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New PC Monitor Needed!
MoosehatIV
Saw a blimp onceRegistered User regular
Saw a blimp onceRegistered User regular
So, my current 23 inch PC monitor just died this week. It is an ancient beast, so it is not surprising, but she will be missed.
Now I am in the market for a new one and I need a bit of advice. I have three options right now and I am looking for some solid opinions.
1. ASUS VS Series VS238H-P (~$121)
2. HP Pavilion 23xi 23-inch Diagonal Monitor (~$139)
3. Dell U2415 Monitor (~$273)
So, the things you need to know. The main things I use my computer for are gaming and watching dumb videos. I am not a huge graphics nerd, but I at least like my games to look non-janky. Though, many of the games I play are not very graphics intensive (I am looking at you Binding of Isaac).
The last one is obviously the most expensive, but I am just not sure if it is worth the extra $.
Any good suggestions for a PC gamer on a budget?
Now I am in the market for a new one and I need a bit of advice. I have three options right now and I am looking for some solid opinions.
1. ASUS VS Series VS238H-P (~$121)
2. HP Pavilion 23xi 23-inch Diagonal Monitor (~$139)
3. Dell U2415 Monitor (~$273)
So, the things you need to know. The main things I use my computer for are gaming and watching dumb videos. I am not a huge graphics nerd, but I at least like my games to look non-janky. Though, many of the games I play are not very graphics intensive (I am looking at you Binding of Isaac).
The last one is obviously the most expensive, but I am just not sure if it is worth the extra $.
Any good suggestions for a PC gamer on a budget?
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It probably won't help you out now that it's apparently no longer on sale, but I got my initial monitor advice from the Logical Increments peripherals section and the Tom's hardware 2015 monitor awards list.
However, I have learned a few things about monitors now that it's finally arrived and I hooked it up:
1. What type of stand does the monitor have? The one I bought has an adjustable seriously giraffe stand and can rotate its face front/back and to the side. Neat. Now I get to throw away the crappy plastic stand I had my last monitor on.
2. 144hz refresh rate. What this means is no screen tearing, no vsync needed on games that your card is good enough to run over 60 fps, and you get the additional benefit of smooth controls at 1ms response time. Not too shabby for an FPS, or possibly Binding of Isaac if you're up in the twitch leagues. However, if you don't care about that, then you get better value with other monitors, plus you won't have the TN problem these monitors have where only one person can look at them at a time from straight ahead.
3. Alright, if you decided on >60hz refresh rate, you need a dual channel DVI. Looks like this:
If your graphics card does not also look like that you probably don't even need a gaming monitor as your graphics card is mega old. If your graphics card does look like this and you want to wave your dick around with 120hz, you need a dual channel DVI cord that looks like that.
4. Did you know that Windows has a Color Management calibrator in its control panel? Once you get your new monitor, calibrate your brightness, contrast, gamma, and colors with your monitor buttons first (and then the software buttons if you can't quite get it right on the monitor) using that tool. You'll be amazed at how long you've neglected your monitor settings.
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
First difference to look at is TN panel vs IPS. IPS is a bit nicer - better viewing angles and colors. Monitor 1 is a TN panel. The other two are IPS.
Once you get beyond panel and size, you are basically paying for a better stand and maybe better controls.
I would say go for something around 24" IPS from Acer or Dell or another reputable manufacturer. $150 should do it.
The tradeoff is TN monitors generally have better response time and most of the high-refresh rate (120hz or better) gaming monitors are TN except for the latest and greatest ultra-high-end models.
I run a mediocre Samsung something 24" and a Dell u2410 - Looking at them side by side, the Dell blows the Samsung away. I'm not a huge graphics nerd, but the Dell is plainly better. I bought it back when I worked for a reseller and managed to finagle a good deal from our rep. I think you can get the same quality panel but with less inputs / no USB dock for a little less now as well.