So i already have a 27", but its a bit rubbish. Its about 3 years old, one of the first affordable 27" 1200p monitors, back at the time when most 26"+ displays cost twice as much. Its a crappy TN panel, and the vertical viewing angle is pretty terrible. Since i am a human being on planet Earth, naturally just like everyone else i have just got Diablo 3. As you know, this game is very dark in most places, and the top half of the screen is damn near unviewable when im in a dark dungeon. I know all TN panels suffer from the same sort of problem but i guess a combination of larger display plus 3 year old cheap-as-possible TN technology pushes this over the edge. I have to sit up higher than my monitor and look down at it just so i can see when a skeleton is lurking up the road. Other than the viewing angle i like the monitor (although power use is higher than i would like), its served me well over the years and there is no way i could drop down in real estate to a higher quality 24" now. It would be like going from an old power hungry pickup truck to a new Nissan Micra. Newer tech, more efficient, but just too small. So what i need is a new 27" (or there abouts) that has better viewing angles than my current one. Id also consider getting smaller, multiple monitors but i use this PC for gaming and alot of movie viewing, and im not sure the bezels are something i'd be able to accept, especially in a 2 monitor setup where the bezels sit right in the middle. Maybe a 3 screen setup using 21" screens (flipped vertically) would be better for gaming and allow me to really spread out my windows, but then im also dealing with twice the bezels. Im not dead against another TN panel, and im not dead against 1080p from the 1200p ive got now, as i know that the technology has advanced since mine was made and it wouldnt be nearly as bad, although an IPS display would be my top choice, the few IPS panels at that size i could see were a hell of a lot more expensive. It seems 24" IPS dont carry much of a premium over TN, but beyond that you're paying out the ass for the upgrade. Ideally i wouldnt want to go over £350 or so, although that would depend on how much i could sell my current one for. Cheaper the better though. What should i go for? Another (better) 27" TN? A 27" IPS (if i can find one in my price range)? 2x 24" IPS? 3x 21" IPS? Oh, should mention that my graphics card is a stock 7850 and comes with 1x DVI, 1xHDMI and 2x miniDP connectors. So it could handle the multi monitor setup if that is the best route for me.
I tried looking for a decent mid range 27" for £350 and could not find one, i narrowed it down to the iiyama e2733hd for £250 or samsung s27a750d for £420, i went for the samsung for 120hz and fancied giving 3d a go
At 27" I'd want 2560x1440. I certainly wouldn't go for a 1080p display whatsoever if you currently have 1200p. Now, because 2560x1440 are still quite expensive, you may be better off looking in the refurb/second hand market, at places like NRG:IT. You can get a refurb U2711 there for £399, although it's currently out of stock and that one has 1 stuck pixel (which is nothing out of the millions on display). I happen to like Samsungs PLS 27", one of the only sRGB displays at that res, but it's +£500 and so out of your price bracket. HP also have a decent 27" which has better contrast than the Dell, but again out of your price bracket unless you get lucky and find a second hand one. Alternatively, you could take a risk and get a cheap Korean display. They are very popular in some places of the net and you can get. They're basically rejected Apple Cinema's, but with stripped down inputs and bare essentials. You get one input, no osd etc, and they're all hi-gloss. BUT, they are still gorgeous and if you can handle the reflections and make do without the inputs and features, they'd be within your price range and you get that lovely 2560x1440. They're all over ebay currently.
Yea i saw the 120hz samsung, if i can save up for a bit longer i might be able to stretch to it. How are the viewing angles on it though, as its still TN?
Thanks for all the info. Hadn't really considered second hand / refurb as ive always been one to buy PC stuff new, even if it means waiting. But a refurb monitor might be a good idea.
Might be worth looking at reviews because im not sure a 7850 would cope at 2560x1440, its a bit of a monster res that needs a fair bit of gpu poke for high settings
Indeed! My U3011 cost me £395 from ebay, the date of manufacture is Nov 2011, and I got it in February. It has a tiny dead pixel in the middle of the screen (which you can't even see), which is why it was for sale as a refurb (Dell has a pixel perfect guarantee) but I can live with that for the £600 saving that you'd get buying new - as other than the above, it was literally brand new. Many refurbs/seconds however, do not have any pixel errors at all, and the best thing is, you can ask the seller prior to purchasing to ensure this.
Sorry to hijack a bit but you mention Dell's pixel perfect guarantee. I am looking at the U3011. If I were to buy it from a shop that had a certain pixel guarantee, say no more than 5 dead ones, and it had 3 dead pixels would I just need to contact Dell and for a replacement?
Holy hell you got a crazy deal on that, refurb u3011's are still going for over £700 on ebay and other resellers websites. Sounds like they mispriced the monitor at 27" prices rather than 30" prices.
It was from a reseller called Technology Outlet. They had 5 going, all for £499. They had 100% positive feedback, so I emailed them, and asked them specifics about the condition (ie: dead pixels), they assured me that they were 100% defect free. With this in hand, I went ahead and ordered one. It turned up, looking 100% brand new (not a spec of dust anywhere, all the plastic still on everything etc), but when it turned it on, I found it had a single red stuck pixel (out of 4 million!) which I've only ever noticed at startup. I emailed them, and they were very good about it. They asked me for a photo, and then offered a full refund or a £105 partial refund. I took the latter. As I said above, the best thing about buying second hand is that you can ask the seller about the condition, and of course, if they item turns up not as described, then you're entitled to a refund.
