DELL 3007 WFP-HC: bad for gaming, ie. worth replacing?

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Gruust
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DELL 3007 WFP-HC: bad for gaming, ie. worth replacing?

Post by Gruust » 16 Sep 2018, 12:06

Hello!

I'm currently using a DELL 3007 WFP-HC monitor, IPS panel, 60 Hz, decent colors, decent picture, some buzzing, lots of motion blur.

My impression is that it is not too good for gaming because of the following reasons:

1.) blur
2.) too high resolution (2560x1600) for my budget gfx card, which requires me to play at 1920x1080 non-native (!) resolution, which isn't a problem lag-wise, because there is no complex scaler built in AFAIK (if at all), but it certainly does not improve the picture quality.
3.) non-variable frame rate that possibly makes games look choppier than needed when the 60 fps cannot be reached.
4.) tends to give me quite a bit of eye strain.

For those reasons I consider buying a second monitor for gaming.

Are there 27" 1080p FreeSync/G-Sync budget monitors that are considerably better for gaming, esp regarding the points listed? i.e. was someone able to compare them personally or even side by side? 25" or even 24" would, maybe, still be acceptable, tho I'd prefer to stay at 27".

I currently have an nVidia gfx card, but it's unstable and I'm gonna upgrade the PSU next to check if I need to replace the card. For that reason I don't know yet whether it has to be a G-Sync monitor or a FreeSync one. If I have to buy a new gfx card, it will be a decision based on prices, and it seems AMD/FreeSync currently has an edge there.

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Re: DELL 3007 WFP-HC: bad for gaming, ie. worth replacing?

Post by Chief Blur Buster » 17 Sep 2018, 13:42

Oh yes, you definitely will get a much better result from a gaming monitor.

Consider that upgrading your GPU will make you practically ready for 2560x1600 or 2560x1440
I'm able to play 2560x1440 in most games at practically 144 frames per second in most of my games on my GeForce 1080 Ti, and GSYNC can allow most below-144fps drops quite seamlessly. So a 165Hz 1440p IPS monitor could actually replace your 2560x1600 if you don't mind a minor downgrade in resolution and slight reduction in size. Or perhaps, getting a 32" 1440p monitor -- bigger but slightly lower resolution.

Yes, you will benefit from variable refresh rate
For your situation (since you don't seem to need eSports-critical features) I do highly recommend you get variable refresh rate (GSYNC or FreeSync) because it really does greatly improve the experience. 50fps means the monitor is currently running at 50Hz, keeping framerate and Hertz matched permanently -- even hundreds of times per second -- and 50fps@50Hz (no stutters) looks much better than either 50fps@60Hz (stutters)

Some newer monitors have lots more eyestrain-adjustment features
We are not doctors but I can attest to multiple hard-to-diagnose causes of strain. If you are getting eyestrain/headache, there are many causes that is hard to diagnose.
  • Strain from Brightness .... Use reduced brightness, low-blue-light feature, and also adjust room lighting
  • Strain from Flicker .... Use a monitor with a PWM-free backlight mode
  • Strain from Stutter .... Use a variable refresh rate monitor and also fix your mouse microstutters
  • Strain from Motion blur .... Use a motion blur reduction backlight (and/or a higher framerate on high Hz)
  • Strain from Close Distance .... Try putting monitor slightly further away from you, use bigger monitor if need be
  • Strain from Input Lag .... Get a lower lag TN display
  • Strain from bad viewing angles .... Stick to IPS or VA instead of TN (but then you gain other problems like motion blur and lag)
  • Strain from bad colors (undersaturated, oversaturated) .... Calibrate or get a display with better colors, etc.
  • Etc
The great thing is that many gaming monitors can be adjustable for many of above, to attempt to figure out what's afflicting you the most. That said, it's hard to get a perfect model. You will have to prioritize a bit. As a random example, it is hard to tell if you will be happier with a Viewsonic XG2560 (240Hz but it's TN technology) or if you will be happier with a Samsung C27HG70 (144Hz but it's VA technology, better colors but more laggy) or happier with a Dell S2417DG/S2716DG or another model. You will certainly see big gaming improvements as your existing monitor is a very suboptimal for gaming. The question is simply your priorities.

To see the benefits of VRR, close all windows, free up your CPU, and then open a stutter-free web browser (one that can do the default TestUFO animation perfectly smooth at testufo.com ...) and then view http://www.testufo.com/vrr ..... Chose Slow/Fast/Random/Struggle. This TestUFO animation uses software-based frame interpolation to simulate a variable refresh rate monitor. You'll see how a VRR monitor can help benefit in removing stutter from framerate-vs-Hz mismatching. Mind you, major stalls (minor freezes, disk accesses, and stalls) will still show through as stutter on a VRR display. But simple framerate fluctuations magically stop stuttering, it seamlessly transitions framerates without visible framerate-change transitions.
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Re: DELL 3007 WFP-HC: bad for gaming, ie. worth replacing?

Post by RealNC » 17 Sep 2018, 13:52

Since you're already using an IPS, I would recommend one of the 27" IPS g-sync monitors. They're 1440p though, not 1080p. If you get a new GPU, a GTX 1070 or higher will cope well with 1440p. 60FPS minimum is pretty much guaranteed. These monitors can go up to 144Hz (or 165Hz by enabling the overclock setting in the OSD.) And a high-refresh rate G-Sync display will improve the experience a lot when there's FPS fluctuations.

I have such a monitor, and its motion blur and responsiveness is pretty much on par with TN gaming monitors at the same refresh rates.

A VA monitor might also be a good choice, like the LG 32GK850G. It's 31.5" 1440p 165Hz G-Sync.

Basically, since you're used to IPS right now, going for another IPS or VA monitor would allow the change to not feel like a downgrade in image quality. And these monitors use IPS or VA panels that are actually suitable for gaming, be it at 60FPS or 120FPS+.
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Re: DELL 3007 WFP-HC: bad for gaming, ie. worth replacing?

Post by Chief Blur Buster » 17 Sep 2018, 14:03

Reposting from another thread, some potential "in-place" replacements of the 3007 WFP-HC with something of similar color quality (but much better gaming quality):

Strobed High-Hz VA:
Samsung C27HG70 - 27" 2560x1440 VA 144Hz FreeSync
Samsung C32HG70 - 32" 2560x1440 VA 144Hz FreeSync

Strobed High-Hz IPS:
Acer Predator XB271HU - 27" 2560x1440 IPS 165Hz G-SYNC
AOC AG271QG - 27" 2560x1440 IPS 165Hz G-SYNC
ASUS ROG PG279Q - 27" 2560x1440 IPS 165Hz G-SYNC
Viewsonic XG2703-GS - 27" 2560x1440 IPS 165Hz G-SYNC

It's a personal decision whether to buy a 2nd monitor and keep the 3007 -- or buy a replacement that tries to allow you to have cake & eat it too!
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