Monitor for gaming/movies

Secret_Window · 1 Oct 2011 at 15:07

Looking for a monitor for gaming and movies. My HP w2207 is getting problems with colours lately (tint) and bad backlight bleed. I have had it since 2007 though so it has done well but now time for something newer.

I want something fast for FPS gaming, such as 2ms or 120hz if TN based. No interest in 3D gaming however. Can't decide whether to also sacrifice response time and input lag for an IPS screen, as I do like to watch movies and video edit as well.

Regarding IPS screens, if I could get one as fast my current HP (5ms from 2007) or better that would help out with the gaming side of things. IF not, then a fast but nice colour wise TN screen would be perfectly fine too.

Trouble is, it makes it difficult finding the right screen that does both the things I need. I must emphasize I really do hate input lag in online gaming, and I will only sacrifice it for screen quality if it is only a little slow and not A LOT.

I have been browsing various review sites for ages, and a lot of them do not have some of the latest monitors in stock here at OcUK.

My budget is £350.

cmndr_andi · 1 Oct 2011 at 15:23

Hi there,

For your uses I would suggest the Dell U2412M. It's an E-IPS 1920x1200 (16:10) monitor with a tested input lag of 9.4ms (average) which is very nice. As for response time, this part of the review compares it to a range of modern monitors.

The input lag of the U2412M was very low with an average of only 9.4ms and a maximum of 20ms. This was a very good result and was even lower than the U2410 when using its 'game mode' to bypass a lot of the internal electronics (14.4ms). It was also ever so slightly better than the U2311H (10.6ms). A good performance and no issue for gaming from a lag point of view.

The responsiveness of the U2412M should be perfectly fine for some most moderate to high gaming and shows a nice low level of motion blur assuming you leave the OD control turned on. The small overshoot is a shame really as the dark trail is an unwanted result of the applied RTC impulse. Having said that, it isn't as bad as some other models we have seen including Dell's own U2711 and certainly the gamer orientated BenQ XL2410T. There's not much in it when comparing the pixel responsiveness of the U2410 and U2412M but the newer model perhaps has the slight edge I think.

The 1200p resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio should suite video editing and gaming extremely well (those 120 vertical pixels really do make a difference imho, compared to 1080p), however for playing widescreen videos there will be a some black bars.

If the aspect ratio and response times are deal breakers, then I would suggest the LG W2363D - it's well under budget and a bit smaller - but it is one of the best 120Hz monitors out there at the moment (the samsung ones are pretty nice, but very expensive).

Secret_Window · 1 Oct 2011 at 15:41

That Dell U2412M would seem very ideal. However, what are those cheaper LG IPS screens with low response times like - would you rate them at all?

Also is the Dell U2312HM any good in comparison to the U2412M? The 1200 res you're right, would be better for desktop/editing usage, but is it worth paying the extra for that alone over the U2312HM or are there other things the U2412M is still better at?

The LG 120hz monitor looks very good for the price but I've read that the colours and black detail are not very good - can anyone chip in on this and confirm?

cmndr_andi · 1 Oct 2011 at 15:50

Secret_Window said:
That Dell U2412M would seem very ideal. However, what are those cheaper LG IPS screens with low response times like - would you rate them at all?

To be honest - not really. Looking at this review they don't implement overdrive very well so you get a fair bit of ghosting, hence not great for gaming.

Secret_Window said:
Also is the Dell U2312HM any good in comparison to the U2412M? The 1200 res you're right, would be better for desktop/editing usage, but is it worth paying the extra for that alone over the U2312HM or are there other things the U2412M is still better at?

This newer review actually compares the two - they perform very similarly, so for gaming they should be pretty much as good as each other. The main difference is physical - U2312HM is a 16:9 23in 1920x1080 monitor, while the U2412M is a 16:10 24in 1920x1200 monitor (plus the U2412M is a ~£90 more expensive). Based on this, I would go with the U2412 - since it is within you budget and performs as well as the 23in - but is bigger/higher res.

However, with the low cost of the 23in, buying two and running them side-by-side (with the possibility of a third in the future) is almost within your budget and gives you a lot more screen area for video editing and the like (plus running dual monitors is cool).

Secret_Window said:
The LG 120hz monitor looks very good for the price but I've read that the colours and black detail are not very good - can anyone chip in on this and confirm?

Yea, the colour and black depth are really not the strengths of this monitor (or any 120Hz TN monitor tbh) since it is optimised for speed. Personally, I find the compromise of a fast IPS monitor (like the dells mentioned above) to be the best balance between playing games well and getting a nice quality image.

Secret_Window · 1 Oct 2011 at 15:55

Thanks cmndr_andi, very informative!

It's likely going to be between the U2412M and U2312HM I guess. I just need to decide whether to pay the extra for the U2412M or if the U2312HM will be more than good enough for less.

cmndr_andi · 1 Oct 2011 at 16:36

Sorry, I meant to post the link to the Dell U2312HM in my above post - again from the excellent TFT central. Here is is:

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2312hm.htm

Nice monitor and a really good price.