Newer mainsteam IPS monitors vs older mainstream IPS monitors

[JustMe8x]

I bought my 23 inch Asus ML239H LED IPS Full HD 5ms monitor 5 years ago after being impressed by the vivid colors and the great viewing angles compared to TNs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236122R

Are today mainstream Full HD IPS monitors any better than they were 5 years ago in terms of image quality or response time? I am not talking about high end monitors.

 

[Thinker_145]

The response times and eye strain are much better yes. However image quality is not.

I had a Dell 2209WA which died and was then replaced by the Dell P2414H. Both perfectly fit your description of newer vs older. I returned the first 2414H for its outrageous BLB. The second one was still fairly unsatisfactory but given how it seems such a common thing I just went along with it.

On my current monitor the BLB and IPS glow are both worse than the previous one. This seems to go hand in hand with the fact that CCFL backlit monitors are just better at blocking BLB than edge lit LEDs which is what all the new monitors have even the high end ones. The main reasons for the shift was lower power usage, thinner construction and lower temps. So seems like once again monitor tech took a step backwards just for the aesthetics.

Sent from my HTC One M9

 

[Headfoot]

100% agree with everything thinker says there. You can expect mainstream IPS monitors to go all the way up to 120hz refresh rate but they won't look much better or better at all than a 5 year old IPS in terms of pure IQ

 

[JustMe8x]

I am talking about 1080p IPS panels in the 200$-300$ range, not about 500$+ 1440p IPS panels.
I didn't pay more than 300$ for my IPS monitor 5 years ago. 1080p IPS monitors which are available today on the market(in the same price range) have 5ms response time, 60 Hz refresh rate and lack G sync. Basically the have the same specs as my 5 years old monitor.
It would be great having a 1440p IPS monitor with <5ms response time an G sync but those monitors are 500$+. On the other hand I would need a GTX 1070 to play on max details in 1440p. For 1080p a GTX 1060 is more than enough.

 

[Bacon1]

GSync itself costs $100+ for the module, so any GSync monitor will be $150 or more of one without in most cases. So yeah don't expect to find one for cheap.

But yes, the IQ tech hasn't changed, but the response time and max hz has. As well as price, I mean you can get one for $100 or less (down to $60s if refurb):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009628

They also use less power now and thus generate less heat as well.

But IQ? Its the same, HDR will be the major change in that department.

 

[Thinker_145]

One more thing you will also find the matte coating on the latest IPS monitors to be much more tolerable than in the past.

In my opinion IPS tech has showed the least progression in the last 5 years. All the panels are now available in high refresh rate. All that needs to be addressed is the IPS glow to make IPS monitors pretty glorious for gaming but it seems like we regressed in that department for whatever reason.

I have also noticed something about high refresh rate monitors that they all seem to have even higher BLB on average.

 

[PrincessFrosty]

Yes, there's a wider range of options for modern IPS which include those with lower response rates that display less ghosting, however whether they're exclusive to "high end" IPS monitors depends on your definition.

For about 8 years I used a 2560x1600 IPS Dell 30" and I recently replaced that with a 4k IPS BenQ 32", the response rate of the Dell was 8ms and it had appreciable ghosting compared to faster TNs at the time. Where as the 4ms of the new IPS panel is small enough to not really notice ghosting. It's certainly no 1ms TN panel but I feel that it's fast enough not to matter and with the additional colour and viewing angle benefits of IPS it's a much better overall monitor.