24" Monitor....IPS or not?

Blinkz · 29 Oct 2014 at 09:55

Hey folks,

Got most of my spec sorted but having trouble zeroing in on a monitor. I'm currently using a Samsung 2253LW and its been fine for the last 6 years.

I've decided that I don't need bigger then 24" so am aiming for that, the main issue is trying to decide between a IPS (most likely the Dell U2414) or the AOC 2460PGU.

Main use of the computer will be surfing, with some gaming now and then and the very occasional Gopro video editing.

Would I be right in thinking that IPS will look great for surfing/video editing but struggle with gaming? How bad is gaming on them? 8ms response doesn't sound too bad? Obviously the AOC is games oriented, but would it still look nice and crisp for surfing etc?

Any help/opinions welcome!

Baddass · 29 Oct 2014 at 10:03

The IPS screens will give you much better all-round performance and i would say it probably suits your needs more. A good IPS screen (like the U2414H as an example) can handle gaming without much issue. They lack 120Hz+ refresh rate support and blur reduction features that you find on the gaming -orientated TN Film screens, but you probably dont need those for your gaming anyway. I would anticipate responsiveness to be fairly similar to your current screen really overall.

The IPS panel would give you much better viewing angles and a more stable image/colour accross the screen than a TN Film model. so it would be more suitable for browsing and day to day uses. My review of the U2414H is here by the way, a very good all round IPS screen and about as good as you can hope for from current IPS technology when it comes to pixel response times:

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2414h.htm

Blinkz · 29 Oct 2014 at 11:12

Thanks for the quick reply!

I saw there have been a fair few complaints about the Dell having backlight issues? I play KSP a lot and so obviously have a black screen a lot of the time! If its going to be glowing black then it might be an issue!

Baddass · 29 Oct 2014 at 11:53

can't say i've seen many reported issues with the U2414H, certainly no more than any other screen around. it's always a little hit and miss with any monitor. certainly the retail stock sample i tested was very good when it came to backlight uniformity. You can always return it if you purcahse online under DSA if you need to, or get a really dodgy version

Blinkz · 29 Oct 2014 at 14:41

Well it just seems that there are lots of threads about IPS screens (of all makes) about how bad the bleed and glow is.

As I said I play games with dark screens so don't want to have to return a bunch of screens before getting lucky and having an acceptable one!

The problem is I've never seen an IPS screen so don't know how good it looks vs how bad the glow is!

Baddass · 29 Oct 2014 at 15:05

IPS glow is something different to backlight bleed, so be careful with comparisons read online. a Lot of people get them confused.

IPS glow is a "feature" of the technology, also affecting rival IPS-type technologies like Samsung's PLS and AU Optronics' AHVA technologies. It is commonly characterised by a white glow when viewing dark/black content from an angle. The larger the screen, the more likely a user is to see this glow, as from their central head on viewing position, the corners and sides of the screen are further away from them. So some people see the glow if they are working with a lot of dark content. If you move your position further back from the screen, the glow reduces until you are at a distance that your line of sight doesn't create such an angle with the edges of the screen. you can tell it's glow and not bleed as if you move your viewing position to view the glowing area head on, it disappears, and the glow is somewhere else on the screen, where your angle of viewing is most severe.

Glow also varies somewhat by model. All the reviews at TFTCentral for instance test a black screen in a dark room from an angle, so you can see levels of IPS Glow. for what it's worth, the Dell U2414H has very low levels of glow if you look at the viewing angles picture here. compare that for example with the recent Dell U2415 which has a more "typical" IPS-glow level as shown here.

TN Film and VA type panels don't show the same type of off-angle glow on dark content, but do have other colour tints and viewing angle characteristics as well.

Backlight bleed is where the actual backlight leaks through the panel, typically in the corners or from the edges. If you move your viewing position the bleed is still there in the same spots, so you know it's bleed and not IPS-glow.

This is not impacted by panel technology, but more by build quality and quality control measures. it can really vary from one model to another. Like i say, i've not seen many reports of issues with the U2414H, no more than any other screen. remember also you tend to see far more people moaning about bad screens online than you would from happy customers who are just enjoying their screen, so take it with a pinch of salt.