Dell U2711 or Samsung 27A950DS or Asus VG278H ....

simonjphillips · 18 Feb 2012 at 20:16

Hi all, apologies if this one has been asked before, I could not see it in the first few pages. Basically I have a good rig now and want to get a monitor that really shows it off.

I have an i7 with a Asus Geforce 560Ti GPU and 8GB Ram. I mainly play games like Skyrim, Civilisation 5, PlanetSide 2(beta soon). But also surf the web and write word docs.

I really want a special monitor and am willing to pay for it. I have researched and the choices seem to be:

Dell U2711 Ultrasharp 27inch - used by graphic artist has 2560 x 1440 WQHD resolution

LS27A950DS 27inch Widescreen 3D LED 120Hz

VG278H 27? 3D Monitor, NVIDIA® 3D Vision 2 Glasses and 3D LightBoost, 1920x1080, 120Hz refresh rate, 2ms response time

Or the new Asus 2560 x 1440. They are all around the same price -£500.

Or .....

for a £100 cheaper there is a Hazro (never heard of them) 2560x1440 monitor.

I guess it is all about resolution over refresh rate. 3D is not really important but it would be nice. However the new HD will be at the 2560 x 1440 resolution so getting a monitor capable of it now is future proofing a bit.

The apple display is 2560x1440 and looks amazing.

I really do not know which to get. I have been trying to decide for months now!
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Axeia · 18 Feb 2012 at 21:04

The Hazro HZ27WC is the closest what you'll get to an apple cinema display. Both (the 27" versions) are the same resolution, both are glossy and both are LED backlit standard gamut 8 bit displays. They're fairly often among the weekly deals so with a bit patience that could save you another £50.

I'm not so sure about the ASUS being priced similarly to the Dell to be honest. All monitors with similar specs have been more expensive than the Dell at their introduction price. The only ones to actually go under the price seem to be the Hazro's and the Samsung S27A850D.

Whether you want 120Hz or 2560x1440 is a decision you'll have to make yourself. If you've never had a 120Hz screen and spend more time in Word than in games the choice to me would be obvious. Different story if you type a letter once a month though

However the new HD will be at the 2560 x 1440 resolution so getting a monitor capable of it now is future proofing a bit.

Not sure what you are trying to say there, but 2560x1440 won't be a step in 'movie formats'. The next step is 4k, don't expect that to play any mentionable role in the next 4 years though. There is a few 4k youtube clips though for those that have spend several thousands of pounds already

old gamer · 18 Feb 2012 at 21:29

Looking at the same monitors myself and change my mind daily and just cant make up my mind on what to buy

uniQ · 19 Feb 2012 at 12:15

Get the U2711 if you can afford it, absolutely amazing monitor and pleasure to use.

Duncan88 · 19 Feb 2012 at 12:51

u2711 have high input lag and too slow for games, and extreme aggressive ag coating

Axeia · 19 Feb 2012 at 13:41

and it's wide gamut (although with good emulation of the sRGB workspace) and CCFL backlit (higher power use/more heat).

point decay · 19 Feb 2012 at 13:55

In the same boat myself, going back and forth with the Dell, Samsung and Hazro.

i think ive pretty much ruled out the Hazro, due to its build quality and how much of a lottery the panel may be.

The samsung seems ok, but i am not interested in 3D and would prefer a higher resolution than 1920.

I guess i'd be pretty happy with the Dell as i'm not a big gamer (maybe occasional xbox/ps3 use), but, as ive not seen one in the flesh the AG coating worries me a fair deal.

I currently use a Hanns G 27.5 (1920x1200) screen and have no idea whether it has a good or bad AG coating although it certainly isnt a glossy screen.

does anyone know how good/bad the AG is on the Hanns G HG281D?, as im trying to get a feel for a comparison with the Dell.

PCM2 · 19 Feb 2012 at 14:41

r3d zombie said:
In the same boat myself, going back and forth with the Dell, Samsung and Hazro.

i think ive pretty much ruled out the Hazro, due to its build quality and how much of a lottery the panel may be.

The samsung seems ok, but i am not interested in 3D and would prefer a higher resolution than 1920.

I guess i'd be pretty happy with the Dell as i'm not a big gamer (maybe occasional xbox/ps3 use), but, as ive not seen one in the flesh the AG coating worries me a fair deal.

I currently use a Hanns G 27.5 (1920x1200) screen and have no idea whether it has a good or bad AG coating although it certainly isnt a glossy screen.

does anyone know how good/bad the AG is on the Hanns G HG281D?, as im trying to get a feel for a comparison with the Dell.

You can measure how 'strong' an AG surface is by a measurement known as haze value. The Hanns G is around 25% I believe and the Dell around 32%. This may or may not sound like a signficant difference (it is) but added to the tighter pixel pitch of the Dell the effect is all the more noticeable. But honestly nobody can tell you if you'll be bothered by it. Stocks of the Dell are very good and you should be able to return it under DSR without any particular issues. It is the only way to answer your question and set your mind either way so it is sometimes worth the return postage cost. Any you may find it absolutely fine!

point decay · 19 Feb 2012 at 15:00

PCM2 said:
You can measure how 'strong' an AG surface is by a measurement known as haze value. The Hanns G is around 25% I believe and the Dell around 32%. This may or may not sound like a signficant difference (it is) but added to the tighter pixel pitch of the Dell the effect is all the more noticeable. But honestly nobody can tell you if you'll be bothered by it. Stocks of the Dell are very good and you should be able to return it under DSR without any particular issues. It is the only way to answer your question and set your mind either way so it is sometimes worth the return postage cost. Any you may find it absolutely fine!

thanks for that PCM2, do you have an opinion on these screens as you seem knowledgeable in this area. I appreciate that everyone will have a different opinion and preference with regards to AG/ Shiny or Matt coating/resolution etc, however as someone who knows very little about monitors it would be nice to get the opinions of someone in the know.

thanks

simonjphillips · 19 Feb 2012 at 15:58

Thanks for the input so far guys. I spoke to someone last night that was using the Dell and he was able to play BF3 on max settings on the highest resolution with a 2 year old GPU.

The main use is going to be games, I surf the web and rarely write word docs.

So it boils down to which one would look best for games - 120Hz HDs or 2560x1440s?

Then it is a question of the Sammy or the Asus is 120Hz is the way to go or the Hazbro or the Dell is the high res is the way to go ...

I normally play FPS games and is going to be mainly bought for PlanetSide 2 - the next big thing in MMO FPS gameplay (google it!)

3D is nice to have as well but not a deal maker.

Duncan88 · 19 Feb 2012 at 18:12

PCM2 said:
You can measure how 'strong' an AG surface is by a measurement known as haze value. The Hanns G is around 25% I believe and the Dell around 32%. This may or may not sound like a signficant difference (it is) but added to the tighter pixel pitch of the Dell the effect is all the more noticeable. But honestly nobody can tell you if you'll be bothered by it. Stocks of the Dell are very good and you should be able to return it under DSR without any particular issues. It is the only way to answer your question and set your mind either way so it is sometimes worth the return postage cost. Any you may find it absolutely fine!

can u measure the ag coating level ?
what is the name of tool ?

Artic7 · 19 Feb 2012 at 19:02

Bought the dell a couple of weeks ago,its the best screen i have ever owned
The ag imo is only noticeable using such as word(all white background) and as for gaming which is only Xbox gaming, its hooked up via HDMI and it looks brilliant

point decay · 19 Feb 2012 at 19:08

Artic7 said:
Bought the dell a couple of weeks ago,its the best screen i have ever owned
The ag imo is only noticeable using such as word(all white background) and as for gaming which is only Xbox gaming, its hooked up via HDMI and it looks brilliant

if you increase the font size in word, does that improve it?

Artic7 · 19 Feb 2012 at 19:12

r3d zombie said:
if you increase the font size in word, does that improve it?

just tried that it looks exactly the same,doesn't bother me, it was just my thoughts on ag

point decay · 19 Feb 2012 at 19:15

Artic7 said:
just tried that it looks exactly the same,doesn't bother me, it was just my thoughts on ag

thanks, so its not unreadable or anything?

Artic7 · 19 Feb 2012 at 21:19

sorry r3d zombie for late reply message on my phone just said thanks!!
no its fine,i know when i was reading reviews about the u2711 the anti glare came up a lot on forums but imo i have no problems

point decay · 19 Feb 2012 at 21:40

Artic7 said:
sorry r3d zombie for late reply message on my phone just said thanks!!
no its fine,i know when i was reading reviews about the u2711 the anti glare came up a lot on forums but imo i have no problems

lol, yeah, i made a stealthy edit on my last post

thanks, thats pretty much made my mind up to go with the Dell.

simonjphillips · 25 Feb 2012 at 11:42

Anyone got any hands on experience of the Asus 3D, I am going more in that direction now as the Samsung TriDef sounds inferior to the Nvidia solution.

Would love to see a comparison made between these monitors, I am sure I am not the only one as well !

Macro · 25 Feb 2012 at 12:35

Artic7 said:
Bought the dell a couple of weeks ago,its the best screen i have ever owned

Bought mine a couple of days ago going from a 1080p Iiyama 2712HDS 27" and the difference is like night and day! Can't recommend the u2711 enough, I'm a very happy camper

simonjphillips · 26 Feb 2012 at 12:27

OK so I have a few days left to decide:

I have discounted the Samsung as it does not seem to work nicely with Nvidia graphics cards and the Asus sounds very good.

I have found a second hand but never touched Dell U3011 Ultrasharp 30 inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor with Premier Color for £695 which a bargain. *Edit also one for £800 and I can claim back VAT so would be £640 again a bargain.

The choice is now the Asus VG278H 27 or the Dell U3011 Ultrasharp 30 inch.

Please help me make my decision. Main use is gaming and I want IMMERSION !

Thanks in advance