£550-600 budget for a monitor

MrZippo · 2 Nov 2020 at 17:33

I currently have a Dell S2716DG.

I am thinking of an upgrade and was wondering what recommendations people have for a new monitor around £550-600.

I am thinking if the budget can get me 4k then great but minimum res would be 1440p.

I would be looking for a 32" ideally but would stay at 27" if the specs are good.

HDR world be a nice bonus.

Thanks in advance.

Legend · 2 Nov 2020 at 17:53

You won't get 32" 4K at anything more than 60Hz... yet. Q1 2021 should see some options on that front arrive, but they will be around £1K. In the meantime, you could consider the LG 27GN950-B if you could stretch that far.

Forget HDR on any monitor in this price range though, it's merely a tick box on the spec sheet and pure marketing... it provides nothing meaningful. Even at twice the price you won't get anything amazing in that regard, unless you considered the 48" OLED from LG, but that's way above your budget.

For gaming, I think you're probably best at 1440p, unless you have good reason to go 4K. The LG 27GL850-B would be a solid choice and come in well under budget.

MrZippo · 2 Nov 2020 at 18:33

Thanks for those recommendations i could possibly wait until next year and see what comes up.

You are probably right in terms of 1440p as I can't really see myself doing any 4k gaming for now as I am happy with my Titan Xp.

I don't game as much, only a bit of CS:Go now and again. I figured if I was to upgrade would going down to 60hz and maybe a decent IPS at 32" be worth doing?
Maybe worth going for a Dell ultra sharp?

Legend · 2 Nov 2020 at 19:52

There aren't many decent IPS 32" 4K monitors, that's the only problem. You've got a much wider selection at 1440p, and if you play CS:GO, I imagine you'll want to benefit from that higher refresh.

4K is great for productivity, but unless you demand that ultra crisp eye candy in games (and CS:GO is hardly a visual feast), then I'd say you're better off at 1440p.

It really comes down to use case. I'm on 4K myself, because I game little these days and need 4K for work stuff. If I was gaming more, I'd lean towards 1440p, perhaps an ultrawide (but they get more costly).

MrZippo · 2 Nov 2020 at 20:28

Lots to think about, thanks for the help legend.

Fyi I am considering the LG 27GL850B

What's 1440p scaled down on a 4k panel like??

Legend · 3 Nov 2020 at 03:23

MrZippo said:
Lots to think about, thanks for the help legend.

Fyi I am considering the LG 27GL850B

What's 1440p scaled down on a 4k panel like??

Not being native, it will somewhat depend on the panel. Some are OK, but it won't be as good as a native 1440p panel, plus you'll still be at 60Hz. You can't really go wrong with the 27GL850 if you get a good panel, especially at that OCUK deal price (just have to wait a few weeks for stock it seems).

I'm a big fan of 4K, but only for productivity. For gaming, 1440p high refresh is really the sweet spot. You'd have to get a high refresh 144Hz 4K screen + RTX 3080 to really sway me for a gaming use case, and that gets expensive.

Yaayuh! · 3 Nov 2020 at 07:39

I would wait.
You’re in the same position as me. If you already have a 27” 2560x1440 144Hz GSync screen, there’s no point really spending hundreds getting a similar monitor.

The wait may be long, though.

MrZippo · 3 Nov 2020 at 13:25

Hmmm.... Waiting would allow me to save up I guess.

The only issue I have with the current setup is that it's a TN panel. But would the IPS panel be much of an upgrade?

fs123 · 4 Nov 2020 at 19:57

I ordered a Dell S2721DGF. Generally considered better than the LG 27GL850 and has a refresh rate of 165Hz and Freesync Premium Pro/3 year warranty. Probably the best bang for buck if you can get the student or employer discount codes.

Legend · 5 Nov 2020 at 00:23

MrZippo said:
Hmmm.... Waiting would allow me to save up I guess.

The only issue I have with the current setup is that it's a TN panel. But would the IPS panel be much of an upgrade?

TN, IPS and VA all have their positives and negatives. Again, it really comes down to use case and what you personally find most optimal. IPS will offer better colours than TN, but newer TN panels come pretty close. Viewing angles are better on IPS also, but also suffer more with glow and bleed.

MrZippo · 5 Nov 2020 at 13:47

Thanks for all the help, I have decided to hang on until next year to upgrade as I feel that if I was to buy a monitor now it won't be much of an upgrade on what I have now.