Monitor Recommendations

[Poppa_Meth]

Just built new rig primarily aimed at gaming.
Specs are:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/GfPQmG
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/GfPQmG/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110i GTX 104.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H170A Gaming Pro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($95.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($82.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($319.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($49.88 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit) ($125.28 @ B&H)
Total: $1404.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-12 10:58 EST-0500

I need a new monitor to go with this rig. Not sure if IPS, TN, or VA is the better option here. 24" or close is fine for size and I'd like to keep the price at a max of about $200. I'm use to TN panels so at this point I don't know what I'm missing with IPS anyway. Any of the IPS panels I've found in a decent price range seem to have quality issues, especially concerning light bleed.

Thanks for the input.

[usually_quiet]

This caught my eye: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014374
It is a TN panel. If the gamers on this forum tell me I'm full of it for suggesting this, I won't be offended since I don't game. At least it gets the ball rolling.

[Edit]I was wrong about it being 75Hz. Tom's Hardware says it is only 60Hz. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/benq-rl2460ht-gaming-monitor,3819.html (The specs at Newegg are misleading. They say Horizontal Refresh Rate is 30~83 KHz and Vertical Refresh Rate is 50~76 Hz).

[Poppa_Meth]

Thanks for the input. If nothing else I'm looking more closely at the BenQ brand. They seem to make good panels for the money.

[aedipuss]

i use lg and viewsonic ips displays, dell ips are also great. all ips are more color accurate, but not as fast as tn. it depends on what is more important to you.

[johns0]

I would go for a better cpu,the Intel Core i5-6500 isn't very good,look for a better cpu for a bit more money.

[usually_quiet]

I would go for a better cpu,the Intel Core i5-6500 isn't very good,look for a better cpu for a bit more money.

I thought maybe the CPU would decrease the performance of the graphics card, but this article says that CPU and graphics card combination should be OK: http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2729891/bottlenecking-guide-chart-2015.html

I'm trying to learn a little more about gaming systems, so I'm asking why you are making that recommendation?

[johns0]

Cause the Intel Core i5-6500 is a crappy cpu,my 2600k is better and it's 4 years old.For a $100 more you can get a Intel Core i7-4790K.

[Poppa_Meth]

The system is already built. I couldn't justify throwing more money at it to upgrade to an unlocked i7 and a z series mobo. I don't intend to do any overclocking. Sometimes you have to live with budget constraints. That said, I've got zero issues with the CPU. I could have slapped an i3 in there and been fine playing let's say Fallout 4 with a pretty smooth experience. If I intended to do more along the lines of video encoding and audio engineering with the system then the upgrades would have been more justifiable. The i7 would basically get me higher clock speed and hyper-threading. The clock speed would be nice, but hyper-threading is used by what maybe 4 games? Just not worth it to me.

[jagabo]

Games are notoriously poorly multithreaded as far as the CPU is concerned. Upgrading from a quad core i5 to a quad core i7 with hyperthreading will get you hardly anything in most games.

[usually_quiet]

The BenQ RL2460HT monitor I linked to is sold out at Newegg and B&H Photo now, along with the BenQ RL2455HM. I guess at those prices, they would sell out quickly. [Edit] I just looked at Fry's, which still has them in some stores.

[Poppa_Meth]

I think I've decided on going for IPS. I'm currently looking at this one.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008DWITHI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=38QC...UEZM64PO&psc=1

Seems to spec out well for the price and be well regarded. I can also get it at Staples right now for $130 after using some reward points. There are just too many monitor with crap quality control at this price point. It's very hard to decide.

[usually_quiet]

I think I've decided on going for IPS. I'm currently looking at this one.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008DWITHI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=38QC...UEZM64PO&psc=1

Seems to spec out well for the price and be well regarded. I can also get it at Staples right now for $130 after using some reward points. There are just too many monitor with crap quality control at this price point. It's very hard to decide.

I understand your dilemma. When I was trying to find some good candidates for you, most of the 1080p monitors I looked at which were designed specifically for gaming and recommended for that purpose by respected technical review websites were priced well beyond your budget, even in a 24-inch size.

The ASUS VS239H-P is very popular and gets high marks from most users. One website I looked at suggested it as one of the better inexpensive choices for a combination of everyday use and gaming. If you are on a very tight budget, you could do worse.

[Poppa_Meth]

The main reason I'm leaning this directions, especially after days of research, is that I don't think IPS is really quite up to snuff for hardcore gaming. Not yet at least. Better color is good, but then you have higher response times and input lag. You also have issues with light bleed on a lot of these monitors. TN is basically outdated tech now. It'll be replaced by IPS in coming years. VA is at an odd place. It's kind of a hybrid and does a few things well and a few not so well. Basically I don't see any point in dropping the cash on an expensive monitor in any of these categories right now since better tech is looming just around the corner. I'd rather buy an adequate IPS for a reasonable price and upgrade to something nicer in a few years when the tech is better and I have more cash for it saved up.

[Poppa_Meth]

Got the Asus today. The stand is a bit wobbly, but otherwise it's a beautiful screen. Good color after a little tweaking. No light bleed or dead pixels. I did some tests that show a bit of ghosting and display lag, yet these are not noticeable in game at all. Not bad for the money.