Monitor types and Skyrim - need help choosing

[aaltair]

Hello there helpful people :)

I am totally overwhelmed and confused by the seemingly vast array of monitors out there. I'm trying to pick through them all and decide which would make the most sense for use with playing mostly Skyrim and Witcher, doing some photoshopping and watching movies. I do like to take screenshots but i'm playing for the game, not the screenarchery.

I'm using mostly 2k/1k textures in my build, stuff like Vivid Landscapes and aMidian, and I currently have a 23" Asus 1920x1080 LCD. I'm moving cross country and trying to lighten the load...some things are cheaper to replace than to ship and I'm thinking this might be a good opportunity/excuse to upgrade.

 

My graphics card is a gtx 970 and my CPU is an i7-4790 16gb

 

I don't have any complaints about the 1080 monitor per se, but then again I don't really know what I'm missing and I'm seeing people with 2k and 4k monitors, and then there's all these "gaming" monitors...it gets confusing. Plus i'm wondering if these crazy expensive monitors would really make a difference in an older game like Skyrim. I think I would like a monitor with a larger display but even there i'm uncertain because i'm not sure if a larger monitor taxes your GPU more, or what.

 

If anyone can point me in a direction I'd really appreciate it. I don't want to spend a ton of money (i'm seeing monitors for $500+ and that's too much for me) but I got my current monitor 3 years ago for $120 so I don't feel i'm wasting money if I splurge a little either.

 

Thanks in advance!

alicia

[TechAngel85]

I'm not all crazy about color correction and get all nerded out when it comes to monitors like some. I only tell you my personal experience. This is the monitor I purchased a couple years back: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16824236288 . I purchased the 21.5" version back in 2014, and I still use it today. It's a solid monitor that suits my needs. Still no dead pixels either.

 

I can say that I've been extremely happy with it and, imo, the IPS panel makes all the difference. The viewing angles are excellent because it doubles as a TV, and the correctness and richness of the colors is far superior than my previous monitors. Watching a Bluray movie on this monitor with the right color settings is a very, very good experience! This one is within a similar price range to your old monitor; assuming you're okay with the 1920x1080 resolution. Else, moving up to the next resolution (2560 x 1440), on a similar monitor would cost you over $300 (USD). IPS technology is still more expensive than most of the other panel technology.

 

This is also assuming that your not an avid First-person Shooter player (BF, Call of Duty, Titanfall, etc) due to the 5ms response time. Keen eyes can detect some ghosting (blurriness when moving the mouse quickly) and tests will show this. In the case that you are, then you'll want a TN panel with something closer to a 1-2ms response time. These start closer to $200(USD). TN panels do have a smaller viewing angles so proper placement will be more important.

 

As for brands, I've always stuck to companies who are known for their quality. You often "get what you pay for" when if comes to computer hardware brands. ASUS is one of my personal top picks. They make some really solid products.

[hishutup]

I dont really see the point of 4k monitors as what they offer for someone like me isn't all that beneficial, I feel that currently its much better to downscale than run the game at native with no or limited aa.

I definitely am looking at getting an ultrawide though because they have a different experience to offer, especially the larger curved ones.

 

I would figure someone in your position would be looking for a better panel that is more color accurate.

The higher end ones offer lower latency, higher refresh rate, better response time, among a few other things. I've always had a cheap panel and I've never really been happy with them, I am trying to change this.

 

My specs are below, I can tell you I would struggle maxing games out at anything higher than 1920x1080 with MSAA or downsampling.

My panel is a Samsung SyncMaster EX2220, my problems are TN panel, color accuracy is garbage and its too small

The panel I got my mom is by far better ASUS VN248H-P, its stand is terrible and wobbly plus it only connects via HDMI, I prefer DP, but its an IPS panel, good size and has good color.

 

TN benefits are faster response and cheaper

IPS are more color accurate and are a much better panel. The downside is back light bleed can be hit or miss, my experience shows that its a none issue as its better than my TN.

 

Tech: I have a bunch of ASUS products but they always seem like they are hit and miss when looking online.

Although, I will say I have been very fortunate and only had one go bad.

[aaltair]

Thanks all of that is super helpful. I have an 11" chromebook I use for traveling, it has an IPS screen and I've been very impressed with how good it looks for what was intended as just a really inexpensive travel browser. The colors just seem more vivid than on my PC monitor. I'm not too concerned with viewing angles for the PC as I just sit right in front of it (we have a projector and huge screen for 'serious' movie night :D ) but it seems like the IPS just has better color for whatever reason, the technology eludes me. Pretty irritating when I sit the chromebook next to the monitor and the chromebook screen looks better than the monitor which cost as much as the chromebook, lol. This one actually looks pretty nice and is a serious size upgrade: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236584

[TechAngel85]

Yep, that one is fairly close to the one I posted, but bigger and with speakers.