Cheap IPS VS Premium 120hz TN Monitor

[UsiGX]

Hi,

What's better for someone with a $230 budget, get a cheap IPS panel or a premium TN panel with 120-144hz for gaming. My preference is Picture Quality (Vivid colors, sharpness but not viewing angles) but I need to know the marginal difference in terms of color/picture quality between these 2 options.

Are the colors on cheap IPS ($150-230) very similar in quality to a premium TN panel like the BenQ XL2411Z or is there still a significant difference between the colors even if the IPS panel is a low end one ?

 

[Arachnotronic]

What kinds of games do you play and what are the rest of your system specs?

 

[UsiGX]

What kinds of games do you play and what are the rest of your system specs?

I play almost all types of games i.e DOTA, FPS (CS GO, COD), Need for Speed and many more so it's basically a well mix of games and I've a single GTX 970 coupled with an i5 4590.

 

[DigDog]

Hi,
My preference is Picture Quality (Vivid colors, sharpness but not viewing angles)

IPS.

TN panels, all of them, go from mediocre to horrible. the only good thing about them is that they can be really, really fast, if you have the money.

if i was in your position (and it looks like i will be, soon) i would consider a TN panel capable of lightboost... actually, let me rephrase that.

*me*, i will be getting a lightboost model soon, because i can't afford the new IPS + Gsync models, as they are ridiculously expensive. this because i need a really fast panel, due to my playing FPS games.

but if you play graphics-oriented games, you should defo go with a IPS panel, as everything you mentioned is better with IPS. and a generic IPS will be about as fast as a generic TN, just slightly more expensive.

 

[Timmah!]

IPS or VA over TN.

 

[railven]

While not a fair comparative, at work we only have TN panels, maybe some VA Panels, and I don't think I can over own one again. Soon as I get home and sit in front of my IPS Panel, my eyes feel so relieved Haha.

IPS (even PLS) or bust. I've yet to see one of those fancy new AHVA in person, but I hear they are slowly becoming the cat's meow.

EDIT: I've only seen G-Sync in a controlled display model at Microcenter, while it looked nifty, I really wasn't impressed (by the demo, not perse the technology). I got the GF a pre-black friday sale or something monitor (IPS Ultra Wide 29") with FreeSync but I currently do not have a Radeon GPU that supports FreeSync to test it with. Would like to see first hand what all the craze is about especially since she plays MMOs like ArcheAge where due to CPU bottlenecks she's often dipping into the 40-50 FPS (and it looks/feels choppy to me, she don't seem to mind).

 

[Mem]

I think you answered your own question, you would be better with IPS panel.

I'm very happy with my AMVA panel(gorgeous contrast/ blacks etc, good viewing angles and colour).
TNs I actually hate now(gave my old one to my brother).
Like most things it's really a preference thing.

 

[Mercennarius]

Just bought a Acer 4K 60Hz TN Panel for $300. Excellent picture quality, 1MS response time, great price. Couldn't be happier with my purchase. If price wasn't an obstacle I would opt for a higher end IPS panel i'm sure but at $300 there was no IPS panel that could compete.

If you're on a budget TN panels can offer a lot of bang for the buck in both resolution and response time. If you want to pay a little more a good IPS panel is probably a better overall product.

 

[96Firebird]

I went from a crappy old TN monitor to a pretty decent IPS monitor, and honestly, the difference wasn't that big to me. I only really notice a difference when I am doing photo editing, as the color shift on the TN really made editing for print tough. I do love my IPS now, but I'm not sure if it is awe inspiring. Maybe I'm just not that picky...

 

[Hi-Fi Man]

If you care about high contrast ratios and deeper black levels you need to use a VA (S-PVA or AMVA) panel. Static contrast ratios can be up to 5x as high as a IPS or TN, IPS and TN panels usually max out at about 1200:1. The only problem with VAs is their relatively high gray to gray transition times causing ghosting however, newer displays are much better at reducing this.

My current display is a Sony KDL-40W600B which uses an excellent S-PVA panel.

 

[Headfoot]

If this is for gaming then I don't know why color accuracy even factors into the conversation. Its pretty irrelevant compared to resolution, refresh rate and contrast ratio as well as black levels. IPS glow on most cheap IPS panels is awful and extremely distracting in dark games. Much worse visual quality for dark games than a quality TN. If you do go cheap IPS, make sure you read reviews on the monitor so you dont get a turd.

If you do photo editing and that sort of thing its probably worth stepping up to the IPS.

If you're serious about CSGO I would definitely get a high refresh rate panel regardless of panel type.

If it boils down to decent 120-144hz TN vs cheap 60hz IPS, take the TN every day. I don't know who would suggest the cheap 60hz IPS for gaming just because the colors are a little more accurate... I dont really care that the tan walls in CSGO are more accurate. I do care that I play better because you have less latency and track better on 120+hz. These mid-high end TNs are not the same as TNs were 10 or even 5 years ago. Still read reviews though, some monitors are defnitely better than others within the same panel type. Not all panels are made equally and IPS is not an acronym for quality. Viewing angle range is pretty irrelevant for a typical single gaming monitor viewing set up too.

This is the best site for monitor reviews IMO: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/benq_xl2720z.htm

 

[Headfoot]

They have a selector tool to help you decide as well: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/selector.htm

 

[UsiGX]

If this is for gaming then I don't know why color accuracy even factors into the conversation. Its pretty irrelevant compared to resolution, refresh rate and contrast ratio as well as black levels. IPS glow on most cheap IPS panels is awful and extremely distracting in dark games. Much worse visual quality for dark games than a quality TN. If you do go cheap IPS, make sure you read reviews on the monitor so you dont get a turd.

If you do photo editing and that sort of thing its probably worth stepping up to the IPS.

If you're serious about CSGO I would definitely get a high refresh rate panel regardless of panel type.

If it boils down to decent 120-144hz TN vs cheap 60hz IPS, take the TN every day. I don't know who would suggest the cheap 60hz IPS for gaming just because the colors are a little more accurate... I dont really care that the tan walls in CSGO are more accurate. I do care that I play better because you have less latency and track better on 120+hz. These mid-high end TNs are not the same as TNs were 10 or even 5 years ago. Still read reviews though, some monitors are defnitely better than others within the same panel type. Not all panels are made equally and IPS is not an acronym for quality. Viewing angle range is pretty irrelevant for a typical single gaming monitor viewing set up too.

This is the best site for monitor reviews IMO: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/benq_xl2720z.htm

For TN I'm considering the BenQ XL2411z 144hz Gaming Monitor
http://www.amazon.com/BenQ-XL2411Z-Monitor-Supported-seamless/dp/B00ITORITU

For IPS I've the LG models in mind (buying used condition from ebay)
http://www.staples.ca/en/LG-24MP57-P-23-8-IPS-LED-Monitor/product_1561133_2-CA_1_20001

So basically High End TN > Low End IPS as the color difference between the two (More vibrant, vivid, eye candy) is not all that big ?

 

[Mem]

If this is for gaming then I don't know why color accuracy even factors into the conversation. Its pretty irrelevant compared to resolution, refresh rate and contrast ratio as well as black levels. IPS glow on most cheap IPS panels is awful and extremely distracting in dark games. Much worse visual quality for dark games than a quality TN. If you do go cheap IPS, make sure you read reviews on the monitor so you dont get a turd.

If you do photo editing and that sort of thing its probably worth stepping up to the IPS.

If you're serious about CSGO I would definitely get a high refresh rate panel regardless of panel type.

If it boils down to decent 120-144hz TN vs cheap 60hz IPS, take the TN every day. I don't know who would suggest the cheap 60hz IPS for gaming just because the colors are a little more accurate... I dont really care that the tan walls in CSGO are more accurate. I do care that I play better because you have less latency and track better on 120+hz. These mid-high end TNs are not the same as TNs were 10 or even 5 years ago. Still read reviews though, some monitors are defnitely better than others within the same panel type. Not all panels are made equally and IPS is not an acronym for quality. Viewing angle range is pretty irrelevant for a typical single gaming monitor viewing set up too.

This is the best site for monitor reviews IMO: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/benq_xl2720z.htm

I game all the time and prefer VA/IPS over TN any day regardless of 144Hz speed, not saying TN are not great for gaming but each type of panel has pros and cons.

As I stated it's really a preference thing since we all like different things.

As to viewing angles, again down to the individual, I do notice it a lot and the colour shift when using a TN panel( ie my gaming laptop ).

End of the day I prefer my desktop AMVA monitor for gaming ,especially dark scenes( where VA have better blacks/contrast).

Bottom line only UsiGX will know end of the day what is best for him.

 

[Headfoot]

VA is definitely not in the same category as IPS. VA and IPS are very different. High refresh rate VA is the best choice from a pure panel perspective for gaming today (until one day we actually get OLEDs) but it comes at a higher $ cost. IPS and TN both have trade offs and IPS is absolutely not a guarantee of quality for gaming.

Have you played for a few hours on a 144hz screen? The difference doesnt seem much until you actually get some time in front of one. Especially if you play FPS. High HZ depends mostly on game selection in terms of benefit, imo.

I went IPS based on legions of people telling me it was the greatest thing since sliced bread and I've been very disappointed with the IPS panels. The monitors I got are very nice themselves, mostly due to the veerrrryy tiny bezel for my eyefinity set up, but the IPS panel in them is the worst part about the monitor. Even darker parts in Fallout 4, much less any survival game, are washed out and very hard to see detail due to overwhelming IPS glow. And this is on a monitor that has low IPS glow compared to other IPS panels. (Dell s2415H). It was really bad in Metro 2033 and LL too.

 

[Mercennarius]

So basically High End TN > Low End IPS as the color difference between the two (More vibrant, vivid, eye candy) is not all that big ?

I wouldn't even say just a high end TN, a low end IPS may be worse than a low end TN. Basically there are many different options out there even between one panel type. Figure out what is most important to you and find a panel that meets your qualifications within your set budget.

 

[Headfoot]

For TN I'm considering the BenQ XL2411z 144hz Gaming Monitor
http://www.amazon.com/BenQ-XL2411Z-Monitor-Supported-seamless/dp/B00ITORITU

For IPS I've the LG models in mind (buying used condition from ebay)
http://www.staples.ca/en/LG-24MP57-P-23-8-IPS-LED-Monitor/product_1561133_2-CA_1_20001

So basically High End TN > Low End IPS as the color difference between the two (More vibrant, vivid, eye candy) is not all that big ?

IPS is usually going to have better colors @ regular brightness, this much is true. But it comes at the cost of lower refresh rate, IPS glow so (e.g. bad black levels), more motion blur at the same price point. You can get high refresh rate IPS for more money, but you can never get rid of IPS glow -- just reduce it with better monitors.

I don't know enough specific monitors to really help you compare one particular model to another other than to tell you to go to TFT Central and utilize that resource. Those guys do a wonderful job.

Read this review for the BenQ monitor you're looking at: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/benq_xl2720z.htm. Keep in mind they are not analyzing from a gaming perspective but rather a total monitor perspective. You have to pick which factors are most important to you and weigh the advice accordingly. This monitor looks to have outstanding response time, very low motion blur and high refresh rates all of which are nice to have for gaming. It also includes a monitor-level backlight strobing motion blur mode which will reduce motion blur even further and increase perceived smoothness further than the 144hz does alone. If you can drive your FPS north of 90 fps with backlight strobing on there's no way i'd take an IPS over that for gaming unless you only play Civilization or something

It's just not so simple as "IPS VS TN." You have to account for everything on each particular monitor. There are some monitors with IPS panels where the scalers are old and terrible and it has over 50 ms response time. There are some new gaming IPS monitors at 120hz that have response times that are nearly as fast as the best TN panels. There are too many factors to boil it down to panel types alone. (Motion blur, pixel overdrive artifacting, backlight strobing, display uniformity, color calibration out of the box by the manufactuer... etc)

 

[kaesden]

I recently bought a new monitor and went through a whole "experience" for lack of a better word.

Turned out there was a new version of the monitor, with the same model number(sans one letter in the sub model) and was identical except for the panel type, it was a TN vs the IPS i thought i was getting. All other specs, and even the monitor housing was nearly identical, except for one being a gloss frame, one being a matte frame. 144hz, g-sync, 1ms(TN) vs 5ms(IPS) response rate, etc... Of course the TN panel was cheaper by about one hundred dollars so i bought it. when it arrived and i hooked it up it was immediately apparent something was wrong, checked the box, sure enough it was a TN. Luckily i was able to exchange it for what i wanted with newegg, and got the IPS panel the next day, saw them side by side and holy crap, the difference was night and day. Never again will I own a TN panel, IPS is to TN, was TN was to old-school TFT. I know some people swear by TN panels for FPS gaming because of the response rate, but the new IPS panels, i honestly can't tell a difference in response time. Neither has visible ghosting at all. The viewing angles and colors of the IPS are so much better, its just not even a fair comparison. This is a 27" monitor that i sit relatively close to and the TN viewing angles were so bad, I could barely find a spot to sit in front of it where the edges didn't start looking off, vertical angles on TN panels are especially terrible.

TLDR; IPS(or any of its related varieties) all the way. TN is just bad IMO, and the few strengths it has historically had are pretty much non-existent now days over a quality IPS panel. I'm a firm believer in not skimping on a monitor. its the one piece of hardware you will keep for many years, and probably upgrade your computer several times over its life time. Money well spent for me.

 

[Mem]

VA is definitely not in the same category as IPS. VA and IPS are very different. High refresh rate VA is the best choice from a pure panel perspective for gaming today (until one day we actually get OLEDs) but it comes at a higher $ cost. IPS and TN both have trade offs and IPS is absolutely not a guarantee of quality for gaming.

Have you played for a few hours on a 144hz screen? The difference doesnt seem much until you actually get some time in front of one. Especially if you play FPS. High HZ depends mostly on game selection in terms of benefit, imo.

I went IPS based on legions of people telling me it was the greatest thing since sliced bread and I've been very disappointed with the IPS panels. The monitors I got are very nice themselves, mostly due to the veerrrryy tiny bezel for my eyefinity set up, but the IPS panel in them is the worst part about the monitor. Even darker parts in Fallout 4, much less any survival game, are washed out and very hard to see detail due to overwhelming IPS glow. And this is on a monitor that has low IPS glow compared to other IPS panels. (Dell s2415H). It was really bad in Metro 2033 and LL too.

You are missing my point, I did say many times it's a preference thing down to the individual in question,I'm VA fan period and that is the type of panel I prefer over any other type.

We should not forget that quality of panels even same type and model can vary ie back light bleed etc..

I'm well aware of blur,response times etc.

My old TN looks washed out compared to my VA panel and I thought at the time it was a decent TN panel for blacks(yes I have used TN and VA/IPS before then for over a decade).

However it's not what you or I prefer, but what UsiGX will find best for him.

 

[Headfoot]

You are missing my point, I did say many times it's a preference thing down to the individual in question,I'm VA fan period and that is the type of panel I prefer over any other type.

We should not forget that quality of panels even same type and model can vary ie back light bleed etc..

I'm well aware of blur,response times etc.

My old TN looks washed out compared to my VA panel and I thought at the time it was a decent TN panel for blacks(yes I have used TN and VA/IPS before then for over a decade).

However it's not what you or I prefer, but what UsiGX will find best for him.

Agreed. He already said he plays MOBAs, FPSes and racing games (and others too) so its pretty straightforward to make an educated guess based on that. Also he's literally in a forum asking for people's opinions. That's mine.

OP: also consider Nixeus just released a $280 Free Sync monitor, and whether FreeSync is something youd be willing to up your budget for (if you have an AMD card) http://www.amazon.com/Nixeus-1920x1080-Adaptive-Sync-Widescreen-NX-VUE24A/dp/B0131PBN6U. TFT Central hasnt reviewed this one yet but Nixeus does a good job generally

 

[cyclohexane]

no such thing as a premium TN panel.

 

[UsiGX]

The saying "Once you go IPS, you'll never look back." created doubts and concerns so for that matter I brought up the thread. Obviously I would go for a high end IPS over TN as the benefits of premium rich colors, textures and overall display quality would outweigh the advantages of 144hz by a fairly large margin but I guess not the same case in this scenario.

Unfortunately I can't afford to buy those G-SYNC monitors which have both 144hz and IPS features. I'm pretty confident I'd go with high end IPS over TN, given I had the budget for it, but not sure if low-mid end IPS (Eg. LG24mp57) would still outweigh a decent TN (eg. VG248QE or xl2411z) in terms of color density and quality, and if not, a good Gaming 144hz TN display would definitely be more worth it since the colors would be more or less almost the same + you are getting 144hz.

OP: also consider Nixeus just released a $280 Free Sync monitor, and whether FreeSync is something youd be willing to up your budget for (if you have an AMD card) http://www.amazon.com/Nixeus-1920x10.../dp/B0131PBN6U. TFT Central hasnt reviewed this one yet but Nixeus does a good job generally

I don't have an AMD card..

 

[RussianSensation]

I'm pretty confident I'd go with high end IPS over TN, given I had the budget for it, but not sure if low-mid end IPS (.

Go for this:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2455895

This is a 27" IPS 2560x1440 with 1-year-warranty. The panel is AH-IPS made by LG. This is not a cheap monitor.

Amazon has it for $690 US, B&H for $750 US.

If you do not like it, I am sure you can sell it easily considering it will still have a 1 year warranty. Unlike QNX Korean monitors, this has
DisplayPort, DVI-D, HDMI and VGA with auto-select and a dedicated input selector button on the front panel. There's also an audio input and a built-in USB 3.0 hub with two USB 3.0 ports.

 

[rancherlee]

Had TN's for years, even so called "gaming" screens and I just bought a cheap 27" 1080p Acer IPS about 6 months back and I'm personally never going to use a TN again. for a "cheap" IPS monitors it had low input lag and overclocked to 75hz which is all I need, I can't tell the difference between 75hz and 120hz at all, but I CAN notice a difference between 60hz and 75hz

 

[Dave3000]

Are 120 Hz monitor better for movie watching shot than 60 Hz monitors since 120 can be divided into 24 but 60 can't. If movie watching/gaming is it better to go for a 120/144 Hz TN monitor but for only photo editing/web browsing is it better to go for and IPS 60Hz monitor over a TN 144/120 Hz monitor?