I've seen people talk about IPS monitors from Monoprice in the past. Any opinion on their quality? Do we have a link to a review (not from Monoprice)? I see the OSD saying 16:10. Is this correct? 30" 16:10 widescreen IPS @ 120Hz sounds like a good starting point. I'd like to hear about the quality and accuracy of their monitors.
I use a Dell 3008 (2560 x 1600) at work and bought a Monoprice IPS 27" (2560 x 1440) monitor to use at home. I use it for CAD work but nothing that needs any sort of colour calibration. I can't give you any sort of technical feedback other than my personal experience.
I'm really happy with the Monoprice monitor. The colours seem uniform and not washed out at all. The whites are white, the blacks are black. The stand is a bit flimsy in comparison to the Dell. The Monoprice does have a hard glossy finish to the screen which shows smudges whereas the Dell has a matte finish.
The Monoprice was about 30% of the cost of the Dell. If money were no object, I would have bought a 30" Dell but for a seldom used screen for a seldom used PC, the Monoprice is perfect. Recommend.
I may consider one of these in the next year or so, would be great for work but want to see if there are GPUs that can deliver acceptable framerates within a reasonable power envelope.
I have this problem too. They are extraordinarily bright from the factory, and the "brightness" control doesn't actually change the back light. Granted this is the Zero-G model, the cheapest one.
I presume these $575 30' 1600p IPS monitors are A- , B grade screens put together in Korea with Monoprice sticker on it. What about connectors? Is is just one dual dvi connector?
It might not be best option for color critical work but being half price what you pay for Dell 30' 1600p, coming with guaranty and being tested before sold, it might be less hassle to get this over doing ebay-korean monitors lottery.
They currently have two tiers of 30'' 2560x1600 monitors, there is a CCFL backlit for ~$575 w/ only dual-link DVI, and an IPS w/ DP, HDMI, DVI-D and VGA for ~$680.
You can over clock DVI, there are a lot of us running dual-link DVI with 2560x1440 @ ~120 Hz. You might go through a few cables finding one that can do it though. 11% more pixels (2560x1600) would really be pushing it.
DP1.3 sounds unlikely as there are no graphic cards that support it. Or maybe I've missed something major, but as far as I've understood, DP1.2 is what is mostly used.
You can always overclock the refresh rate to a lower level -- many Korean imports only go to 80-90Hz before there are issues. Monoprice is just guaranteeing that these monitors will do 120Hz.
I would argue that 90Hz is more than enough for anyone - unless 3D is involved. In fact 72Hz and 85Hz were great frequencies back in the high-end CRT days, they were high enough that nobody was affected by the strobe and just being different than 60Hz FL lighting was essential in an office. But what GPU does it take to keep minimum frame rates, or even average, over 90Hz at 1600p?
If you enable VSYNC, the higher the refresh rate the better. At 120Hz, you can still refresh at 60Hz, but also 40Hz, 30Hz, 20Hz. With 60Hz, you're either at 60, 30, 20, 15.... 75Hz means refreshing at 75, 37.5, 18.75... So basically, there are plenty of reasons to go higher. Also, rendering the Windows desktop at 120Hz tends to be a nice experience.
What GPU does it take to get over 90FPS? Well, that depends on the game, resolution, and setting.
Uh, 72Hz was not a great frequency, and wasn't high enough to stop seeing the strobe. 85Hz was acceptable, but higher was still better and more solid-looking.
I remember back when we used to do big IT refreshes and CRT monitors were still the thing we used to have to check all the CRTs to make sure they were at 75Hz as many still were default at 60Hz. To save time I used to walk around the office vibrating my tongue against the roof of my mouth making a tractor engine like noise. Was bizarre but it made every 60Hz monitor stand out like a sore thumb as my head vibrated. Worked a treat and saved a lot if time. Havent had to do that for a long time...
A 6ms pixel response time DOES NOT mean the monitor can accept input at 167hz. Totally separate componenets. I think 120hz is at the limit of dual link DVI anyway.
If you read the text, what I'm trying to explain is that at 120Hz, you basically need an 8.3ms response time to give each frame a separate time slot. So in theory 6ms response time means you could go as high as 167 without overlapping frames.
The reality is that response times are often completely useless marketing numbers -- though there's generally a difference between 1ms and 5ms displays, the difference between 1ms, 2ms and 3ms is basically nil. And of course, if it takes 6ms for the pixels to respond (change), you're always seeing content that's at least 6ms old.
Put a different way, if you had a display with a 25ms response time, it would be essentially pointless to try and drive that at anything more than 60Hz -- the pixels would always be changing states, never quite reaching where they should be as the time between frames would be one third of the response time. Oh, it might make a slight difference, but basically there'd be a lot of smearing between frames. Or you could call it LCD-based anti-aliasing when in motion. :p
I understood what you meant. Nonetheless, "given these IPS panels are supposed to have a 6ms response time (which is more marketing than fact) driving them at up to 167Hz is possible" is perhaps not the best way to say it. It can easily be read as saying that it is possible to run this particular monitor at a refresh rate of up to 167Hz. That would truly shock me, and in any case as you admit the real-life response time of this monitor is not expected to truly be 6ms.
No 120Hz is not a limit of Dual Link DVI. The serial interface limit is bandwidth-driven (resolution * bits * fps). You could do 1kHz with a low resolution, if the protocols on each side agreed.
Ya know, 2560x1600@120Hz requires >13Gbps while Dual Link DVI does 7.92. They must have 2 Dual Link DVI connectors in the back (assuming the OSD text is correct).
That's only true if you assume that DL-DVI has a 330Mhz pixel clock limit. That assumption is incorrect and based off the fact that Single Link DVI is limited to 165Mhz. The DVI standard contains no limit on Dual Link mode: http://overlordforum.com/topic/44-2560x1440-120hz-...
First, all the "standard timings" I've seen for dual link have been within 165MHz.
Second, the post says most recent video cards can transmit 225MHz. That gets you to 10.8Gbps, which isn't enough for 13.3Gbps + blanking. It also says some newer cards can do 300MHz, which could be barely enough assuming 10% blanking overhead. But that transmitter's frequency margin is most likely not guaranteed by the transmitter! The IC is most likely overdesigned, with upper frequency margin to allow timing margin, semiconductor process variation, and lifetime degregation.
So it seems very unlikely that Monoprice would make a monitor that requires a recent card running way faster than it's designed to run at (300MHz). 2 dual-link connectors is by far more likely.
Fair enough, but bear in mind that the post in that link is more than 2 years old. Since then, NVIDIA (at least) has removed the 300Mhz pixel clock limit for DL-DVI. If they hadn't, my understanding is that user-friendly software like the EVGA PrecisionX couldn't have incorporated monitor overclocking as a standard feature.
That said, I don't exclude the possibility that Monoprice will use 2 DL-DVI connectors. I just wouldn't be surprised for them to use a single connector and then list a rather restrictive list of (recent) GPUs which 'need' to be used in order to reach the 'guaranteed' 120Hz.
The only IPS panel in TFTCentral's database for which LG has claimed a 6ms GTG response time is the LM300WQ6-SLA1. That's an AH-IPS panel from 2012, which was used in the Dell u3014. Assuming this Monoprice monitor contains the same panel - and not some new one that LG has yet to announce - it's worth bearing in mind that TFTCentral measured an average GTG response time of 7.7ms...not bad, but it appears to have been achieved with an overly-aggressive level of overdrive. This in turn introduced "a large degree of overshoot." http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/content/dell_u...
The bezel looks really huge, and states that it is an LED panel, which usually means IPS... It makes you wonder why they wouldn't state its an IPS monitor.
However, the conenctors and that Power connector are really clunky. The Dell looks a lot better, however Monoprice has a no frills we pay for everything 30 day warranty. I am not sure how it works after warranty wise, but at this point maybe its better to wait for the 34" Acer Predator
just got my qnix 27 inch 60hz, overclocked to 110hz, what a difference. Also pushes the pixel clock to 450MHz ish. All over DL DVI. I was getting a black bar on black images dropped to 96hz supper smooth. Only problem/s are related to OSX or Linux.... to bad no tools to unlock pixel clock in nix/osx.
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bigboxes - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
I've seen people talk about IPS monitors from Monoprice in the past. Any opinion on their quality? Do we have a link to a review (not from Monoprice)? I see the OSD saying 16:10. Is this correct? 30" 16:10 widescreen IPS @ 120Hz sounds like a good starting point. I'd like to hear about the quality and accuracy of their monitors.bigboxes - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
I did find AT's review on a 27" version http://www.anandtech.com/show/7240/monoprice-zerog...hbsource - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
I use a Dell 3008 (2560 x 1600) at work and bought a Monoprice IPS 27" (2560 x 1440) monitor to use at home. I use it for CAD work but nothing that needs any sort of colour calibration. I can't give you any sort of technical feedback other than my personal experience.I'm really happy with the Monoprice monitor. The colours seem uniform and not washed out at all. The whites are white, the blacks are black. The stand is a bit flimsy in comparison to the Dell. The Monoprice does have a hard glossy finish to the screen which shows smudges whereas the Dell has a matte finish.
The Monoprice was about 30% of the cost of the Dell. If money were no object, I would have bought a 30" Dell but for a seldom used screen for a seldom used PC, the Monoprice is perfect. Recommend.
SloppyG - Sunday, January 18, 2015 - link
Monoprice's strategy to get good quality panels is actually really interesting. Check out planet money's interview with them last month.http://www.npr.org/2014/12/04/368408186/at-monopri...
I may consider one of these in the next year or so, would be great for work but want to see if there are GPUs that can deliver acceptable framerates within a reasonable power envelope.
baii9 - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
one of their model have trouble archiving low brightness without killing off the contrast ratio.DiHydro - Friday, January 16, 2015 - link
I have this problem too. They are extraordinarily bright from the factory, and the "brightness" control doesn't actually change the back light. Granted this is the Zero-G model, the cheapest one.milkod2001 - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
I presume these $575 30' 1600p IPS monitors are A- , B grade screens put together in Korea with Monoprice sticker on it. What about connectors? Is is just one dual dvi connector?It might not be best option for color critical work but being half price what you pay for Dell 30' 1600p, coming with guaranty and being tested before sold, it might be less hassle to get this over doing ebay-korean monitors lottery.
Essence_of_War - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
They currently have two tiers of 30'' 2560x1600 monitors, there is a CCFL backlit for ~$575 w/ only dual-link DVI, and an IPS w/ DP, HDMI, DVI-D and VGA for ~$680.Sergio526 - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
Can't be, dual link DVI maxes out at 2560x1600 60Hz.JarredWalton - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
I'm not sure if you can overclock DVI, but I'd assume not. I believe this one is using a DisplayPort 1.3 connection.Asmodian - Wednesday, January 21, 2015 - link
You can over clock DVI, there are a lot of us running dual-link DVI with 2560x1440 @ ~120 Hz. You might go through a few cables finding one that can do it though. 11% more pixels (2560x1600) would really be pushing it.zepi - Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - link
DP1.3 sounds unlikely as there are no graphic cards that support it. Or maybe I've missed something major, but as far as I've understood, DP1.2 is what is mostly used.blackoctagon - Monday, January 19, 2015 - link
That is incorrect: http://overlordforum.com/topic/68-toastys-expert-p...jabber - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
Why did we never get 80 or 90Hz panels? Surely that would have helped?JarredWalton - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
You can always overclock the refresh rate to a lower level -- many Korean imports only go to 80-90Hz before there are issues. Monoprice is just guaranteeing that these monitors will do 120Hz.kwrzesien - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
I would argue that 90Hz is more than enough for anyone - unless 3D is involved. In fact 72Hz and 85Hz were great frequencies back in the high-end CRT days, they were high enough that nobody was affected by the strobe and just being different than 60Hz FL lighting was essential in an office. But what GPU does it take to keep minimum frame rates, or even average, over 90Hz at 1600p?JarredWalton - Friday, January 16, 2015 - link
If you enable VSYNC, the higher the refresh rate the better. At 120Hz, you can still refresh at 60Hz, but also 40Hz, 30Hz, 20Hz. With 60Hz, you're either at 60, 30, 20, 15.... 75Hz means refreshing at 75, 37.5, 18.75... So basically, there are plenty of reasons to go higher. Also, rendering the Windows desktop at 120Hz tends to be a nice experience.What GPU does it take to get over 90FPS? Well, that depends on the game, resolution, and setting.
AnnonymousCoward - Friday, January 16, 2015 - link
Uh, 72Hz was not a great frequency, and wasn't high enough to stop seeing the strobe. 85Hz was acceptable, but higher was still better and more solid-looking.jabber - Sunday, January 18, 2015 - link
I remember back when we used to do big IT refreshes and CRT monitors were still the thing we used to have to check all the CRTs to make sure they were at 75Hz as many still were default at 60Hz. To save time I used to walk around the office vibrating my tongue against the roof of my mouth making a tractor engine like noise. Was bizarre but it made every 60Hz monitor stand out like a sore thumb as my head vibrated. Worked a treat and saved a lot if time. Havent had to do that for a long time...zqw - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
A 6ms pixel response time DOES NOT mean the monitor can accept input at 167hz. Totally separate componenets. I think 120hz is at the limit of dual link DVI anyway.Please review one of these!
JarredWalton - Friday, January 16, 2015 - link
If you read the text, what I'm trying to explain is that at 120Hz, you basically need an 8.3ms response time to give each frame a separate time slot. So in theory 6ms response time means you could go as high as 167 without overlapping frames.The reality is that response times are often completely useless marketing numbers -- though there's generally a difference between 1ms and 5ms displays, the difference between 1ms, 2ms and 3ms is basically nil. And of course, if it takes 6ms for the pixels to respond (change), you're always seeing content that's at least 6ms old.
Put a different way, if you had a display with a 25ms response time, it would be essentially pointless to try and drive that at anything more than 60Hz -- the pixels would always be changing states, never quite reaching where they should be as the time between frames would be one third of the response time. Oh, it might make a slight difference, but basically there'd be a lot of smearing between frames. Or you could call it LCD-based anti-aliasing when in motion. :p
blackoctagon - Monday, January 19, 2015 - link
I understood what you meant. Nonetheless, "given these IPS panels are supposed to have a 6ms response time (which is more marketing than fact) driving them at up to 167Hz is possible" is perhaps not the best way to say it. It can easily be read as saying that it is possible to run this particular monitor at a refresh rate of up to 167Hz. That would truly shock me, and in any case as you admit the real-life response time of this monitor is not expected to truly be 6ms.AnnonymousCoward - Friday, January 16, 2015 - link
No 120Hz is not a limit of Dual Link DVI. The serial interface limit is bandwidth-driven (resolution * bits * fps). You could do 1kHz with a low resolution, if the protocols on each side agreed.DiHydro - Friday, January 16, 2015 - link
If the 30" has better contrast than my current Zero-G, I will have to buy it, and a better GPU or two. Guess I'll start saving now.AnnonymousCoward - Friday, January 16, 2015 - link
Ya know, 2560x1600@120Hz requires >13Gbps while Dual Link DVI does 7.92. They must have 2 Dual Link DVI connectors in the back (assuming the OSD text is correct).blackoctagon - Monday, January 19, 2015 - link
That's only true if you assume that DL-DVI has a 330Mhz pixel clock limit. That assumption is incorrect and based off the fact that Single Link DVI is limited to 165Mhz. The DVI standard contains no limit on Dual Link mode: http://overlordforum.com/topic/44-2560x1440-120hz-...AnnonymousCoward - Monday, January 19, 2015 - link
That link is very interesting, but,First, all the "standard timings" I've seen for dual link have been within 165MHz.
Second, the post says most recent video cards can transmit 225MHz. That gets you to 10.8Gbps, which isn't enough for 13.3Gbps + blanking. It also says some newer cards can do 300MHz, which could be barely enough assuming 10% blanking overhead. But that transmitter's frequency margin is most likely not guaranteed by the transmitter! The IC is most likely overdesigned, with upper frequency margin to allow timing margin, semiconductor process variation, and lifetime degregation.
So it seems very unlikely that Monoprice would make a monitor that requires a recent card running way faster than it's designed to run at (300MHz). 2 dual-link connectors is by far more likely.
blackoctagon - Thursday, January 22, 2015 - link
Fair enough, but bear in mind that the post in that link is more than 2 years old. Since then, NVIDIA (at least) has removed the 300Mhz pixel clock limit for DL-DVI. If they hadn't, my understanding is that user-friendly software like the EVGA PrecisionX couldn't have incorporated monitor overclocking as a standard feature.That said, I don't exclude the possibility that Monoprice will use 2 DL-DVI connectors. I just wouldn't be surprised for them to use a single connector and then list a rather restrictive list of (recent) GPUs which 'need' to be used in order to reach the 'guaranteed' 120Hz.
blackoctagon - Monday, January 19, 2015 - link
The only IPS panel in TFTCentral's database for which LG has claimed a 6ms GTG response time is the LM300WQ6-SLA1. That's an AH-IPS panel from 2012, which wasused in the Dell u3014. Assuming this Monoprice monitor contains the same panel - and not some new one that LG has yet to announce - it's worth bearing in mind that TFTCentral measured an average GTG response time of 7.7ms...not bad, but it appears to have been achieved with an overly-aggressive level of overdrive. This in turn introduced "a large degree of overshoot."
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/content/dell_u...
blackoctagon - Monday, January 19, 2015 - link
Ugh, that first sentence should say, "the first 30-INCH IPS panel in TFTCentral's database." sorryblackoctagon - Monday, January 19, 2015 - link
And by "first" I mean "only." I'm outta here. Need way more coffeeDPOverLord - Friday, February 6, 2015 - link
basically its now on monoprices sitehttp://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=113&cs_i...
The bezel looks really huge, and states that it is an LED panel, which usually means IPS... It makes you wonder why they wouldn't state its an IPS monitor.
However, the conenctors and that Power connector are really clunky. The Dell looks a lot better, however Monoprice has a no frills we pay for everything 30 day warranty. I am not sure how it works after warranty wise, but at this point maybe its better to wait for the 34" Acer Predator
yefi - Tuesday, March 17, 2015 - link
A 30" Acer Predator would be my dream monitor if they made it (which of course they won't).KeypoX - Wednesday, January 21, 2015 - link
just got my qnix 27 inch 60hz, overclocked to 110hz, what a difference. Also pushes the pixel clock to 450MHz ish. All over DL DVI. I was getting a black bar on black images dropped to 96hz supper smooth. Only problem/s are related to OSX or Linux.... to bad no tools to unlock pixel clock in nix/osx.KeypoX - Wednesday, January 21, 2015 - link
so if they are requiring OCin for 120hz, they need to supply some tools or its windows only.blackoctagon - Thursday, January 22, 2015 - link
Is that a question? The QNIX (and other) monitors do indeed require overclocking. My understanding is that this Monoprice will not.yefi - Tuesday, March 17, 2015 - link
Unfortunately, it appear this monitor does NOT do 120Hz. In fact, it only does 60Hz: http://www.monitortests.com/monoprice-2560x1600-12...