New monitor wanted. Advice sought. 2560x1440, ~32 inch, <£400

Angilion · 8 Jun 2024 at 03:07

I've had an AOC Q3279VWFD8 monitor for years. 2560x1440, either 32 inch or 31.5 inch depending on how you measure it. IPS panel. 75Hz refresh. A decent monitor at the time and excellent value for money.

It might be on its way out now. It's developed a very small spot near one edge that's slightly brighter than the rest of the screen. Only visible on a light background. Not a problem. But it's a fault. I'm leaning towards buying a new monitor and keep this one as a backup.

I'm not looking at going to 4K because my PC (Ryzen 7 5700X, 32GB DDR4-3600, Radeon 7800XT) wouldn't be great for 4K gaming so if I bought a 4K monitor I'd end up spending more money on upgrades and I don't think it's worth it.

Main uses are gaming and watching videos on Youtube. Viewing distance is around a metre as I'm using it at a desk.

I'm after something about the same size as the monitor I'm used to. 27 inch would seem a bit small to me now, which is a bit of a shame as it seems that most 2560x1440 monitors are 27 inch.

Budget is <£400 because that's as much as I'm willing to spend on a monitor. That's a max, not a target. If there's a decent enough monitor with those specs for £200, all the better.

I know little about the current state of monitors and the normal nomenclature gets on my nerves. Alphanumeric string, often with several different monitors having almost identical names. Oh dear, you bought the Z32AJ197892HJ4BQ when you intended to buy the Z32AJ197892HJ4BP! How could you make that mistake? Bleh.

So yeah, I'm after advice.

jabski · 8 Jun 2024 at 11:20

Hi mate, a couple to look at would be the LG 32GP850-B and the Gigabyte M32Q

Angilion · 8 Jun 2024 at 21:26

jabski said:
Hi mate, a couple to look at would be the LG 32GP850-B and the Gigabyte M32Q

Thanks for replying. I looked at reviews for the Gigabyte M32Q a couple of days ago and it seemed a good fit for what I want, but there's a problem. It's no longer possible to buy one. There's an M32QC, but that's a completely different monitor. I even tried Gigabyte's own page in the "where to buy" section and it was all lies. Just links to online shops that don't sell it (including 3 links to OcUK as 3 different shops for some reason). Some of the shops on that "where to buy" page don't even exist.

So now, of course, that's the monitor I want

radderfire · 8 Jun 2024 at 21:30

Live with the fault and save up for going 4K with everything?

Otherwise, look at LG, Dell and Iiyama.

Angilion · 8 Jun 2024 at 22:15

radderfire said:
Live with the fault and save up for going 4K with everything?

Otherwise, look at LG, Dell and Iiyama.

Saving up isn't the issue. I have more than enough spare money for a 4K rig. The issue is that I don't like spending money (which is part of the reason why I have spare money). It's about perceived value. I don't consider the difference between 2560x1440 and 4K to be worth another couple of thousand for the upgrades.

radderfire · 8 Jun 2024 at 22:23

The MSI monitors are also worth looking at.

Quartz · 8 Jun 2024 at 22:33

Angilion said:
I'm not looking at going to 4K because my PC (Ryzen 7 5700X, 32GB DDR4-3600, Radeon 7800XT) wouldn't be great for 4K gaming so if I bought a 4K monitor I'd end up spending more money on upgrades and I don't think it's worth it.

Don't be so sure about that. Remember that benchmarking is usually done with ultra settings. You should check out tests with Medium settings, and you can always drop to 1080p or 1440p - you don't have to run at 4k. You will find 4k much better for non-gaming tasks like web browsing.

Angilion · 8 Jun 2024 at 23:09

Quartz said:
Don't be so sure about that. Remember that benchmarking is usually done with ultra settings. You should check out tests with Medium settings, and you can always drop to 1080p or 1440p - you don't have to run at 4k. You will find 4k much better for non-gaming tasks like web browsing.

I could, but running anything at non-native res will look worse than running it at native res. Upscaling isn't perfect (and can't be). Since I'm finding 2560x1440 fine for non-gaming tasks even with the lower pixel density of a larger monitor, I don't see buying a 4K monitor to run games at 1440 as being the best solution.

radderfire said:
The MSI monitors are also worth looking at.

Good pun.