Looking for Advice on a Good PC Monitor

Hi. Is this where I can ask about PC monitors? I'm going to buy a new screen soon, but I have no idea where to end my journey. I was hoping that I can get any advice from this forum, if it's ok?

This is a huge topic, and there is no right way or wrong way.

To get you started, there are usually 2 main display types, TN panels and IPS panels. TN panels are faster with less lag, so they are often the predominate game monitor. IPS panels however have much better color and viewing angles, so are often considered to be a better looking monitor. Personally, I game on IPS panels without problems. I prefer the better viewing for everything else I do on my computer that is not gaming.

The next thing is refresh rates. Monitors are typically 60hz. Which means they can refresh the image 60 times per second. Many gamers find the faster 120Hz and 144Hz monitors to make for smoother gaming. It's debateable for many people as to whether the human eye can really process differences over 60 frames per second. You will really have to do some reading on this topic to see if you think it would be an impact to you. I personally game at 60 frames per second and have no concerns. I'm in my 40's and my reflexes are now a bigger detriment to me than the refresh rates on my monitor.

Finally, there is resolution. 1920x1080 is more or less the standard. At a 24" or less monitor, that's the resolution you most likely will run. At 27", there are 1440 monitors, which are 2560x1440. You need more graphics power to game at these higher resolutions. 4k is the next coming thing, but you will pay a lot me to be here.

Hopefully that gives you some things to ponder. Monitors are a tough one. Some people spend so much on their PC's and graphics card and they tend to skimp on their monitor. I find that I look at the monitor every moment I use my PC, so I want a very high quality experience there. Finally, you also have to decide if you want multiple monitors. I'm a multiple monitor user, it's hard to just use a single monitor these days. Having dual monitors will obviously double your cost. I don't game with the image split across the 2 monitors. Rather I game on 1 monitor and run things like my communications/chat tool on the second monitor.

Hopefully that gives you some things to ponder. Monitors are a tough one. Some people spend so much on their PC's and graphics card and they tend to skimp on their monitor. I find that I look at the monitor every moment I use my PC, so I want a very high quality experience there. Finally, you also have to decide if you want multiple monitors. I'm a multiple monitor user, it's hard to just use a single monitor these days. Having dual monitors will obviously double your cost. I don't game with the image split across the 2 monitors. Rather I game on 1 monitor and run things like my communications/chat tool on the second monitor.

I to use 2 monitors and in time I'd like to go with 3 for gaming. Gaming on two monitors is not that fun, let me tell you.

As to the OP question; I'm partial to Samsung/Sony/LG brands. If you look at TV's for a monitor......you can find some really decent LED TV's on clearance that work superbly for half the price of a monitor of same caliber.

This is excellent! Thank you. I'm definitely going to be using it primarily for gaming, but I don't want a TN panel because my BenQ monitor that I'm currently have is TN (I think - It's a XL2420T), and the colours and angles are bad. I'm also in the same boat as you regarding refresh rate. I do see a difference between 60 and 120Hz, but it's also very noticable when games drop frames when 120Hz is enabled contra 60. It also makes my computer hot at 120 So basically I want 60Hz IPS but also fast response time, is that possible? I will do 1440p on 27", but not 1080p on 27". Here I would go for 24" to avoide "pixel housing".

I was looking at the Benq EW2770 IPS 27" 1440p because of the eye-care, but now my concern is that what happens if I game at 1080p on a 1440p monitor, will I get black borders or bad scaling here?

I just bought a AOC I2490 IPS 24" 1080p 60Hz Wide Gamut monitor. It got a 4ms (GTG) response time, which is the best I could find on a IPS screen in my location. Even the super expensive gaming-oriented ASUS ROG pg279q IPS monitor have 4ms aswell. I think I will be happy with my purchase because of its features, and it wasn't too expensive either. :)

I'm sure that you will be fine. On my son's gaming computer, we use a 24" Dell Ultrasharp U2415 IPS panel. It runs 1920x1200, and has a normal mode GTG speed of 8ms. It's never been a problem for either of us. I'd buy that monitor again in an heartbeat. Like the AOC, it's almost frameless with practically no bezel around the 3 sides. I paid around $240 a year ago for the Dell.

I just bought a Dell 27" at Costco (on sale). I had a older Viewsonic 23". The new Dell is much clearer on both text and on pictures and videos. Its Model SE21217HR, $139 (member price).
Dell SE2717HR 27" Full HD Monitor

$139 is a pretty solid price on a Dell 27" IPS panel. Couple of things to be aware of, at this price it 1) only has VGA and HDMI input 2). Doesn't have height adjustment stand. 3). only offers 1920x1080 resolution. At 27" I like 1440 myself, so 2560x1440. But that's all personal preference.

I use mine for my recording studio. Lots of "turf" for it.

Well, there are lots of specs. But only three matter to me.
1. Size
2. Usable display angle
3. Brand
Most everything else is academic ... because they're all mostly the same.
And where there ARE differences ... they're mostly ho-hum:
120 Hz? Who cares? (I've never noticed any difference.)
2 msec response time? Who cares? (I've never noticed any difference.)

As for brand ... I've had good results with Viewsonic and LG, but I'd avoid AOC.