Good monitors you know about?

[Vompt]

Hi everyone, I'm currently building myself a new PC and right now, I'm kind of hesitant of which monitor to choose from. I want one that has great color accuracy but still won't break my budget. I'm looking at the 200$-600$ range. Any suggestions?

I'm pin down a few that I'm currently looking into and I want to know what you guys think:

-Asus PB278Q 27.0"
http://www.asus.com/ca-en/Commercial_Mon...rs/PB278Q/
http://www.amazon.com/PB278Q-27-Inch-LED...sus+pb278q

-Dell U2413
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/produ...u=320-9567
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-UltraSharp-U2...DELL+U2413

-Dell U2412M
http://accessories.dell.com/sna/products...noteSearch

Which one you think is best? Or, do you know any better monitor?

Thank you for you help guys!

[Patrick Gaumond]

I'm no expert myself, but my brother is a colourist for films and he always recommends Dell for an average consumer's budget. Since you already have some choices in mind, why not look up reviews of each one and see how they stack up. A quick google search revealed that they all performed well in terms of stars, but I think you should read the actual reviews yourself to get a good idea. You can just look up plain reviews or maybe try "Dell X colour review" to get a more specific result, since you're looking for good colour quality.

Also, more expensive isn't necessarily better, as some bigger companies mark up prices as a name brand thing, so if you're really unsure I'd suggest buying the middle priced one to start with and if you wind up disliking it you can always sell it back and buy something else

[Amit Dutta]

I looked at pretty much the same Asus and Dell models as well during a recent research binge as I am also getting some new screens. I was looking more at the 27" HM models but the 24" HM are just as good in the specs. I am an "IT" guy so I do my research pretty thoroughly.

The Dell's get consistently great reviews for colour accuracy; they have great build quality, lots of connection options, great ergonomics and cover over 95+% of adobe and sRGB depending on the model, and seem to come out of the box with better factory calibration which is convenient, though you should go through a calibration process always anyway. You can get even a U2713HM for around $500 I think (I wish I lived in the States!) I am going to be buying one or two Dell U2713HM's myself.

Non Negotiable general screen stats for me were:
- IPS panel,
- 2560x1440 res ideally. 1920x1080 is probably a minium resolution , since more screen space is better for painting. You will need to make sure you have compatible display port outs on your computer for the high res though (See last point below)
- Always compare colour space coverage if you are doing painting or design work, 95+% should be your absolute minimum, more is better.
- Connectivity...for high res work greater than 1920px DVI-D or DP (Display Port) are a must on your machine, or you will never be able to use the extra res.

One thing I found out though to be aware of are that a few of the Dell panels for the 27" (not sure of the 24") have experienced light and colour bleed from the edge of the housing/screen. (check out the "Backlight leakage" sections of the reviews in the link below for what that means) Apparently this is mostly found in the earlier A00 and A01 versions which were supposedly fixed in the A02 revision. If you buy refurbished from Dell, be aware and ask about this. Probably better to go new.

This site has really in depth reviews. It will get hideously technical, but yeah so much good info there: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews_index.htm#d

[Vompt]

Hey! Thanks guys! You're awesome!
I was starting to lean for Asus but it seems to me that that screen I chose is made more for gamers than for professionals. (Unless I'm wrong?) I've been looking the ViewSonic VP2770-LED 27-Inch too but it is a bit out of my price range.

When I was in college, the screens that we used were Dell and I did get a good experience out of it.

and thanks for the specs Amit! I have heard about what you said but I wasn't sure of it but you just confirms it. Thanks!

[Amit Dutta]

No worries mate! I think the Asus is a PLS panel (slightly cheaper Samsung IPS alternative tech) and the Dell's are IPS. There actually isn't a huge difference in colour accuracy between the two technologies it seems. PLS screens like the Asus have a lower latency and input lag which is potentially why it might be considered a more suitable "gaming" monitor.

Both screens also have a light Anti glare coating which is a good thing as Heavy AG can make things a bit grainny. Also these two aren't full gloss screens (which are annoying for me) so they are very similar in that respect.

Oh a minor thing I just noticed as well is that the Asus doesn't have any USB ports. Not really a huge issue, but a few extra ports doesn't hurt. I think both are pretty similar for your needs, but I thought the Dell edged out the Asus. Might be as simple as finding the better deal for the moolah as well?

[Vompt]

Thanks for the heads up Amit!

The Dell U2413 is more in my price range and it has a color depth of 1.07 billions, compared to the Asus PB278Q who has 16.7 millions. So I guess for this reason, I would lean towards Dell.

Also, Asus has a res size of 2550x1440 compared to Dell which is 1920x1220 res. Both has DVI-D ports and DP ports. Color Gamut on the Dell is better because it covers 103% NTSC, 99% Adobe RGB and 100% sRGB.

The only thing that worries me is ''ghosting'' that I keep seeing in reviews of the Dell U2413. It seems that this model has can have this problem when gaming or when you scroll fast through text so I'll make sure that it's one of the new ''revisions'', just like you said. For this reason, I can see why the Asus would be better.

But again, I'm not much of a gamer, I barely play any video games at all, I watch more movies and videos thought. So, for digital painting, Is ghosting something I should worry about?

Still a bit not sure which one to choose from but I think the Dell U2413 is better.

[Amit Dutta]

I don't think you need to worry about ghosting unless you are a hardcore gamer. It is only with motion where it comes into play and it shouldn't affect painting at all really. All lcds exhibit this to some degree I think so it's just a matter of how bad the effect is in one compared to another.

Oh also about the 1.07b colours: these are wide gamut screens, ie they can display way more colours than are even in sRGB or adobeRGB. What this actually means is that if you paint in those outside gamut colours, you may have issues with getting them to look right for print. Apparently it tends to oversaturate colours when going to sRGB. You should check if there is a sRGB mode that forces or simulates the use of sRGB colours only, I think it does exist in the Dell's. And I guess there is also an option to preview different profiles in PS?

But then if you are only going to be working in sRGB well it kinda defeats the need for those extra colours. It's not something I'm totally clear on to be honest and I guess you always have the option to switch back to wide gamut if you like it.

One other difference between the Asus and Dell is the backlight....the Asus exhibits some flickering due to the backlight tech used, but the Dell are completely flicker free. Some people can be sensitive to flicker.

I think either monitor are good low-end of professional screens and are probably fairly equivalent. They both will probably be real nice if you have a shitty average-consumer screen now.
Oh and the one I am thinking of getting is the U2713H, not U2713HM. Got confused.

[Vompt]

Ah man! Now I don't know which to choose!

[Amit Dutta]

haha..Too much choice is an evil in this world, so don't stress it dude. With either one you will be getting a good monitor for the price I'm fairly sure of that. To sum up

Asus:
Cheaper for 27"
Not as good colour accuracy
No usb ports
better for gaming
flicker backlight
6bit (8 bit simulated) which results in the 6.7m colours

Dell:
More expensive for a 27",
great out of the box colour accuracy
the 24" only does 1920x1200 (which is still totally fine for painting)
usb ports
8 (10 bit simulated) wide gamut 1.07b colours. you need graphics card and hardware that can handle it as well though
not so good for gaming
no flicker backlight

Personally I would choose the Dell, but you know that already. If I could choose, I'd get an Eizo...but yeah 3-4 grand...haha :)

[Vompt]

Well Amit, I've given some thought and I'll definetly go with the Dell U2413.

Thanks for the help!

[Amit Dutta]

Yayy! Post up your thoughts when it arrives and you've had some time with it! It may be a month or so before I can order mine, so I would be interested to get your views on it :)

[DeLeonxxx]

I know this is an old thread, but I thought I'd bring this 27" ViewSonic monitor to the board's attention. I picked this up on cyber monday after doing a bit of research for a new monitor. I've been using a standard HP 20" monitor for years and never realized how bad the colors were until I got this one and hooked them up side by side.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008RM23ZI/ref=...B00906HNZU

ISP, 100% sRGB gamut, the colors look great, and the price is cut in half right now.