Buying new Display - Advise please

[Partysan]

So, having built myself a new desktop computer I need to buy a display (using my TV for the moment, but this won't do any longer).
My basic criteria are:
- full HD obviously
- IPS/non-TN panel for good viewing angles
- usable for gaming (fast reaction time/low input lag)
- good colour reproduction to enjoy movies

I don't do graphics design, so I don't need a professional panel.

Now my real question is: do I go for a basic 23' high quality display (in this case the Eizo Foris FS2333-BK seems to be an excellent choice) or do I want 27' and possibly 3d capabilities? (I know some people find 1920x1080 to be insufficient for a 27' display, but I had a look at the store and decided it was acceptable.) And if I prefer the latter, what display would be good and affordable? I heard Korean displays were unbeatable in 27' gaming but I've never seen any.

Any advice?

[Erloas]

Well I'm going to say that I don't like 1080p displays for PC use, they are just too limited in vertical room. I've got 1920x1200 and even that seems a bit short at times. Although 1080p panels tend to be cheaper.
"Full HD" is kind of a meaningless statement on the PC side of things, since 1080p is "Full HD" in TV terms but it is the low end of what is acceptable for any PC enthusiast. As for good color reproduction, I think that is pretty much a given on IPS panels, I think that is really only an issue on the lower end TN panels.

A couple important questions is what is your budget, what kind of graphics card do you have, and what games are you wanting to play?

You can get some good monitors at the higher resolutions for not much more then 1080p when you are comparing similar panel types (obviously a TN panel will be a lot cheaper then an IPS). But if you have a lower end graphics card that is only going to do 1080p before it starts struggling with the games you are going to play then it doesn't make sense to pay for a more expensive monitor. But on the other side if you have a fancy new SLI/crossfire setup or a high end video card and it is kind of a waste if you don't run them at a higher resolution. After all why would you pay $400 for a video card(s) if you aren't going to push it past what a $150 card could do?

3D kind of plays a role in that too. I know that requires more GPU power but I don't know how much. I'm also not sure how many games support it, so if it is worth doing or not is hard to say.

It seems like you have a pretty good idea of what you are looking for already though. I would probably start by putting your requirements into Newegg and doing a search for what matches. Seeing as how you are from Germany you might not be able to buy from them but they have a good selection and the best search I've found for using computer specs, so find what options they have and see where you can find the same items where you live. Newegg also tends to have quite a few user reviews that are actually worth reading.

[Partysan]

Well, it's not like I wouldn't take a x1200 , I just don't want to go below "Full HD".

My budget is in the 300s (in €). I can go slightly higher if I find something I really like, but I'm trying to keep it under 400€.

My graphics card for the next time is going to be an ATI Radeon HD 7950, affordable and reasonably strong. Also, nice game bundle. Very probably at least, as I'm using an older, borrowed card right now and am going to buy it next month. (I'm building that machine from parts and buying gradually.)

Anyway, what I play varies, but Far Cry 3 and heavily modded Skyrim will be there at the least, and those aren't too shabby in the graphics department.

I'm really quite sure that the Eizo is great, I just don't want to regret not buying a larger display or not having 3d. I'm big on not missing out on things.

[Don Julio Anejo]

3D is a failed gimmick. You might use it once or twice, get a headache and forget. Or you might not even use it at all. Very few games even do 3D to begin with, so not missing out much there.

Eizo's are generally on the upper side of things, so I personally might consider lower end brands like Dell - for example their U2410 is considered one of the best monitors, like ever and is heavily used by photographers. Eizo is like Mercedes - their high end stuff is awesome, but their lower end stuff might be worse than other brands' lower end stuff simply because you're paying for the brand what you could be paying for manufacturing.

Also, for your needs, any IPS will do: they have decent response times and little blur. TN panels actually blur a little more. Any differences between panels will most likely be negligible. Just.. don't go PVA.

[Partysan]

3D is a failed gimmick. You might use it once or twice, get a headache and forget. Or you might not even use it at all. Very few games even do 3D to begin with, so not missing out much there.

Eizo's are generally on the upper side of things, so I personally might consider lower end brands like Dell - for example their U2410 is considered one of the best monitors, like ever and is heavily used by photographers. Eizo is like Mercedes - their high end stuff is awesome, but their lower end stuff might be worse than other brands' lower end stuff simply because you're paying for the brand what you could be paying for manufacturing.

For games that's probably true, but it's becoming rather ubiquitous in movies.

Also, that Eizo got stellar reviews, I won't get it if it's too expensive around here though.



Does anyone here know more about Korean brands of gamer monitors?

[Don Julio Anejo]

For games that's probably true, but it's becoming rather ubiquitous in movies.
It's still a failed gimmick. My parents have a 3D TV, for example.. Amount of time it was used: once, to see what it's like, because it sucks and significantly distracts from actually.. watching the movie. The only place I'll admit it's good is Avatar, and that was a movie filmed just to show off 3D. Otherwise, it's "oh look, this flower is a little closer than this other flower." Some movies aren't even filmed in 3D and are digitized afterward instead. Not sure if MiB 3 was filmed in 3D or not, but its 3D was really bad in theatres and just made it look extra blurry.

Honestly, it's just the latest gimmick to sell you a new TV, since pretty much everyone already has HD flat panels.

Also, keep in mind your source for movies. And taking into account processing, even playing off a Blu-ray, it'll still probably look worse than on a dedicated mid-range TV (doesn't even have to be IPS, Samsung and Sharp use PVA panels, for example, and stuff looks great). PVA suck for gaming, though with like 20-50 ms input lag. But it's not the best comparison, since even cheap-ish decent 40" TVs run at ~$500-600 and good models don't usually come in smaller sizes like a 32".

Higher end monitors are generally built to have accurate and reliable color reproduction, which actually makes them worse for movies where you want better contrast a more vivid picture. Showing a realistic one on anything other than a plasma TV will make it look muted because the monitor doesn't have the (real) contrast ratio to show what your eye can see.


Also, that Eizo got stellar reviews, I won't get it if it's too expensive around here though.
Does anyone here know more about Korean brands of gamer monitors?

Eizo's are generally THE go-to brand for all kinds of graphic designers, photographers and printers, but can't comment on their lower end stuff. Don't know anything about Korean brands either.