Is now a bad time to buy a new gaming monitor?

SheldonCooper · 9 Apr 2018 at 23:28

Hi.

I have 2 monitors, a secondary 1080p Dell, and my primary a Dell 4K screen (but 24-inch). When I bought the 4K screen I wasn't really into PC gaming so I never even considered high refresh screens, but now, I am finding I want something bigger and faster.

I was looking at the 27-inch 1440p 144hz Acer XB271HU which I think has been around for a while now. It is going to cost around £550 buying now, but I am worried that newer products may launching soon and I maybe be able to either get the same screen cheaper, or potentially something better for the same price.

Does anyone have input on whether now is a silly time to buying a new screen? I know technology is always moving and even buying bleeding edge now is out dated in 6-12 months - but I am talking about buying now and then 2-3 weeks later a new screen is released.

Thanks

EDIT: I have a NVIDIA 1080 btw.

EDIT 2:

I asked this question on another forum and have had some replies already on there. I provided a bit more detail on what I want and what I am asking:

I have my eye on the Acer XB271HU as it seems to fit what I want from a new screen:

IPS Panel: I have always used IPS monitors, certainly in the last 10 years.
High Refresh rate, for obvious reasons
G-Sync
No bigger than 27-inch as desk space is not limitless.
1440p - should allow me to get more years out of my 1080. I think waiting for a 4K 144hz screen would be pointless as to get the most out of it I would need the next generation GPU which is not a option.
Max budget is around £600.

I have not found another screen that fits all the above.

NZXT30 · 10 Apr 2018 at 13:33

Monitors used to be the pinnacle of display technology. These days they are severely outdated and not worth their outrageous asking prices.

EsaT · 10 Apr 2018 at 16:11

Can't see much anything good happening in near future.
Monitor tech development has been lagging like Intel's CPU development with its change to toothpaste under heatspeader:
Instead of pushing for new techs to get rid of contrast, response time and viewing angle problems of LCD makers are just cutting monitors lower, bending them and hyping that HDR needing welder's mask to avoid face burn from excessive brightness of image.

Davanius · 10 Apr 2018 at 16:14

I have spent the weekend trying out a 4K HDR 50 inch LCD. I had it next to my 27 in Asus 1440p 165Hz monitor and let's just say that it puts things into perspective for me.

Fair play to those who have deep pockets and are able to get what they want as I can't always justify the things that I want.

What I will tell you is this. HDR is the real deal. More important to me than a higher resolution.

I would hold on for a bit to see if HDR monitors will come out within your budget and would think twice about paying that sort of money for a monitor that has been out for a while and has questionable quality control.

I used a 1080Ti to power the 4K tv. I also used a XBox One S and now I am dabbling with the idea of staying on the tv.

Let's put it this way. I was all for Gsync and 144Hz until now. I had such a good time on the 4K screen that I didn't miss those features. It wasn't even a high end tv either.

I may now get rid on my monitor for a cheaper one and invest in a big 4K HDR TV instead. So much more for your money in my opinion.

Shocky-FM · 10 Apr 2018 at 16:58

It's always a bad time to be buying a gaming monitor, G-Sync, Freesync, 4K and HDR have just made it even worse.

So, yes it's a bad time, as bad as it's ever bin.

BubbySoup · 10 Apr 2018 at 19:41

HDR on the PC is a bit of a mess at the moment. I can't see this improving much before this year is out.

Dicehunter · 13 Apr 2018 at 08:10

1440P 165Hz IPS 27" is the sweetspot, You will not get anything better anytime soon for a reasonable amount of money, Proper HDR monitors are on their way from Acer and Asus but they are going to cost a minimum of £2000 based on early information.

Get the Acer Predator XB271HU, You won't be disappointed.

Nexus18 · 13 Apr 2018 at 11:10

Davanius said:
I have spent the weekend trying out a 4K HDR 50 inch LCD. I had it next to my 27 in Asus 1440p 165Hz monitor and let's just say that it puts things into perspective for me.

Fair play to those who have deep pockets and are able to get what they want as I can't always justify the things that I want.

What I will tell you is this. HDR is the real deal. More important to me that a higher resolution.

I would hold on for a bit to see if HDR monitors will come out within your budget and would think twice about paying that sort of money for a monitor that has been out for a while and has questionable quality control.

I used a 1080Ti to power the 4K tv. I also used a XBox One S and now I am dabbling with the idea of staying on the tv.

Let's put it this way. I was all for Gsync and 144Hz until now. I had such a good time on the 4K screen that I didn't miss those features. It wasn't even a high end tv either.

I may now get rid on my monitor for a cheaper one and invest in a big 4K HDR TV instead. So much more for your money in my opinion.

This, this, this!

In my case, I got fed up with the lack of improvements for monitors i.e. still old basic LCD panels that haven't had any of the main issues addressed and in fact, things have only got worse i.e. QC and pricing..... My monitor that is now 5+ years old still costs the exact same as what I paid back then

(sorry, it is an updated model, as in, it has freesync and 75HZ instead of 60HZ).

People think GPUs and intel CPUs have been bad but the monitor industry is even worse....

Instead of wasting £700+ on inferior old display tech. I got myself an OLED TV and haven't looked back since, yes, no g/free sync is disappointing and no 144HZ @ 4k but the IQ and versatility this screens provides ****** all over whatever the monitor industry has to provide currently, at least, for my needs/wants.

- want a 4k experience, you got it
- want a high refresh rate i.e. 120HZ but at 1080P, you got it (and when sitting the appropriate distance from a 55" screen, 1080P is a non issue, myself and numerous other people who have seen my display have been thoroughly unimpressed with 4k in gaming) and there is always DSR + VSR to upscale to a higher resolution
- want 21.9 experience, create a custom res. and you got it (with a large display area + great blacks, black bars are a non-issue)
- want a true HDR experience, you got it
- want an awesome picture, even with just SDR, you got it

etc. etc.

Best of all, it is so nice being able to just lie down on the couch and truly relax playing games instead of having to sit at a desk all the time.

And as said above, HDR is a real game changer, for me, I would rate it like this:

OLED >>>> HDR >>>> sync tech. >>>>>> high refresh rate >>>>>>>> 4k

People buy top end graphics cards mainly to be able to whack settings up to max so why then go and pair that with a basic LCD monitor that quite frankly looks awful, if you want a glorious image to the point you actually think you are looking through a window then get a true quality display.

Shocky-FM · 13 Apr 2018 at 12:32

I just picked up a slightly used Acer EB321HQUA for £140 and it's surprisingly good.

Everything I need, 31.5" 2560*1440, IPS, 4ms response time, HDMI, Display port and DVI, bargain.

TeraVirus · 14 Apr 2018 at 00:16

I'm in the market for an XB271HU as well, I'm going to hold out until later on in the year once these "4k 144hz HDR" monitors release, so prices hopefully come down a bit.

SheldonCooper · 16 Apr 2018 at 18:38

Hi guys.

Thanks for your responses. I did read them I just never got round to responding.

I decided to go ahead and go for the XB271HU @ £550. While I am most certainly keeping it, I have to say I am not as blown away as I thought I would be by the higher refresh rate. However... I have yet to play anything for longer than 15 minutes other than PUBG which even on a good day is a ball ache to get smooth frame rates.

The size is perfect. The resolution is going to take some getting used to for sure; I used 200% scaling on my Dell 4K screen so it was effectively a 1920x1080 resolution, just really really crisp. My eyes have adjusted for the most part to the lower DPI. I haven't used the stand it comes with but it does look great on gas spring monitor arm.

I was never going to spend more than £600 on a new screen and going by what everyone has said the next generation screens are not only going to be a while from release, but also going to pricey so this screen seems to be a sweet spot. It was between the XB271HU and an ASUS ROG Swift screen with exactly the same specs but was £150 more expensive. Didn't see the need to pay the extra for what seems to be the ROG branding!.

Thanks guys.