Monitor Combinations - Advice

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t2na
Posts: 3
Joined: 18 Aug 2022, 13:48

Monitor Combinations - Advice

Post by t2na » 18 Aug 2022, 13:55

Hey all! First time posting but long time lurker of these forums (probably since around 2016!). I hadn't thought to really post ever before, I've been able to get some great advice from others here but felt that I could do with some help.

I've somehow managed to get myself into a situation where I have 4 monitors - but I'm pretty torn on what combination to use, what is objectively 'better' and what monitors are worth getting rid of.

I really don't need 4, I only ever use 2 at a time and I'm increasingly conscious (and my wife more vocal...) about the space I'm taking up with monitors. I am aware this is a major first world problem and there a bigger things to worry about.

These 4 monitors have been picked up over the last 5 or so years - and some are more recent than others! Really looking for general thoughts here on what would be recommended and what others have enjoyed using.

I currently have:

24" 1440p 144hz Dell S2417DG - bought this in 2018 to replace my BenQ XL2411Z when I upgraded to an RTX 2070 and wanted to swap over to 1440p. This was largely based on some great feedback about that panel on these forums.
24" 1440p 60hz Dell P2421D - bought in March 2020 when we transitioned to working from home. Needed a second screen and it ticked all the boxes and my company subsidised the cost.
25" 1080p 240hz Alienware AW2521HFL - bought in October 2020, increasingly was playing more FPS games and wanted to try 240hz and also an IPS panel - again, lots of feedback on here helped my decision here.
27" 1440p 180hz LG 27GP850 - bought in November 2021, enjoyed the IPS panel from the Alienware monitor but also wanted to try a larger screen size. Still unsure on this one.

So I'm now in a position where I have 4 pretty good monitors and I'd like to get rid of 2 of them.

My general thoughts about each monitor:

Dell S2417DG - 1440p at 24 inches is so so crisp and the motion clarity is honestly brilliant. I've used ULMB at times but always eventually swap back after the inevitable eye strain. It also has the dedicated Gsync module which is great but the panel definitely suffers from colour banding in darker scenes. Pretty good colours considering it's a TN and I've got it overclocked to 165hz.
Dell P2421D - Also 1440p at 24 inches - but an IPS panel so colours are really nice. Big downside is it's limited to 60hz and it's noticeable even moving windows around on it. Unrelated but it's also weirdly very light.
AW2521HFL - 240hz is just great isn't it... Ater using it for a while it's tough to swap back to anything lower (and feels like being slapped across the face swapping to the 60hz monitor). Whilst it might not make me any better at any of the games I play, I definitely notice and prefer 240hz. The only minor annoyance is an immediate black flicker when first starting the monitor up and it launching into Windows. Also it's 1080p - is it genuinely still worth considering in 2022?
LG 27GP850 - Tiny annoyance but having a power brick vs. an in built power supply isn't my favourite. 27" is nice and large, working on this monitor felt really great but it definitely feels large on my not so huge desk. Also an IPS monitor with really nice colours, overclocked to 180hz is nice and it plays very nice with my PS5 whenever I decide to power up / plug it in.

My desk space isn't huge (120 x 80) so it's something I do have to take into account - and there's not really an opportunity to have more than 2 monitors on the desk.

Again, fully aware of the first world problems here but I'm just looking for some advice and thoughts on the above, interested to see what others use and any other recommendations. Thanks and hi again!

Jason38
Posts: 102
Joined: 24 May 2019, 10:23

Re: Monitor Combinations - Advice

Post by Jason38 » 18 Aug 2022, 19:44

I think it depends if you care more about 1440P or high refresh rate. I like big screens and high refresh rate so If it was me I would go with the 25" and 27". That 180HZ at 1440p you have is more than enough for most games. I have 2 X 240HZ XG270 Viewsonic monitors and I find most games that aren't E-sports titles usually only go to around 120 - 144hz. I still like the high refresh rate for scrolling and Internet use.

Boomchakadah
Posts: 194
Joined: 15 Aug 2018, 02:44

Re: Monitor Combinations - Advice

Post by Boomchakadah » 19 Aug 2022, 02:20

I'd keep that AW2521HFL and that Dell P2421D.
VG258QM 280Hz TN (main)| XG2431 240Hz IPS | XL2540K 240Hz TN | XV252Q 1080p 280Hz IPS | XL2546K 1080p 240hz TN | AW2518HF 1080p 240Hz TN | XV240YP 1080p 165Hz IPS | XG2402 1080p 144hz TN | 27GL83A 1440p 144Hz IPS | XL2411P 144Hz TN | XF240H 144Hz TN

t2na
Posts: 3
Joined: 18 Aug 2022, 13:48

Re: Monitor Combinations - Advice

Post by t2na » 19 Aug 2022, 02:31

Jason38 wrote:
18 Aug 2022, 19:44
I think it depends if you care more about 1440P or high refresh rate. I like big screens and high refresh rate so If it was me I would go with the 25" and 27". That 180HZ at 1440p you have is more than enough for most games. I have 2 X 240HZ XG270 Viewsonic monitors and I find most games that aren't E-sports titles usually only go to around 120 - 144hz. I still like the high refresh rate for scrolling and Internet use.
Thanks Jason, this is what I'm leaning towards a bit more now. I can always balance both the high refresh rate and the 1440p by using both the 240hz 1080p panel and the 180hz 1440p one too.

Really agree about high refresh rate for scrolling / internet use. I was trying the 60hz 24" 1440p panel again yesterday and whilst it's a really crisp display, 60hz is so jarring.

t2na
Posts: 3
Joined: 18 Aug 2022, 13:48

Re: Monitor Combinations - Advice

Post by t2na » 20 Aug 2022, 03:41

Boomchakadah wrote:
19 Aug 2022, 02:20
I'd keep that AW2521HFL and that Dell P2421D.
I'm definitely more keen to keep the AW2521HFL than any of the others. I reckon I'll take your advice and try it alongside the P2421D as well as the others over the next few days and see what fits best.

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