Advice appreciated for long overdue upgrade please!

Ineedhelpplease

Ineedhelpplease

Ineedhelpplease

Associate
Joined
30 Apr 2011
Posts
198
Hi everyone,

I have recently built a new PC (with help from the lovely people on this forum!). To save a few quid I didnt upgrade my monitor at the same time but now the time has come.

The monitor I have is the one I bought many years ago (2011!) when I built my first PC. Obviously that's going to be pretty dated now as it is an old 24", 50/60hz model (BenQ GL2450-B to be precise) and technology will have moved on.

My PC use is primarily games and some art, but games are the focus.
I've been considering 27" size and 1440 rather than full 4K. Although the PC will no doubt be fine with 4K I tend to think it's unnecessary at this sort of monitor size and I'm not even sure more than 1080P is needed to be honest. So I think my priority is more around refresh rates and nice colours with less of that narroe viewing angle business that was so common back when I bought this old thing.

I can't make out which technology is best but perhaps the "fast"(?) IPS is the way to go?

So, I know this is a bit vague but does anyone have any advice for me? Presumably even with a 4k or 1440p monitor I could still play at 1080p if wanted without adverse affects?

Any help is very welcome because I cant really see much between them all at the moment! I have no idea if some makes are better than others or if there are some to be avoided for example.

Thanks in advance...
 
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There are mini-led screens with decent HDR support in that price range, do you have any panel preferences?

I'm not keen on VA vs IPS but some people tend to prefer them.

My basket at OcUK:

Total: £299.00 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

Reviews:

tftcentral.co.uk

Cooler Master Tempest GP2711 - TFTCentral

The latest 27" display from Cooler Master with a VA panel, 1440p, 165Hz refresh rate and a Mini LED backlight for high-end HDR capabilities
tftcentral.co.uk tftcentral.co.uk

www.tomshardware.com

Cooler Master Tempest GP2711 Gaming Monitor Review: High Brightness and High Performance

27-inch QHD VA Mini LED gaming monitor with 576 dimming zones, 165 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR 1000 and wide gamut color.
www.tomshardware.com www.tomshardware.com
 
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Gray2233 said:
There are mini-led screens with decent HDR support in that price range, do you have any panel preferences?

I'm not keen on VA vs IPS but some people tend to prefer them.

My basket at OcUK:

Total: £299.00 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

Reviews:

tftcentral.co.uk

Cooler Master Tempest GP2711 - TFTCentral

The latest 27" display from Cooler Master with a VA panel, 1440p, 165Hz refresh rate and a Mini LED backlight for high-end HDR capabilities
tftcentral.co.uk tftcentral.co.uk

www.tomshardware.com

Cooler Master Tempest GP2711 Gaming Monitor Review: High Brightness and High Performance

27-inch QHD VA Mini LED gaming monitor with 576 dimming zones, 165 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR 1000 and wide gamut color.
www.tomshardware.com www.tomshardware.com
Click to expand...
When I bought my old monitor I think there was only TN or IPS with IPS looking nicer and having better viewing angles but bad response rate, and TN having the decent response rate but worse colours and narrow viewing angle.
I had heard that IPS were now faster so assumed that would be the way to go, so I dont know much about these other types.

I suspect anything will appear as an improvement on such an old screen but am hoping for nice bright colours and fast refresh rate....not sure what else could matter to be honest!!
 
Ineedhelpplease said:
When I bought my old monitor I think there was only TN or IPS with IPS looking nicer and having better viewing angles but bad response rate, and TN having the decent response rate but worse colours and narrow viewing angle.
I had heard that IPS were now faster so assumed that would be the way to go, so I dont know much about these other types.

I suspect anything will appear as an improvement on such an old screen but am hoping for nice bright colours and fast refresh rate....not sure what else could matter to be honest!!
Click to expand...

Worth a read:

www.digitaltrends.com

IPS vs. VA displays: Which is best for your monitor or TV? | Digital Trends

If you're looking to buy an affordable monitor or TV for gaming or watching content, there's one question you need to ask yourself: Should you buy IPS or VA?
www.digitaltrends.com www.digitaltrends.com

www.ign.com

What Is HDR, and Why Does It Matter For TVs and Gaming - IGN

Ever wonder what HDR even means?
www.ign.com www.ign.com

The above monitor also has FALD (full array local dimming) which there's an explanation for here:

pimax.com

What is local dimming?

What is local dimming and why? Local dimming is a technology used in displays, such as televisions and computer monitors, that allows for more precise control over the brightness levels of different areas of the screen, resulting in a clearer, more vibrant, and more immersive picture.It’s also...
pimax.com pimax.com

HDR is becoming more and more prominent in gaming, a lot of monitors claim to support it but in reality don't. The above linked monitor does quite well with it, but you might not be overly fussed yourself, worth reading up on either way.
 
Gray2233 said:
Worth a read:

www.digitaltrends.com

IPS vs. VA displays: Which is best for your monitor or TV? | Digital Trends

If you're looking to buy an affordable monitor or TV for gaming or watching content, there's one question you need to ask yourself: Should you buy IPS or VA?
www.digitaltrends.com www.digitaltrends.com

www.ign.com

What Is HDR, and Why Does It Matter For TVs and Gaming - IGN

Ever wonder what HDR even means?
www.ign.com www.ign.com

The above monitor also has FALD (full array local dimming) which there's an explanation for here:

pimax.com

What is local dimming?

What is local dimming and why? Local dimming is a technology used in displays, such as televisions and computer monitors, that allows for more precise control over the brightness levels of different areas of the screen, resulting in a clearer, more vibrant, and more immersive picture.It’s also...
pimax.com pimax.com

HDR is becoming more and more prominent in gaming, a lot of monitors claim to support it but in reality don't. The above linked monitor does quite well with it, but you might not be overly fussed yourself, worth reading up on either way.
Click to expand...
Thanks for those links. I had a read.

So from that I get that IPS is better for colour, brightness, viewing angles and response times (which surprised me because I was sure TN monitors (which are now called VA???) had the response times vs IPS colours,,,
VA is better for contrast.

Then HDR improves colours and contrast!!

So I think that means IPS, with HRD, must be the ulitmate monitor!! Because it reduces the contrast shortfall.

Do you agree?
 
I've got a VA monitor and whilst it's ok as a workhorse monitor, I wouldn't call it a premium experience. When I look at it you can really tell there is just a big light behind it, it has the look of a fluorescent light. In future I would probably spend a bit more money to get something that looks nicer to the eyes if that makes sense.
 
radderfire said:
There's also this reduced to £299:

www.overclockers.co.uk

Cooler Master 27" GP2711 2560x1440 Quantum Dot VA 165Hz 1ms Mini LED Gaming Monitor

Order Cooler Master 27" GP2711 2560x1440 Quantum Dot VA 165Hz 1ms Mini LED Gaming Monitor now online and benefit from fast delivery.
www.overclockers.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk
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Thanks for your comments. I was just watching a youtube vid (monitors unboxed) that recommended a VA because it had HDR on a cheap price but Im not so sure. Is VA what used to be called TN??

Im tempted by the LG, although that one looks to have quite a large space needed for its feet and I dont really have that space! Cooler Master and similar arent monitor/tv brands specifically so I feel like they wont be as good, although that may be baseless..
 
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Ineedhelpplease said:
Thanks for your comments. I was just watching a youtube vid (monitors unboxed) that recommended a VA because it had HDR on a cheap price but Im not so sure. Is VA what used to be called TN??

Im tempted by the LG, although that one looks to have quite a large space needed for its feet and I dont really have that space! Cooler Master and similar arent monitor/tv brands specifically so I feel like they wont be as good, although that may be baseless..
Click to expand...
TN LCD Panel - TN stands for Twisted Nematic. This is the oldest and lowest cost LCD panel technology of the current types. TN technology offers the fastest refresh rates and is therefore favoured by gamers because it can reduce screen blurring and tearing in fast-paced games.

VA LCD Panel - VA stands for Vertical Alignment, and describes the way the liquid crystals are aligned in this panel type. VA is a cheaper technology than IPS, and cannot match the overall picture quality of IPS, but still offers good quality. It gives excellent contrast, which means black really is black, so if you viewed the monitor in the dark, blacks would be black (as opposed to grey). Viewing angle is also narrower than for IPS, which means when viewed from the side, or looking at the edges of large panels, colours can appear a bit washed out, although this probably won't bother you that much in practice.

IPS LCD Panel - IPS stands for In-Plane Switching, and describes the way the liquid crystals move in this panel type. IPS panels can deliver rich colours, and colour accuracy and consistency, making them popular with digital artists and designers. They also offer wide viewing angles.

I would be tempted by the LG, I'm sure you can make the space somehow. :cool:
 
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