What to look for in a monitor?

[Das Bruce]

It arrived today with a stuck pixel in the lower left corner. It's a nice screen although 60hz is a little on the low side.

Anyway, it's getting sent back but should I get a replacement or a refund and save up a little bit more for a 120Hz model? Are they much more expensive/worth the extra cost?

[BaNa]

no.

only thing really worth spending extra on is better panel (ips or pva). Even the "slow" ips technology is fast enough to avoid ghosting nowdays. Otherwise basic tn+f models are good.

edit: short rundown on why i like ips:
1. tn monitors can display a lower amount of colors and make up for this by dithering, which can be very annoying at times. Ips has wide color range.

2. Ips has a wide viewing angle. Tn monitors usually have a much more narrow viewing angle, this can be especially annoying with a 24 inch display, as the panel is wider and by default you look at it in a larger range of angles. Also, watching a movie with a friend / friends is not really an option with tn.

3. Blacks are deeper. Movies look better.

[Caydr]

120hz is what I'll be buying next, but I'll have to get a new graphics card to go with it and nothing substantially faster than what I've already got even exists yet. V-Sync FTW.

[TradeMark]

120hz, where??

I want one.

[Caydr]

Dell/Alienware

Don't worry, that's the Canadian price. If you're American, it's probably half that and comes with a free hooker.

Acer one

Viewsonic one

Samsung also has one but it's not showing up in my search. Maybe they're automatically hidden from Canadians since America sucks my ass.

[Neddie]

I admit that the only Acer products I've used are their monitors. I've never had to return them, never had a dead pixel, and have generally been satisfied with them. I've used four separate models released between 2008 and 2010, though I've passed two on to other users. I've also used Sharp, Samsung, Viewsonic, Dell, and of course a variety of CRTs in the distant past.

I don't think 120hz is worth the expense at the moment, Bruce.

[MidKnight]

You probably won't be able to tell the difference between 60hz and 120hz.
For example, most flourescent lamps flicker at 60hz.
Now, if flourescent lights (including the ones in most sub-$500 LCDs) have a visible flicker, then by all means spring for a 120hz panel.

You could also probably do 3d with a 120hz display, but if plain 60hz gives you a headache, 60hz alternating would be a bad, bad idea.

If ghosting is your issue, look at the reaction times; anything under 6ms GTG should be safe.

EDIT: one more thing: a lot of games are capped at 60fps. There will be no difference if you run them on a 120hz monitor. Basically, people with average eyesight only notice very miniscule differences with anything above 40fps. This game, for example, is actually capped at 30fps.

[Das Bruce]

The reason I thought about 120hz was that I was playing CSS and definitely noticed the lower frequency. I usually play at 85hz on my CRT so this was definitely more choppy. It's probably something I could get used to but if I'm going to spend this much money I want to get something that will last a while so I don't mind spending a bit more to do that.

[TradeMark]

You probably won't be able to tell the difference between 60hz and 120hz.

I can tell a difference between 60hz and 75hz.

For example, most flourescent lamps flicker at 60hz.

The games arent about staring at flickering lights, its about staring at moving objects. The more frames you see, the smoother it feels. The smoother it feels, the better. Even if you cant "see" those extra frames super detailed, your brain will still feel its smoother.

[KaiserJ]

bruce, maybe its dumb question, but have you tried fixing the pixel yourself? lots of methods

[Das Bruce]

bruce, maybe its dumb question, but have you tried fixing the pixel yourself? lots of methods

Yes I tried those flashing lights methods but they didn't seem to work. However this morning when I checked it seemed fine again. Are there normally teething issues with new screens?

[MidKnight]

bruce, maybe its dumb question, but have you tried fixing the pixel yourself? lots of methods

Yes I tried those flashing lights methods but they didn't seem to work. However this morning when I checked it seemed fine again. Are there normally teething issues with new screens?

No.

[Petah]

The only time I notice the difference between 60hz and > 60hz is on CRTs. I never notice it on an LCD.

[Caydr]

The only time I notice the difference between 60hz and > 60hz is on CRTs. I never notice it on an LCD.

Higher refresh rate on LCD has an entirely different benefit from higher refresh rate on CRT. CRT has flicker because the pixels go dark too fast, LCD has lag because the pixels don't go dark fast enough. Simplified explanation but that's the gist of it.

Also, it's commonly misquoted that the human eye can't see the difference over 24hz. 24hz is the minimum point where most people's brain will be tricked into perceiving motion rather than a set of images. We can very easily tell the difference with higher refresh rates, but we picked 60hz (or 50hz depending on your location) because other frequencies had visible glitching as a result of AC power oscillation.

[Das Bruce]

Get out of my thread.
Also, replacement screen is good. Can't bear to go back now.

[smoth]

oh so your gamma issues are resolved?

[Das Bruce]

Yes, it's glorious.

[Hobo Joe]

I wish I had just paid the extra for a 120hz monitor, 60hz is getting steadily more annoying.

[Pxtl]

So, can you do 3D with any 120Hz monitor or do you need special monitors for that?

Also, anybody know if LED illumination is worth the extra cost?