitor.
 

Kenmitch

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
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Most likely you'll need a new gpu to go with it. Your sig makes me think so. GTX 580 is pretty dated.
 

wand3r3r

Diamond Member
May 16, 2008
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If you tend to keep monitors for a long time, I'd consider the 32" 4k monitor. For gaming you can still drop to e.g. 1600p and it will just have some black edges but will be amazingly dense and detailed. 4k is amazing. I can imagine the large 3440x1440 is a nice screen too.

There are freesync monitors coming soon which may be worth considering if you end up with an AMD card since it probably won't add a premium to the price of the monitor anyway.
 

_UP_

Member
Feb 17, 2013
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I was just about to mention waiting a bit for more free/g sync monitors to come out. I'm considering both options you are and that's what I'm waiting for.
That and also something along these lines. IPS, 120Hz. Now they should add free/g sync and higher res. That would be perfect.
 
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postmortemIA

Diamond Member
Jul 11, 2006
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I'd go for 32" 2560x1440. Familiar size. Modern GPUs should handle it. easy on eyes, yet improvement to what you have now, I assume 1080p.
 
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TemjinGold

Diamond Member
Dec 16, 2006
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Thanks, everyone. I do plan to upgrade the GPU, just waiting for the AMD 300 series to come out first. I should mention I don't want anything smaller than 30" unless I'm going for multiple screens. For those of you who have multiple screens is there a downside to it?
 

Mondozei

Golden Member
Jul 7, 2013
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If you're waiting for the 300-series then forget G-Sync.
I'd say you should consider the upcoming Asus MG279Q. It is basically the Swift but with IPS. However, a small disclaimer. Actually, two of them.

First, it will have a slightly higher input lag. Asus claims 5 ms compared to TN panels who can go down to 1 ms. It shouldn't make a huge difference unless you're a serious professional gamer, but sometimes a company claims one thing and the reality is different(hence why you should read professional reviews from people like tftcentral.co.uk).
The second is that it isn't an official Freesync-capable monitor but that won't really matter much. I'll let pcper do the talking for me.

That monitor is out in Q1, officially, but since we're soon apporaching March I'd politely suggest Q2.

Another monitor which is out any day now(at least where I live, where it's literally available in two days' time) is the Benq XL2730. It's basically the Swift but with Freesync and should be cheaper, too. Reviews are out very, very soon.

My advice to you is have some patience. The next monitor will likely last you five years, so waiting an extra quarter or too is worth it, on the other hand, you can always wait forever for the "perfect" monitor. So it's a balance. Good luck!
 

TemjinGold

Diamond Member
Dec 16, 2006
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Thanks for the tips. It looks like the ones you recommended are 27" though. I don't mind waiting, but like I said, I'd really like something that's 30" or more.
 

RainStryke

Member
Feb 6, 2015
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Here is an idea:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2421070&highlight=

Personally, I got to mess around with a 4K TV for a while and it was amazing... but my PC was not ready for 4K content yet, so it was frustrating. Right now 1440p is the sweet spot for gaming. Those new 29" and 34" extra wide monitors look really tempting. The only thing that kills it for me is the 60Hz refresh rate. You can get a Vizio P series 50" that can do 4K @ 60Hz for around $800. So i'd keep that in mind.
 

xthetenth

Golden Member
Oct 14, 2014
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Two monitors is pretty awesome in general, but I'd say an ultrawide is yet better for work use, and it's more cool screen for gaming. I'm not sure if the LG screen split software is proprietary to them but it's well worth getting that or an equivalent, since it lets you use that width to put three things next to each other with the ability to dynamically resize things to make the most of it being one screen.
 

Headfoot

Diamond Member
Feb 28, 2008
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A tip: don't buy into the IPS circle-stimulation. There are better quality TN panels that get you decent colors and decent viewing angles without having to have the blurring and lower refresh rate of IPS. You have to look at them on a monitor by monitor basis. There are bad IPS panels out there too. It's not so easy as IPS > all
 

TemjinGold

Diamond Member
Dec 16, 2006
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Hahah that would be REALLY wide! I don't know how I'd feel about that...

Though I will admit that pic of the 2 Dell U3415Ws on their page side by side is really sweet looking.

Are you guys telling me I set my budget too high? I'm asking because all of the recs so far have come in far below the budget I set. That's fine if it means I won't get my money's worth spending more, I'm just wondering is all.

Oh and I'm not necessarily set on getting the Radeon 300 series, I'm just waiting till they come out to make a decision on which gpu to upgrade to. I'm not brand loyal to either and will always get whatever is best at the time (I had a Radeon 4890 prior to this 580). So given that a monitor lasts me a long time, perhaps the G/free stuff isn't good for me unless one of them happens to support both.
 

funboy6942

Lifer
Nov 13, 2001
15,290
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Ive got just one right now, and I get to see more on the screen then just a 16:9 monitor and cannot wait till I can get another one, its going to be super bad ass :D and if you think the 29's are too wide you can always get 2 25's instead and those are even cheaper ;)
 
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Headfoot

Diamond Member
Feb 28, 2008
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Another consideration: we're really close to the first launch of Adaptive Sync compatible monitors, within a few months here. It might be worth waiting to at least see how they are reviewed or to get the A-Sync version of an already good monitor for future proofing purposes
 

Eric1987

Senior member
Mar 22, 2012
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If you tend to keep monitors for a long time, I'd consider the 32" 4k monitor. For gaming you can still drop to e.g. 1600p and it will just have some black edges but will be amazingly dense and detailed. 4k is amazing. I can imagine the large 3440x1440 is a nice screen too.

There are freesync monitors coming soon which may be worth considering if you end up with an AMD card since it probably won't add a premium to the price of the monitor anyway.

I second this.