5ms response rate good enough?

blatantninja

Resident Redneck Facist
Joined
January 10, 2008
Messages
4,353
Location
Austin, TX
So its time to invest in some new monitors. Not looking to go super fancy, but want to make sure I don't buy something I will regret. So here is my criteria:

1) 23-24"
2) 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 resolution to match what I used at work for when I work remotely
3) Either two DVI inputs or an HDMI and a DVI (a DisplayPort + either DVI or HDMI would work too, but haven't seen any of those that aren't pricey)
4) Preferably under $150

Most of the games I play are older, so I'm not worried about being able to say play Watch Dogs at the highest settings or anything. In fact, outside of Pillars of Eternity, the newest games I'm playing these days or in the near future are Dragon Age 1 and The Banner Saga.

I don't really understand what is so great about IPS, how fast a response rate I should look for or what contrast ratio is important. I used to understand this kind of stuff, but I haven't bought a monitor since literally 2005 and I was just excited to have a flat screen back then.

So, I found this one that I think meets my needs:

Acer - H6 Series 23" IPS LED HD Monitor
Display Type HD LED with IPS
Screen Size (Measured Diagonally) 23"
Maximum Resolution 1920 x 1080
Aspect Ratio 16:09
Response Time 5 ms
Brightness 250 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio 100,000,000:1
VGA Input Yes
DVI-D with HDCP Input Yes
HDMI Input Yes

Any thoughts?
 
Joined
Jan 10, 2008
Messages
4,353
Location
Austin, TX
It's a good buy, just don't expect miracles from it - it's capped at 60Hz refresh.
Watch Dogs? If your rig runs it on 60FPS, it will still look awsome on that monitor.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Apr 12, 2009
Messages
23,459
Thanks! What is vsync and gsync?
 
Joined
Jan 10, 2008
Messages
4,353
Location
Austin, TX
Joined
Aug 12, 2007
Messages
542
Location
Englandland
Thanks
 
Joined
Jan 10, 2008
Messages
4,353
Location
Austin, TX
Thanks! What is vsync and gsync?
I actually removed the mention of g-sync up there as monitors with it are expensive. So since you ask...
It's a hardware in monitor that forces refresh on the screen when the whole frame data is received from gfx card. Such monitor has to be highly responsive (1-2 ms) and max refresh rate can't be only 60, it has to go go much higher. It would be this one:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-24-led-hd-monitor/1306059082.p?id=mp1306059082&skuId=1306059082

As you see, it's pricey.
(But now when I saw it, I just have to buy it for TW3, hopefully xmas will bring that price down or there will be another model)

What exactly g-sync means to us, players?
And I mean PC players, not those console 30FPS is cool bro!
We're spoiled and we deserve to be spoiled! :D

Means this:
http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/co...nvidia_gsync_monitor_wherewhen_to_buy/cfbvhev
three scenarios:

1) Game running balls to the wall, no FPS cap, no vsync, nothing. Monitor set to 144 hz. In BF4 I fluctuate from about 90-160 fps. 90 is a pretty good minimum framerate but visuals still stutter a bit from wildly fluctuating framerate & I get tearing since my framerate doesn't sync with my monitor. This is how I played forever since I can deal with tearing but no input lag.

2) Vsync set at 144 fps. I can't maintain a solid 144 so my framerate jumps between 72 & 144 as the game syncs with my refresh rate. No tearing but stuttering caused by the framerate jumping & lots of input lag cause vsync.

3) Gsync enabled, monitor set to 144hz, framerate capped to 120 so I don't hit 144 & fall back to vsync. Framerate fluctuates from 90-120, absolutely no tearing, absolutely no stuttering, no input lag & visuals smoother than you could imagine. How the fuck did I live without this?
 
Joined
Apr 12, 2009
Messages
23,459
I'd recommend getting something capable of 1920x1200. Those extra 120 vertical pixels make a difference imo. 16:10 > 16:09 when it comes to aspect ratio.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,017
Location
Florida, US

VSYNC is essentially syncing your framerate with your monitor refresh rate, which is typically 60 or 120 Hz. Unfortunately, few games manage to run at even 60 FPS constantly - which means the syncing process will take it down to 30 FPS to avoid tearing, which is why VSYNC often reduces performance significantly.

Not having VSYNC means tearing - because the game will update "out of sync" with the refresh rate - and this can be a big annoyance depending on the game and the eye of the beholder. Some people are more bothered by it than others, and some games have awful tearing - while some seem to have almost no tearing at all.
 
If you want to connect through HDMI, better to learn on the consequences on capping FPS. It will make the decisions on FPS much simpler.
 
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
6,265
Joined
Oct 8, 2009
Messages
4,425
Location
UK
Like lostforever, I primarily have Dell monitors, such as the U2412M and the U2713HM. IPS panels are generally superior when it comes to colors and viewing angles. The difference isn't really all that big if you're just looking at a single monitor, but TN panels look silly next to IPS ones, so if you're running multiple monitors you really should go all out TN or all out IPS.

Also, I like having a proper foot on my monitors. Makes it easier to adjust height, angle and so on. It's worth taking into consideration.

All that said: At less than $150, it's hard to find a better bargain than the Acer. You'll need to double that for most monitors mentioned here, and for most IPS monitors in general.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
7,578
Location
Bergen
Back
Top Bottom