Where can I find a high-end 21.5" monitor like this, pref by ASUS?

JamesAndersonJr · 23 Aug 2020

I'm looking for a perfect, small, high-end monitor, with the following specs:

144-280+Hz (modern refresh rate range)
400+ nits peak brightness (for HDR 400+)
HDR 400+ DisplayHDR 400 certification
Wide Color Gamut
IPS Panel
1ms (GTG) Response Time
Flicker-Free
100,000,000:1 (or better) Dynamic Contrast Ratio
Inputs: DisplayPort 1.4-2.0 + HDMI 2.0-2.1 + Dual Link DVI-D (for maximum versatility and graphics card support)
21.5" (for a clean, classy, small footprint, maximum space saving, and sharpest raster-graphics @ 1080p 100% default scaling)
FHD 1080p (or higher e.g. 4K simply for HDR compatibility) Resolution
10-point Multi-Touch (because, why not?)

Does it exist?

Ghot · 24 Aug 2020

Hello @JamesAndersonJr

Have you tried here, under Products > Display & Projector

ASUS USA

JamesAndersonJr · 24 Aug 2020

Ghot said:

Have you tried here, under Products > Display & Projector

ASUS USA

Yes, it looks like they haven't manufactured any small 21.5" high-end monitors yet...
I used their check-box filtered list here: Professional | Monitors | ASUS USA and as soon as I checked 19.5"-22", only a handful of monitors remained. The ASUSPRO C422AQH Business Monitor was the closest I could find. Though I would be sacrificing a LOT of my qualifications!

But before I pull the trigger on that one, do you know of any non-ASUS monitors that come closer to my qualification list?

bobkn · 24 Aug 2020

Here's one quickie "research" check: monitors | Newegg.com

If you add a 10bit color requirement, the number of hits drops quite a bit.

If you buy a 10bit monitor, check that it supports HDR. One of my monitors is an oldish Samsung U28D590D. It was an early UHD monitor (3840 X 2160) that supported 60 Hz (but only via DP; it had HDMI 1.4). It claims 10 bit support, but it isn't an HDR monitor. As it's a TN panel, it's probably not a true 10 bit one. My newer LG monitor does HDR (and it's IPS). However, I get the feeling that HDR in Windows isn't quite ready for prime time. (My graphics card is an RTX 2080 Super, and I'm using a DP connection.)

If you find a monitor of any size that checks off every box in your wish list, let us know. I'd bet (5¢) that no such creature exists. Even if you omit the touch screen requirement.

The second thing I'd pare from the list is dual-link DVI. It's still present on many graphics cards, but it's headed towards extinction.

Ghot · 24 Aug 2020

JamesAndersonJr said:

Yes, it looks like they haven't manufactured any small 21.5" high-end monitors yet...
I used their check-box filtered list here: Professional | Monitors | ASUS USA and as soon as I checked 19.5"-22", only a handful of monitors remained. The ASUSPRO C422AQH Business Monitor was the closest I could find. Though I would be sacrificing a LOT of my qualifications!

But before I pull the trigger on that one, do you know of any non-ASUS monitors that come closer to my qualification list?

As @bobkn mentioned, Newegg, has great navigation for a search like yours. So does PCPartpicker...
Choose A Monitor - PCPartPicker

I looked on PCPartpicker and checked off your "requirements". I didn't get very far through your list, until there were no monitors left.

IMO, the biggest issue with your search, is the monitor size. Most people, for home and work requirements, have started switching to larger monitors. So the manufacturer's, in response, have started making the smaller monitors, less feature rich, and a LOT cheaper.

I think if you opted for something like a 27" monitor, you could get a lot closer to your list of requirements.

The other thing I've noticed lately, with monitors, is that those with truly stellar professional specs, are hard to find at high refresh rates.

Another company to check would be DELL, and their Ultrasharp line. But again, you might have to give up on the high refresh rate if you want stellar professional specs.

JamesAndersonJr · 25 Aug 2020

Ghot said:

I think if you opted for something like a 27" monitor, you could get a lot closer to your list of requirements.

Along with 27" being uncomfortably large, and unnecessary, not to mention conspicuously gaudy, I always felt if you don't stick with 21-23" @ 1080p you have to deal with high/low dpi issues, where unnatural zooming is necessary or reversely where things look stretched and blurry. But I'm willing to keep an open mind, so...

Any idea of a good monitor size where 2560x1440 (2K) resolution wouldn't look uncomfortably tiny, and you could stick to 100% default scale in Windows?

Let me know also if 27"+ would be necessary for this.

Ghot · 25 Aug 2020

JamesAndersonJr said:

Along with 27" being uncomfortably large, and unnecessary, not to mention conspicuously gaudy, I always felt if you don't stick with 21-23" @ 1080p you have to deal with high/low dpi issues, where unnatural zooming is necessary or reversely where things look stretched and blurry. But I'm willing to keep an open mind, so...

Any idea of a good monitor size where 2560x1440 (2K) resolution won't look uncomfortably tiny, and you could stick to 100% default scale in Windows?

Good monitors don't "stretch the pixels", only cheap ones do.
ALWAYS check the pixel pitch on a monitor, when checking the other specs. As you just pointed out, it's one of the most important.

Good monitors of ALL sizes/resolutions, will have pixel pitch below .23 or so. The really nice screen have a pp lower than .20.

It is true that a lot of the abnormally wide screen will stretch the pixels. But any decent monitor that holds to 16:9 should have a decent pixel pitch.

As I hinted at above... these days, 27" (2560 x 1440) is the new 1080p. And unfortunately for those that want smaller screens, the manufacturers will follow that... demand.

JamesAndersonJr · 25 Aug 2020

Ghot said:

Good monitors of ALL sizes/resolutions, will have pixel pitch below .23 or so. The really nice screen have a pp lower than .20.

If only I knew that before today!!! Ugh!!! I just purchased this monitor: TUF GAMING VG259QM | Monitors | ASUS USA as my daily driver, and while it is very bright and fast, it is also slightly blurry. So mad at myself!!!

Ghot · 25 Aug 2020

JamesAndersonJr said:

If only I knew that before today!!! Ugh!!! I just purchased this monitor: TUF GAMING VG259QM | Monitors | ASUS USA as my daily driver, and while it is very bright and fast, it is also slightly blurry. So mad at myself!!!

.28 isn't THAT bad. From your topic and monitor requirements, I assumed you were looking for a monitor that was mainly for things like image editing, with a side of light gaming.

When asking for recommendations for monitors, the most important piece of info, is what you plan to use it for.
If your main use will be gaming, .28pp is fine.

I've seen professional monitors have pixel pitches as low as .12xx

You probably still have time to cancel the order or return it if you want.

pparks1 · 25 Aug 2020

JamesAndersonJr said:

Any idea of a good monitor size where 2560x1440 (2K) resolution wouldn't look uncomfortably tiny, and you could stick to 100% default scale in Windows?

I am a big fan of that resolution that you mention. My work display that I use at home runs 2560x1440, it's a 25" Dell Ultrasharp U2518D. It however doesn't have many of these things you listed in your requirements.

For my desktop computer, I run an Asus ProArt PA278QV, which is a 27" 2560x1440 that I run at 100% in Windows. It also misses many of the requirements that you mention, but I absolutely love it. Colors are accurate, brightness is great and cost was fantastic. High refresh rates and HDR were not important to me.