Question New monitor goal

[lifeblood]

I’m in the market for a new GPU and monitor and am considering all my options. The system it will go with is the Ryzen system in my signature below. My budget is $375 for the monitor and $375 for the GPU. The games I play range from Tomb Raider, Doom, Guild Wars 2, Final Fantasy, Civ, etc.

My question is, what resolution and monitor size should I go for? At that price range should I limit myself to 1440p or try to go 4k? Is a 1440p IPS monitor better vs a 4k TN panel? A 27” IPS vs 32” TN? I definitely want Freesync but I’m not interested in paying extra for G-Sync, especially now that Nvidia is starting to support Freesync.

I haven’t decided on my GPU yet.

I got an evening teaching gig and my first two paychecks will go to upgrade my computer. My first check hits mid-February so I have time to contemplate.

 

[Tweak155]

I would definitely opt for IPS. Given your game list, you may even consider giving a higher budget to the monitor and dropping it on the GPU.

Doesn't look like you play anything competitive, I bet a nice ultrawide would be great for gaming though. Probably a 34" 3440x1440 60hz or 75hz paired with a GTX 1060 or 1070 or AMD equivalent would probably fit in the overall $750 budget... especially if you go used for the GPU (lots available right now).

 

[killster1]

qled 49" for 700$ with a used 190$ 1070 or 280$ 2060 but i dont care about 144hz and enjoy larger sized desktop.

 

[lifeblood]

A $700 display completely blows the budget but a 34" 3440x1440 ($430 on Amazon) is actually workable, and it has freesync as well. On the downside it's a VA panel rather than IPS. I would need to get a new rx 590 or used 1070 to drive it.

 

[nOOky]

I would avoid 4k as it just takes too much GPU horsepower to make it playable. In your price range you're probably looking at 2560 x 1440 27" or so, and even then IPS panels are $500+ if you want a refresh rate above 75hz, which in the long run you do or you will kick yourself. I'd hunt for a monitor with at least 120hz, and save up a bit for a new GPU. VA/PVA panels aren't that bad, which might help bring the price down a bit. Plenty of people game just fine on VA panels.

 

[killster1]

A $700 display completely blows the budget but a 34" 3440x1440 ($430 on Amazon) is actually workable, and it has freesync as well. On the downside it's a VA panel rather than IPS. I would need to get a new rx 590 or used 1070 to drive it.

what do you use now? what games do you run? Sorry but you can always buy a gfx card with your 3rd check as the prices for cards are going to drop in 2 more months id say.

So the 750$ budget is set in stone then 49" samsung nu7500 + gfx of your choice.

I should invest in a 32" high refresh to see if id prefer gaming on that then a 49" 4k tv.. I really enjoyed the days of 21" sony crt's with high refresh and rez. Just hard for me to imagine using a small monitor for my other daily uses. maybe you have a secondary monitor you use for other tasks and 32" just for games?

 

[bfun_x1]

A $700 display completely blows the budget but a 34" 3440x1440 ($430 on Amazon) is actually workable, and it has freesync as well. On the downside it's a VA panel rather than IPS. I would need to get a new rx 590 or used 1070 to drive it.

I've been looking at the $400 to $500 144Hz VA panels as well. One of the things I've seen mentioned in a couple of tech reviews is that they are only good between 75Hz to 100Hz. Anything over that and you'll see black smear or ghosting do to the slower response times of the VA panel.

 

[rstrohkirch]

If you're OK with VA panels then there are these monitors in the $400-450 range:

c27hg70 27"
mag27cq 27"
xz271u 27"
32gk650f 32"
ag32cq 32"

If you re-arrange your budget and maybe do a used gpu, then $600-650 gets you into the upper tier of 27" 1440p monitors like the new Aorus.

 

[Gt403cyl]

I bought an MSI MAG27CQ between Christmas and New Years and so far I’m loving it, I paid $489 + tax for a total of $570 CAD.

I really can’t think of any negatives yet, colour seems good, doesn’t feel or look cheap, no complaints.

 

[mnewsham]

I've been using the MSI MPG27CQ for about 6 months. VA panel, 400 nit brightness, etc.

Paid $465.

 

[lifeblood]

If you're OK with VA panels then there are these monitors in the $400-450 range:

c27hg70 27"
mag27cq 27"
xz271u 27"
32gk650f 32"
ag32cq 32"

If you re-arrange your budget and maybe do a used gpu, then $600-650 gets you into the upper tier of 27" 1440p monitors like the new Aorus.

Yes, I can definitely shuffle money and spend more than $375 on the display and less on the GPU.

Assuming a get a 1440p, how much difference will a 32" make versus a 27"? When playing I sit about 2 - 3 feet from monitor. At that distance will I be able to see individual pixels on the 32" that I won't on the 27"? I suspect not but I need to ask.

I like the idea of bigger is better but not if it starts to look grainy.

 

[lifeblood]

How are the VA panels vs IPS? It appears they are pretty popular. Has the low responsiveness been fixed? I see the manufacturers talk about "motion blur reduction" and "pixel overdrive", but does it work? If it does work, why would I get an IPS panel?

 

[bfun_x1]

How are the VA panels vs IPS? It appears they are pretty popular. Has the low responsiveness been fixed? I see the manufacturers talk about "motion blur reduction" and "pixel overdrive", but does it work? If it does work, why would I get an IPS panel?

Motion blur reduction doesn't always work and while pixel overdrive does work it can create it own issues with lag or inverse ghosting. I think we've gotten to a point where most casual gamers will say VA is good enough despite it's issues. I have an older VA and don't notice any issues but I'm sure other more critical people would. IPS aren't perfect either. My last IPS had shimmer and the blacks were never black. IPS are probably better for gaming but they aren't cheap. One interesting option is the Pixio PX277 IPS (AH-VA) monitor. It's only $400 but it's sold out everywhere.

 

[mnewsham]

Motion blur reduction doesn't always work and while pixel overdrive does work it can create it own issues with lag or inverse ghosting. I think we've gotten to a point where most casual gamers will say VA is good enough despite it's issues. I have an older VA and don't notice any issues but I'm sure other more critical people would. IPS aren't perfect either. My last IPS had shimmer and the blacks were never black. IPS are probably better for gaming but they aren't cheap. One interesting option is the Pixio PX277 IPS (AH-VA) monitor. It's only $400 but it's sold out everywhere.

With high refresh rate IPS or VA, you'll generally only notice the difference if you are comparing them side to side, or if you're particularly sensitive to motion blur.

I would've preferred IPS, but the AUO 27" 1440p 144hz IPS panel used in the PG278Q and MG278Q from 2015 has terrible quality control issues.

Looks like LG has a new panel on it's way for this summer, but no announced pricing. LG 27GL850G-B

 

[lifeblood]

Looking over the reviews and all the info out there on monitors I've definitely ruled out 4k monitors. They and their associated GPU's are too expensive. That leaves me 2k. I can get a standard 2560x1440 or I can go with an ultra-wide 2560x1080. The ultra-wide sounds useful in that I will have twice the desktop in one monitor. My daughter is already scheming on stealing it as it would allow her much better peripheral vision in FFXIV.

Any caveats to an ultra-wide? Anything I should be aware of?

Regardless of resolution I'll aim for an IPS panel with freesync and at least 75 Hz refresh. I'm not a competitive gamer so 144Hz would be nice but not critical.

 

[mnewsham]

2560x1080p ultrawides just feel too cramped for me.

Minimum ultrawide res i'd use would be 3440x1440, 3840x1600, or 5120x2160.

Also, there are many games that don't play well with 21:9 aspect ratio, especially older games.
Even modern games, many of them limit you to a 16:9 aspect ratio for your FOV so you don't have a competitive advantage.

 

[rstrohkirch]

I recently moved to an aw3418 and I love it. 4k movies look fantastic and all the games I'm playing currently support ultra wide - BF5, Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Path of Exile. They look glorious. I feel that nearly all large budget games going forward will support ultra wide. You're going to want a decent card though if you step up to 3440.

 

[bfun_x1]

With high refresh rate IPS or VA, you'll generally only notice the difference if you are comparing them side to side, or if you're particularly sensitive to motion blur.

I would've preferred IPS, but the AUO 27" 1440p 144hz IPS panel used in the PG278Q and MG278Q from 2015 has terrible quality control issues.

Looks like LG has a new panel on it's way for this summer, but no announced pricing. LG 27GL850G-B

Acer has its new freesync IPS panel coming out in a few weeks. It's supposed to compete with the new LG which might only have gsync. It claims to have a 1ms response time. I actually pre-ordered it but I'll cancel if the reviews are bad.

Acer Nitro XV272U.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07MQBPMJ2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

 

[lifeblood]

I’ve been looking at Displays and have decided to go with an 21:9 Ultrawide monitor. I’m thinking about either getting a 29” display at 2560x1080, or going really big with a 34” display at 3440x1440 resolution. It looks like I can get a solid 34” 3440x1440 display for $500 - $600 (75Hz, 5ms response time).

I considered a standard 2560x1440 but it really didn’t offer that much over what I have. An ultrawide will give me twice the desk space for office & school work. It will also give me a much larger field of vision for games that support the resolution, especially flight simulators and such.

So now comes the question. I accept that older games may not support the 21:9 aspect and therefore have to be played in window mode. I’m fine with that. I also realize a 3440x1440 display will tax the GPU more than normal 2560x1440. What other problems should I be aware of? Anybody know of new monitors that are on the horizon that I should keep my eyes open for? I do not need to buy immediately.

 

[JoeRambo]

I’ve been looking at Displays and have decided to go with an 21:9 Ultrawide monitor. I’m thinking about either getting a 29” display at 2560x1080, or going really big with a 34” display at 3440x1440 resolution. It looks like I can get a solid 34” 3440x1440 display for $500 - $600 (75Hz, 5ms response time).

Actually right now You can get what is currently the best 34" ultrawide for $799. https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-34GK950F-B-gaming-monitor

Nano IPS, 144hz, great colours, has firmware update that removes input lag. Also fully supports Gsync "compat" mode. Epic monitor I can personally recommend!

 

[lifeblood]

I ended up getting the new display. I got the LG 29WK600-W which is a 29” 21:9 Ultrawide (2560x1080) IPS which supports Freesync. It was on sale at Micro Center for $199 so I jumped on it. It definitely brings something new to the table compared to a normal 1080p display. My wife has put it to serious use for the past two weeks working on spreadsheets and various other documents and the fact it’s so wide has made editing multiple documents at once much easier. I think she normally had 3 documents open at one side by side on the screen.

For gaming it’s been excellent. I’ve played a lot of Portal 2 co-op with my daughter and despite the game not supporting that resolution, I still found a nice compromise resolution that worked well. I also bought from steam Wolfenstein New Order from 2014. It does support 2560x1080 and it looks sweet. The increased peripheral vision definitely helps out. MMO’s like Guild Wars 2 and FFXIV also support that resolution and look equally nice. I tried The Division 2 and it looks equally sweet although my GPU struggles to keep up the frame rate.

I wanted a 34” 3440x1440 display but I just couldn’t justify the cost. At around $500 they just were too expensive. Still, I’m happy with what I got. More importantly, my wife hasn’t grumbled at all about my getting it as she has used it and found it beneficial for her work. I just have to keep my daughter from using it as she’ll decide she wants one as well and start nagging me.