Looking to buy a new monitor in the next 3 months, which would you choose?

[TickleMyElmo]

So, I still need to sell my RAM and PC Case to make some cash, no luck yet unfortunately but time will tell. BTW, they are in the classifieds section if you're interested. Anyhow. I'm looking to buy a decent 4K monitor and these are the only ones at my local Micro Center I found interesting. I don't trust monitors being shipped so this seems much safer? For the monitor that is. So here are the three I have my eyes on. What do you guys look for in a 4K monitor? Let me know what you guys think.

 

[EarthDog]

What someone looks for in a monitor depends on their use case. Since I primarily game and work on it, I want high Hz, at least 600 brightness, 165Hz+ and a wide color gamut. I'm not upgrading to 4K myself until prices come down on 165Hz+ models and the next-gen graphics are out that can support those speeds. Even a 4090 would struggle on some titles at 165Hz/FPS.

Why 4K?
What res and Hz do you play on now? If you're coming from 2560x1440/165, this could be a downgrade in experience.
What are your uses for the monitor? I'd guess gaming since it's 144 Hz?


The real concern, for me, is that your 3080Ti can't really support 4K/144 gaming (those are all 144 Hz 4K...) in a lot of titles. So, you're going to drop several hundo (I swear you were just broke and didn't want to spend $20 on Windows, lol) and may not have as good of a gaming experience because of the loss in FPS or reduction in IQ to make up for it. Just depends on what you want out of the upgrade.



A sweet spot for your hardware is 2560x1440 165Hz+

 

[TickleMyElmo]

Thanks for all the information ED. I am still broke until next month and selling the items I mentioned would help A LOT. I don't plan on buying a 4K monitor for at least 3 months, coupled with selling my 3080ti eventually and upgrading to an rtx 4080 so it will be quite awhile, but I love to window shop ya know? I get pretty bored in the early morn. I currently play on a 1440p 165Hz monitor. I truly don't need anymore than 144Hz. I'm not a big FPS multiplayer game guy. Like I said this won't be for a few months, so hopefully my items will sell by then and I can save up some cash. I honestly don't know why I always want the best of the best when it comes to cpu stuff but that's just me I guess. I KNOW I don't NEED it, I just want it, and if I have the extra cash, within time I will probably get it. It's an OCD thing, I guess.

 

[EarthDog]

I'd ping us when you're closer to making the purchase...in 3+ months pricing can change significantly, other options available, etc...

Of those, right now, the BenQ or the Asus.

 

[TickleMyElmo]

I was thinking the same. Probably the Asus if it's still the best deal in three months.

 

[EarthDog]

I was thinking the same. Probably the Asus if it's still the best deal in three months.

It's not the best deal now, lol.. it's the most expensive.

Hopefully when you're ready, it's cheaper. I wouldn't get the Asus over the BenQ for $100 more...

 

[TickleMyElmo]

Well I was looking at the HDR rating, and the cdm. I know that can make or break a 4K monitor. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[EarthDog]

Well I was looking at the HDR rating, and the cdm. I know that can make or break a 4K monitor. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Depends on what you want out of the monitor...

HDR doesn't make or break anything (IMO). Either it has the ability or doesn't. I think it improves IQ and contrast, but I wouldn't call it a make or break.........again unless you feel you need that feature, then of course it is. But that's a personal thing.

cdm?????? You mean brightness (cd/m is a measurement of brightness)? I don't think the LG is HDR rated as its brightness is 350 cd/m which, IIRC, is below the threshold (HDR 400 is the lowest). So only the Asus and BenQ like say anything about HDR.

 

[TickleMyElmo]

Yes, I meant cd/m. I kinda figured the LG wasn't going to be up to my expectations, but I included it because it was cheaper. I have seen the BenQ in the store last time I visited and it was stunning. But that was in a store and just sitting on the desktop view. What I want out of a 4K monitor are deeper and more visually pleasing graphics/viewing. Maybe a 1440p OLED would be a better choice?
I don't know, some people can't even tell the difference between a 4K and a good 1440p monitor but I sure can. I really enjoy talking about pc things and you guys are all I have. None of my friends are pc nerds like me and they could care less.

 

[EarthDog]

cd/m is a measurement.... a measurement of brightness.

I'm going to tell you to look at the monitors and see for yourself. For PC computing, I'm a bit nervous to go OLED because of burn-in issues with the technology and how static desktops are (taskbar, for example). I'm not even looking at OLED PC monitors until the next gen, or my worries have been mitigated. You may not care...

I'm personally waiting for less expensive 4K/165hz IPS panels, not OLED (yet). My TV is OLED, lol.

 

[TickleMyElmo]

Nice! My tv is just a 59 inch LG 4k smart tv. Couldn't afford a decent OLED at that size. Besides I'm always just watching the news or the food channel so burn in would definately happen sooner rather than later. I mostly use my tv as a kinda sound backdrop or something to make me feel not so lonely. I rarely ever watch movies or anything worth OLED prices. I was pissed when I found out my tv didn't support Steam streaming because of the LG tech it uses. BTW, I know what cd/m is I just didn't spell it right.

 

[EarthDog]

BTW, I know what cd/m is I just didn't spell it right.

Sorry, the point I'm trying to get across there was that a lot of people know what brightness is, less know how it's measured/that term. Just odd you brought up the metric, but not the name of the feature it measures.

 

[FoldingAddict]

Couldn't imagine spending $900+ on an IPS monitor these days with how good OLED is at similar prices. I have both an Acer Predator X27 (27" 4k 144hz IPS) and a 42" LG C2 OLED and I couldn't imagine using the X27 for games ever again. I haven't used any of those monitors you listed specifically, but the contrast of OLED makes such a visual difference that you can't go back to anything else. At those prices ranges I'd definitely consider it. Not sure who is burning their OLEDs so much that it's this big thing people worry about. Don't do some stupid crap like leave an Amazon window open for 40 hours with the screen at full brightness and all the burn-in protection features turned off.

 

[TickleMyElmo]

Good point. But. I always have core temp running on the bottom right, and I do tend to keep the desktop open more than usual. As long as I can keep these things going at around 4 hours a day without it going into "burn in feature" before 30 minutes at a time then I should be good. I do always have my brightness turned all the way up though. It's pretty dark in my mom's basement. Lol.

 

[EarthDog]

Not sure who is burning their OLEDs so much that it's this big thing people worry about. Don't do some stupid crap like leave an Amazon window open for 40 hours with the screen at full brightness and all the burn-in protection features turned off.

It's not as big of an issue as it was on TVs, however, the PC is a different beast altogether, with a lot more static items. Taskbar, for example. How you place your Windows/browsers... I work on my PC ~8 hours day. Maybe I'm more of a creature of habit with app/browser placement (I use the Windows option to split it 9/10 times rather than custom size). It's not a zOMG thing, but as someone who's on the PC up to 12 hours a day (work and gaming, yeeesh, lol), it can be a concern using OLED without additional mitigating factors (hiding taskbar, moving windows around, etc).

I do always have my brightness turned all the way up though. It's pretty dark in my mom's basement. Lol.

Typically, the brightness goes down as it gets darker. You want the brightness turned up for bright and sunny rooms. Many OLEDs, including my LG, will automatically adjust the brightness based on the room. The brighter the room, the higher it cranks it up. That's also a BAD thing for OLED burn-in... the lower, the better is what I think we found in another there here.

 

[TickleMyElmo]

Anything above 32 inches for a monitor is just too big for me. 42 inches is like TV size man. It wouldn't even fit on my desk.
I honestly prefer 27 inches over 32 but most good 4K monitors are 32 inch. My monitor sits around a foot and a half from my face so it's kinda tough seeing the whole screen when it's larger than 27 inches.

 

[FoldingAddict]

It's not as big of an issue as it was on TVs, however, the PC is a different beast altogether, with a lot more static items. Taskbar, for example. How you place your Windows/browsers... I work on my PC ~8 hours day. Maybe I'm more of a creature of habit with app/browser placement (I use the Windows option to split it 9/10 times rather than custom size). It's not a zOMG thing, but as someone who's on the PC up to 12 hours a day (work and gaming, yeeesh, lol), it can be a concern using OLED without additional mitigating factors (hiding taskbar, moving windows around, etc).

OLEDs make good gaming monitors was my point, not good web browsing monitors. My C2 is essentially always blank except for when I'm running a game or doing a short term task. Everything static goes on the X27.

 

[EarthDog]

Two monitors do make a good mitigation strategy, indeed (albeit an expensive one). All I'm saying is typical PC desktops can have a lot of static elements. I think it's worth being conscious of the fact that it can still happen (as it still can on TVs, though again, better than years prior), especially if you don't have the luxury of a second monitor to house the more static functions.