Need advice for a new monitor, i already tested many

[MKdivine]

I originally used the Acer XB253QGP for fours years now and had no issues, but upgrading to monitors with 240Hz or higher has been a real pain. Despite trying every setting (brightness, color levels, etc.), I just can’t get the displays to feel comfortable. I used to be excited about upgrading, but now I find the newer displays unbearable, especially with eye strain when doing text work. I think the Acer X25 also has slight PWM or something, at least when i read about it its not perfect but seriously its just like the old displays and my old macbook 2016 for me, all day is usually not a problem.

My last eye test - i wear glasses and my eyesight didnt change for 10 years which is impressive and they said my eyes are really really good when wearing glasses, i doubt its the glasses but i will check that out again.

Here's a list of the displays I tried:

Gigabyte AORUS FO27Q3 (360Hz QD OLED): Beautiful display, but caused severe eye strain, migraines, and fatigue. Despite trying all settings, I couldn't get used to it, and it made me more sensitive to light in general, including TVs and LED lights. 3/10 score overall for usability for me

ASUS PG27AQN: Solid gaming experience, but the colors were off, and I had consistent eye pain after 1-3 hours of use, especially when doing text work. My girlfriend had similar symptoms. I think its the backlight. 5/10 score for usability, maybe i could have gotten more used to it but its not worth it when its not okay to begin with and too high of a price.

Acer Nitro XV272UF3bmiiprx: Sharp and clear, but the eye strain was unbearable, especially after 30 minutes. Despite being marketed as eye-safe with Acer VisionCare, it made my eyes feel sharp pain and discomfort, often carrying over to the next day. 0/10 score, was the worst when it came to the time it took to get symptoms

AOC 25G3ZM/BK: Better than the others, but still causes some eye strain after a couple of hours. I suspect strobing might be to blame. It was a cheaper option to try VA and 240Hz, but the sharpness and focus weren’t as good as my old XB25. 5/10 score, it could work out and i like it overall, VA smearing is a little annoying on the extreme overdrive setting and overall VA is a bit weird but im impressed with the value for the money.

I also tried sitting much further away (i dont sit close), disabling all lights in the room and everything else you can imagine like eyedrops and getting more "used" to it which usually only made it worse. I also tried different heights, viewing angles, with or without the stand.
It seems like something’s changed with newer monitors, whether it's the backlight or something else. I’ve tried different settings in Windows 10/11 with no improvement. I could have tried Linux but that would also not be my usecase for gaming. I really wanted to keep them all, not kidding. They all were amazing in their own terms and an upgrade. On every monitor i tried and used sRGB mode too and kept that mode most of the time.

I’m avoiding QD OLEDs due to their PWM and my experience, and WOLEDs don't seem ideal for text and im unsure if im able to tolerate it, ive read some people are fine that were in my situation but im very sceptical. NanoIPS seems to be out of the race, i dont know if the ACER 24inches the Nitro and the Predator series would be okay or if they are as toxic as their newer Acer Nitro XV272UF3, which was the worst together with the QD OLED.

Im open to almost anything, i read many also have problems with the TN Zowies when it comes to the strobing, i would never use DYAC or anything like ULMB2/BFI/VRR to begin with.

Whats also funny is the fact that i can use my original monitor at a much higher brightness and it does not matter if i put it really close to my face (think of CS2 gamers) i dont get any eyestrain or anything like it. Never.
Im very open to suggestions maybe someone has a great idea. I thought about the Acer Nitro 360 model but im unsure.

[kyube]

explanation

Greetings, thank you for the great historical background information, this helps immensely in recommending you a display.

You seem to have issues with Nano IPS (KSF/PFS) panels, as many other users have reported. All the 1440p >240hz IPS displays employ one. I would assume QD-based should also be scratched for you.

You're in luck when it comes to the 1080p display space, as there's a vast amount of them which employ standard, classic WLED backlights

You're correct to avoid OLED as well, since they all have a ~20% brightness drop (~80cd/m2 if at ~220cd/m2 brightness which is around the max of modern OLED displays) which affects some individuals.

Take a look at the XL2566X+ or XL2546X+, these should be decent upgrades over your 1080p 144hz panel, as they are one of the best G2G response time >300Hz displays on the market.
I would avoid >300Hz IPS displays compared to these two, as they are much slower / worse clarity than TN equivalents and some employ a Nano IPS-esque type of backlight.

The Zowie models are also great even without their strobing implementation (DyAc), as 400Hz sample & hold clarity is much clearer over 144hz.
DyAc can somewhat simulate ~1–2kHz-esque clarity, depending on model but strobing is band-aid and all humans dislike flicker.

Hope this helps.

[MKdivine]

thanks for the answer. i tried the Asus ROG Swift Pro PG248QP and it also gives me issues, i think it uses KSF as well.

what options despite the zowie do i have? i find TN matte to be quite awful, at least the asus PG248QP looks somewhat washed and grainy, almost too pixelated for my liking. i love the response time and the high hz tho for gaming. but the gsync also flickers which is weird. its a known issue.

is there anything in the 1440p space that is good? what other 1080p monitors might be good too? i thought about the zowie 400hz to be honest, seems good but like i wrote, its hard for me with the grainy coating.

although QD OLED was a pain, i dont know about WOLED. many on reddit reported it to be much better for their eyes.

[kyube]

thanks for the answer. i tried the Asus ROG Swift Pro PG248QP and it also gives me issues, i think it uses KSF as well.

what options despite the zowie do i have? i find TN matte to be quite awful, at least the asus PG248QP looks somewhat washed and grainy, almost too pixelated for my liking. i love the response time and the high hz tho for gaming. but the gsync also flickers which is weird. its a known issue.

is there anything in the 1440p space that is good? what other 1080p monitors might be good too? i thought about the zowie 400hz to be honest, seems good but like i wrote, its hard for me with the grainy coating.

although QD OLED was a pain, i dont know about WOLED. many on reddit reported it to be much better for their eyes.

Yes, the Asus has a KSF/PFS WLED backlight.
Apart from the Zowie's, there are none. At least non-WCG panels.

Have you looked into applying a screen protector? This can alleviate the graininess of the coating, somewhat turning the diaplay from matte to glossy:
https://superuser.com/questions/1844437 ... ssy-safely
https://viascreens.com/screen-protector ... 586x/vivid

phpBB [video]

In the 1440p space, only the Omen X 27 is non-WCG.
The rest is KSF/PFS & QD... apart from WOLED's.