Looking into a 27" monitor.

[mingsoup]

I am looking to buy another monitor. I am leaning towards a 27" as at work I have a 27" and 9/10 times I keep all my work on the main screen versus putting in on my other screen. My current monitor is a 2405FPW Dell. I like it very much.

The screens I'm considering.
Asus PB278Q
Dell U2713HM
Dell U2715H

My usage would be primarily work which includes writing and coding, internet and gaming.
I'm a pretty casual gamer.

My concerns are
1) Do I really need a 27"? Maybe I could get another 24". Or maybe I don't need another monitor at all. Frankly my 2405FPW is just fine right now.....I've always thought its image quality very good. Its more about real estate for coding/writing/looking stuff up.
2) Gaming @ 1440p on a ATi 290. I already have a hard time gaming at 1200p most of the time.
3) Possibly other less expensive panels that would be good enough.

The Dell U2713HM is more favorable to me because of some of its old features. Side mounted USB ports, DVI, a more standard bezel.However it appears to be getting more expensive and harder to find than the 15H. I also lean towards Dell because of their supposedly superior warranty. However I have read some disconcerting things about the 2713HM's panel lottery, panel versioning, and dells not exactly 100% guarantee on panel uniformity.

Its odd. 15 years ago I paid 1k$ for the 2405fpw.....you'd think I wouldn't be looking at 500$ for a panel today. I always had in the back of my mind that picking up another panel if the 2405fpw failed wouldn't be that big of a deal. I suppose it wouldn't if I chose a TN panel.

Suggestions?

 

[soccerballtux]

I'm considering 1440p as well. I want a 32" display, just to keep the pixels normal size, also it feels bigger, even tho same resolution, compared to a 27" 1440p.

 

[WT]

I just picked up a 27" panel after a solid month of researching them. I initially was going for a Yamakasi Catleap 2B or a Qnix 2710 simply to say I was now at 1440p, and that was that. Having just bought a 290X last month, I certainly had the muscle to push pixels.

But when I factored in the very tiny font size that I'd have to deal with at the panel's native res, I decided that 1440p was in fact too tiny for these failing 46 y.o. eyes. I'm currently running my 23" 1080p at 1440x900 just so I can read to give you an idea how bad they are.

I then narrowed my search down to a 27" 1080p glossy IPS panel with DVI. More panels to research, more suggestions to weigh. Now, IPS seemed to be my best choice, but I soon found that IPS backlight bleed is just too annoying for me. Also, I like inky black on a screen that should be dark, so I gave up on IPS panels. That rules out a TON of panels, and left not a lot to look at, other than the VA panels that seem to be forgotten when gamers are looking for a new screen.

After reading over yet another round of reviews, I received advice from NCX over on [H] that I should be looking at the Benq EW2740L - newer VA panel, light matte (semi gloss) screen, but no DVI. Of all of my needs, DVI was not that big a factor, it's just old habits and convenient to have.

I got a good deal on one too, as Amazon was selling a new unit for $280. I found a refurb on sale via Amazon directly from Benq with the same warranty as new for $194. After applying for an Amazon CC, that knocked another $40, so $154 shipped.

I looked at IPS, I looked at VA, hell, I even looked at TN for fast response time, but I kept going back to the Benq unit simply because it offered more of what I personally wanted out of my gaming monitor:

Dark black color reproduction
Fast (enough) response time
1080p with scaling (1440 just isn't a benefit for me).

 

[rc3ilynt]

There is a lot to consider for gaming especially with g-sync monitors and the coming freesync monitors. If 120hz gaming is no big deal to you by all means grab a nice IPS. The korean monitors mentioned are great value but uniformity, backlight bleed and other issues like lack of warranty support might not be very attractive. Overlord seems to be another decent brand if you can get one of their OC monitors.

 

[postmortemIA]

I hear you WT, we used to have 27" 1200P which have slight edge over 1080P, but nobody makes them anymore.
34" 21:9 (2560x1080) monitors have height similar to 27" 1080P monitors, so they have similar pixel pitch. and would be easy for eyes.

 

[dosinu]

don't be afraid of 24 inchers tbh, there are some sick panels that are coming down in price like the benq XL2420TE

 

[kiwi_gurl]

check out
ROG SWIFT PG278Q