Which 1440p Monitor is For Me?

as the title states, which 1440p monitor is a good choice for me?

the main thing i'll be doing on this monitor is games, browsing, and movies. do i really need to go all out and drop close to $1000 on a (Dell, Asus, or LG) IPS 1440p monitor, or are there better priced 1440p monitors that will do all the things i want? i'm pretty new to the 1440p market, so i have very little knowledge on this subject. the screen will be apart of my new desktop build. some guys are recommending stuff like Achieva, Yamakasi, and Crossover as cheaper alternatives. i'd rather not go that route because i don't mind paying a premium for better quality and performance -- as long as it's worth it.

this is what i have for my build so far: NZXT Switch 810 (White) - System Build - PCPartPicker

- CPU/mobo: i'm waiting to see what Haswell has to offer because i know that's the platform i will be going with.
- GPU: factory OC'd Nvidia 780
- RAM: i'm still undecided, but i know i want 16GB (2x8GB) in a white or blue color scheme to fit the theme i'm going for.
- OS: i'm really undecided here because i like Win7. the few times that i've used Win8, i kind of wanted to punch the computer...in the face. are there any real benefits of going with Win8 over Win7?
- Soundcard: this is also an area where i don't have much expertise in. what's a good soundcard to get with my build? i'll only be using my headphones/IEM's and my Corsair SP2500 2.1 system. nothing fancy like a true surround system.

appreciate your time and thanks in advance!

EDIT: which one of these cable options do i need? http://www.corsair.com/us/power-supply-units/psu-accessories-1.html

 

I'd say go with the Dell - it's the best default choice in terms of support and generally what you get.

Personally a single 27" is inadequate for me, you might like to consider flanking it with a couple of 22s if you want to keep things affordable.

 

if you're worried about support I'd say Dell too. But keep an eye for offers on LG 27EA83 and likes.

 

the Dells were going to be my safest choice because of my extensive past with Dell products.

i read particularly positive reviews about this model for it's great performance and more "friendly" price: Amazon.com: Dell U2713HM-IPS-LED CVN85 27-Inch Screen LED-lit Monitor: Computers & Accessories. any thoughts?

i really like this LG 1440p monitor for it's great aesthetic and finish, but i just can't justify the price tag. i know i won't even be using it to it's fullest potential because this will just be for gaming and movies. budget isn't really an issue with my build. it's just that i'd rather not spend money on something i know i won't need. i don't multitask or anything, so i don't need alot more real estate. i hear alot of people hyping up 1440p's picture quality so i thought i'd check it out for myself.

i never actually checked 1440p prices til yesterday. do these things go on sale often and how low has that LG 27EA83 gone on sale for? that was my #1 choice.

 

Check this out:
AURIA EQ276W 27-Inch IPS LED Monitor, WQHD 2560x1440, HDMI, DVI-D, DisplayPort, USB EQ276W - Micro Center
I have it, It comes with a one year warranty and uses the same panels found in the macs. The color is amazing, as you would expect from a mac and is much cheaper. There is no reason to buy one more expensive.

 

If budget isn't an issue why not go for a 30-inch? More immersive (in gaming as well) than a 27" IMO.
The U3014 is out and it's probably the best lower-priced 30" on the market.

 

The U2713HM (which I have) goes for sale regularly for ~$600 or less. That combined with Dell's excellent 3 year premium warranty, the stand and the multiple ports (which for me are a positive anyway) made the decision easy for me.

 

thanks, but i think i'm going to stay away from those "off-brand" monitors.

30" is pretty dang huge for a computer screen don't u think? i mean...i've been using WUXGA and 1080p laptop screens for the better part of 10-15 years now. even when i had my 24" PS3 3D display hooked up to my laptop, i thought that was pretty big already. that's why i figured 27" would be a nice size for a computer screen that will be nomore than 3-5ft away from me.

is that the exact same model as the link i posted here >>> Amazon.com: Dell U2713HM-IPS-LED CVN85 27-Inch Screen LED-lit Monitor: Computers & Accessories

what's the difference between the Dell U2713HM and the U2713H?

it's kind of hard searching some of these monitors online because sometimes it'll pull up multiple results of what seems to be the same monitors. the item # might vary a bit, but that's the only difference as far as i can tell. could anyone clarify? ie: when i search up the LG 27EA83 on Amazon, a few different options will pop up and i can't tell if there's any difference between the different links.

 

It's just taller is all (the width difference is only an inch or two). Personally I find a single 27" unproductively short and I don't use'em in less than threes. A single 30" I can live with as a gaming-capable general purpose setup, though I usually use two. Three requires too much head movement during the course of normal work, unless I'm doing something that requires a lot of discrete windows open - in which case I tend to veer towards a >4 x 24", double-decker-stacked solution.

 

i'll probably just goto a B&M store and test out 27" and 30" monitors. i'm already pretty sure that a single 27" 1440p monitor will be much more than i need.

it will either be (1) 27"-30" 1440p monitor or a triple monitor setup. i'm not really a big fan of dual monitors when it comes to gaming/movies.

thanks for the replies, guys. i'll keep ya updated.

 

U2713h is RGB LED backlight wide gamut and 10bit AFRC, which are irrelevant features unless you using it for color critical task.

imo triple is good for some game and productivity, single for other game and moveis. Of course you can do 3 x 30"/27" ftw.

If you don't plan on mounting the monitor or getting those professional features, then dell would be the clear winner for its price.

 

thanks for the info. it looks like the U2713HM will be my choice.

now...anyone have any Dell coupons???

 

Keep looking at Newegg. They have this model on sale quite often as I mentioned earlier.

One thing though: Dell has a bit of a preferential treatment towards products bought directly from them. I have seen this myself and also have heard this from quite a few others.

 

thanks. i will keep that in mind.

hmmm...now that i think about it. i don't think i've ever bought a Dell product from outside of Dell.com.

 

I noticed several posters mentioned Dell's support, so I'm wondering how good/bad the competition's support is when it comes to similarly priced monitors?

Having used Ultrasharp support before, I didn't think it was all that outstanding TBH. It was a huge waste of time and effort - yes, they did indeed eventually bend over backwards to make me happy, but I'd prefer to have been simply satisfied the first time.

 

personally, i've been buying Dell products for about 15-20 years now. it's the brand that i've had the most success with throughout the years.

i don't think i've ever had a problem with any of their products except for my XPS M1530's crappy GT 8600M GPU. i don't even really fault Dell for that because that's Nvidia's fault for putting out a crappy GPU. long story short: they immediately took care of me and sent me out a brand new M1530 when i called them. my overall customer service experience with them is an A.