Monitor Discussion

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This thread is intended to be discussions on these key topics:

  • What monitor(s) you use and why
  • Recommended brands, hardware, panels, etc.
  • Discussion regarding the monitor triangle* (size vs. refresh rate vs. resolution, price increases will all)
  • General Thoughts regarding monitors

To kick this off, my main intent here is I’m looking for a new monitor that will be able to utilize the 10, 16, and 20 series NVIDIA card’s adaptive sync without breaking the bank.

So I personally use two monitors currently. An AOC I2476VWM and an ASUS VN248.

I actually really like the AOC one that I bought from Walmart. Unfortunately, I can’t readily find it anymore except on ebay or random 3rd party sellers. The part I like about it is the quick on and off of the screen. Especially compared to the ASUS monitor.

To give an example, if I restart the computer, the AOC will go into sleep mode very shortly after loss of signal, the ASUS will tell me “No Signal”, then go to sleep mode, and when the computer boots back up, the AOC is up in time for the BIOS screen, while the ASUS will either just barely catch it (not enough time to read the keybind) or miss it entirely.

My personal opinion is that the monitor doesn’t need to tell me that it’s lost signal like TVs do. In fact, that is one of the reasons I don’t like TVs. They’ll sit there telling you that there is no source until it turns off.

I also don’t really care for the button placement on the ASUS, it sits behind the monitor while the AOC is on the bottom. I find it easier to access and know which button I’m actually hitting on the AOC.

So know I’ve covered kinda what I have, moving on to what to get.

I’m currently wondering what is the most important on the Monitor Triangle*. Currently I’m sitting at 24", 60Hz, and 1080p. To help out, I’m not interested in spending many hundreds of dollars on a monitor, I’ll put my max at 250 USD. I’m also not very interested in 4k presently as I only have a 1070ti.

Let’s break this specific case into a series of questions that can be used for discussion:

  • What do you think is a good target refresh rate for monitors and why?
  • Which size or sizes of monitors do you personally think are best? Are there any particular reasons?
  • What resolution do you think gives the best experience? Why? (I understand this one may be game dependent)
  • Are there any additional features that you think are worth paying extra for? What makes you recommend them? (Adaptive Sync, HDR, VESA, etc.)

If you think this is completely subjective and discussing it is pointless, don’t be afraid to say so. Otherwise, I would be interested in people’s thoughts.

*Not really called a triangle, maybe not even a triangle at all

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Since this is meant to be a discussion, I suppose I should add my own opinions on the questions asked:

  1. I actually don’t know. This is kinda the one I’m stuck on. I know the utility of this one really depends on the games you intend to play. I know 60Hz is basically the “standard” by people who play games on PC, but I also feel like that may be starting to shift. I personally think 240Hz is overkill. Otherwise, considering I haven’t played stuff at >60Hz for the most part, I feel like I can’t adequately pin a good target refresh rate.

  2. I’m on 24", and it seems good. I know moving to smaller screens after being on larger ones always makes you appreciate the larger ones. Here I feel like 27" is the sweet spot. It still fits on most VESA stands if you are interested in that, and provides a decent sized screen to look at. Considering I sit at an Ikea Linnmon desk, I think going larger than 27" would necessitate moving further away from the screen. However, I can also understand the draw of ultrawide monitors. It can provide dual screen gaming experiences without having to deal with a bezel in the middle. I’m sure there are also additional positives to said monitors that I’m not thinking of at the moment.

  3. As for resolution, I feel like 1440p (2K) is the best. I’m playing at 1080p, but I can understand how 1440p can look better. Personally, I think it gives the best ratio of graphical fidelity to performance in many games. I know 1080p is basically a standard, but I think it will begin to shift to 1440p as monitor prices drop and low end graphics cards are better able to play at 1440p. I don’t think 4k will be there soon as even the newest graphics cards struggle to keep 60fps in current AAA games.

  4. Adaptive Sync is the one I think is worthwhile as it can help benefit the playing experience by smoothing frame rate. That being said, if you get something more than a “standard” 1080p 60Hz monitor, it is likely to come with at least Freesync. I’m not so sure G-sync is completely worth the premium you have to pay. I also like VESA mounting. One of these days I’ll get a table mount for my monitors. Provided my desk can even handle the weight (yay ikea furniture!). I think it’s worthwhile as it can free up desk space, and in my case, also help keep the monitors at the same level if you have different monitors.

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In my opinion, without any actual spec knowledge, only 1. and 2. of the opinions listed matter.

Pros believe that smaller monitors allow the display to handle the input easier and reduce lag. And they claim that the smaller area of viewing allows their peripheral vision to pick up queues that they aren’t directly looking at during intense moments. These things I agree with. For non aspiring pros, surely they do not matter.

But I feel like most importantly, you will not stop using the one (or two) that you already have. In my opinion the smaller field when dragging and displaying across or on both monitors makes me lose my mind. The display difference between and few inches or 1080 to 4k is demoralizing.

Side note, I have two ASUS, one with the buttons on the bottom, one with the buttons on the back. Neither of them have a “Sleep Mode” issue. I tried to look that up but apparently there are a host of potential small things like a BIOS update or an unstable Overclock that might cause the issue beyond just the monitor itself.

-shrug-

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When you’re talking about new displays I think that it’s critical to have the following information - target resolution, gpu being used, panel type preference if any and the type of games played. Additionally there’s the notion of what prompts the upgrade - why is your current set up failing you?

So you have two IPS monitors being driven by a 1070ti. Both will probably have a bit of IPS glow, and both have ok response time. What games do you play? Your library settings are private so it’s difficult to tell but it obviously will have an impact on your needs. Do you need the colour rendering and viewing angles that you’d lose with a TN? Are you noticing screen tearing when you play games?

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I’ve never really noticed IPS glow, but then again I don’t play in the dark nor have had a different panel to compare to. Response time is 5ms on both. I have a TV that says it’s 5ms, but when I tested it with a game across all screens a while ago, the TV lagged behind both monitors.

That means you’re not a steam friend! I’ve opened up the restrictions.

Not into content creation, so probably not. And I have not noticed screen tearing, but really haven’t been looking either.

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For 200 USD + 22 USD Tax, I get a TN with basically improvement across everything. 27" 1440p 75hz

Or

which is 24" 1080p 144Hz VA panel (and 1ms MPRT response time) for 160 USD or 178 USD with tax.

You know. It’s kinda odd that a brick and mortar store has better prices than Amazon.

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Monitor size is a key factor for me. As someone who spends all the damn time on their PC, my primary concern is eye strain. And since eye strain is primarily a function of distance (aka optical convergence dominates), I prefer a larger monitor further away. You also don’t need crazy pixel density for a monitor further away. No particular refresh rates or special features (beyond IPS panels) make nearly as much difference for me.

Win10 also currently does a pretty good job of being able to scale everything. It used to be in the past that if you had a huge monitor, you couldn’t really push it any further away because UI font size and the like remained constant. No longer the case. I also haven’t bothered with multiple monitors in years, since win+left and win+right on a large monitor yields the same practical effect for my uses.

Currently on an AOC Q3279VWF. Since it has exactly twice the pixel density of the old CRT standard (1280x720), it allows for pixel-perfect display of older games that don’t scale well, just by changing resolution. IMHO that makes 2560 x 1440 sort of a sweet spot where new stuff and old stuff can both look great.

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The thing is that you haven’t said what the problem with your current set up is? So what problem are we trying to address by looking at different displays?

I’d be wary of going back to a TN if you’re used to IPS - would definitely recommend viewing some in action again so you get a real idea of the image compromise. I’m happy with my old TN but I’m not sure how I’d feel about the viewing angles if I was used to an IPS.

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I use Samsung, 1080p (23") right now, and come from a long history of Acer monitors, and strongly urge people to stay away from all things Acer. Just terrible. Samsung and BenQ make high quality monitors, as does LG and ASUS. It highly depends upon budget and need though.

AOC is currently getting a lot of good reviews lately, too. If you can get over the over the top designs that look like really cheap PC cases from the early 2000 you get a great monitor.

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It’s probably a combination of having a GTX 1070ti on 1080p60 and the ASUS monitor. I feel like I have a shedload of horsepower and am just letting it idle (or in the case of some games, go balls to the walls and only see a fraction of the output.) It looks shiny but there’s lost power. Additionally, upon further investigation into my ASUS monitor, I think it’s defective. The VN248HP (which is what the ASUS sticker says it is on the box) is supposed to get 75Hz. That option is not available through NVIDIA control panel and attempting to overclock nets a “out of range” at 75Hz. Also be nice to have a dedicated monitor for PS3/Switch, considering right now I have to unplug one to plug the other in.

There’s a microcenter 30 minutes away from me. That’s probably where I would buy it considering it’s cheaper than Amazon currently.

There’s generally a reason it’s cheaper. Don’t necessarily trust them on laptops, didn’t know about Monitors though.

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Well, the next logical step for you (if you actually want to see/feel an improvement) would be a 1440 IPS display with 144hz refresh and Gsync. Gsync will help eliminate screen tearing (should you be sensitive to it) and in theory extend the lifespan of your card (although Freesync is now being incorporated in nvidia’s grand plans). The refresh rate bump would make things feel smoother and potentially help with FPS’ too, although this change is very personal - some people don’t notice it so much so your mileage may vary. And of course the increased resolution makes everything look nicer.

The thing to keep in mind is that for every change you make you’re potentially paying for it in GPU resources, so keep that in mind as well as when you plan to update your components again.

(also are you using displayport or hdmi? Your monitor may only support 75 Hz over displayport as sometimes monitors are limited to 60 Hz over hdmi.)

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I’m quite happy with my 32" AOC for the price, though I did have to go through about three of them until I got one without a dead pixel in the middle. Speaking of which, I would highly highly recommend buying the monitor from a brick and mortar store so you can make those easy exchanges. The brand is irrelevant. Look at the reviews for any monitor on say, Amazon, and there will be complaints of dead pixels or other such QC slips / damage. Monitors are fairly delicate and even if it comes out of the factory perfect, we’ve all seen how ‘gentle’ the delivery service is. As soon as you get the monitor, check the screen over while it’s displaying solid white, black, and then the three primary colors. Do not wait. Being able to drive back to the store and exchange it is waaay faster and much less hassle than a shipping return.

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Monitor only has HDMI x2 and VGA (which needs to die already), both HDMI to HDMI and DP to HDMI yield the same.

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The closest thing I could find is:

480 USD.

and dis: Nixeus 27" IPS 144Hz FreeSync Monitor | Monitors | Drop

370 USD but wouldn’t get it until March.

Also probably not going to bother with a full blown G-sync monitor. I dunno. If I get up early enough tomorrow, I’ll go have a look through Microcenter tomorrow afternoon.

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