Looking for advice on new Monitor

[kenk0919]

I was going to buy this monitor
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0371557
and I went into the local microcenter and spoke with the sales person. I plan on using it for games like call of duty, far cry and other FPS type games as well as the usual internet etc. This monitor has a 5ms response time and he recommended I get a monitor with 2ms or less to avoid ghosting. I like Samsung and thought this would be a nice upgrade size wise from my current 19" monitor, a Samsung 940bx. I am using this on a system with a duo core E7500 chip, 4 GB of memory and a GTX 560 video card. Should this be fine or what?
Thanks, Ken

 

[cl-scott]

I guess it depends on how sensitive you are to these things. The monitor I was given to work has scan lines when it warms up (and on certain color backgrounds), a couple of stuck pixels, and a stuck subpixel or two. Noticed all of these things almost immediately on my first day with the monitor. However, using monitors with a far higher response rate than 5ms, I have never once noticed a ghosting issue. My old Dell 2001FP monitor had like a 16ms response rate, never noticed any ghosting playing Halo with it, despite a review of that monitor (from I think Anandtech) claiming it was an issue with the one they had for testing.

Obviously a lower response rate would make it less likely there would be ghosting, but 5ms should be less time than it takes to blink an eye. The average speed of an eye blink is about 300-400ms, so even taking into account the fact that we tend to blink less when staring at something, like a monitor, we're talking about pixels that can change states 60-80X faster than the average person can blink. How much ghosting could you possibly see in such a short period of time?

 

[kenk0919]

I am not having any issues with the current monitor which also has a 5ms response rate. Not sure if he was just trying to up sell me or if there is a real issue. There are not a lot of 2ms monitors compared to 5ms monitors available.
Thanks, Ken

 

[Ken g6]

Googling...just [thread=2057086]left me confused[/thread].

Some say 5ms monitors actually have a black-to-white response rate up to triple what's listed (gray-to-gray).

Others say it's just a matter of personal opinion whether response rate matters or not.

 

[cl-scott]

If your current monitor is working for you, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[kenk0919]

I am using a 4830 card currently and then new pc is the GTX560. I didn't think it would really matter.
Thanks for the advice, Ken

 

[mfenn]

Response time is one of the best places for manufacturers to lie on the spec sheet. That's because there is really no set standard for how to measure pixel response. One manufacturer's 5ms could be the same as anothers 16ms.

I guess what I am trying to say is to buy a monitor that has the resolution, screen size, and color quality that you want. Any modern LCD monitor is fast enough to not produce noticeable ghosting, especially the TN panels that you're looking at.

 

[azeem40]

If only more people understood the above.

 

[Scoobyboo]

I am using two Dell U2312HM screens, 23" and should be TN panel I believe.
Recommended and very happy with them

 

[azeem40]

U2312HM is IPS.

 

[mfenn]

If only more people understood the above.

:thumbsup: Too true. The only real exception to "response time doesn't matter" is 120Hz monitors but that's not really related to ghosting. Those actually accept a signal from the computer at higher rate in the first place.

 

[kenk0919]

Thanks for the education, just got back from Microcenter with my new Samsung monitor. It should be fine.

Ken

 

[imported_someonesomewhere]

There is also the issue of input/processing lag. Even if a panel doesn't have much motion blur, it can still have enough lag to be less than ideal for high-speed gaming.

 

[Leyawiin]

There is also the issue of input/processing lag. Even if a panel doesn't have much motion blur, it can still have enough lag to be less than ideal for high-speed gaming.

If he's getting a 5ms TN monitor that means there's no overdrive circuitry. If there's no overdrive, there's no input lag.