Those of you with an IPS panel...

[Whitestar127]

How are these monitors in terms of pixel responsiveness compared to TN panels really (if you have or have had a TN panel)?

I'm still using a CRT, but I would like to play with widescreen.

I have read countless reviews, but so far it seems these are the top IPS panels when it comes to pixel responsiveness, general image quality and input lag:

U2311H - http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2311h.htm
U2312HM - http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2312hm.htm
U2412M - http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2412m.htm
Asus ML239H - http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/asus_ml239h.htm

Is there any IPS panel that beats these, or is one coming in the near future that will?

The 2311 seems to have a slight edge when it comes to motion blur, but will I really notice much difference in real life? And just how much motion blur are we talking about on an IPS panel? Can it be compared to the motion blur feature/function in Crysis? (I hope it's a lot less pronounced than that.) From the videos I have seen it doesn't really look like a problem at all.


Also, a thing that bugs me about all LCDs is that when you play at other resolutions then the native, the interpolation makes it less sharp. But my brother, who has a 1920x1080 TN panel, said that if he plays in 1280x720 the image is sharper than other non-native resolutions. Is that because it's the same aspect ratio as 1920x1080?
So if I play Skyrim for example, and I'm not happy with the fps in 1920x1080, will 1280x720 give me better sharpness than the other non-native resolutions?

Please give me your thoughts.

PS! I play medium to semi-fast games like Skyrim, Half-Life series, Just Cause 2, Trackmania 2, FEAR, GTA4 and so on. Very little multiplayer.

 

[C1]

If games are so important then why worry about owning an IPS panel which is suboptimal?

I bought an IPS panel that did well what I intended to use it for - Photo, arts and crafts, movies and general office (no games). That meant, besides IPS, 16:10 and NO LED. And boy was I right and am I happy.

 

[Whitestar127]

Well I was really looking for an all-purpose monitor. Although it will be used mostly for games.
You call IPS suboptimal, but I've read several forum posts by gamers that actually prefer IPS. And most reviews say that they are also great for gaming.

 

[DarkRogue]

"Great for gaming" varies incredibly with each user's own tolerances.

I am completely fine with gaming/FPS on my NEC 2490, as long as vsync is disabled. However, a friend of mine games with his NEC 2690, with vsync, and doesn't notice a darn thing. Meanwhile, when I try playing at his place, the lag makes me want to puke. Yet another friend I have (heavily into competitive play) can't do with even the fastest TN panel, and requires a CRT.

Edit:
What I would do is poke around at any friends that have LCD's, play on them a bit and see how you feel.
Then look up their input lag + response time numbers afterward so you have an idea of what your threshold is.

 

[repoman0]

I have the Dell 2412 and love it for gaming, though I bought it for its decent color accuracy for photo editing and printing. I used to be a big CRT fan, I had a 21" Dell Trinitron for the longest time that did 2048x1536 at 75Hz. Switched to a 2407WFP and wasn't a fan of the quite noticeable (to my eyes) input lag but dealt with it. I could even notice the lag just moving the mouse around the desktop. Fast paced shooters that I used to be into were a no-go, like CS:S. These new panels are much better in that regard; I no longer notice any input lag but also haven't used a CRT in quite a while.

I also wouldn't worry about motion blur as it's non-existent or at least not noticeable to me, and I'm pretty picky.

You're correct that non-native resolutions don't look great - but just accepting that you're stuck at one resolution is something you get used to. Most of the time is spent on the desktop anyway, and video cards and CPUs are cheap and powerful enough that 1920x1200 at medium plus settings costs a couple hundred bucks every 3-4 years. Although non-native resolutions at the correct aspect ratio don't look completely terrible either, just nothing like the incredible sharpness/crispness you get at native res.

 

[Absolution75]

Not sure if this helps much as my last TN panel was years ago (16ms), but my 2312HM is great for gaming. I don't notice any motion blur even though there is some obviously. I've taken some pictures and its less or about equal to my dell 2007WFP (also IPS).

I tend to rank at the top of the TF2 scoreboards and I don't have a problem with the lag.

 

[Whitestar127]

Thanks all. Good input here.

I was considering TN panels as well, especially the BenQ XL2420T. But it is a bit expensive. And in Skyrim it seems I can't use it in 120Hz, although there is the AMA function which will be good in 60Hz.

And with proper calibration in Standard mode it is supposed to have good contrast, black levels an color accuracy. Viewing angle shouldn't really be an issue, since I will be sitting right in front of the screen. So maybe I should go for the XL2420T, since I WILL be using it mostly for gaming?

Hmmm, choosing a monitor is not easy.

 

[Pia]

I recall that NEC EA231Wmi can unofficially do up to 75Hz (DVI) and 83Hz (Displayport). That could be useful?

 

[BrightCandle]

I have a Dell 2410 IPS monitor and 2 Samsung 2443BW TN panels which I use in eyefinity. What I find is the colour quality on the Dell is quite a lot better. In Arma for example grass is green to yellow whereas on the TN in comparison its more yellow to grey. The TN panels just look grey in comparison to the IPS' superior colour range.

When it comes to input lag the Dell really needs to be in game mode. Running its full circuitry its quite slow and there is a reasonable amount of ghosting. Its not over overdriven so I don't see white halos but its still noticeably fuzzy as you spin round.

The Samsung 2443BW's are also a little fuzzy when spinning, but noticeable better than the Dell. But what I sometimes see is white halos from the overdrive being a little too aggressive and that is very distracting and produces awful image quality when it happens.

The Samsungs are relatively old (3 years or so) as is the Dell and there is now a new crop of TN and e-IPS monitors. The Dell 2410 is still a top end IPS monitor, whereas the Samsung's have always been budget solutions. What I would say is if you are going to go TN make sure its a 120Hz and one which tftcentral.co.uk says has low input lag and nearly no ghosting. There is little point getting a TN that is poor on colour and is barely better than an IPS for ghosting and lag unless price is your primary driver.

 

[Whitestar127]

When it comes to input lag the Dell really needs to be in game mode. Running its full circuitry its quite slow and there is a reasonable amount of ghosting. Its not over overdriven so I don't see white halos but its still noticeably fuzzy as you spin round.

RTC is only applied in game mode then? And it's noticeably fuzzy even if RTC is on?

By the way, that's some rig you've got there.

 

[TheAdvocate]

Moved from a 21" Sony Trinitron @ 75 Hz to a 2005 FPW and now my 2007 WFP.

Absolutely love S-IPS. Dunno how I would feel about the 6 bit E-IPS.

I cannot stand TN panels. I suspect there are some top end ones that may be passable, but they probably cost almost as much as an E-IPS.

I've never had any lag problems even with Vsync on, but I have tried disabling it for gaming. Doesn't make that much of a difference.

I really loved my IPS for RTS games like SC2. It's probably not optimal for twitch gaming like FPS, but I wouldnt trade.

 

[PowerYoga]

Have both ips (2412M) and TN (some benQ monitor). I play FPSes on the TN and do everything else on the IPS. The colors are so much brighter and delicious it's ridiculous not to. If you do a lot of screen shifting you will get sick on an IPS though. But it's great for strategy games and stuff that doesn't move around a lot. Or if you snipe a lot in a FPS it's not bad.

Tried playing Deus Ex on the IPS and found myself horribly sick after an hour or 2 because of the blurring. Had to move it back to TN to stop getting motion sickness.

 

[Reaver22]

I have a dell 2408 ultrasharp that I am getting rid of and making room for a new 120hz monitor from BenQ because I mostly play FPS games and I want the comfort of having or being able to get more than 60fps.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014270 this is the monitor which is a TN panel .. I could careless about the 3D aspect of gaming right now.