IPS vs TN for gaming

Once you've used an IPS screen for any length of time, this opinion will evaporate, believe me!

Not true really. I had my 24" iMac since 2008, sold it a couple of weeks ago now and it had an S-IPS display. I've now gone back to using a TN panel and frankly I don't think the difference warrants the price differential.

Not being a downer or anything, but it's akin to the people who claim to hear differences between a £2 phono lead from your average electronic store and a £50 gold plated Monster cable from some overpriced electronics chain. Sure, the resolution is higher and thus provides more pixels per inch, but as long as you're playing on a screen size appropriate to your native resolution an objective user won't be as blown away as everybody is making out. If anything, you'll make yourself feel astonished simply to justify spending an exorbitant amount on a professional grade display intended for use by graphics professionals. Franky speaking, a properly set-up and configured flat-screen CRT (using BNC connection, refresh rate at 100hz, framerate locked at 100fps etc) would still wipe the floor with any flat panel today in serious gaming and it will cost you pocket lint by comparison.

Save yourself a few quid -don't believe the hype, buy a TN that isn't some cheap rubbish and you'll be just fine. :rolleyes:

(of course, the only time I will concede IPS makes a difference is when you're going 28"+ monitors. In that case, go IPS simply because there is no other option. TN panels do not provide resolutions appropriate to such a display size at this point in time).
 
Last edited:
It isn't about resolution in the slightest - it's about colour vibrancy, and most of all, stability of the image when viewed from different angles. If like me you shift around in your chair a bit, it can be hard to place a TN panel so that you don't get the "wased out dark" effect somewhere on the screen. TNs have decent enough horizontal viewing angles, but vertically they are terrible.

Just my opinion really, but I came from a 30" IPS panel to a 24" TN. The difference is really quite annoying!
 
It isn't about resolution in the slightest - it's about colour vibrancy, and most of all, stability of the image when viewed from different angles. If like me you shift around in your chair a bit, it can be hard to place a TN panel so that you don't get the "wased out dark" effect somewhere on the screen. TNs have decent enough horizontal viewing angles, but vertically they are terrible.

Just my opinion really, but I came from a 30" IPS panel to a 24" TN. The difference is really quite annoying!

I'll concede going from a 30" IPS to a 24" TN would be annoying. No doubt at all there pal as that is a massive difference, not least in terms of screen real estate and getting used to that wonderful 2560x1920 resolution. But for general purchase, I really can't think of any quantifiable reason an IPS monitor would be worth the extra cost for gaming without going beyond a 27" display size when an LED monitor would be a far more cost-effective solution and still provide a great deal of display quality.
 
Broad gamut IPS monitors are fantastic for gaming. If you're comparing a standard gamut IPS display with TN panels then perhaps the advantages when gaming are not quite as noticeable.
 
I'll concede going from a 30" IPS to a 24" TN would be annoying. No doubt at all there pal as that is a massive difference, not least in terms of screen real estate and getting used to that wonderful 2560x1920 resolution. But for general purchase, I really can't think of any quantifiable reason an IPS monitor would be worth the extra cost for gaming without going beyond a 27" display size when an LED monitor would be a far more cost-effective solution and still provide a great deal of display quality.

LED backlighting allows for higher contrasts, it has nothing to do with colour vibrancy. Besides that it is insignificantly more power efficient and that's where advantages of having LED backlit monitor end...
 
I thought it had

better,

contrast ratios
power consumption
No Warm up time
Longer Life
thinner panel

but the list proberbly ends there. :eek:
 
The thing with contrast ratios and LED backlit monitors is that a large part of it is marketing. For the edge-lit LED backlight technology, the dynamic contrast ratios can be made to be very high in manufactureres non-standard tests - hence the 1,000,000:1 (or more) dynamic contrast ratios they advertise. In real world use, you will want to turn off the dynamic contrast mode as it is almost always annoying and adds little to the image quality, in this situation expect to see contrast ratios from 700:1 to 1000:1, ie similar to standard TN or IPS contrast ratios and worse than most VA contrast ratios.

However, one thing to look out for in the future is "proper" LED backlighting. "Full Array" LED backlights are being showcased at the moment where a dense array of LED backlights sit behind the panel. With the use of a clever electronics, these LEDs vary in light output to match the light level required on screen (therefore if one area on the screen is entirely black, the LEDs backlighting that area will turn off). Such technology offers very high real-world contrast ratios and looks good.
 
Also (hopefully in the near future) LG will be showcasing the use of individually lit pixels using a white organic LED (WOLED) matrix. This provides even more precision and hopefully lower power requirements than standard LED and is a good stopgap before OLED proper hits the market. It is only when technologies such as this are introduced to consumers that you should actually pay attention to those big numbers on computer monitors.
 
Back
Top Bottom