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What size monitor(s) do you use?

Discussion in 'Techno-Magic' started by Taluntain, Aug 14, 2016.

  1. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    For my main desktop I've had a 24" primary and 22" secondary Samsungs for a few years now. The main 24" wasn't a very good buy unfortunately and it's been on the (partial) fritz for about a year now. The anomalies are starting to get worse though so I suspect it's going to go out soon, so I'll need a replacement.

    Since I'll be buying again, I'm wondering if I should buy bigger than 24" now and what everyone else is using.
     
  2. henkie

    henkie Hammertime Resourceful Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    I have two 22" monitors, 1920x1200 resolution, because I like the extra vertical resolution. The 22" was then because I didn't really have space for bigger monitors, and, frankly, I still don't, so I'm still happy with the size. If I'd have to get something new now, I'd still go max 24", unless I'd start doing much more in photo editing or some such.

    I also like a small pixel pitch, I saw a 27" monitor with 1920x1080 resolution back then, and my first reaction was to look for the options to increase the resolution. I was browsing some monitors earlier this weeks, and it looks like I won't be able to hold my favoured 16:10 aspect ratio, but they do have some nice 24" monitors with either 2560x1440 or 3840x2160 resolution, so it's not all bad.

    I'd also get a monitor with an IPS panel, they don't cost that much anymore, and the viewing angle on TN panels was and is still atrocious.
     
  3. xosmi Gems: 20/31
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    I'm only rocking a single monitor, at 21" - more then enough for my current purposes, though when i eventually do upgrade i think i'll go with something a tad bigger.
    I haven't ran dual monitor setup since back in the day of bulky CRT monitors, and i really don't have a reason to go back to it now, since i don't do anything on my pc that would make use of it enoug hto justify purchasing a second monitor.
     
  4. Sorvo

    Sorvo Where's the nearest pub? Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran

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    15.6" Laptop and 65" TV when I need to see BIG :)
     
  5. olimikrig

    olimikrig Cavalier of War Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    I'm using a 27'' monitor running at 1920x1080, although most of the time I'm on the laptop in the living room :p.
     
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    24" monitor @1280x1024. It is supposed to run at 1680x1050 but I've always thought the aspect ratio looked off at that setting and I get less eyestrain at the lower resolution.
     
  7. Keneth Gems: 29/31
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    Unless you're sitting particularly far away or you need a lot of space on your screen, you shouldn't bother with anything over 24" (with a nice 1920x1200 resolution). Your eyes simply aren't made to focus on such large surfaces, which means a lot of physical eye movement or head turning.
     
  8. Eyebreaker7

    Eyebreaker7 Someone clean my litter box ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    I'm on a 17" laptop. The rez is 1920x1080 and it works very nicely for me :1eye:
     
  9. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    I've decided on a 24" monitor with a 1920x1200 resolution if possible (having the extra vertical space would be handy).

    The problem now is IPS vs. TN. While good 24" TNs go up to 144Hz/1ms refresh/response, IPS is pretty much 60Hz/5+ms all around. A few that I'm looking at now:

    http://www.dell.com/ed/business/p/dell-u2415/pd (IPS)
    http://www.benq.com/product/monitor/XL2411Z/features/ (TN)
    https://www.asus.com/Monitors/VG248QE/ (TN)

    Since ghosting is a deal breaker for me (even in non-gaming use), I'm really more in the TN camp right now... but with a TN display, I'd have to go with 1920x1080. :nolike:

    Would be nice if I didn't have to buy an IPS as well as a TN so that I could switch between them as needed. :heh:
     
  10. Keneth Gems: 29/31
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    I've never had any ghosting of any kind on an IPS monitor, no detectable input lag (and I play a lot of competitive twitch games), plus you can only look directly at a TN screen (i.e. shitty view angles). It's fine if you're sitting in the same spot the whole time, but useless if you move around at all. The biggest and, as far as I'm concerned, only downside of a good IPS monitor is the price. If you absolutely need the response time (i.e. your rig is shit and you have your mouse plugged in through 5 consecutive USB hubs) and your face is always plastered right on the screen, then go for a cheap TN panel monitor. Otherwise dish out some extra dough for a proper IPS.
     
  11. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    The prices are pretty much the same between those models I listed. Ghosting/blurring is something that people have very varying levels of perception and tolerance for -- you'll have people saying that they see none and some seeing lots with the same screens, so visual perception isn't a very good metric for it.

    http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/content/dell_u2415.htm#gaming goes into detail about it, but without testing the monitor myself, I couldn't say whether I'll find those 8ms there problematic. Higher refresh and response rates only seem to be available in 27"+ IPS monitors, but those are also considerably more expensive.
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2016
  12. Keneth Gems: 29/31
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    Like I said, it's impossible to notice 8ms (or even all the way up to 20ms and more) unless your rig is so horrible that those 8ms add up to 3 or 4 times as much. As mentioned, I regularly play twitch games competitively and I have more or less perfect vision, so if you want a good metric, I'm it. People who say they can tell the difference between 1 or 10ms are full of shit, and the refresh rate of an LCD display is less than irrelevant (it's meant to reduce motion blur which is practically non-existent on modern computer screens in the first place), but what you can actually tell the difference between is TN's low picture quality and that of an IPS panel.

    The whole screen business is littered with marketing bullshit. Everyone always wants to sell you a bigger screen, even though your eyes can't focus on it properly, a faster refresh rate, which makes fuckall difference unless you're gaming consistently at 120+ fps (and even then it's minimal at best and potentially worse if your GPU can't pull that off), a faster response time which you are incapable of even perceiving until it gets into extremes, and gods know what else.

    To reiterate my previous sentiment, if you can afford a good IPS screen, go for that. If it's a choice between a decent TN and a cheap IPS, then go for the TN.
     
  13. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    Heh, I can tell you that I've noticed a shitload of difference when I've gone from a CRT with 120Hz refresh to the first LCD and it's bothered me for a long time. So I obviously can't agree with you on ghosting/blurring not being noticeable -- I could see it very clearly with every scroll up or down. I've got used to it with LCDs and it doesn't bother me that much any more, but it's still very much there.
     
  14. Keneth Gems: 29/31
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    CRT refresh rate and LCD refresh rate are two completely different things. As are monitor ghosting and motion blurring...

    Motion blurring on a modern LCD is barely noticeable. So much so that games often have an option to give you artificial motion blur.

    Yeah, there's an obvious difference in "feel" between a CRT screen and an LCD screen, they work in a completely different way, but there's virtually no real difference between a 144 Mhz and 60 Mhz LCD panel, regardless of whether it's IPS or TN. The only thing that comes remotely close to a CRT screen with regards to motion is a plasma screen, which is once again in a completely separate category.
     
  15. henkie

    henkie Hammertime Resourceful Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    I've only ever seen ghosting on cheap TVs, motion blurring I've never noticed. I've a PVA screen with similar input lag to the IPS screens, and it hasn't been an issue for me, even when playing fast fps games. Though I must admit I've left my most competitive time behind before I even switched to an LCD screen.

    The only thing that bothers me about my screens is that the black is not black (normally not much of an issue, except in Stalker games, at night), and that the lighting of the screen is not quite even (mostly noticeable when it's supposed to be black, again).

    If you are very sensitive to ghosting, then make sure you order at a shop with a good return policy, because you'll need to experience it yourself, and reviews can only get you so far (though TFTcentral and prad.de are definitely very good resources).

    I'd not get a TN panel, because I hate that for the cheaper screens you'll be looking at just a bit off-angle, and all the colours and contrasts are completely off. A major drawback if you want to put one of your screens vertical.
     
  16. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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