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Displays Purchasing a monitor - BenQ G2255

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Harty, 31 Oct 2012.

  1. Harty

    Harty What's a Dremel?

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    I'm a newbie when it comes to monitors. I understand the different inputs, response time and contrast ratio, but that's about it.
    I'm after a 1920x1080 monitor, with a DVI input. There's many of those out there, but I'm on a budget of around £80, and this one caught my eye - http://www.ebuyer.com/349509-benq-g2255-21-5-dvi-lcd-monitor-9h-l8clb-qpe

    Is this decent quality? I understand it won't be as good quality as some others, but to me a monitor is a monitor, and this one has decent reviews; I just thought I'd run by opinions from you guys first. :D
     
  2. LennyRhys

    LennyRhys Fan Fan

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    The main difference between monitors is the quality of the panels. The monitor you're looking at is a TN monitor and it will have a pretty poor quality panel. You want to consider getting an IPS monitor like this - it's only £30 more expensive but there's a world of difference between the two. :thumb:
     
  3. Harty

    Harty What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks for the reply!
    So IPS is a better panel, but does that mean that TN is necessarily bad?
     
  4. Somer_Himpson

    Somer_Himpson What's a Dremel?

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  5. Harty

    Harty What's a Dremel?

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  6. fdbh96

    fdbh96 What's a Dremel?

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    Recently purchased a benq tn monitor and was perfectly acceptable as an everyday monitor. However, you might struggle to find an £80 ips anyway and even if you could the build quality would probably be rubbish anyway.
     
  7. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    I would like to quote Scott Wasson of Tech Report (via: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/page/2/) "every pixel on a TN panel is a bad pixel".

    Ok in all seriousness, it depends on what you are looking for, and what do you mean by "good" and "bad". Like do you mean overall build quality? image? view angle? etc...

    TN panels are fast, and also due to the lack of need of any advance circuitry to work, input lag is also low. This results in being ideal if you are a hardcore FPS gamer, where you play a huge amount of fps games, often, and you tend to be picky about your mouse in getting one with low input lags. TN panels due to its speed exists in 120Hz version, which is also liked by hardcore fps gamers, and those who likes Nvidia 3D glasses system. However, the sacrifice is that you have short view angle, precision is loss, and colors are either bland, or over-saturated (monitor setting set to try and compensate the bland color, but end up being over saturated due to the limitation of the monitor). Yes, you can get a color calibrator and try and calibrate, to have better colors. But 200$ calibrator is something you can invest in an IPS panel where, it will give you, perhaps not as good as if you used your color calibrator, but close to it, and possibly won't notice the difference if you don't do any color critical work, and just for entertainment purposes. Plus you get to enjoy wide view angle, which translate to no mater where you are sitting and are in the room, or orientation of the monitor, you'll still see a fantastic image. (Of course, you wont' see anything if you are behind the monitor, but you get what I mean).

    Here is a quote from DeckerdBR, here on this forum:
    He got the Dell U2412M, an entry level IPS panel.
    http://forums.bit-tech.net/showpost.php?p=3199827&postcount=16

    If you do some digging on this forum you can find a lot of similar replies. And the cool thing about IPS monitors, is that because the colors are so rich, that the manufacture doesn't require to put a glossy panel to boost colors as they do on TN panels. And also because the monitor is aimed at the more professional type of people, they implement costly backlight dispersion system a to be able to compensate for the non glossy film. And on most models, you get the full kit, which means: fully adjustable stand, good to impressive build quality, great service, long warranty (3 years) with good coverage (in the case of Dell: you get to keep the monitor until a replacement model arrives, shipping is fully paid both directions for you. Heck you don't even need to do anything as the replacement monitor will have a pre-paid shipping label inside, which you just stick over the old shipping label, put your old monitor in the box of the replacement one, and just call the mail carrier to pick it up. So worries, no complications, all free. Also has a 0 bright pixel warranty. So if any pixels on the screen, just a single one is stuck on white or any color beside black, you have a replacement monitor. As for dead pixels it's 6 or more, anywhere.. no zones or any of that crap condition. You count 6 of them -> Replacement).


    High-end consumer IPS panel are a lot better even. For example the Dell U2410 and the U2711, both stunning monitor, and comes with 2 pre-color calibrated profiles: sRGB and Adobe RGB. (you pick them on the monitor OSD menu), and the panel is true 8-bit panels, you have everything to start drooling on the monitor. The build quality is excellent, where you have the monitor stand is solid metal block. So that monitor won't shake or wobble or feel flimsy no mater if you hit the table, the screen, or adjust it. It stays virtually steady. Also, back light bleeding is non existent (beside the normal "glow effect" of the monitor, which is on all IPS panels, and is expected). And the whites, and the inputs... oh man, you can plug about anything you want in it. Game console (old and new, including the Wii), multiple computers, laptop, tablet, heck even your VCR via composite.
    Of course it's not cheap (mostly due to the 8-bit IPS panel, and 12-bit color processing and 10-bit Look Up Table... all technologies which cost a lot.. but you need this for an image that will make you drool)

    So, there you have it.
    TN -> Speed
    IPS -> Stunning colors, great for gaming, might be an issue if you are a hardcore fps gamer.

    Also as IPS panels are released by manufacture in an organized fashion and not every 5 min without removing old models, you can actually find reviews, or have an easier time to find them. So you know what you buy, you know the product downside well, so that there is no disappointments. As for TN's... well good luck.

    It's up to you. Personally, I just find shameful that people buy 2000$ or even 3000$ computers, and are too cheap to buy the MAIN THING, the main communication method to the computer a monitor (and keyboard and mouse). To me that's like buying a super fancy car with some crazy impressive engine, but you have wood kitchen chairs inside, and a tree branch you found on the floor as your steering wheel.
     
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  8. LennyRhys

    LennyRhys Fan Fan

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    It's a matter of opinion - to be honest, I'm not all that opposed to TN and I briefly had a TN and an IPS monitor side-by-side.

    The main differences are the colour vibrance and the viewing angles: TN invariably looks more washed out, and the viewing angles on TN are very poor. IPS on the other hand is very vibrant, and the viewing angles are exceptional. :)
     
  9. fdbh96

    fdbh96 What's a Dremel?

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    But theres a budget of £80, and I haven't seen a good ips monitor for £80. And if you've never used a ips monitor, tn monitors are perfectly fine and not worth almost doubling the budget.
     
  10. Harty

    Harty What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks for the reply GoodBytes, found it qquite helpful. I'll see, when the time comes to purchasing, if I can get an IPS monitor for around £100, perhaps in the Christmas sales.
     
  11. Yeoo

    Yeoo Minimodder

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    i paid 135 for mine but i got a AOC i5323 ips screen other day. Its such a nice picture with only 9mm thick it looks amazing for AOC.

    Its like a ferrari coming out a fiat factory. Only thing that could be faulted is no DVI just 2 HDMI which is no biggie, and the 5ms response time is not epic gaming fast but quick enough
     
  12. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    I was just informing the OP about IPS.
     
  13. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    If you can stretch to 130-150, that would be more realistic. You wont' get an adjustable stand and all that, and it will be a budget IPS monitor, so it won't be like wow amazing as you read. But should be still better than most TN panel, definitely better than a similarly priced TN panel.

    If you can't go that high then you are looking at a TN panel... and nope, not even a high-end TN panel. Doing a quick price conversion.. that 80 pounds is 130$ Canadian. Here you can only get a entry level TN panel, if you do a lot of digging... so not even med range, or anything like that. And, that would be OK. Maybe on your next monitor you'll be able to save up more funds for an IPS panel.
     
  14. Harty

    Harty What's a Dremel?

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  15. Yeoo

    Yeoo Minimodder

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  16. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    Yes, a few people here have it (or the older version (from reviews, it looks to be the same, but looks different).

    It's non-adjustable, nothing special, sucky part of it, is that he plugs on the back will stick out horizontally, so that would look ugly. But yea. I haven't seen the monitor in person, but I expect from reviews, that the monitor will match a high-end TN panel, but you have the wide view angles and a bit better colors. IPS panels, thanks to the introduction of eIPS (economy-IPS), became much cheaper and continues to be. Soon, they will be so cheap that TN panel won't even exists anymore, beside for 120Hz monitor, assuming that the IPS panel technology don't evolve over time (which it will).
     

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