LCD Advice for Photoshop: AUO vs Chimei

I'm looking for an upgrade screen for an upcoming laptop build (MSI GT70 or similar). The laptop will be used first and foremost as a desktop replacement in a controlled environment (my home). I'm a wedding photographer and need good color and decent viewing angles. Secondary uses will be as a TV (the only one in the house), and light gaming.

Found 2 options:
17.3" Chimei N173HGE-L11 72% NTSC Matte
17.3" AUO B173HW01 V.5 72% NTSC Matte

I had briefly considered the AUO B173HW01 V.4 90% NTSC Glossy, but Glossy would probably cause too many problems...


A couple questions:

1) Are there any other options?

2) In a head to head comparison, is there clear winner between the Chimei and the AUO?

3) Chimei vs AUO, does one have noticeably better vertical viewing angles before the color starts shifting too much. (and more important than a color shift would be a gamma/brightness shift, blowing out my highlights perception).

4) is AUO ever going to make a 90% Matte?.... I read rumblings of it a while ago... but no recent signs that it will ever be materializing...

 

You can always put AG/matte protector on your glossy screen. If not the same, it's almost the same as having a matte screen.

 

I don't know those screen but if you're a photographer then color accuracy should be you most important point. Look there first and everything else is secondary. Viewing angle is important for multi-person viewing. A secondary consideration.

 

Hi Krane, for a lot of photography and critical color work your absolutely right. But for my particular needs, vertical color shift is also key and probably more important to me than extreme color accuracy. A bride won't notice if her pics have 5% more yellow in them (I would, but she won't). BUT she will definitely notice if I overexposed her dress and blew out all the highlight detail in post processing just because I happened to be slouched 2 inches lower in the chair at the time and it "looked" like a normal exposure on the slightly tilted monitor.

 

Then save some more and get yourself M6600/M6700 with IPS (asuming you still don't have the machine). Stated viewing angles in the TN panel's spec sheets is more like good wish. While there is a difference from one display to another, don't expect that there wont be any color shift along the way to 80* for example. It just states that you can actually see something on the display, afterwards... a little nightmare. I went from 45% 45/45/15/30* display to 90% 70/70/65/70* one. While there was an obvious improvement in color reproduction, VA vise - not so much. Tilt it a little bit more and you'll notice the color shift. It's your choice after all. If that's what you do for a living, IPS would be the better choice/investment.

 

Oh how I wish the M6700 was a a decent option... or that Clevo (or someone else) would design a model to accept a 17.3" IPS panel!
I currently use a 24" Dell UltraSharp IPS on my desktop, and my old Toshiba laptop had one of the worst TN monitors I've ever seen, so I do understand well the difference.

I'm moving to South America and technology is umm, rather expensive there. For the price of a basic M6700, I can buy a very powerful MSI/Clevo/Asus to bring with me and still have $1000 left over to pay 3x market rate for a 22"-24" external IPS monitor there.

But budgeting is tight right now. If I HAVE to do that, then I will make it work... but it will cost me other things in life that I'm not willing to give up at the moment. IPS is not worth it, not yet... For now, I'll see if I can make it work with the BEST TN PANEL Available. And I've still got my 24" IPS to compare side-by-side, so I'll know if it will work or not.

The big question that remains is, what exactly that "best" TN panel is... particularly with regards to vertical viewing angles.

 

Just rely on the external, never heard any TN with non "suck" vertical view angle ~~, (even the so called best 15.6 b156hw01 v4/v7)

The view angle quoted for both is same 70/70/60/60.

 

I believe they made a RGB LED screen that fits normal laptops? Heck you could put that on a 200$ laptop with integrated graphics. Someone else should confirm this.

 

That probably from old alienware and precision line before they put the IPS in there. Something remind me they are 16:10 though ~~

 

Thanks for the replies, I ended up ordering a MSI 1762 with a 72% AUO matte... We'll see if I can do what needs done on that or if I'll have to put up an IPS when I get there.