Looking for a new monitor but unable to understand what features are worth it and what are a waste of money.
My requirements:
Resolution/Size : 1440p/27" or 4K/32" (preferred) or 4K/27"
More than 60 hertz refresh rate (I currently am using a 60 Hz one and want to upgrade)
Adequate Colour accuracy, I think about 95%+ sRGB is okay for me
I have scrolled through many monitors in various websites and found a couple 4K 32" ones but could not found any reviews about them so did not shortlist them. Below are the ones I shortlisted after looking at reviews:
As you can see, could not find any 32" 4K monitors with good reviews so I guess it is too much to ask at this price point.
Can anybody tell me which one of these is the best and if there are other options available in similar price bracket (I can stretch my budget to max 35K)
Also is the HDR of Acer Nitro worth it? Its price to towards the end of my budget so is the price justified for a VA panel?
I have used Acer Nitro and they’re good for budget monitors but if you can spend a little extra, definitely go for a better quality. MSI
I’m currently using MSI G274QPF E2, the specs are exactly alike the model you’ve listed except mine is 180hz. Refresh Rate
You don’t need a 240hz refresh rate. Unless you’re a professional esports gamer you don’t need a 240hz monitor. And there’s not a lot of games than can push 180 fps, let alone 240. Unless you have a good gpu. HDR
An IPS or VA panel can never match the HDR quality of a good OLED TV. So this shouldn’t really be a major decision point for you. But the G274QPF has really good HDR quality, noticeably better than Acer. Bugdet
You should be able to get the G274QPF E2 for 18k. It’s exactly the same as the one you listed but 8-9k cheaper. You could invest that for other things like a dac or good speakers.
that can’t be true. it does not even have local dimming whereas acer has full array local dimming with 384 zones
yeah that is not very high but still much better than having none
Okay I haven’t tried this particular model in Acer, didn’t know this was mini LED. It’s definitely going to be better at HDR. I’ve just had bad quality issues with Acer in 3 different models.
Have you played fast-paced video games on it? How is the motion quality and response times? Is there any ghosting that you are able to make out at its peak refresh rate? Is the VRR serviceable?
The thing is Gigabyte M27UA has in-depth reviews and generally its colour calibration, brightness and response times looks better than the older version of the monitor which you have (S2721QS) but you are using the newer version which might be better. So please tell what you can as I could not find any in-depth reviews about it.
I looked into VA panel smearing issues and it is pretty bad with white text in dark background. I don’t know if it will be wise to buy it for me personally.
4k 32 is a nice jump over 1440p 27.
But HDR and good contrast is an even bigger jump.
I have never used mini led, but if i had to choose between plain ips/va ( say 32 4k) and 27 1440p mini led ips/va - i would pick mini led va. This is for single player games. MP guys go far very high refresh rate and small monitors.
Weakness of mini led is blooming. You can see examples of that on youtube on your mobile if it has oled display. VA panels will minimize that weakness as they have better native contrast. Read through rting review and check how slow the panel is. I have never used one, so cant say how much of an issue that is. The AOC one is supposed to be very good, close to samsung neo g7, but it doesnt sell here.
yeah seems like it but in my budget it does not seem possible to get a value HDR monitor so I will probably try for 4K (32 or 27) or maybe 1440p UW (still looking into those)
I was about to pull the trigger on this but the thing is it unavailable in 30K right now. Was only able to find computechstore selling it right now online in India but with around 35K price tag. If it was about 30K like what some in reddit got it for when it first initially launched in Amazon then I would not have been hesitant but now the value proposition changes for me. First it is only 1440p at 35K and VA instead of IPS. I do a lot of reading and excel for statistics as a part of my work so having sharp text is necessary. Also in my free time, I play video games and watch shows with my brother so if the viewing angles are not good for someone not sitting directly in front of the display then it is no go for my case.
If someone can confirm it to me that the viewing angles and the text smearing issues is negligible in this then I will have no problem using it.
Look at used (but still in warranty) monitors for better specifications at a lower price. I think I saw one that fits your needs and budget, right here on TE. If I can find the thread (struggling with new TE atm), I will DM it to you. Also, you touched upon it already, but how would you rank your uses for the monitor in terms of priority? Work > Gaming > Videos? Or something else?
Its the cheapest miniled, does have a 4k version which is more expensive ( in 40s). Samsung neo g7 4k used to be in 70s. miniled has a cost.
VA can be better than IPS for this as it has better contrast and that helps with blooming which is a weakness of miniled vs oleds ( more dimming zones will also help).
But yeah, other things you mentioned are potential tradeoffs with VA. I have never used one so cant say.
1440p is easier to run. Acer XV272U is a cheap and very good monitor. I have v2 of that monitor and its good and fast. Unless you need 4k for something, it might be reasonable to save money this way. For 4k, if you want to play latest games at high refresh rate, we need pretty strong gpu. Even 3080 can struggle beyond 60 or worse.
Work is top priority because that what I do the most. Gaming and Videos are same priority so as long as the colors are good enough, it would be fine. But still as everyone was hyping true HDR, I asked if it is truly worth it given other sacrifices at this price point.
Was thinking of second hand ones in the marketplace but I live in a pretty remote location and monitors are kinda delicate so if anything happens during shipping, it would be a hassle.
It is for gaming vs plain IPS. I have an oled 32 4k. There is a big jump in quality. IPS has very poor contrast and dark scenes are crap because of that. If you have oled on mobile, you can see it there.
And HDR is like turning the lights on vs dimmed SDR with brighter and more accurate lights.
It can target wider range of colors too more accurately. You can increase saturation in SDR, but then everything becomes more colorful which can look odd depending on game.
But prices matter too and your requirements and work should take precedence. If you have desk space, you can get best one for work right now and later on buy a monitor ( or TV ) for gaming/Videos.
yeah price too high for me right now to justify the quality increase. Currently deciding between 4K 32" 60 Hz displays vs 4K 27" 60+ Hz displays. whichever provides better bang for buck, I will go for that.
