Totally confused about monitors - Please help spec me a new one.

Mark de sousa

Mark de sousa

Mark de sousa

Associate
Joined
7 Mar 2017
Posts
44
Location
Hertfordshire
Hi all,

I have just purchased a new system which arrives tomorrow. :D (Ryzen 1600X /MSI GeForce GTX 1070Ti. I can provide the full spec if required).

I currently have an old BenQ 24" monitor (Ben Q G2420HDBL - 60hz I think) which has served me well over the last 7 years (wow - that's a long time!!). However, i think its time I upgraded the monitor to get the best out of the system. I will be using the system for gerenal office work, a bit of indesign/photo shop and gaming.

The games I tend to play are RPG, strategy, city building eg. Skyrim, Witcher 3, Mount and Blade, GTA5, Elite, Cities: skylines, Civilization V, Football manager 2017 and a few older games. (I still love KotOR)

I have a budget of around £400 - 500 for the right screen which does give me some choice, from 24" - 27", with all types of screens (Mostly TN, VA, IPS) and all resolutions (4K, 1440, 1080). The more I research, the more I get more confused.

I have started to work on a shortlist based on advice from this forum/reviews etc (However, its not very short at the moment!) I am currently happy with a 24" monitor, but I think i could move to a bigger screen with my new system. I would also like to take advantage of my GPUs G-Sync capabilities but based on the games I play would I really need it? I have quite a few questions and am getting very confused as to where to start: (Sorry for all of the questions)

  1. 1440 works well on a 27" but how does it perform what on a 24" monitor?
  2. Likewise, what does a 1080 monitor look like on a 27" screen?
  3. Would a 4K screen be to much for my GPU to handle?
  4. How much have the TN screens improved over the last few years (i.e. screen quality /colours etc.)
  5. I understand that it is a bit of a lottery with regards to quality control/build issues with IPS screens. Is this a real issue or has it been hyped?
  6. Are VA screens a happy medium between TN / IPS screens in terms of refresh rates and picture colour quality?
  7. I found an interesting B Grade Acer Predator Z271 for 390. What exaclty is a B grade and is it worth the risk?
If anyone can shed some light that would be appreciated, or if you think there are other makes/models that would suit my needs better than please let me know.

Thank you all!

Shortlist:

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £4,050.11 (includes shipping: £25.20)​
​

If anyone can shed some light that would be appreciated, or if you think there are other makes/models that would suit my needs better than please let me know.

Thank you all!
 
27" is too big for 1080p IME. You start to see the pixels. At 27", go for 4K or 1440p. Of the monitors you've listed, Dell is far and away the best manufacturer, with good quality control and top-notch servicing / RMA, but it's only a 24". I would be looking at the AOC AGON 4K monitor. It's a little over your budget but AOC have a better reputation than Acer.
 
FloydCranks said:
WQHD IPS G-SYNC would be ideal, since you're not into shooters.
Click to expand...

Meh, I play shooters on an ancient dell 16:10 monitor, unless you're competitive / extremely good then I don't buy into the TN hype.

If it were that critical everyone would be using CRTs for dem response times.

For the OP, a monitor is the one choice that's worth investing proper cash in. They last a long time. Until recently there was absolutely no innovation, now 4K, super and 1440p, gsync snd freesync have all been around for quite some time with little change.

HDR is coming, and god hopefully OLED one day, but they'll be out of your price range and your monitor should last you through several systems if you buy the best you can afford.

I really would recommend gsync though, as it'll offer more longevity for a struggling graphics card as it struggles to maintain higher fps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom