Monitor recommendation?

xnomad · #1 06-01-2011, 12:23 PM

My CRT is on it's last legs. Yes I still have a CRT, and it's a very good one and a real shame to throw out but it flat-lines once a week now.

It's time for a flatscreen! As we are in a niche market I am not convinced that Googling "Best gaming monitor" is the best answer as we combat simmers have slightly different needs.

I'm worried about dot pitch the most.

I want to be able to see the enemy before he spots me, that's the reason I purchased my particular CRT all those years ago as it's very good at that.

I've tried searching these forums but couldn't really come up with much. I borrowed a cheapish flatscreen from work but the colours were awful and playing around with the settings just got tiring.

Any recommendations?

Thanks

Katana1000S · #2 06-01-2011, 12:38 PM

Have a look at the Dell U2711 (not made by Dell, just badged by them) might need to upgrade your graphic card for its resolution (2,560 x 1,440) though, its a bit expensive but fantastic quality ...

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/mon...u2711-review/1

T}{OR · #3 06-01-2011, 12:51 PM

That Dell is 27" and would require, as Katana1000S said, a new GPU.

Instead, my recommendation is Dell U2311H: 23" screen, IPS panel, very low input lag and very high responsiveness. In other words - walks over any TN monitors and then some.

Look no further.

A couple of reviews:

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2311h.htm

http://www.flatpanelshd.com/review.p...&id=1275291737

brando · #4 06-01-2011, 12:59 PM

I also hung on to my CRT, an Iiyama Pro, for many years due to its near-perfect rendering ability and resolution. 1024x768x32@120Hz was very easy on the eyes and it was possible to run higher reso's without dropping the refresh rate too much. 1600x1200 @100Hz was what I mainly used, with vsync and triple buffering enabled, and tearing was non-existent.
After 11 years of use it start to show a green tinge that couldn't be adjusted out and which just got worse. With a heavy heart I disposed of it and replaced it with a 'budget' 24" widescreen from a firm called LG. That was three years ago and I have purchased another low-priced monitor made by Hanns.G (HZ281) which has a 27.5" widescreen with a native reso of 1900x1200x32bit @60Hz (same as the LG previously mentioned). I bought both these monitors for less than £200 each here in the UK. My wife now uses the 24" LG. Neither came with any of the dreaded "dead pixels" or cosmetic damage, and both are still functioning well after 3 years and 2 years respectively. They aren't top of the range but that is reflected in the price.
Dell and Samsung are the two major top-of-the-range players with prices in excess of £1000. I'm not quite sure what this premium buys; no doubt someone will enlighten us both soon

Interestingly, Iiyama are still in the monitor business. The Iiyama ProLite B2712HDS 27" Widescreen LCD Monitor looks to be a good deal at around £280. Reviews are very good.

#5 06-01-2011, 01:14 PM

The U3011 is good, but expensive. Mine's a warranty upgrade from the 3008 (I got lucky). My GTX580 runs CoD at 2560x1600 at an average (ish) 30fps with all the important stuff maxed out. Still doesn't look as good as it should though, nowhere near RoF's ballpark.

Bloblast · #6 06-01-2011, 01:53 PM

I have recently bought a Samsung 27" P2270FH, a good screen.

27" is absolutely the way to go for IL-2 COD, a good investment.

T}{OR · #7 06-01-2011, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bloblast

27" is absolutely the way to go for IL-2 COD, a good investment.

That is debatable TBH.

Higher res = more VRAM and less FPS, in CloD particularly.

Anything above 24" screen (> 1980x1200) is for enthusiasts and video/photo editing IMO.

TeeJay82 · #8 06-01-2011, 02:01 PM

27" @ 1900*1200

Zoom2136 · #9 06-01-2011, 02:06 PM

I-Inc iF-281DPB 28" Class Widescreen LCD Monitor - 1920x1200 WUXGA, 800:1 Contrast, 3ms, HDMI, VGA, Energy Star, Tilt & Swivel Stand, w/Speakers

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...540&CatId=3774

This monitor can't be beat... when price is a big factor

Blackdog_kt · #10 06-01-2011, 04:23 PM

I can vouch for the IPS panels by Dell. I have one from the previous series, the 2209WA. It's 22", 16:10 and runs at 1680x1050 (i wanted the extra vertical space for flight simming and i also wanted a low-ish resolution so that i won't need to upgrade my GPU soon).

The input lag is minimal and the only way to force ghosting through change of images is to use trackIR/freetrack and move your head left-right so fast that your neck hurts.

In other words, it's perfectly capable of displaying all those fast gaming effects like explosions and the like without any ghosting at all.

Their premium range also comes with a 3 year warranty with on-site replacement policy for the slightest pixel defect.
Many brands claim zero pixel warranty but if you look at the fine print they specify "stuck pixels are pixels stuck to white or black" or something equally silly, which means that if your stuck pixel is the wrong color you don't get a replacement. Well, not with Dell, they cover any kind of defect on the premium models.

The colours and viewing angles are no contest for TN panel monitors also. The only problem IPS panels have is that black is not as black as it should be, but the rest of the advantages really make up for it.