New 27 inch help wanted :-)

ironmysox

ironmysox

ironmysox

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Right guys 'n' gals (must never forget the ladies),

I am after a 27" monitor. My priority is picture quality and I will be:

1st) Gaming
2nd) Work (office etc etc)
3rd) Movies etc

My budget is £700

I was looking at the Samsung SA27A950D but my colleague did explain to me that although, lovely that it looks and it's fast, it has the same res as my 23" NEC (1920x1080) and that a higher res (2560x1440) would be of more benefit. My gfx card is the POV GTX590 TGT Overclocked and Watercooled by AquaGFX so the higher res should be ok. He also is not a fan of reflective screens and he mentioned that the Sammy has a very reflective screen. I'm using an NEC EA23WMI IPS at the mo but as I have just started to game (BF3 and soom MW3) it just cant cut it at high speed.

Any and all advice is appreciated.

Chris
 
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Your priorities include gaming above work (I know they weren't listed in order but it's always the way you know ;)) so I would suggest you think how practical you find the 1920 x 1080 resolution of your existing monitor before deciding whether the 2560 x 1440 resolution would be desirable. You certainly have the graphical horsepower to make a go of the 2560 x 1440 resolution but equally you would see great benefit in terms of responsiveness by going for a 120Hz monitor. It makes an absolutely massive difference on games such as Battlefield 3. If you haven't already checked out the S27A750D linked to on this post I certainly would. It should give you a good idea of the responsiveness benefits of such a monitor on Battlefield 3 and suchlike. Furthermore it explains some of the benefits of the glossy screen surface - reflections are a definite drawback but there are some tangible benefits as well. It also draws a general comparison between the overall image quality on games compared to IPS panel monitors. It isn't one for colour critical work but it holds its own against the likes of the Apple LED Cinema Display and provides a great deal of extra vibrancy and clarity compared to your matte IPS monitors. Before you ask - the S27A950D is essentially similar once it's set up correctly but the backlight uniformity is generally a little worse due primarily to the stand design. Default settings on the S27A950D we're currently testing are absolutely horrendous though - thankfully the settings used for the S27A750D worked their magic on this one and provided an immediate improvement in all areas. :)

If you are sure you would like the benefits of the increased resolution without sacrificing clarity or vibrancy and would still like a bit of responsiveness (but not to 120Hz TN panel levels) you may want to have a think about the Hazro H27WC. This provides a similar performance to the Apple Cinema Display (which retails for a lot more) but features a pretty well implemented pixel overdrive (which your current EA231WMi lacks) to make it more responsive. If you are happy enough with your EA231WMi's image and the screen surface but would basically like a larger version of this the HP ZR2740W is worth a look. As with the Hazro it has well implemented pixel overdrive and relatively low levels of input lag.
 
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SA27A950D is a 120Hz 3D monitor. That's why it's limited to 1920x1080 resolution. If you wanted a higher resolution of that size you'll have to go for a 60Hz monitor.

It depends on whether you want 3D or not. The samsung monitor uses its own 3D which isn't quite on par with NVIDIA's 120Hz 3D Vision enabled monitors, but it is more flexible in terms of options (E.g. doesn't require you to use a NVIDIA graphics card) and also has a feature which converts 2D media to 3D on the fly.

Depends on whether or not you want 120Hz and/or 3D
 
First of all, thank you for the extremely helpful replies :-)

Secondly, 3D is not something I am interested in. Just a great performing monitor which will be used mainly for games (I normally do my work on my macbook which I will continue to use for work as a rule). The main reason I quoted the higher res was down to me not wanting anything to look to stretched. Rage for instance works well on this 23" even with its slow response time and at 1080P but how would it look in 1080P stretched at 27"?

Saying all this, the whole idea of 120hz seems great. I have just got in from a friends house (wives and kids and fireworks outside whilst he demonstrated his Benq 120HZ for me in the study (games room more like) and I must say I felt and saw a difference on Black Ops for sure compared to how it runs on mine although when still, my colours are definitely better :-)

So, 120HZ I feel is winning the race so far and although I love the look of the 950D, the 750D would be the better choice for me I feel.

I'm going to try and find reviews on the other ones you mentioned though before I decide and buy. Any opinions on the Hazro HZ27WD and the Dell U2711?
 
The Hazro HZ27WD is essentially similar to the WC but includes DisplayPort so everything positive said about the WC will apply. Obviously the main issue will be the rather large proportion of people who seem to have issues with their displays (this actually prevented me ordering some of these for some modelling work because I needed a large number as a business order and didn't want to take the chance). Personally I don't get along too well with the U2711H due to the screen surface - much prefer lighter haze or glossy myself. Not to confuse things but it's similar on the HP ZR2740W I mentioned before - I don't want to restrict your choice just because of my own preferences. The input lag of the U2711 would also put me off for gaming but I'm relatively sensitive to this as well. The joys of testing loads of monitors I suppose. :)
 
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Ok. I'm approaching this purchase now with nothing but gaming on my mind. I just want a good looking fluid gaming experience. So that I think limits my choice to the 750d or 950d, maybe the Hazro. It seems it's not a case of which is better, more a case of whats more important to the individual. Some comments on the Hazro are not so positive regarding its build quality but as an owner of 2 Samsung tv's (which have very average build quality IMO compared to my new Panasonic), is the build quality of the 750 & 950 any better? The 950 looks stunning in pictures but how is it hands on? Wish there was somewhere I could go and view but visited all my local pc/electrical stores today with no joy.
 
ironmysox said:
It seems it's not a case of which is better, more a case of whats more important to the individual.
Click to expand...

Absolutely spot on. Every monitor will have its pros and cons and people will weigh them up differently depending on their needs and desires.


ironmysox said:
Some comments on the Hazro are not so positive regarding its build quality but as an owner of 2 Samsung tv's (which have very average build quality IMO compared to my new Panasonic), is the build quality of the 750 & 950 any better? The 950 looks stunning in pictures but how is it hands on? Wish there was somewhere I could go and view but visited all my local pc/electrical stores today with no joy.
Click to expand...

It's a tough call. I haven't actually seen one of the new Hazro monitors first hand so it's difficult for me to say (and in many cases that is the position you're in with the Samsungs). What I can gauge is that people say they have quite a 'plasticy' feel to them and obviously the materials used in construction are designed to be as cheap as possible really. The Samsungs have a very nice feel, in my opinion, and I was actually pleasantly surprised by this when I first used them. I would certainly have a read of the 'Features and aesthetics' section of our S27A750D and T27A950 reviews. The T27A950 is very similar to the S27A950D on the outside (apart from having different ports) so that should be quite representitive. I actually feel the pictures don't do them any justice.

Regarding differences between them the S27A950D has one of the nicest 'backs' I've come across on a monitor. The stand is also extremely solid - I suppose my opinion could be biased somewhat by the fact I like brushed metals. The S27A750D has a glossy plastic back which is a bit of a dust magnet but I really like the actual stand base and find the stand and design a lot more practical (smaller footprint). Our unit didn't have this problem but there have been reports of a slight 'squeeking' in the neck joint between the stand and the monitor. The S27A750D has a much sturdier hinge design here but this same design whereas the S27A750D is a bit more free with the monitor a bit more 'detached' from the stand. The positive offshoot of this is that there is less stress on the screen (it isn't stressed in the same way, particularly at the bottom right) so the uniformity tends to be a bit better. I have certainly noticed this on the S27A750D I tested which was surprisingly good in this department vs. the S27A950D and T27A950 which are not. User reports tend to follow this. Overall though the IPS monitors are generally far from perfect in this department and coupled with the IPS glow which you've probably read a bit about even the TA/SA950s fair better in terms of contrast and dark level detail.
 
No problem - look forward to your thoughts when it arrives. The settings in the calibration section of the SA750 review provided a very good base on our SA950 review sample so that would be a good start. Colour values were a touch different but this was very slight. I was quite impressed and surprised by this actually as the deault settings were bad on the SA750 but terrible on the SA950. ;) And response time can be happily set to 'fastest'. Also try not to have any bright light sources facing the monitor screen if you can help it - unless you really admire your own face :). You will probsbly need some time to adjust to the glossy screen and different size etc. but hopefully you will warm to it.
 
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