Hi guys! I am looking for a new monitor at around 300$.
I would like the display to be (in terms of importance):
1 have no annoying defects/stronger than average downsides
2 glossy
3 Freesync
4 have nice colors
5 great for games with lots of shadows and dark areas
6 above 60hz
7 ~300$
8 Preferably bigger than 24" and less than 30"
Would truly appreciate any recommendations/thoughts on this.
Why I want glossy: I have great window curtains! I also play many old games where saturated colors are a plus and I am very observant of the matte filter and I find it really annoying and unimmersive.
For example, I had Benq SW240, a 10bit display and a veeery old LCD that I bought for 15$ (1280x1024).
I tested an old game called "Realms of the Haunted" and in the game there are those red blinking demon pictures at the beginning of the game. I looked at each of the monitors and was surprised how different they looked on each display! And they looked much better on the old display because the REDS were much stronger, it felt alive. Meanwhile, SW240 seemed like I was looking through a membrane of sorts and diluted.
Of course both displays are uncalibrated, but I still think glossy displays with strong colors are more suited for me.
So far I have come up with two monitors that might suit me:
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/alienwa ... ccessories
Alienware aw2518hf
https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/mo ... g73fqnxza/
Samsung C27FG73FQU / CFG73
The way I see it, Alienware is a glossy (?) display with 240HZ, which is nice. But it is a little smaller than Samsung and it is a TN, so probably colors, etc will not be special? Or maybe that is enough still?
Samsung on the other hand, should have much better colors because it is a VA panel. It also has nice 144hz (240hz is totally unimportant to me). It also has Quantum Dot technology, so reds and greens are likely alive in it as well. Still, it is probably not glossy (?) But QLED likely means it is still better than other matte displays for me?
Both support Freesync and are big enough. Both fullhd, which I guess will have to do with my budget and other requirements (never used anything other than 1920x1200 anyway).
I would likely choose Samsung, but I am scared because it has reportedly pixel/text inversion problem!
So if anyone can advice me, on whether I should choose one of these, or provide more details on any of these two displays, or provide any more recommendations/thoughts - that would be great!
Glossy displays discussion 2019
Re: Glossy displays discussion 2019
I agree that glossy is the way to go for screens and having de-matted my VG248QE I really wish there were more screens available with glossy finishes. The downsides of glossy can all be mitigated with control over your environment, such as curtains and moving light sources around, or simply moving the monitor and where it's positioned. I think the prevalence of matte screens is because of people not being able to adjust their settings or it doesn't occur to them that they can simply move a light or the monitor.
Glossy makes a huge difference in terms of contrast and clarity of the picture it's not even funny. I'm not talking about purely a movie setting here, it helps immensely in games for being able to track targets. Putting aside heavy 'matte' coats even the medium finishes look terrible compared to a glossy.
Obviously there are some settings where you really want a matte screen such as a laptop or anything that goes outside or around a non-movable light source, but for home setups glossy should really be the way to go. Sadly there are very few options for glossy and it really comes down to just accepting that you can't get the screen that you want AND glossy.
Dematting while I've done it once is still something I approach with a lot of caution, putting aside doing it properly, it effects the resale value and warranty. Wish glossy was just a tick-box option somewhere on every monitor as it should be.
Glossy makes a huge difference in terms of contrast and clarity of the picture it's not even funny. I'm not talking about purely a movie setting here, it helps immensely in games for being able to track targets. Putting aside heavy 'matte' coats even the medium finishes look terrible compared to a glossy.
Obviously there are some settings where you really want a matte screen such as a laptop or anything that goes outside or around a non-movable light source, but for home setups glossy should really be the way to go. Sadly there are very few options for glossy and it really comes down to just accepting that you can't get the screen that you want AND glossy.
Dematting while I've done it once is still something I approach with a lot of caution, putting aside doing it properly, it effects the resale value and warranty. Wish glossy was just a tick-box option somewhere on every monitor as it should be.
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Kristijonas
- Posts: 3
- Joined: 13 Jul 2019, 13:11
Re: Glossy displays discussion 2019
Thank you for your reply! I agree with everything you wrote.
I honestly considered buying an old Dell Ultrasharp U2410 (not sure if it's any good?) and dematting it (there is a successful tutorial online). But it's just 60hz and likely has mediocre response times as well. The cost is 90euros, so I really considered to buy it as my main monitor.
But in the end I went with Samsung CFG73 27inch. It supposedly has "saturated colors" so I hope that this will feel like a glossy monitor to me. Although it is a bit sad that Samsung does not mention whether or what coating it uses on its displays. Not even in the technical manual. I find that very few display manufacturers provide this information anymore.
Other times, the information provided is even inaccurate. Such as Alienware aw2518hf is stated as 'Glossy' on Dell's website, however many people online say that it is not...
I will see how I like Samsung (Will receive it tomorrow). Will return it if it's really bad, but I have high hopes for it. As someone who used 75hz at most, it will definitely feel 'fast' enough for me. I just hope VA glow and pixel inversion problems reported elsewhere will not be too distracting for me. And who knows, maybe they've somewhat mitigated these issues with the latest shipment of this monitor.
I honestly considered buying an old Dell Ultrasharp U2410 (not sure if it's any good?) and dematting it (there is a successful tutorial online). But it's just 60hz and likely has mediocre response times as well. The cost is 90euros, so I really considered to buy it as my main monitor.
But in the end I went with Samsung CFG73 27inch. It supposedly has "saturated colors" so I hope that this will feel like a glossy monitor to me. Although it is a bit sad that Samsung does not mention whether or what coating it uses on its displays. Not even in the technical manual. I find that very few display manufacturers provide this information anymore.
Other times, the information provided is even inaccurate. Such as Alienware aw2518hf is stated as 'Glossy' on Dell's website, however many people online say that it is not...
I will see how I like Samsung (Will receive it tomorrow). Will return it if it's really bad, but I have high hopes for it. As someone who used 75hz at most, it will definitely feel 'fast' enough for me. I just hope VA glow and pixel inversion problems reported elsewhere will not be too distracting for me. And who knows, maybe they've somewhat mitigated these issues with the latest shipment of this monitor.
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Kristijonas
- Posts: 3
- Joined: 13 Jul 2019, 13:11
Re: Glossy displays discussion 2019
I got the Samsung C27FG73FQU. I think for anyone interested I should leave some feedback so as to be useful for anyone looking into buying a monitor.
First impression - wow it's bright looking! The screen has a very glossy feel to it. It certainly has a matte finish, but it is less than on other displays and I suppose QLED technology negates the bad sides of anti glare coating very well. The colors look VERY vibrant and are quite saturated. This is great for immersive gaming, I think. This is probably the best thing that can be gotten in 2019 for glossy gaming.
Also first impression - build quality looks cheap, my previous display (Benq SW240, released in 2018) weight 10 kilos, this one weighs like 2 times less. But who cares about the build quality
1080p on 27" does seem to feel at a limit. It is alright to me though. Plus, with 144hz, I really had to choose 1080p anyway, or else it would be too little FPS. Again, not a deal breaker and in a certain way, it is nice that things look rather big on this screen (font scaling is not everything). My previous monitor had 94PPI while this one has 81PPI. This definitely feels. But not a deal breaker.
The reported ( I read ALOT before purchase) bad sides of this monitor:
1. pixel/text inversion.
2. VA/backlight glow.
3. All kinds of light spots, yellow/purple tints, dead pixels
4. Eye fatigue.
^ I have NOT experienced ANY of these four even though I specifically looked for them. I did not look for them too much, but I was aware of them. So yeah, very happy about that. I am not even sure what pixel/text inversion is. Text looks fine on this monitor for me.
This effect was reported on this monitor: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/inversion.php I am not sure if I'm just not sensitive enough or what, but I am not seeing anything like this on text. Also no eye fatigue so far.
I have two new bad sides of this monitor to report, however
1. Don't know how to name this. But there are certain "clouds" in some videos I watched. It's like colors are banding? Looks a bit like water stains. Not sure if it's a VA thing or just video I watched. It is noticeable but definitely ignorable and does not happen that often. But still, it is an imperfection.
2. Red colors (only) have a purple tint. This one is weird. There is definitely no purple tint on white or anything, but strong red colors have a rather strong purple tint. For example blood in movies looks rather purple'ish. The purple tint is also rather dark and definitely not pink at all. It is actually a beautiful color in of itself. It also makes reds more saturated, which is good in most gaming scenarios I suppose. But it is not a realistic depiction of red. For example in photos you watch you can be misled of the colors a bit compared to real life. It is that noticeable. Not sure how to fix this, either.
All in all, this monitor feels very peculiar. It is rather different from anything I used before. At the same time, if I do not focus on details too much, the display is actually very enjoyable. It has great entertainment factor. OCD presets are rather good. Cinema IS great for movies. RPG IS great for many games, FPS DOES make everything more visible, etc. But at the same time, I would like a monitor that I would not have to tweak. This one needs to be tweaked for best results (maybe that's with any monitor really?)
For the price (I paid 280 euros) I think it's a great monitor for gaming in 2019.
It is beautiful and alive. Colors are not photographer-friendly accurate and the display is not perfect overall, but it is not in a budget range to be 'perfect'. For 280 euros I think it is a very great choice. Whomever loves glossy monitors should definitely give this a try - colors look amazing! You will not be bored by this display. Blacks are also beautiful. A lot depends on personal settings, which can be a good thing.
TLDR: If you want a glossy gaming monitor in 2019 for ~250-350$ - this is a good choice. VA quality, 144hz, 1ms MPRT, Freesync are all very nice bonuses for gaming. For me, 27" is not too big, so I definitely recommend it against 24". Plus, since my unit did not have the side effects of those in most reviews of 24", perhaps 27" is simply better.
First impression - wow it's bright looking! The screen has a very glossy feel to it. It certainly has a matte finish, but it is less than on other displays and I suppose QLED technology negates the bad sides of anti glare coating very well. The colors look VERY vibrant and are quite saturated. This is great for immersive gaming, I think. This is probably the best thing that can be gotten in 2019 for glossy gaming.
Also first impression - build quality looks cheap, my previous display (Benq SW240, released in 2018) weight 10 kilos, this one weighs like 2 times less. But who cares about the build quality
1080p on 27" does seem to feel at a limit. It is alright to me though. Plus, with 144hz, I really had to choose 1080p anyway, or else it would be too little FPS. Again, not a deal breaker and in a certain way, it is nice that things look rather big on this screen (font scaling is not everything). My previous monitor had 94PPI while this one has 81PPI. This definitely feels. But not a deal breaker.
The reported ( I read ALOT before purchase) bad sides of this monitor:
1. pixel/text inversion.
2. VA/backlight glow.
3. All kinds of light spots, yellow/purple tints, dead pixels
4. Eye fatigue.
^ I have NOT experienced ANY of these four even though I specifically looked for them. I did not look for them too much, but I was aware of them. So yeah, very happy about that. I am not even sure what pixel/text inversion is. Text looks fine on this monitor for me.
This effect was reported on this monitor: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/inversion.php I am not sure if I'm just not sensitive enough or what, but I am not seeing anything like this on text. Also no eye fatigue so far.
I have two new bad sides of this monitor to report, however
1. Don't know how to name this. But there are certain "clouds" in some videos I watched. It's like colors are banding? Looks a bit like water stains. Not sure if it's a VA thing or just video I watched. It is noticeable but definitely ignorable and does not happen that often. But still, it is an imperfection.
2. Red colors (only) have a purple tint. This one is weird. There is definitely no purple tint on white or anything, but strong red colors have a rather strong purple tint. For example blood in movies looks rather purple'ish. The purple tint is also rather dark and definitely not pink at all. It is actually a beautiful color in of itself. It also makes reds more saturated, which is good in most gaming scenarios I suppose. But it is not a realistic depiction of red. For example in photos you watch you can be misled of the colors a bit compared to real life. It is that noticeable. Not sure how to fix this, either.
All in all, this monitor feels very peculiar. It is rather different from anything I used before. At the same time, if I do not focus on details too much, the display is actually very enjoyable. It has great entertainment factor. OCD presets are rather good. Cinema IS great for movies. RPG IS great for many games, FPS DOES make everything more visible, etc. But at the same time, I would like a monitor that I would not have to tweak. This one needs to be tweaked for best results (maybe that's with any monitor really?)
For the price (I paid 280 euros) I think it's a great monitor for gaming in 2019.
It is beautiful and alive. Colors are not photographer-friendly accurate and the display is not perfect overall, but it is not in a budget range to be 'perfect'. For 280 euros I think it is a very great choice. Whomever loves glossy monitors should definitely give this a try - colors look amazing! You will not be bored by this display. Blacks are also beautiful. A lot depends on personal settings, which can be a good thing.
TLDR: If you want a glossy gaming monitor in 2019 for ~250-350$ - this is a good choice. VA quality, 144hz, 1ms MPRT, Freesync are all very nice bonuses for gaming. For me, 27" is not too big, so I definitely recommend it against 24". Plus, since my unit did not have the side effects of those in most reviews of 24", perhaps 27" is simply better.