IPS vs TN monitor

[toyota]

Did you use the ICC profiles? It is one of the worst out of the box, but I have heard it can be fixed with a new profile. And most people who like these use lightboost, which you never tried.

yes I used the ICC profiles. I tried everything but the monitor was crap for daily use. I read up plenty on lightboost but did not try it as i did not want to fool with it. I was happy with the 144 hz aspect but the rest of the monitor sucked so lightboost would not have changed that.

 

[alkemyst]

TN is only a budget decision today.

 

[bystander36]

TN is only a budget decision today.

Or 120hz+/lightboost decision

 

[alkemyst]

Or 120hz+/lightboost decision

gaming?

 

[bystander36]

gaming?

Yes, that is what 120hz and Lightboost are made for and that is what the OP said he'll be primarily doing with the setup.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

IPS is better, hands down. At that budget you could get the Dell U2412M, and it even has low input lag, which is good for gaming:

 

[imaheadcase]

Yes, that is what 120hz and Lightboost are made for and that is what the OP said he'll be primarily doing with the setup.

He also wanted good colors. That is why IPS was mentioned more.

 

[bystander36]

He also wanted good colors. That is why IPS was mentioned more.

I didn't object to suggesting IPS. I objected to saying the TN is only a budget decision, or IPS is the only choice.

There are a lot of people who will find 120hz and Lightboost to be better for them. To discount its advantages is not exactly helpful.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

I didn't object to suggesting IPS. I objected to saying the TN is only a budget decision, or IPS is the only choice.

There are a lot of people who will find 120hz and Lightboost to be better for them. To discount its advantages is not exactly helpful.

Err, yeah, except the advantages of IPS far outweigh those of a high-end TN panel.

TN advantages: somewhat smoother (if you can notice it) gameplay.

IPS advantages: better color reproduction, better viewing angles, and higher contrast ratio.

TN should only be considered if we're discussing cost savings because objectively it's the lowest-end type of display panel on the market, below both VA and IPS/PLS.

 

[bystander36]

Err, yeah, except the advantages of IPS far outweigh those of a high-end TN panel.

TN advantages: somewhat smoother (if you can notice it) gameplay.

IPS advantages: better color reproduction, better viewing angles, and higher contrast ratio.

TN should only be considered if we're discussing cost savings because objectively it's the lowest-end type of display panel on the market, below both VA and IPS/PLS.

Except there are a lot of people who disagree with you. Just because you prefer one, does not make it the only choice. That's a bit self absorbed alone.

Example: BrightCandle started with a good IPS, but preferred a 120hz TN monitor. I get sick using 60hz monitors, and prefer 120hz monitors. You prefer IPS monitors. As you can see, this is an opinion, one which wasn't chosen by budget.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Except there are a lot of people who disagree with you. Just because you prefer one, does not make it the only choice. That's a bit self absorbed alone.

Example: BrightCandle started with a good IPS, but preferred a 120hz TN monitor. I get sick using 60hz monitors, and prefer 120hz monitors. You prefer IPS monitors. As you can see, this is an opinion, one which wasn't chosen by budget.

I'm not talking about preferences because that's purely subjective. Objectively, IPS IS a higher quality panel than TN. None of what I'm talking about refers to any preference.

IPS has better viewing angles, better color reproduction, and higher contrast ratio. Those are FACTS.

 

[pcslookout]

IPS is always better.

 

[hans030390]

Err, yeah, except the advantages of IPS far outweigh those of a high-end TN panel.

TN advantages: somewhat smoother (if you can notice it) gameplay.

IPS advantages: better color reproduction, better viewing angles, and higher contrast ratio.

While it is true IPS generally (not always) offers those advantages, it's entirely subjective to say those advantages outweigh the smoother/clearer motion on TN. For some, the most important aspect of a monitor is how well it handles motion blur and ghosting (clarity and smoothness of motion). For some, it's picture accuracy. Some, like me, are somewhere in the middle (or, rather, want both). To say one aspect is more important than the other comes down entirely to one's needs, tastes, and tolerances.

Have you seen a good TN monitor with 2D LightBoost at 120FPS? The additional motion clarity was a more striking improvement to me than moving from a basic TN display to a nice IPS display. However, I'm also sensitive to any sort of stuttering or low framerate and play games on my computer more than anything, so I was more easily able to appreciate the difference. I know some people who can't tell the difference between 60Hz and 120Hz or with/without 2D LightBoost, so a person like that would see little benefit in TN over IPS. There are also plenty of people that would be unable to tell a difference between a good TN panel and a good IPS panel but might be able to appreciate smoother and clearer motion.

For me, the sweet spot is my 1440p IPS overclocked at 120Hz (I can never, ever go back to 60Hz regularly...even 96Hz starts to strain my eyes now). It has more motion blur and ghosting than a really "fast" TN at 120Hz, but it's negligible in nearly all situations (IPS looks like a smear fest compared to a monitor with 2D LightBoost enabled).

Many of you are over-simplifying the issue to prove your points. It's not a black-and-white scenario.

To the OP, if you are most interested in 120Hz and don't need perfect picture quality and accuracy, I would recommend getting a 120Hz monitor with the best image quality you can (assuming it's in your budget). As a gamer, 120Hz is more important and more beneficial to me than better picture quality, because it's not like decent TN displays really look that bad (unless you are constantly looking at your monitor from an angle like a weirdo). The only compromise I've found are the Korean 27" IPS displays that SOMETIMES overclock to 96-120Hz. I'd give up my IPS in a heartbeat if I couldn't do 120Hz on it...I just can't go back to 60Hz.

 

[denyc]

the VG248QE sounds really good, at least on paper

 

[amenx]

I chose a 27" 120hz TN over an IPS (Dell U2711 at the time). The TN I chose (Samsung S27A950D) was not cheap but cost as much as that IPS. The colors and look of this monitor for a TN were remarkable and in fact looked better to me than the Dell my friend had. Even he was wowed by it. I'm sure the glossy screen of the Samsung vs the Dell with its anti-glare coating had much to do with it. Didnt have a spectrometer, but was near flawless on the Eizo monitor tests where all other TNs I tried with struggled. Only downside, as is often consistent with TN tech, was the poor vertical/horizontal angle views. But *fortunately for me* I just happen to sit directly in front of it rather than to the side or above it

I realize there are far superior IPS units out there than the one I compared with, but the point is you cant generalize and say IPS trumps TN in all situations or those who go for TNs are budget minded only.

 

[Puffnstuff]

You might also consider a va panel as well. I only run dell ultrasharp monitors and my 27" is a va and I love it. I also have an ips but I prefer the va panel over it.

 

[blackened23]

TN panels are terrible in comparison to good IPS panels in terms of color quality and viewing angles, while 2013 model IPS panels aren't slouches for gaming (response time improved over older models). I mean if you do NOTHING BUT GAME, a lightboost panel may be okay - but having seen the VG248QE, thanks but no thanks. The colors are absolutely terrible in comparison to any good IPS or PLS panel, it is atrocious enough to be distracting. I do a lot of things in addition to gaming on my PC and anything outside of games would basically drive me nuts on that or any TN panel. On the other hand TN panels ARE cheap, but that cheapness is because of a reason.

Yeah thanks but no thanks to TN.

 

[blackened23]

edit: dp

 

[brandonb]

My IPS screens aren't much better than a TN panel. You can notice it, but it's not a huge difference.

However, the biggest thing that bothers me with TN panels is the color shift.

http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/viewing_angle.php

It's annoying all around. And when you get used to IPS not doing this, it's hard to go back to TN, because you will always notice it. (see the pictures at the bottom of the screen how blue turns to purple at the bottom of the screen)

I don't know why anybody would put up with that.

 

[bystander36]

As hans03039 said, all the monitors come with a compromise. The question is what are you willing to give up and what is most important to you.

There are those here that clearly prefer IPS panels, there are those here who clearly prefer 120hz and others who prefer Lightboost and 120hz over simply 120hz.

No answer is wrong in that regard, just realize it is a personal choice and it is up to you to decide what is most important.

hans03039 appears to share my ailment. I get nausea when playing at low hz and FPS. Before I got a 120hz monitor, I always got nauseated after 30-60mins of gaming in first person games. With a 120hz monitor and 80+ FPS, I can play all day without getting nauseated.

It seems to come down to what is most important to you. I find fluid motion more important than picture quality. Others prefer picture quality over fluid motion. Responsiveness comes with the fluid motion, and may be the part that most notice the most at high hz, more so than the actually smoothness. I believe that is what is most important to me.
http://forums.anandtech.com/member.php?u=160757

 

[alkemyst]

I am thinking the people happy with the cheaper TN panels, really haven't had seat time with a top level LCD.

It's like those that claimed their generic $100 CRTs were so much better than LCD technology 5 years after it came out. The only real screens worth comparing were the upper end Sony's. I had that option and decided they still weren't better than my NEC 2960WUXi when both are calibrated.

Gained back 3' of my desk and probably 20 degrees of temperature delta in my office.

 

[bystander36]

I am thinking the people happy with the cheaper TN panels, really haven't had seat time with a top level LCD.

It's like those that claimed their generic $100 CRTs were so much better than LCD technology 5 years after it came out. The only real screens worth comparing were the upper end Sony's. I had that option and decided they still weren't better than my NEC 2960WUXi when both are calibrated.

Gained back 3' of my desk and probably 20 degrees of temperature delta in my office.

There are at least two posts on this thread from people with high end IPS displays that prefer 120hz TN Lightboost monitors.

There are at least two people on this thread that have 120hz TN Lightboost monitors that prefer IPS monitors.

Have you used a 120hz Lightboost monitor? Is it so difficult for you to recognize that people are different with different opinions?

 

[blackened23]

I am thinking the people happy with the cheaper TN panels, really haven't had seat time with a top level LCD.

It's like those that claimed their generic $100 CRTs were so much better than LCD technology 5 years after it came out. The only real screens worth comparing were the upper end Sony's. I had that option and decided they still weren't better than my NEC 2960WUXi when both are calibrated.

Gained back 3' of my desk and probably 20 degrees of temperature delta in my office.

Anyone stating that a TN is competitive in terms of color quality, accuracy and viewing angles as compared to an IPS panel is either blind or just dealing with wishful thinking. Or maybe they used the worst cheap korean panel possible.

These aren't subjective, it is an objective fact that IPS panels are superior in terms of color reproduction and viewing angles. One look at the Asus VG248QE makes this abundantly clear; the colors are completely dull and washed out - honestly I got sick of looking at it REAL fast. One can state that their cheap TN panel is "good enough" for them and that's great.

And yes, lightboost is neat and all but only if you game and do nothing but gaming on your PC. For those who occasionally do other stuff, which is probably most of us, I think those folks will find lightboost panels to be far less attractive. Unless they want their eyes to bleed while staring at the desktop.

 

[skipsneeky2]

I used to be happy with a simple tn panel as well,i thought all the talk about ips was just bull till i plugged in my u2412m,wow immediately was blown away and now any time i see a lcd or tn monitor or t.v i just can't stand watching it.

 

[alkemyst]

There are at least two posts on this thread from people with high end IPS displays that prefer 120hz TN Lightboost monitors.

There are at least two people on this thread that have 120hz TN Lightboost monitors that prefer IPS monitors.

Have you used a 120hz Lightboost monitor? Is it so difficult for you to recognize that people are different with different opinions?

Go back and read what I posted. Pay attention and don't take it personally.