Best connection to use with this monitor?

Bizzie · 13 Oct 2010 at 14:05

Hi all.. im planning on buying a new system soon, at the same time i plan buy this monitor:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-088-LG&groupid=17&catid=510&subcat=

the system is the "Ultima Dreadnought" from overclockers. On the GPU it says the connections are:

2x Dual-Link DVI-I & 1x Mini-HDMI 1.3a (Includes HDMI & VGA Adapters)

On the monitor it says the connections are:

1x Analogue, 1x DVI-D and 2x HDMI

So im not sure of the best way to connect the monitor and PC for the best results, my friend (who gave me no source, or further information) said DVI connections are better than HDMI for gaming.

So my 2 questions are;

Whats the best way to connect the 2 together with the best results?

Also is this monitor any good?

Thanks for reading!

Kyle

cmndr_andi · 13 Oct 2010 at 14:19

Have you bought this monitor yet? If not, I suggest you don't go for it - it is a lot of money for a pretty middle-of-the-road monitor.

If you are mainly gaming then something like this would be great. If you can spend a bit more then this IPS monitor would be amazing. You might also want to consider 120Hz.

As for connection - the image quality of DVI and HDMI is the same, use whichever digital connection type you have a cable for.

Benihana · 13 Oct 2010 at 14:21

DVI = HDMI in terms of quality, but I keep the HDMI spare for my Xbox

Bizzie · 13 Oct 2010 at 15:58

cmndr_andi said:
Have you bought this monitor yet? If not, I suggest you don't go for it - it is a lot of money for a pretty middle-of-the-road monitor.

If you are mainly gaming then something like this would be great. If you can spend a bit more then this IPS monitor would be amazing. You might also want to consider 120Hz.

As for connection - the image quality of DVI and HDMI is the same, use whichever digital connection type you have a cable for.

I could go for the dell, but can i ask why they are better? (not being rude, i really just dont know) I always thought that Response time and contrast ratio were good things to look for?

Thanks both for the replies.

cmndr_andi · 13 Oct 2010 at 16:16

Unfortunately, when comparing monitors looking for the manufacturer quoted response time and (dynamic) contrast ratio is a red herrings and not what they should be judged on. What you need to look out for (in the product description) is the screen size, aspect ratio, resolution, brand and model name. The rest you look for in quality in-depth reviews where you find the panel type, true responsiveness, input lag, measured static contrast ratio, colour accuracy, black depth, viewing angles and backlight uniformity.

This review for the Dell goes through these things and more.

With this information you can accurately gauge whether the monitor is good for your needs. If you are mainly gaming then the true responsiveness and input lag are usually the most crucial - but the other variables determine how good the picture will look, so certainly shouldn't be overlooked.

One thing well worth reading about is panel technologies. The LG above and the Samsung I linked to both use TN panels, while the Dell uses and IPS panel. This article explains the difference.

Bizzie · 13 Oct 2010 at 18:25

Well thanks for such a detailed reply, it seems the Dell monitor is regarded as quite a good monitor then.

Its just a shame its 23'', i have a 22'' samsung atm and i really wanted to go up a little bit more lol.

Is there any affordable 24'' monitors with the IPS panels? If not, is the samsung the best 24'' to go for?

Thanks a lot!

Kyle.