New Monitor?!

[Terrific Tornado]

Hey Folks,

I hope you are all well and staying safe. I need a little bit of advice, I am currently building a gaming PC and have everything down to the final detail... except the monitor! I have about £120-£140 to spend on it which is equivalent to $150-$175.  I have found the final two:

 

https://business.currys.co.uk/buy-rent/P254092P?cidp=Froogle&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIr6603YOV6gIVzOJ3Ch3RJgFUEAQYAiABEgKsfPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/iiyama-gb2530hsu-b1-24.5-full-hd-freesync-gaming-monitor-gb2530hsu-b1/version.asp

 

What do you guys think? Or if you have any other ideas/suggestions I would love to hear them.

 

Also, so sorry if this does not belong in this thread - Many thanks 🙂

[Frostbiter]

Both of those look good. I'd lean towards the second one but I'm not familiar with either brand. Both monitors are native 1080p and 75hz so they won't do as well if you plan on any 4k gaming, just fyi.

[Terrific Tornado]

Ahh ok many thanks... I have just found this one?

 

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/electriq-25-full-hd-hdr-165hz-freesync-usb-c-gaming-monitor-eiq-25fhdo165fsguc/version.asp?wgu=272145_59032_15929117311084_0bbb5ba2e0&wgexpiry=1600687731&utm_source=Reevoo Limited&utm_medium=webgains&refsource=webgains

 

What do you think about that? TBH I am not really planning 4k gaming... but I am thinking just in case?

 

Many thanks - 🙂

[Seigmoraig]

28 minutes ago, Terrific Tornado said:

Ahh ok many thanks... I have just found this one?

 

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/electriq-25-full-hd-hdr-165hz-freesync-usb-c-gaming-monitor-eiq-25fhdo165fsguc/version.asp?wgu=272145_59032_15929117311084_0bbb5ba2e0&wgexpiry=1600687731&utm_source=Reevoo Limited&utm_medium=webgains&refsource=webgains

 

Get this one 144Hz is amazing. If you have a good Video Card you should strive to have everything you run in 144Hz, it makes everything so nice and smooth (yes, City of Heroes has a 144Hz option). From my experience it makes a bigger difference visually being at 144Hz than going from 1080 resolution to 4k.

Just make sure you activate the function for that refresh rate in Windows AND in your graphics software from your card manufacturer because it will no be that way natively.

Quote

What do you think about that? TBH I am not really planning 4k gaming... but I am thinking just in case?

Also to note that this is not a 4k monitor, you seem to think this is one from that comment

Edited June 23, 2020 by Seigmoraig

[Frostbiter]

A 144hz monitor should handle upscaling much better. As Seigmoraig said above, the higher refresh rate will be much better for modern gaming. 

[Terrific Tornado]

Ahh thanks guys.... looks like the 144hz one it is! 🙂

 

Ahh yep, I realised it was not 4k... silly me.

 

Many thanks 🙂

[Terrific Tornado]

I never realised the world of monitors was so interesting! I've got it down to the final two...

 

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/electriq-25-full-hd-hdr-165hz-freesync-usb-c-gaming-monitor-eiq-25fhdo165fsguc/version.asp

 

https://m.cclonline.com/product/viewsonic-vx2458-c-mhd-24-inch-curved-gaming-monitor-1920-x-1080-280-cd-m2-16-9-3000-1-1ms-black-vx2458-c-mhd-276008/

 

What do you guys think? I was not this indecisive with my PC build mind you!!

 

Many thanks - TT 🙂

 

[Seigmoraig]

9 minutes ago, Terrific Tornado said:

What do you guys think? I was not this indecisive with my PC build mind you!!

 

Many thanks - TT 🙂

I would still go with the electriQ Monitor. The only reason being that it is much brighter than the Viewsonic model. It's better to turn down the brightness than have it too dark. Not really sure how 400cd/m2 stacks up to 280cd/m2 scientifically speaking, but what I am sure is that brighter is better.
Not to mention that the electriQ has some USB ports on it which are very nice to have though you will need to buy a USB cable to connect to your computer to use these as it doesn't look like it comes in the box (My LG monitor didn't have that cable included either)

Edited June 23, 2020 by Seigmoraig

[Terrific Tornado]

Ahh many many thanks for all the advice and support, I really appreciate it.

 

Thanks - TT 🙂

[Terrific Tornado]

Ahh last question I promise!! After some searching online (I cannot helpmyself) I have found this one:

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-lg-24gl650-b-tn-panel-full-hd-1920x1080-144hz-freesync-gaming-monitor-1ms-dp-hdmi?utm_source=bybuybye&utm_medium=css&utm_campaign=nmpi&utm_term=generic&utm_content=generic&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwpflnfSZ6gIVyrHtCh1Z1AZyEAQYASABEgJx9vD_BwE&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwpflnfSZ6gIVyrHtCh1Z1AZyEAQYASABEgJx9vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&utm_source=http%3A%2F%2Fnmpidigital.com%2F&utm_medium=awin&utm_campaign=Direct+Linking&awc=15473_1592983036_2c618de72ee5601e6329dd1aecca234a

 

How do you think that compares to the electriQ one?

 

Many many thanks TT 🙂

[roleki]

Not to hijack the thread, but, as long as there are monitorfolk in the building... what would  be a decent widescreen (21:9) monitor for not-necessarily-4k gaming? 

 

Right now, I'm on a 24" 1920x1080 that I bought 11 years ago, and I would like something wider, but not sure what matters in a monitor anymore.  

[Frostbiter]

10 minutes ago, roleki said:

Not to hijack the thread, but, as long as there are monitorfolk in the building... what would  be a decent widescreen (21:9) monitor for not-necessarily-4k gaming? 

 

Right now, I'm on a 24" 1920x1080 that I bought 11 years ago, and I would like something wider, but not sure what matters in a monitor anymore.  

Just a quick look but:

 

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16824025119?&quicklink=true

 

https://www.newegg.com/lg-34ub88-p-34-uw-qhd/p/N82E16824025430

 

If you're looking for a 120hz one then the price pretty much doubles.

[Seigmoraig]

13 hours ago, Terrific Tornado said:

How do you think that compares to the electriQ one?

In this matchup, I would go with the LG on because it has an adjustable stand. The brightness on it could be a bit better. I have a 350 cd/m2 LG monitor and a 250cd/m2 Asus monitor and it makes a pretty big difference on the brightness of everything but 300cd/m2 should be good enough.
If you don't have a VESA arm mount for your desk, an adjustable stand will make a world of difference on the ergonomics of your set up. Having a monitor at the proper height will alleviate and avoid neck strain and that to me is worth a lot more than having a monitor that's a few nits brighter and a few usb ports to plug my phone in.

[GM Tahquitz]

Concerning Frame Rate Sync... Freesync is for AMD Radeon Cards (based on the Adaptive Sync standard by VESA, fully compatible), and GSync is for NVidia Cards (proprietary).  Generally, they were meant to be separate, but NVidia did recently add a "GSync-Compatible" option (aka Adaptive Sync) in their drivers to work on some Freesync displays. (Emphasis mine.)

 

Just don't count on it as a non-negotiable... https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/283261-nvidia-admits-defeat-will-support-g-sync-on-freesync-displays

[Frostbiter]

39 minutes ago, GM Tahquitz said:

Concerning Frame Rate Sync... Freesync is for AMD Radeon Cards (based on the Adaptive Sync standard by VESA, fully compatible), and GSync is for NVidia Cards (proprietary).  Generally, they were meant to be separate, but NVidia did recently add a "GSync-Compatible" option (aka Adaptive Sync) in their drivers to work on some Freesync displays. (Emphasis mine.)

 

Just don't count on it as a non-negotiable... https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/283261-nvidia-admits-defeat-will-support-g-sync-on-freesync-displays

Good to know. I'm not entirely up to date on all the new (re: later than 2010) monitor technology. I admit my computer is just hooked up to my 4K tv that I didn't even realize was 4K until I got it out of the box. 😅

[GM Tahquitz]

Also important to know: "Adaptive Sync" technologies all require using DisplayPort cables--

 

--wait a second, I posted this elsewhere. 

 

[Terrific Tornado]

9 hours ago, Seigmoraig said:

In this matchup, I would go with the LG on because it has an adjustable stand. The brightness on it could be a bit better. I have a 350 cd/m2 LG monitor and a 250cd/m2 Asus monitor and it makes a pretty big difference on the brightness of everything but 300cd/m2 should be good enough.
If you don't have a VESA arm mount for your desk, an adjustable stand will make a world of difference on the ergonomics of your set up. Having a monitor at the proper height will alleviate and avoid neck strain and that to me is worth a lot more than having a monitor that's a few nits brighter and a few usb ports to plug my phone in.

Many thanks for all the advice and support. I ended up increasing the price and got a great deal on a HP one as my student discount allowed me 35% off! It is coming in the next couple of days. You have been a star! 
 

Many thanks TT 🙂
 

https://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Product.aspx?id=3WL50AA&opt=ABU&sel=MTO&lang=en-GB&pup_e=1&pup_cid=55877&pup_id=3WL50AA%23ABU&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxKv_x7Cc6gIVE4myCh0ucA7mEAQYASABEgJn1_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Edited June 25, 2020 by Terrific Tornado

[Terrific Tornado]

Thank you all, you have provided great advice and support. 
 

TT 🙂

[roleki]

23 hours ago, Frostbiter said:

Just a quick look but:

 

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16824025119?&quicklink=true

 

https://www.newegg.com/lg-34ub88-p-34-uw-qhd/p/N82E16824025430

 

If you're looking for a 120hz one then the price pretty much doubles.

How 'necessary' is a >60Hz monitor?  Like, if I ever get a graphics card capable of doing, say, 87fps or whatever, would having it on a 60Hz monitor make a difference, performance-wise?  Like, would it get choppy or whatever?  I don't play a lot of AAA games, just basically CoH and Rocket League, so I am not worried a whole lot about framerate, but I don't want to make it worse!

[Frostbiter]

That's kind of a tough question. Hertz and refresh rates are pretty much the same. It's how fast your monitor can refresh the image it displays. A 60hz monitor refreshes 60x per second. FPS on the other hand it a measure of how many frames the GPU is generating per second. Higher FPS is only marginally related to refresh rates. You will still benefit from higher FPS even at 60hz because the images the monitor actually displays will be smoother and less choppy even though your monitor will never show more than 60 of those frames in a second. So hertz is kind of a cap on frame counts itself but higher FPS results in better blended images. The most common issue with this is screen tearing, or the monitor displaying two pieces of a frame on the same screen. I probably didn't explain that well. 😞

Edited June 25, 2020 by Frostbiter

[roleki]

I appreciate your making the attempt!  I used to be up on this stuff, but then we had kids and I haven't bought PC hardware in forever, so I am not sure how much is hype and how much is "yeah, you're going to need this."  I'm running a GTX 970 and am getting 60ish FPS at 1920 x 1080 in the couple games I do play, but now it occurs to me maybe I could be getting higher if I splurged for a more expensive monitor.  Dang.

[Frostbiter]

Honestly? It's all about 90% hype.

 

Edit: With the caveats that 60hz vs 120hz is a big jump in monitor performance and a higher native resolution can support more resolutions. Then there's contrast ratio. Higher ratios have better blacks and color depth. Last is response time or how fast the pixels themselves can change color. Also, don't buy a European monitor (75/144hz) because they use a different type of electricity for their power grids than the US. Damn you once again Edison.

Edited June 25, 2020 by Frostbiter