[kanade_]

Hello, I need help deciding if I should get an 120hz monitor or not.

Basically when I’m on my PC, I won’t be gaming 100% as half of the time I’ll be watching (via video player), browsing and working (using words, excel) etc.
With that being said, do you think it would be good idea to get a 120hz monitor or should I get an IPS monitor? excluding gaming, my other top priority of getting 120hz monitor is to be able to watch any videos filmed in 24 frames (23.976 to be exact), without seeing any “judders” or lessen it.

On the side note, I actually bought a 27 inch IPS monitor (ASUS PB278Q) just few weeks ago but returned it straight away as the PWM back lighting was straining my eyes a lot and getting headaches every time I used it.
With this in mind, I’m quite wary of trying out another IPS monitor so as a result I’m leaning more onto 120hz. Also, my previous monitor was BenQ G2420HD and if the image quality for BenQ XL2420T or XL2411T is similar to/better than my previous one, I’ll gladly take one as I’m quite satisfied with my previous monitor’s image quality.

Oh and my card is Radeon HD7950.

Thank you, help would be appreciated it.

[PCM2]

Hi Kanade and welcome to the forum,

You will notice slightly increased fluidity in movies on a 120Hz monitor at least because of the 23.976 frames dividing quite nicely into the refresh rate. 144Hz doesn’t seem to work at all for movies, or at least the movie software we were using at the time didn’t like it (see the XL2411T review for example). 120Hz does reduce judder, but I wouldn’t say the overall increase in fluidity is all that miraculous. The low frame rate itself provides a fairly disconnected and not inherently fluid feeling to motion on movies, especially compared to games. I wouldn’t buy a 120Hz if films were my main focus as the superior colour reproduction of an IPS panel is more noticeable.

Having said that if your other focus is gaming then, depending on the sort of games you play and settings you like to use, the 120Hz/144Hz fluidity may be something you find very beneficial. Ask yourself what you’re after from your gaming experience and the sorts of games you play. It is entirely subjective and a matter of opinion whether high refresh rate TN or 60Hz IPS is the way to go.

When it comes to image quality a properly configured 11T or 20T is fairly similar to a properly configured G2420HD. If you are satisfied with the image quality of that monitor and are really wanting something more fluid then the 120Hz/144Hz TN path may well give you the most enjoyable experience. That’s not to say you wouldn’t notice a difference or change your opinion of the G2420HD’s image quality if you got to use a superior IPS model, however.

[kanade_]

Thank you for the reply.

If that is the case, then getting a 120hz might be a waste of money imo.

Could you recommend me some good 24 inch (1080p) IPS or PVA LCD monitors that supports 48/72hz refresh rate at 1920×1080 (with everything supported such as 32 true color etc)?

[PCM2]

If you are willing to overclock your monitor to make movies smoother (to 72Hz, for example, for an even division of the film frame rate) then there are indeed some IPS and VA options that might suit you better. The Samsung S24C750P (similar to the 27″ version reviewed here) gives a really nice all-round performance and is particularly well suited to movies given its exceptional contrast. There are no 24″ IPS/PLS monitors with a 1920 x 1080 resolution but there are several cheaper 23″ models. Is that screen size alright or were you really wanting 24″?

[kanade_]

I said it wrong: I meant 23″ for 1920×1080.

I’m not really keen to try 27″ again as it’s just too big for me to see it. But thank you for the suggestions either way.

I couldn’t find any 23″ IPS monitor that supports overclocking to 72Hz on full 1920×1080 with 32 true bit color etc.

[PCM2]

Quite a few of the new AH-IPS panels will overclock to 72Hz. That’s sort of the upper limit, but they’ll usually reach that without frame skipping.

Some models that should be able to do this and are otherwise good for your uses:

– ASUS VG23AH
– HP 23xi
– AOC i2367Fh
– AOC i2369Vm
– ASUS MX239H

There is some variability and no guarantees with overclocking. If you have an AMD GPU you can’t set a custom resolution like you can with Nvidia GPUs and you have to use a utility (like ToastyX Custom Resolution Utilility). I don’t want to be seen to openly condone overclocking monitors but this utility does work very well and 72Hz is quite a mild and widely accepted overclock to be honest. The other alternative would be to run at 48Hz for movies which any modern monitor will do with a custom resolution and use 60Hz for games.

[kanade_]

I’m not really fond for HP and AOC monitors (due to lack of people owning it as well as not able to find many reviews). I looked into those three monitors and while they looked similar in terms of specs, I’m not sure if I should even consider getting one. Not to mention if I can successfully overclock to 72hz or not.

For ASUS, originally I was going to get MX239H (instead of PB278Q) but when I found out about ASUS VG23AH and Samsung S24C750P I wasn’t able to make the decision.
On the other hand, ASUS VG23AH is confirmed for overclocking to 72hz. However, the reviewers tested on Nvidia card so I’m not sure if the overclocking will work on my AMD card. But since it actually is works, I’m sure I can use Toasty’s CRU to overclock it?

So to sum it up, I have these 23″ IPS monitors in mind:
– ASUS VG23AH (confirmed for 72hz overclock)
– ASUS MX239H
– Samsung S24C750P
Do you have any other suggestions or is this the best line up I could find?

[PCM2]

Just to confirm, the S24C750P is a 24″ VA monitor. AOC have only recently come onto the home monitor scene. They are very much an up and coming manufacturer and certainly shouldn’t be avoided just because they are a less well known at the moment. They are now in the same position BenQ were a few years back, and they’re now one of the most respected ‘gaming monitor’ manufacturers out there.

That aside both ASUS options are good choices, both a bit different. The VG23AH features a semi glossy (actually more of a glossy with very strong anti-reflective surface) surface and has passive 3D capabilities. The FPR passive 3D just sits there in the background, essentially, so can be largely ignored. Some users (including me) can see faint horizontal filter lines from the FPR layer which are not overly distracting but still there. The ASUS MX239H (soon to be replaced by VX239H/Q) features a light matte anti-glare surface which some users prefer in strong direct light.

Both of these monitors can be overclocked using Toasty’s CRU, with 72Hz very much achievable in most cases. There are no guarantees with overclocking monitors, but it is usual for these monitors to reach such a refresh rate on both AMD and Nvidia GPUs.

[kanade_]

I see so, it’s a mix of IPS and TN for S24C750P. I thought it was PLS since it’s made by Samsung.

Hmm, after reading your points it’s even more harder to choose which one to get. Seems like all of them are same with little difference such as different finishes etc.
And now some people (from other forums) are telling me to get 27″ as it’s “ideal” for everything. I had bad experience with the 27″ (Asus PB278Q) as the screen was too big (texts were so small and uncomfortable to read) and the PWM flickering nonsense.

Sigh, this is frustrating.

[PCM2]

Don’t let anyone else tell you what size of monitor to get. You saw 27″ yourself and found the screen too big. 24″ is a size that many gamers and film lovers find ideal. Some prefer larger, yes, but it’s down to personal preferences really. The Samsung offers exceptional contrast which is something that I find great for movies in particular. If you do enjoy watching movies for a significant portion of the time, and particularly if you like movies with lots of dark scenes, the VA model is really worth trying in my opinion. If you prefer watching anime type films then the IPS options may be more appealing. For gaming I consider both options really quite decent – unless you play games with lots of high contrast environments (think games like Metro) which brings out the slowest response times on the VA which is not ideal.

So it sort of depends on the type of movies you watch and games you play. I know it’s a tough choice!

[kanade_]

I’ll narrow down my preference:
– Watching: 99% of the time I watch anime via potplayer (LAV filters with madVR)
– Games: I play all sorts of games from casual indie to MMORPG to FPS. So pretty much I play any games.
– Desktop activities: I browse a lot which means having a readable and sharp text is a must for me. I also view pictures a lot (reading comics/manga)
– Working: I use words, excel and powerpoint most of the time

Another person suggested Samsung S24C570HL which looks pretty much same as S24C750P except it uses PLS panel.
With that being said, I’d love to try Samsung monitors but their lack of height adjustment turns me off as I have fear that I’ll be looking up the screen since the screen is positioned so high.

[PCM2]

Given that you mainly watch anime and that your gaming is quite broad an IPS or PLS model would be a better choice. For anime in particular a broad range of colours and the slightly richer look given by the IPS/PLS technology will be much more beneficial than extra contrast. The Samsung S24C570HL is certainly a possibility. I haven’t tested that model yet so I can’t really comment on specifics but it should offer quite similar performance to the 23″ IPS models whilst being slightly larger (23.6″) and having a lighter matte screen surface for a little extra clarity and vibrancy. The SC750 models have a fixed height stand but can be pivoted (rotated into portrait) which means that the screen has to be mounted high on the stand to facilitate this. In contrast the height, although not adjustable, should be reasonable on the 570HL.

[kanade_]

Definitely getting an IPS/PLS monitor would be the right choice for me. Despite having bad experience with the previous 27″ IPS monitor, I’m confident that I’ll be able to get used to this new 23″ monitors.

S24C570HL looks tempting but there two points that I don’t like:
– There is only one port (HDMI): I forgot to mention this but I need a monitor with at least 2 or more ports (i.e 1xDVI, 1 HDMI or 1xDVI, 2xHDMI etc) as I have consoles that needs to be hooked up to this monitor. Now, if frequent eject/deject of HDMI cable is okay I might consider getting this but I’m guessing that is going to be bad for the lifespan of the port right? Not to mention it would be very annoying to move my monitor to plug the HDMI in every time I want to use my consoles.
– I wasn’t able to find any information regarding to “titling” back and forth on the official product page.
Apart from these two points, I’m really tempted to try this monitor out.

As a result, we have:
– Samsung S24C570HL: Looks perfect except for two points that I’ve mentioned above
– ASUS VG23AH: has gray line and PWM flicker
– ASUS MX239H: Not sure about this
– AOC and HP monitors: Same as above

How about LG monitors? Are their any good LG monitors that can be overclocked and all?

[PCM2]

I quite frequently plug and unplug monitors using straight in-out ports (HDMI and DisplayPort) and don’t think that wear will be an issue. It is a bit of an annoyance having to do this every time you want to switch between PC and console though, that’s true. And the S24C570HL does tilt (all Samsung monitors do). There are pictures showing it doing so on the official HK website (linked in our article) and it’s also listed as a stand feature on the specifications page and indeed in the manual. Samsung are notoriously inconsistent with their different international product pages, you’ve gotta be careful with that.

If you fancy an LG monitor that can be overclocked then there’s actually quite a widely available IPS model, the IPS234V. This is a good overclocker and is very cheap but its pixel responsiveness is not as good or flexible as the ASUS and AOC models. LG also has the IPS237L that uses the same slim bezel AH-IPS panel as the ASUS and AOC offerings. The pixel responsiveness is, again, not as well implemented but not everyone will be bothered by that. The default colour setup isn’t quite as good by default as those from other manufacturers using LG’s own panel, although you can adjust this on the OSD/monitor menu. There’s also the LG 23EA63V which I have no experience of unfortunately and there isn’t really a lot of reliable test information on.

[kanade_]

Hmm, I’ve just looked at those models and it seems to be below-average monitors. Like you mentioned, the low pixel responsive seems to be a negative factor for these monitors as well as aggressive anti-glare treatment which, is the biggest turn-off for me (For watching anime: it’s bright, colorful and has plenty of single colored surfaces and gradients therefore causing eyestrain. I think this factor contributed to Asus PB278Q where coupled with PWM flickering, it was giving me headaches all the time… correct me if I’m wrong).
As a result, I think I’ll stay away from LG monitors for now unless you mention any positive points that overruns other reputable monitors.

Overall, I’ve tried to compare all of the monitors we mentioned and I just can’t choose which one to get… I don’t think I can decide this by myself. Out of all of the monitors we mentioned, could you please rank top 3 monitors that suits my needs (72hz overclock, my preference points on #23009, no aggressive PWM flickering and AG coating, etc).

I’m sorry for asking too much but I just want to get this right so that I don’t have to deal with returns, losing money (shipping fees not covered), spending hours to search for a monitor that meets my needs but in the end oblivious to what I’m doing…

[PCM2]

The ASUS VG23AH is going to the the best bet in terms of lightest AG surface followed by the Samsung S24C570HL. I have no idea about the Samsung’s overclockability (except it will definitely run at 48Hz which will be fine for films) or PWM. The 23″ AH-IPS panels all use PWM, unfortunately, but it isn’t particularly ‘aggressive’ as you say and may not cause you bother.

The AG surface on the AOC, ASUS and LG IPS237L is not as light as on the Samsung with its semi-glossy PLS panel (the PB278Q is also PLS and has the same sort of screen surface) but is much lighter than on old-style IPS models and slightly lighter than on the LG IPS234V.

It’s not a straightforward choice and there is certainly no perfect monitor. How did you find the AG surface on the PB278Q, specifically?

[kanade_]

On standard mode, the color was too bright and colorful compared to my BenQ. I didn’t tried to adjust the color back then but I knew that it was going to be hard to adjust the right settings to make it watchable. However, I’m pretty sure that I’m wrong here because the color reproduction is a lot richer since it’s an IPS monitor so I might have been overwhelmed by such brightness.

Seems like ASUS VG23AH, Samsung S24C570HL or ASUS MX239H (or VX239H, when is this coming out?) might be the candidate for the for the final line up.

[PCM2]

The PB278Q’s PLS panel certainly provides vibrant colours out of the box, so the comparison may have been quite stark. The smaller IPS and PLS models provide rich colours as well but the colour gamut is not quite as wide as on the PB278Q so shades won’t appear as saturated in places. You’ll probably find viewing more comfortable on the smaller models, especially once the brightness is lowered.

There is no release information on the ASUS VX9 series at this stage, but I’d expect to see these models some time in the summer.

[kanade_]

Alright, thank you very much for all the infos.

I’ll post an update when I get a new one…

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