New LCD questions

[Chickenfeed]

I'm currently considering getting a new lcd as it is the only thing in my setup that I wouldn't mind upgrading ( my LG L203WTX is only a 20" 6Bit TN and after seeing all these new sexy monitors I am very tempted )

I've never had any complaints with my LG and it has servered me well but after seeing the BenQ FP241VW (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=22218&vpn=FP241VW&manufacture=BENQ) in person, I am set on getting a new LCD (unless you can highly recommend an alternative and no I am not interested in waiting for LED panels ) Based on what I've read the FP214s seem to be the best 24" LCDS out currently (all around in terms of picture quality, performance and feature set ). Best buy had them on sale for 650 CND in July and I plan on jumping on that next time it happens.

My concern is, in your opinion is my system going to struggle at all @ 1920x1200 ( this is not a joke but a legitimate concern ) I would like to be able to run games at this resolution with 2x aa/ 16x af preferably. ( currently run most games at 1680x1050 4x aa / 16 x af with solid performance ) I plan on keeping my LG as a secondary monitor ( but would only game etc on the BenQ )

I am quite set on the BenQ and haven't seen or heard anything that has yet to change my mind really. It has great picture quality, solid viewing angles and
many input options ( a big plus as I plan on ditching my old Tv and using it as a TV / possible console monitor as well )

Anyways my system is in my sig and I have a more detailed description of it in this (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=157302) post. I hope to sell my current gpu and eventually get a 9800GTX if I can get my hands on one ( when they come out that is )

Thanks for the advice.

Chickenfeed

[Tsaroth]

Hey there.

I think that the 8800gtx should be fine with a resolution of that calibre. Those GPUs seem to really shine when the resolution is a bit higher (ala performance drop is not as bad as most cards at that high resolution.

I do have a concern about that monitor though

16ms( 6ms GTG) / 12ms (MPRT)

That is a god awful response time, the 16ms. I am not sure if the 6ms grey to grey makes up for the 16ms black to black (I believe is that one)............. but if it is really 16ms I'm sure you'll experience ghosting.

I may be completely wrong and if I am, someone please correct me so I know.

I can't think of any other monitors atm but I'll do some research and see if I can't dig up something that is 24 inches.

Another possibility you might want to look at is getting a bigger LCD Television that is around 30in or so but runs resolution at 1366x768 i think it is. It's full 720p and should look excellent and you can run it with your settings maxed because it's not as high as the other.

The only problem might be finding one with a DVI input. Although I'm sure a DVI to HDMI adapter might be able to take care of that.

If anyone else has any feedback, especially on what I posted, please do so so that I can be enlightened as well :yepp:

[YukonTrooper]

Note that the FP241W and FP241WZ are different and the regular W version has a P-MVA panel while the Z and V version has an A-MVA panel. The A-MVA panel has a glossier coat and improved viewing angles but there are actually more reports of it having more blur compared to the regular W version.

Here is a review of three 24" panels head to head: http://www.bexox.com/showdown.htm The panels tested are the BenQ FP241WZ, Dell 2407WFP and LG L246WP. Note that the LG L246WP is the same as the LG L245WP. The 46 is the one found in retail stores while the 45 is the version found online. They did this so you could not price match between the brick and mortar and online stores. They are both exactly the same monitor but have a different LED power button.

For gaming the LG L246WP/LG L245WP is the best of the three because it has the lowest input lag of all monitors. The amount between the others would be imperceptible but it is still better on the LG. The LG L246WP/LG L245WP uses the same P-MVA panel found in the regular W version of the BenQ. Although the panels are the same both companies use different driving circuitry so its hard to say if the input lag would be the same or not. I have not seen input lag results for the regular W version.

I am using the LG L245WP and its a fantastic monitor. I am a heavy online FPS gamer and gaming has never been so good. I did my research for about a month before purchasing the monitor and it was bought with gaming as the most important aspect. I would say go for the LG if your going to game because of the input lag results but either of the BenQ's would be good choices as well because the lag would be imperceptible. If you do decide on a BenQ then get the regular W version and save yourself from the BFI technology on the Z and V versions which is gimicky at best. I would recommend the BenQ if you need a plethora of inputs because it does have more than the LG.

BTW I see you are Canadian and NCIX.com has this monitor still at $140 off. http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23000&vpn=L245WP-BN&manufacture=LG%20Electronics&promoid=1055 (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23000&vpn=L245WP-BN&manufacture=LG%20Electronics&promoid=1055) If you order from NCIX you can purchase an additional 0 dead pixel guarantee. If you have any dead/stuck pixels at all you can return the monitor at their expense for a brand new unit. My unit came with 0 dead pixels but I always purchase the guarantee.

[Chickenfeed]

I buy alot of things through NCIX and have been happy with them but won't buy
something like a monitor through them. I like to pick up a monitor in person. Futureshop has that LG on for 600 as well. It looks like a nice display and it does have HDMI so its not useless.

As for response the Benqs 8bit and has 6ms gtg while my LG is 6bit and 8ms gtg.
Our family also has an older 19" 2ms samsung and I honestly can not tell any difference between it and my LG in terms of input delay. Its really a subjective thing it seems. All I know is either 24" would be a large improvement in terms of viewing angles, picture quality, contrast and speed.

Anyways I like the price of that LG and I take its newer to the market as I overlooked it ( was looking at their cheaper 24" until I found out it was TN as well ) It must have recently droped at Futureshop as well.

As for the Benqs Black Film inseration, it apparently is what can causes visual issues for some. This can be turned off from what I've heard.

As for an LCD tv, the only one I'd consider ( but I'd need to save for ) is the 32" sharp aqueous ( the newer one ) 32" is a tad to big though but that is one awesome LCD.

Anyways I may go into Futureshop and take a look at this LG. If I like it I'll give it a try.

Thanks for the heads up yukon.

[Soulburner]

I think the 8800GTX will handle the job just fine ;)

Do a search for the black frame insertion and you'll find a little discussion on it somewhere around here.

[YukonTrooper]

BTW, I ordered a Spyder2Pro and it should be hear next week. I'll be able to get you a nice color profile and settings for the LG if you happen to purchase it. Cheers.

[Chickenfeed]

Ironically the L246WP just droped to 540cnd at futureshop. Have it on hold and will pick it up first thing tomorrow :)

If you do get a nice color calibration that would be great.

[Soulburner]

I use the Spyder2Express. Same thing basically. It tuned my FP241 to near perfection, but for some reason it doesn't work on all LCDs. It gave my Acer 20" a yellow cast and make the screen too dark, so I had to remove the profile and manually calibrate it by eye with Quick Gamma and the help of a website.

[Chickenfeed]

I'm curious, do the profiles made by the Spyder2 work in Vista? ( and stick?)

I've heard about problems regarding color profiles in vista. ( along the lines of your custom profile with initially apply at startup but the second a UAC windows pops up it reverts to default? ) I never calibrated my current LG but might as well calibrate the new one if I can as I hope for it to be a large difference ( in terms of all around compared to my older TN panel )

Thanks again.

[YukonTrooper]

Yah, it will put the TN to shame even at settings calibrated by eye but with a proper software/hardware config it should blow it out of the water.

I don't know anything about Vista, I am a XP user. Google around and you should easily find a workaround for that problem on the web.

[Chickenfeed]

Got my L246WP and man this thing is amazing. Played some 1080P movie trailers and the clarity is just out of this world.

Only problem I have is in regards to the scaling options in the Nvidia CP. I don't care about 1:1 scaling which the monitor does but I do care that for some reason I can't force Nvidia scaling with fixed aspect ratio. Everytime I try it reverts back to display scaling ( which doesn't scale aspect ratio )

I don't care if the image is streched, that doesn't but me but what does but me is seeing non 16:10 resoultions streched to full. If you have any insight on what may be causing this that would be great.

I know the earlier forcewares on Vista had this issue ( I did on my L203) but it was later fixed. I'm using the lastest beta driver ( for bioshock ) and it works fine on the L203 and allows me to set GPU scaling ( which I've always found to be better than any LCDs built in scaling ) I am running all the currently installed games at 1920x1200 with no issues but this is a problem for games which lack 16:10 support ( or hacks ) and in particular Diablo 2 LoD ( I know old school :up: )

Anyways aside from that issue, I am a happy camper :)

[YukonTrooper]

Well you know what I almost got rid of this monitor because I was having the exact same problem when trying to play Thief (extra old school ;)). The night before I was going to return it I was searching around and found a fix called overscanutils. It is meant for people with HDTV's that are having problems with aspect scaling and works exactly the same for monitors. Here is the link to the download: http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=4372 Just open up the zip file and run the enable .exe file then reboot. To remove the fix run the disable .exe file. Cheers.

[Chickenfeed]

Thanks for the info. Sadly that fix didn't seem to help. Nvidias driver still defaults to display scaling. Not the end of the world and I'll keep trying. Theres only 2 or 3 older games I own that can't be hacked for 16:10 or don't already natively support it.

[Soulburner]

Both the 245 and 246 are found online. Good way to confuse consumers:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005089

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005099

[crackhead2k]

Note that the FP241W and FP241WZ are different and the regular W version has a P-MVA panel while the Z and V version has an A-MVA panel. The A-MVA panel has a glossier coat and improved viewing angles but there are actually more reports of it having more blur compared to the regular W version.

Their both A-MVA Panels now
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=19235&vpn=FP241W&manufacture=BENQ
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23033&vpn=FP241WZ&manufacture=BENQ
the "Z" version has Black Frame Insertion which adds flicker, I think too much

I found the non-z version too be better because of low price, the Z only has an extra feature that i found bothered me and didn't help with anything =/

[Mekoa]

Ive been thinking about getting a new monitor also. Funnily enough, LG L245WP, Dell 2407WFP and another has been on my list for a while.

However, reading a review stating that the LG was best for gaming due to higher response time seems odd? According to OcUK its 8ms. (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-047-LG&groupid=703&catid=17&subcat=510)

Dell one does look nice, but there is also this one.

Hyundai W240D (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-054-HY&groupid=703&catid=17&subcat=510)

Anyone shed some opinions? Seems as though the UK gets shafted on price as well :(

[Soulburner]

SWiTCH07, I think you meant to say lower response time. And they are talking about input response, not pixel response.

[Mekoa]

SWiTCH07, I think you meant to say lower response time. And they are talking about input response, not pixel response.

Err yeah, thanks for correcting me. Havent had coffee yet this morning! Also, thanks for clearing up what they meant. I wasnt sure :)

[Axlegear]

I reccomend against BenQ, had a lot of issues.

I'm a fan of Samsung monitors. Many use true 8-bit panels instead of crappy color dithering. As a graphical artist, that's a major concern: And the quality difference is noticeable.

[Soulburner]

I reccomend against BenQ, had a lot of issues.
Please share your experiences.