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PC Era, please help: I have £450-£500 budget. What's the best Gaming Monitor I can buy?

Zor

Zor

Member
Oct 30, 2017
11,321
EDITED TO ADD: Thanks everybody for the suggestions! I ended up going with the Acer Predator XB271HU and that badboy should be with me a week tomorrow woo!

So as the title suggests, I'm in the market for a new gaming monitor.

I recently bought a new PC (i9-9900KF, 2070 Super, 16 Gigs) and I want a good monitor to go along with it. My current monitor is a 27 inch 1080p ASUS so I'm definitely looking to go above 1080p. That said, I don't mind 1440p if the monitor is truly good enough. Beyond that there really isn't much else to say, other than I can't really stretch things too high but could probably push to £500 max, and the less ghosting or blurring the better.

Any help or guidance here would be fantastic!
 
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@TheFriendlyBro

@TheFriendlyBro

IGN - Video Producer and Editor
Verified
Aug 1, 2019
562
Go for the Acer Predator XB271HU, it's honestly banging. 1440p, 144hz and 27".

I use that as my primary monitor, and have the 4K 60hz variant as my secondary monitor. They're both great.
 
Chivalry

Chivalry

Chicken Chaser
Banned
Nov 22, 2018
3,894
@TheFriendlyBro said:
Go for the Acer Predator XB271HU, it's honestly banging. 1440p, 144hz and 27".

I use that as my primary monitor, and have the 4K 60hz variant as my secondary monitor. They're both great.
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Seconded. Been using it for almost two years now and love it to bits. It's an amazing monitor, especially when calibrated.
 
Chivalry

Chivalry

Chicken Chaser
Banned
Nov 22, 2018
3,894
@TheFriendlyBro said:
Did you calibrate it yourself or did you use a custom profile online?
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Got a device for that. Custom profiles are pretty useless as they only adjust gamma for windows and don't affect color, and for games (and video players) you need to use reshade and 3dluts created for your monitor specifically. It's also really hard to adjust rgb white balance properly by eye. It takes some time to figure things out, but the result is worth it if your monitor isn't perfect out of the box.
 
PlzUninstall

PlzUninstall

Member
Oct 30, 2017
563

GSync, 1440p, 165Hz, 27 Inch, 1ms, £549. Unfortunately the price is kinda the worst bit here. May be able to find cheaper elsewhere?

@TheFriendlyBro said:
Go for the Acer Predator XB271HU, it's honestly banging. 1440p, 144hz and 27".

I use that as my primary monitor, and have the 4K 60hz variant as my secondary monitor. They're both great.
Click to expand...
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As nice as that monitor is (I was looking into this myself at one point) it's way above the OPs budget from what I've seen unless you know a place where you can find one for 400-500 in which case please share I would like one too, haha!
 
@TheFriendlyBro

@TheFriendlyBro

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Verified
Aug 1, 2019
562
PlzUninstall said:

GSync, 1440p, 165Hz, 27 Inch, 1ms, £549. Unfortunately the price is kinda the worst bit here. May be able to find cheaper elsewhere?

As nice as that monitor is (I was looking into this myself at one point) it's way above the OPs budget from what I've seen unless you know a place where you can find one for 400-500 in which case please share I would like one too, haha!
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£449

Predator XB1 Gaming Monitor | Predator XB281HK | Black | Acer Store UK Official Site

.
uk-store.acer.com uk-store.acer.com
 
@TheFriendlyBro

@TheFriendlyBro

IGN - Video Producer and Editor
Verified
Aug 1, 2019
562
PlzUninstall said:

GSync, 1440p, 165Hz, 27 Inch, 1ms, £549. Unfortunately the price is kinda the worst bit here. May be able to find cheaper elsewhere?

As nice as that monitor is (I was looking into this myself at one point) it's way above the OPs budget from what I've seen unless you know a place where you can find one for 400-500 in which case please share I would like one too, haha!
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Here we go.

 
PlzUninstall

PlzUninstall

Member
Oct 30, 2017
563
@TheFriendlyBro said:
Here we go.

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Oh nice, how did I miss this? Everyone else is charging way higher for it. Might be upgrading myself then! Thanks.
 
OP
OP
Zor

Zor

Member
Oct 30, 2017
11,321
@TheFriendlyBro said:
Here we go.

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Amazing, thank you so much!
 
Milennia

Milennia

Prophet of Truth - Community Resetter
Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,254
I've got the LG 27GL850 myself
1440p, 1MS response time, IPS panel, 144HZ, 27 inch
Thing is an absolute monster, but it's pretty hard to find right now, usually perpetually sold out because of how desired it is, I got lucky at a local microcenter
 
OP
OP
Zor

Zor

Member
Oct 30, 2017
11,321
Milennia said:
I've got the LG 27GL850 myself
1440p, 1MS response time, IPS panel, 144HZ, 27 inch
Thing is an absolute monster, but it's pretty hard to find right now, usually perpetually sold out because of how desired it is, I got lucky at a local microcenter
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I was actually initially looking at that very model for £449.99, got all giddy, hit the buy button... and had missed that Curry's had completely sold out.
 
Delusibeta

Delusibeta

Prophet of Truth
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
5,648
If you don't mind a curved monitor, here's a 31 inch 144Hz 1440p VA monitor from Samsung: https://www.ebuyer.com/798342-samsung-c32hg70-31-5-wqhd-curved-gaming-monitor-lc32hg70qquxen £449, so slightly less than the Acer panel earlier in the thread.

I personally use this monitor, which is a 24 inch 144Hz 1440p TN panel from AOC: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01LT04C30/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Might be a bit small for your tastes, given that your current monitor is 27 inches. Currently £345, but you could do better (I paid under £250 for a used version that I couldn't spot the flaws in).
 
Yogi

Yogi

Banned
Nov 10, 2019
1,806
the less ghosting or blurring the better.
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While the Acer Predator XB271HU is a beautiful monitor, if you're talking about competitive first person shooters, there's going to be blurring with an IPS monitor. It's more of a mushing with the colours. But we're talking about when you're competitive, when you're on the edge of your seat looking at those sweet sweet refreshes. For casual enjoyment, that's the monitor I would get (again), despite the logo.

Even just for general use it's fantastic. For slower paced games it adds kind of a beautiful, natural motion blur.

But if you want super clear you have to get TN.
 
Mifec

Mifec

Member
Oct 25, 2017
17,733
Zor said:
I was actually initially looking at that very model for £449.99, got all giddy, hit the buy button... and had missed that Curry's had completely sold out.
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It's the best monitor you can currently get for gaming at that price point. Got it a month and half ago.
 
OP
OP
Zor

Zor

Member
Oct 30, 2017
11,321
Yogi said:
While the Acer Predator XB271HU is a beautiful monitor, if you're talking about competitive first person shooters, there's going to be blurring with an IPS monitor. It's more of a mushing with the colours. But we're talking about when you're competitive, when you're on the edge of your seat looking at those sweet sweet refreshes. For casual enjoyment, that's the monitor I would get (again), despite the logo.

Even just for general use it's fantastic. For slower paced games it adds kind of a beautiful, natural motion blur.

But if you want super clear you have to get TN.
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Honestly, by "blurring" I'm really just talking more about the ghosting. I'm certainly not going to be doing any competitive gaming on this new monitor, but I bit the bullet on a 27 inch MSI Optix MAG272QR without doing any research whatsoever and ended up arranging to send it back within hours of taking it out the box and testing it, given all the horrible ghosting I encountered.
 
OP
OP
Zor

Zor

Member
Oct 30, 2017
11,321
Thanks everybody for the suggestions! I ended up going with the Acer Predator XB271HU and that badboy should be with me a week tomorrow woo!
 

nitewulf

Member
Nov 29, 2017
7,195
Let me piggy back into this, as I am in the same boat. What are the differences between the Acer XB271HU and Asus PG279QE (PG279Q - how is this different than E?) and the ViewSonic XG270QG? The Acer is cheapest and seems to hit all the points I want, 27 inch IPS, 1440p, 144hz and Gsync. Are Asus or the ViewSonic models better?
 
OP
OP
Zor

Zor

Member
Oct 30, 2017
11,321
@TheFriendlyBro said:
Go for the Acer Predator XB271HU, it's honestly banging. 1440p, 144hz and 27".

I use that as my primary monitor, and have the 4K 60hz variant as my secondary monitor. They're both great.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Chivalry said:
Seconded. Been using it for almost two years now and love it to bits. It's an amazing monitor, especially when calibrated.
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Just wanted to swing back in to thank everybody for their suggestions again! My Acer Predator Xb271HU turned up today, four days ahead of when they said it might (which was a lovely surprise!), and I've been playing with it for the last hour or so and I love it. I'm over the moon with the thing.
 
@TheFriendlyBro

@TheFriendlyBro

IGN - Video Producer and Editor
Verified
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562
Zor said:
Just wanted to swing back in to thank everybody for their suggestions again! My Acer Predator Xb271HU turned up today, four days ahead of when they said it might (which was a lovely surprise!), and I've been playing with it for the last hour or so and I love it. I'm over the moon with the thing.
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Lovely! Great to hear.
 
OP
OP
Zor

Zor

Member
Oct 30, 2017
11,321
@TheFriendlyBro said:
Lovely! Great to hear.
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I hadn't even considered just how much better scrolling the internet might look on the thing, let alone games. I was so used to the blurry when scrolling text from my 1080p monitor and this thing, in comparison, is sharp as hell. I really couldn't be happier, and thanks for pointing towards a site that let me grab this within my budget too!
 
Chivalry

Chivalry

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Zor said:
I hadn't even considered just how much better scrolling the internet might look on the thing, let alone games. I was so used to the blurry when scrolling text from my 1080p monitor and this thing, in comparison, is sharp as hell. I really couldn't be happier, and thanks for pointing towards a site that let me grab this within my budget too!
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144hz is great, but g-sync is even better. Don't forget to use vsync in games too and force fps limit to below 144 (like 141), because otherwise it wouldn't activate.
 
OP
OP
Zor

Zor

Member
Oct 30, 2017
11,321
Chivalry said:
144hz is great, but g-sync is even better. Don't forget to use vsync in games too and force fps limit to below 144 (like 141), because otherwise it wouldn't activate.
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So I've made sure G-Sync is turned on in both NVIDIA settings and the monitor itself, but how do I force the fps limit? This is my first ever G-Sync monitor so want to make sure I'm doing everything right.
 
Chivalry

Chivalry

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Zor said:
So I've made sure G-Sync is turned on in both NVIDIA settings and the monitor itself, but how do I force the fps limit? This is my first ever G-Sync monitor so want to make sure I'm doing everything right.
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You can either use the native limiter in nvidia settings or, better, use Rivatuner. It's super easy to use.
 
Breqesk

Breqesk

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Oct 28, 2017
5,229
@TheFriendlyBro said:
Here we go.

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I'm kinda confused--the XB271HU is supposed to be IPS, right? This one's listed as TN.
 

Deleted member 2172

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Oct 25, 2017
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Chivalry said:
144hz is great, but g-sync is even better. Don't forget to use vsync in games too and force fps limit to below 144 (like 141), because otherwise it wouldn't activate.
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Zor said:
So I've made sure G-Sync is turned on in both NVIDIA settings and the monitor itself, but how do I force the fps limit? This is my first ever G-Sync monitor so want to make sure I'm doing everything right.
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Just a note, you want VSYNC OFF in game along with the FPS limited below 144 to say, 141 as mentioned. And yes, GSYNC on in control panel too. I used to use Rivatuner but nvidia's limiter in the control panel is good too so I switched.
 
OP
OP
Zor

Zor

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Oct 30, 2017
11,321
Sorry to sound like an absolute noob but... is G-Sync a way to get better performance? Like i say, I've never had it before so definitely want to use it if folks swear by it.
 
Nintendo

Nintendo

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Oct 27, 2017
13,367
@TheFriendlyBro said:
Go for the Acer Predator XB271HU, it's honestly banging. 1440p, 144hz and 27".
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I also use this one. The best monitor I've used.

Zor said:
Sorry to sound like an absolute noob but... is G-Sync a way to get better performance? Like i say, I've never had it before so definitely want to use it if folks swear by it.
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G-Sync makes it so that frame drops aren't noticeable because it dynamically changes the refresh rate of the monitor to match your framerate so they're in sync.

G-Sync is a must IMO. Don't miss out on it.
 
OP
OP
Zor

Zor

Member
Oct 30, 2017
11,321
Nintendo said:
I also use this one. The best monitor I've used.



G-Sync makes it so that frame drops aren't noticeable because it dynamically changes the refresh rate of the monitor to match your framerate so they're in sync.

G-Sync is a must IMO. Don't miss out on it.
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Sweet, thanks! I think I've set everything up correctly (G-Sync on in control panel, framerate set to 141, G-Sync on in the monitor settings, V-Sync off in games) so I'll definitely leave it all as is!
 
Sky87

Sky87

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Oct 27, 2017
3,862
Oh, you went for the same monitor i have, nice. I got a second hand one for ~400 a little over a year ago and was worried about backlight bleed or dead pixels. I got lucky though and haven't noticed any flaw.

Zor said:
Sweet, thanks! I think I've set everything up correctly (G-Sync on in control panel, framerate set to 141, G-Sync on in the monitor settings, V-Sync off in games) so I'll definitely leave it all as is!
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Make sure to also set Vsync to On in the Nvidia Control Panel as well as refresh rate at ''Highest available''. Pretty sure this is enabled by default when turning on Gsync though.

And if you want to make sure GSync is working properly you can bring up the refresh rate overlay through the monitor OSD (called Refresh Rate Num in settings).
 
PuppetMinion

PuppetMinion

The Fallen
Nov 1, 2017
2,297
Chaz said:
Just a note, you want VSYNC OFF in game along with the FPS limited below 144 to say, 141 as mentioned. And yes, GSYNC on in control panel too. I used to use Rivatuner but nvidia's limiter in the control panel is good too so I switched.
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Oh man, this is so embarrassing, seriously. Have had this monitor(Asus PQ) since august and I thought I set everything up right, but never limited the fps...

Thank you so much! I have limited the fps in the global settings in nvidia settings now.
 
exodus

exodus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,944
Personally I think there's no better current buy than the Asus VG27AQ. It's essentially the PG279Q without the G-Sync module (Freesync/G-Sync compatible instead) and usb ports for nearly half the price.

Plus, ELMB is cool for competitive games, provided you can mantain 100+ fps (backlight strobing becomes apparent below that point).
 
Escaflow

Escaflow

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Oct 29, 2017
1,317
exodus said:
Personally I think there's no better current buy than the Asus VG27AQ. It's essentially the PG279Q without the G-Sync module (Freesync/G-Sync compatible instead) and usb ports for nearly half the price.
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I bought the Vg27aq a few months ago and loving it. The only drawback is some BLB at the bottom, but the strengths far outweigh it. It's response time is amazing, and while the hdr is only hdr400, it looks great with 350nits .
 
Yappa

Yappa

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Oct 25, 2017
6,480
Hamburg/Germany
Another LG 27GL850 owner here.
b0uncyfr0 said:
Is that normal - paying that much for a monitor that doesnt have HDR.. ?
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Sadly, yes, because monitors with proper HDR are even more expensive.
If you want to experience HDR you need to buy a monitor with FALD and DisplayHDR 1000 certification. Which is why many ppl who want to play in HDR use their OLED TVs.
 
Chivalry

Chivalry

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Chaz said:
Just a note, you want VSYNC OFF in game along with the FPS limited below 144 to say, 141 as mentioned. And yes, GSYNC on in control panel too. I used to use Rivatuner but nvidia's limiter in the control panel is good too so I switched.
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You want it off only if you already force it through nvidia panel. In any case, vsync should be on one way or another.
 
Sky87

Sky87

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,862
PuppetMinion said:
Oh man, this is so embarrassing, seriously. Have had this monitor(Asus PQ) since august and I thought I set everything up right, but never limited the fps...

Thank you so much! I have limited the fps in the global settings in nvidia settings now.
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Unless you actually hit 144+fps in games (which should be rare at 1440p in modern games) then capping FPS isn't needed. I'm running a 4770k/1070 setup and very rarely if ever go past 100fps in modern well optimized games. I've also never noticed input lag when i do hit ~143fps in older games.
 
PuppetMinion

PuppetMinion

The Fallen
Nov 1, 2017
2,297
Sky87 said:
Unless you actually hit 144+fps in games (which should be rare at 1440p in modern games) then capping FPS isn't needed. I'm running a 4770k/1070 setup and very rarely if ever go past 100fps in modern well optimized games. I've also never noticed input lag when i do hit ~143fps in older games.
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Yeah, but "smaller" games are easier to hit the limit with and they are the games that usually don't have fps limiters in them.
 
hyouko

hyouko

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,208
Sorry to ask an unrelated question, but is there a general build-a-pc OT somewhere? Seems odd that we have a dedicated gaming laptop thread but not one for making your own PC. Search isn't turning up anything, but I may just be using the wrong search terms.
 

Deleted member 49611

Nov 14, 2018
5,052
I have an Asus VG27AQ which is right in that price budget and it's better than the Acer everyone seems to be recommending.

It's a freesync screen but it's officially supported by Nvidia. you'd think it was a gsync with the stickers/logos with no mention of freesync anywhere.... i've had it 3 months now and it's been great. it has slightly better contrast, brightness. much better input lag. it has "HDR" but it's not real HDR ... but it's something. better motion response too.

here is the RTing's comparison


www.rtings.com

Acer Predator XB271HU Bmiprz vs ASUS TUF VG27AQ Side-by-Side Monitor Comparison

The ASUS TUF VG27AQ is much better than the Acer Predator XB271HU Bmiprz. The TUF supports HDR and has a faster refresh rate that improves the appearance of motion. The TUF supports FreeSync for nearly tear-free gaming, while the Predator supports G-SYNC for the same purpose. The TUF has better...
www.rtings.com www.rtings.com

to be fair the Acer isn't bad but the Asus is that bit better. you can get it on amazon for £449...well if it was in stock lol.
 
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OP
OP
Zor

Zor

Member
Oct 30, 2017
11,321
WillJoe said:
I have an Asus VG27AQ which is right in that price budget and it's better than the Acer everyone seems to be recommending.

It's a freesync screen but it's officially supported by Nvidia. you'd think it was a gsync with the stickers/logos with no mention of freesync anywhere.... i've had it 3 months now and it's been great. it has slightly better contrast, brightness. much better input lag. it has "HDR" but it's not real HDR ... but it's something. better motion response too.

here is the RTing's comparison

www.rtings.com

Acer Predator XB271HU Bmiprz vs ASUS TUF VG27AQ Side-by-Side Monitor Comparison

The ASUS TUF VG27AQ is much better than the Acer Predator XB271HU Bmiprz. The TUF supports HDR and has a faster refresh rate that improves the appearance of motion. The TUF supports FreeSync for nearly tear-free gaming, while the Predator supports G-SYNC for the same purpose. The TUF has better...
www.rtings.com www.rtings.com

to be fair the Acer isn't bad but the Asus is that bit better. you can get it on amazon for £449...well if it was in stock lol.
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It was going to be my other choice to be honest but I couldn't find it in stock anywhere, and I really wanted something to better show off my new rig.
 

Deleted member 49611

Nov 14, 2018
5,052
Zor said:
It was going to be my other choice to be honest but I couldn't find it in stock anywhere, and I really wanted something to better show off my new rig.
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fair enough :) if it's not in stock then it's no good lol. i'm sure you'll enjoy the Acer.
 
OP
OP
Zor

Zor

Member
Oct 30, 2017
11,321
WillJoe said:
fair enough :) if it's not in stock then it's no good lol. i'm sure you'll enjoy the Acer.
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You should have seen my excitement though, genuinely. I saw it on Curry's website, wigged out, hit Buy, and then overwhelming, crushing disappointment. But, yeah, thankfully this Predator is blowing me away so far so I'm chuffed there's a happy ending here.
 
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