NEC 30" in person...

[DrBoss]

If I just wanna stick with the one video card, what do you suggest?

A single high end card, (Radeon 6950 or 6970 / Nvidia 580) would surely be able to push that resolution (2560x1440)... maybe not Crysis maxed though.

Single cards on the horizon (Radeon 6990 / Nvidia 590) would be icing on the cake.

As far as resolution is concerned, unless you plan on getting a 6990 or 590 i wouldn't get a monitor above 2560x1440... 1920x1200 would even be a safer bet.

My Eizo 27" (Last gen) is actually 1920x1200. The only problem is that 1920x1200 on a 27" monitor is a bit stretched in my opinion (the pixels are larger to compensate for the huge screen). The new Eizo 27" solves this problem by offering the higher res (2560x1440). If you want to stick to 1920x1200 (which may be a good idea for a single GPU) i would recommend something around 24"

 

[nitromullet]

dunno what you budget is, but Eizo recently put out a revised version of their 27" monitor.
http://www.eizo.com/global/products/flexscan/sx2762w/index.html

i have the last gen of this monitor and love it. great for gaming, movie, whatever.

The native resolution is 2560x1440 and it has 1:1 scaling (which is a must).

The SX2762W doesn't appear to be for sale anywhere in the US (yet), although this screen does look awesome.

I actually had the 24" (SX2461W) version of the 27" you have, and I agree I was smitten with that screen. The new 27" is going to be a little different though because Eizo is switching to the same LG IPS panel used in the Dell U2711 and NEC PA217W-BK from the Samsung PVA panel they used in our Eizo models. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, it will just be a different type of panel.

edit: the NEC the OP is considering also has 1:1 scaling.

 

[DrBoss]

off topic, but nonetheless badass

glasses free 1080p 3D
http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/13/eizo-announces-more-detail-on-glasses-free-3d-duravision-lcd-re/

 

[nitromullet]

of possible interest to the OP...

Eizo actually sells refurbs directly in the US for a considerable discount over their new screens. They are currently listing the screen DrBoss owns and the 30" SX3031W - these are both PVA screens.

http://www.eizo.com/na/purchase/direct/monitors.html

My previous SX2461W was a refurb from Eizo, and it arrived in perfect condition. I very seriously considered the SX3031W, but decided against it mostly because of its sort of wonky HDCP support and limited dual link DVI connections. Basically, it has two DVI inputs, one is dual link and the other is not, and only the single link (max res 1920x1200) input has HDCP. I tend to use multiple inputs on my monitor, so I need at least two dual link DVI inputs and I wouldn't really want to have to switch the inputs to view content that requires HDCP. This screen really didn't quite have the options I wanted, although I'm sure it has a wonderful picture.

I probably should mention that the NEC LCD3090WQXi also only supports DHCP up to 1920x1200 on its dual link DVI inputs. This isn't a bad thing because most HDCP content only goes up to 1080p, but if running the native res viewing HDCP content requires a switch in resolution and a reboot. Not a deal breaker necessarily, but worth noting.

The reason both the LCD3090WQXi and SX3031W have sort of wonky HDCP issues is that quite simply they are three year old models, and an HDCP implementation that was adequate three years ago is a little lacking to today. The Apple Cinema Display 30" (discontinued) lacks any sort of HDCP whatsoever because it is a relatively old design, although it is a very nice screen.

 

[Anomaly1964]

Not sure I wanna go SLI, still haven't decided though...

I may see what price the 27", 120hz Asus or Samsung come in at...

 

[DrBoss]

http://www.eizo.com/na/purchase/direct/monitors.html

great prices.

 

[nitromullet]

Not sure I wanna go SLI, still haven't decided though...

I may see what price the 27", 120hz Asus or Samsung come in at...

Honestly, what you probably need to do is research some more and decide what is important to you in an LCD. The reason I say this is because the NEC 30" and the 120MHz Asus are literally polar opposites in terms of what they offer. LCD tech is far from perfect, so the manufacturers design LCDs for specific purposes that exchange certain positive qualities for others.

A gaming/entertainment screen like the Asus 120MHz is geared towards fast response, low input lag, and 3D capability in exchange for lower viewing angles and less accurate color.

An NEC or Eizo on the other hand is geared towards color accuracy and exceptional image quality at the expense of input lag and response time (and price). These are higher quality monitors, but that doesn't mean they are 'better' for your intended use.

Personally I cannot tolerate poor viewing angles and over saturated colors, so I'll exchange not having those for input lag which doesn't bother me much. I should confess I'm seldom at the top of the leader-board in CoD-BO, perhaps the two are related?

Anyway, there is no "right" answer to which LCD you should get because they all represent a compromise to some extent. I think the only blatantly wrong thing you could do would be to blow a $1000+ on a monitor you don't like that doesn't suit your needs.

 

[Anomaly1964]

Honestly, what you probably need to do is research some more and decide what is important to you in an LCD. The reason I say this is because the NEC 30" and the 120MHz Asus are literally polar opposites in terms of what they offer. LCD tech is far from perfect, so the manufacturers design LCDs for specific purposes that exchange certain positive qualities for others.

A gaming/entertainment screen like the Asus 120MHz is geared towards fast response, low input lag, and 3D capability in exchange for lower viewing angles and less accurate color.

An NEC or Eizo on the other hand is geared towards color accuracy and exceptional image quality at the expense of input lag and response time (and price). These are higher quality monitors, but that doesn't mean they are 'better' for your intended use.

Personally I cannot tolerate poor viewing angles and over saturated colors, so I'll exchange not having those for input lag which doesn't bother me much. I should confess I'm seldom at the top of the leader-board in CoD-BO, perhaps the two are related?

Anyway, there is no "right" answer to which LCD you should get because they all represent a compromise to some extent. I think the only blatantly wrong thing you could do would be to blow a $1000+ on a monitor you don't like that doesn't suit your needs.

Good advice...

I mostly play FPS and when SW: Old Republic comes out I will be playing that A LOT...

This is a case of have money to spend but dont wanna BLOW. What sux is there is very little opportunity to see these screens in PERSON and test them out...

 

[mnewsham]

Good advice...

I mostly play FPS and when SW: Old Republic comes out I will be playing that A LOT...

This is a case of have money to spend but dont wanna BLOW. What sux is there is very little opportunity to see these screens in PERSON and test them out...

If you are really only playing FPS and stuff like that (cant wait for SW: Old republic!!!) then i think a 120hz (or 3) and maybe try seeing if you can return the 570 you have for the new 6990 or the GTX 590 later this month? But if you are looking for fast display's TN is your choice ATM and since you are fairly satisfied with your 28" TN going to 120hz is the next step.

 

[Anomaly1964]

If you are really only playing FPS and stuff like that (cant wait for SW: Old republic!!!) then i think a 120hz (or 3) and maybe try seeing if you can return the 570 you have for the new 6990 or the GTX 590 later this month? But if you are looking for fast display's TN is your choice ATM and since you are fairly satisfied with your 28" TN going to 120hz is the next step.

Yeah, I think that 27", 120Hz Asus will be what I wind up with...NONE are for sale right now.

 

[bryanW1995]

The difference between 1920x1080 and 1920x1200 is like the difference between 2560x1440 and 2560x1600 You need one GPU for 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 You would need TWO gpu's for 2560x1440 OR 2560x1600

huh? don't tell that anybody with a 6970 or gtx 580...

 

[mnewsham]

huh? don't tell that anybody with a 6970 or gtx 580...

to get 60fps in crysis at 2560x1600 you need 2 gpu's sorry.

 

[n7]

to get 60fps in crysis at 2560x1600 you need 2 gpu's sorry.

Who cares about Crysis...

I've used single cards on my 3007WFP for years now.
I cannot run some games @ maxed settings, very true.
But most games do just fine, or can do just fine with a setting or two turned down (or just no AA, etc).

I've used the following for my 3007WFP over the years:
X1900XT
8800 GTX
GTX280
HD4890
HD5870
GTX570


@ Anomaly1964
The thing to realize about 30" (or smaller 2560x displays) is that they aren't awesome because they are bigger.
They're awesome because they offer a LOT more pixels to work with than a puny 1920x1200/1080 display does.

Watching a movie doesn't show the benefit, as 1080p is a sad limitation the home theatre market has us stuck with for what will be FAR too long.

If all you want is a big fast screen for gaming, a big TN or 1080p TV will suit you well.

If you want a huge upgrade in amount of space you have on your desktop for multiple applications/windows/etc, as well as higher resolution gaming, then 1440/1600p shines.

I have to admit it rather annoys me when people even compare their 1080/1200p displays/TVs to something that's 2560x1600, as honestly, there's nothing to compare, other than physical size, which is not what getting a 30" 2560x1600 display is about.

It's an entirely different world @ 2560x1440/1600.
It's close to to DOUBLE the pixels you are working with!



For some perspective, these are some old 1600p vs. 1080p pics i took.

1920x1080

2560x1600

 

[mnewsham]

Who cares about Crysis...

I've used single cards on my 3007WFP for years now.
I cannot run some games @ maxed settings, very true.
But most games do just fine, or can do just fine with a setting or two turned down (or just no AA, etc).

I've used the following for my 3007WFP over the years:
X1900XT
8800 GTX
GTX280
HD4890
HD5870
GTX570

Im not saying it wont run games at all but from my private messages (the 350 or so ) I got the impression he wanted to be able to play current games at full settings and games down the line (1 1/2 years) at high settings.

 

[HeXen]

i've been using a 32" for a year now. freaking epic sitting at my desk playing PC games on my 580gtx. Just having the image envelope your entire frontal view is very immersive.

 

[Anomaly1964]

This decision is not getting any easier...

Gonna think about it some more this weekend...

And Mnewsham, it's only 347 PMs...

 

[mnewsham]

And Mnewsham, it's only 347 PMs...

Damn i knew i was close

 

[snuuggles]

I'm waiting for the Acer hn274h (27", 1080p@120hz) to come out. Should be ~600-650 and it'll come with the glasses etc for 3d. It'll also accept ps3/bluray 3d via hdmi (*not* xbox 360 however), and it'll have the 120hz input for just plain better motion resolution if you're not in 3d...

It's been reviewed here:

http://3dvision-blog.com/review-of-the-27-acer-hn274h-3d-vision-ready-lcd-monitor/

It's not clear when it'll be available in the US though - April?

For gaming, the higher resolution of 1440/1600p just doesn't seem to be worth it considering the hit you take to frame rate. I'd rather get the 120hz and get that awesome motion resolution.

 

[Anomaly1964]

I'm waiting for the Acer hn274h (27", 1080p@120hz) to come out. Should be ~600-650 and it'll come with the glasses etc for 3d. It'll also accept ps3/bluray 3d via hdmi (*not* xbox 360 however), and it'll have the 120hz input for just plain better motion resolution if you're not in 3d...

It's been reviewed here:

http://3dvision-blog.com/review-of-the-27-acer-hn274h-3d-vision-ready-lcd-monitor/

It's not clear when it'll be available in the US though - April?

For gaming, the higher resolution of 1440/1600p just doesn't seem to be worth it considering the hit you take to frame rate. I'd rather get the 120hz and get that awesome motion resolution.

Beginning to agree with you...

Better picture and fluidity is more important than BIGGER...

 

[rgallant]

-just saying
-when I started to test\bench my 570,s @ 1920 x 1200 I reloaded metro 2033 with max. in game settings.
-hit the vram ram wall @ 1275 mb -then put in for the evga stepup to 580's. while I could and wc block's fit the 580's.

 

[TeddyKitagawa]

Someone mentioned TV's and rather than create a new thread to ask my question to be told I could have included it in something else and get a bad mark by some MOD/Admin...., I'll ask here.

If one is; me, fine with the 1080/1200P limitation and want a new monitor and notice most monitors all do 1080P now anyways and want bigger than a smaller 24 inch screen, would I be better getting a 32inch Sony or LG IPS Panel 1080P 120Hz TV for 500-600 dollars or getting a 27inch "monitor"? TV and PC monitors used to use different scaling; coupled with the OS not fully supporting 1920x1080 specifically at a time, I used to hear using a TV as a computer monitor caused scaling issues.

Is that pretty much not true anymore? Cause my eyes suck, horribly near sighted lol, so I was wanting to stay in the 1080/1200P area but want bigger pixels so stuff is bigger and easier to read.

Right now I have the font set to 14 pt and having Google Chrome set to 143% zoom on all my bookmarked pages.

The odd thing is my eyesight is stupid sharp and I see so many artifacts, even in Blu-ray and notice shit some of my professional editing friends sometimes miss. But again the near sightedness is crap.

So, would I have a problem with obscure images getting a 32 inch TV that's 120Hz, or should I just stick to a 27 inch monitor?

 

[mnewsham]

IF you can do 2560x1440 the Dell U2711 is a 27" IPS monitor on sale for $824.25 at the Dell small business site. with the coupon code VX30ZRKCH08MLN

If you cant afford that then the asus 27" is on sale at best buy

 

[TeddyKitagawa]

Was that for me or someone else?

I was just wondering if using a TV is still bad since computer monitors now use the same scaling system.

I can do it, I've worked with 2560x1600 monitors before, I just like to chill 3 feet back sometimes and most pages text is too small on 1920x1200 on my 24 inch that far away.

Then again, I like to adjust fonts in FF and set it to FreeSans font, maybe I should just let the browser display what the webpages dictate in their code and things may be bigger, oh well lol.

 

[mnewsham]

Was that for me or someone else?

I was just wondering if using a TV is still bad since computer monitors now use the same scaling system.

I can do it, I've worked with 2560x1600 monitors before, I just like to chill 3 feet back sometimes and most pages text is too small on 1920x1200 on my 24 inch that far away.

Then again, I like to adjust fonts in FF and set it to FreeSans font, maybe I should just let the browser display what the webpages dictate in their code and things may be bigger, oh well lol.

It was to you, in my experiences a TV just doesn't look right.

 

[TeddyKitagawa]

Alright. I'll have to ask my supervisor tomorrow. I get a 30% or up to 30% I should say discount with Dell so I wonder what percentage off bracket I'll fall into with that. I wonder how it'll compare to that price, if less then... well it's obvious lol, go with what saves more.

Is that the only recommendation, ASUS. No good monitors for non IPS panels other than that? Some of the LG ones on newegg look nice, and I was considering the HP one as well.