Recommend a new LCD gaming monitor for me! :)

[imported_BigPerm]

A quick question. I think I am finally tired of my 21" Sony Trinitron CRT, if for no other reason than the weight is breaking my desk. I love the performance, I keep everything at 1600x1200 resolution (4:3 aspect ratio) @ ~80hz refresh.

I have two pc's. One I use for surfing/email/messaging/daily stuff (hooked up to a 15" crap LCD). The other (on the 21" CRT) I use basically only for gaming and video editing. I have a very high-end pc that handles everything from Call of Duty 2 to World of Warcraft to Half-Life 2 at 1600x1200 with all options cranked.

I didn't realize I was tired of my CRT until it dawned on me that I'll be moving soon, and I'm tired of lugging this thing around. I wandered into Fry's with nothing better to do yesterday and saw an LCD with Call of Duty 2 on it and it was the first LCD that I recall being impressed with for gaming. I don't even recall the model/manufacturer, but it just kind of clicked in my head that it's time to look into an LCD.

What monitors would you recommend that will satisfy me (visually) in both photo/video editing and (most importantly) fast FPS games or other high res games in general? The monitors that I've seen (at a quick glance) have ranged in price from ~300 up to $600... so basically my budget is unlimited, as I think I'm willing to spend up to ~$1000 on a monitor if it were the highest quality I could find.

So, here goes. Can anyone (everyone) recommend some monitors for me? Maybe some in the ~400-500 range and any higher than that? Quality is the biggest concern, price is completely secondary.

Thanks for any help!
Mike

 

[TheRyuu]

Dell 2405?

 

[xtknight]

I'd give a real good look at the Samsung 970P (19"). That only goes up to 1280x1024 though (as do all 19" LCDs today). Keep in mind, that will match the viewable size of your 21" CRT. Bigger than that, hmmm.... Maybe the Dell 2001FP (20.1" 1600x1200). It's supposed to be good all-around.

I also just received my VP930b yesterday (19" 1280x1024). My only complaint is some backlight bleeding on the edges. Maybe the 970P won't have that problem. The 970P isn't quite as fast as the VP930b but I'm sure it's plenty fast. I've seen the comparative tests.

 

[TheRyuu]

Originally posted by: xtknight
I'd give a real good look at the Samsung 970P (19"). That only goes up to 1280x1024 though (as do all 19" LCDs today). Keep in mind, that will match the viewable size of your 21" CRT. Bigger than that, hmmm.... Maybe the Dell 2001FP (20.1" 1600x1200). It's supposed to be good all-around.

I also just received my VP930b yesterday (19" 1280x1024). My only complaint is some backlight bleeding on the edges. Maybe the 970P won't have that problem. The 970P isn't quite as fast as the VP930b but I'm sure it's plenty fast. I've seen the comparative tests.

You'd never notice the backlight leakage in real world use.

But yea, VP930b is a good monitor, I have one and I see no ghosting. Its probably one of the fastest monitors there is out there.

 

[darXoul]

I'm currently upgrading my rig and I'm also on a hunt for a great multipurpose LCD with focus on gaming and video.

After reading countless opinions, reviews and comparisons, as well as seeing some displays in action, I do have a few recommendations:

3 widescreen (16:10) monitors:

ViewSonic VP231wb - a 23" widescreen 1920*1200 monitor for all purposes. Expensive but if price is no issue for you, you might want it. S-IPS panel, very good viewing angles, vivid colors but only decent contrast and black level. Supposed to be free from ghosting in games (16 ms rise/fall, 12 ms gtg response). However, widescreen support is still not quite mature IMO. There are forums specialized in widescreen gaming where most games are "hacked" to get them widescreen-adjusted. Nevertheless, in quite a few games widescreen still means stretching the picture (you can avoid it by setting interpolation to 1:1 and playing in default 4:3 aspect resolution with black bars) or simply cutting the top and bottom a bit instead of adding FoV horizontally. Games which have good 16:10 support are immersive but for me, widescreen ain't worth it yet.

Dell 2005FPW - a 20" widescreen 1680*1050 monitor. 16 ms rise/fall, 12 ms gtg, S-IPS matrix. Good for games, most reviewers don't complain about ghosting. Some of them do, however. Very good colors, good blacks, some backlight issues in a few cases. Usually perceived as faster than its larger brother, the 2405FPW but IMHO, a 20" widescreen isn't worth the cash. It's small vertically, even a bit smaller than my 19" (18" viewable) CRT. Too small. You might be happy with it though, seeing how many people around here like it.

Dell 2405FPW - a 24" ws 1920*1200 monitor, 16 ms rise/fall, 12 ms gtg, VA matrix. Good multipurpose really LARGE display but not fast enough for me, since most reviewers notice ghosting.

2 non-widescreen monitors:

ViewSonic VX924 (or VX922) - the fastest panel available... 3/2 ms gtg (924/922(, 5 rise/fall, 19" 1280*1024. Superb speed in games, no ghosting but a TN panel which means only decent blacks, not full 8 bit color (6 bit + dithering = some color banding), pretty poor viewing angles, especially vertical. A good gaming panel, OK for videos but limited usefulness for other purposes. Plus, almost no ergonomy settings (limited tilt, no sviwel, height adjustment, pivot).

ViewSonic VP2030b (or VP2130b) - 20" and 21" brothers of the praised VP930B, with a slightly newer panel (better brightness and rise/fall time). 16 ms rise/fall, 8 ms gtg, 1600*1200. High contrast, very good blacks, fast response, nice colors. Modern MVA matrix. This is personally my favorite monitor now, judging from VP930B experiences and panel improvements. No reviews of this one yet. I'm gonna pick up the 20" version since the larger one is insanely expensive in Poland (PLN 7,000 vs PLN 3,000). I would of course prefer to see a few reviews but I think this monitor is currently the most appealing allrounder with gaming capabilities. Looks like I'm gonna grab this one.

 

[darXoul]

Originally posted by: xtknight
I'd give a real good look at the Samsung 970P (19"). That only goes up to 1280x1024 though (as do all 19" LCDs today). Keep in mind, that will match the viewable size of your 21" CRT. Bigger than that, hmmm.... Maybe the Dell 2001FP (20.1" 1600x1200). It's supposed to be good all-around.

Well, most 21" CRTs have a viewable diagonal of 20".

As for the 970p, I don't like it too much after reading the tests on xbitlabs and hardware.fr. Pretty poor blacks and response isn't THAT stellar either, even though the advertised response time is great. Overall, it seems a good allround monitor but since money is no issue here, I'm sure there are better choices around.

 

[TheRyuu]

VP930b. Best 19in IMHO

 

[imported_BigPerm]

Are there any 19" 4:3 aspect LCDs that are native 1600x1200? Seems like most are 1280x1024.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: BigPerm
Are there any 19" 4:3 aspect LCDs that are native 1600x1200? Seems like most are 1280x1024.

Not that I've seen. They definitely have the capability to produce them though. Just look at laptops (1920x1080 at 15.4"). Unfortunately, little demand for the desktop market, so they don't bother. It sucks.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: darXoul
As for the 970p, I don't like it too much after reading the tests on xbitlabs and hardware.fr. Pretty poor blacks and response isn't THAT stellar either, even though the advertised response time is great. Overall, it seems a good allround monitor but since money is no issue here, I'm sure there are better choices around.

Response tests:

http://www.behardware.com/articles/602-...lcd-survey-2-3-4-6-8-ms-and-above.html
http://www.behardware.com/articles/602-...lcd-survey-2-3-4-6-8-ms-and-above.html

The VP930b ever-so-slightly edges it out on the color response test.

Color test:

http://www.behardware.com/articles/602-...lcd-survey-2-3-4-6-8-ms-and-above.html

Looks very good and close to me. I think it has less backlight bleeding than the cheaper VP930b so that's also something to consider. They may have a good black level but what about leaking?

 

[darXoul]

Yes, backlight bleeding certainly seems an issue but hopefully, the problem was fixed on VP2030B and 2130B.

As for responsiveness, it's good but IIRC, the ViewSonic was better especially in dark tone transitions.

 

[Cobalt]

Received my Samsung 940B on Wednesday, wonderful monitor. Works great under the heavy gaming I do, CoD2, F.E.A.R, CS, etc.

 

[imported_BigPerm]

So the Samsungs seem to be the LCDs at this point, eh? Someone at anandtech also mentioned the Dell 24" widescreen, said that Samsung actually produces the LCD. I don't think I would mind a widescreen if it were that size. You could even use normal 4:3 aspect ratio with black bars on the side and be plenty large.

 

[darXoul]

Not all Samsungs are so great. Watch out for the 930BF which is fast but pays for the response time with horrible image artifacts.

As for the 24" Dell, it's a good monitor but IMO, a bit too slow for fast-paced gaming.