What's difference between these two 4k 32'' monitors?
Hi,I was not sure where to post this so here I am. I am in the market for a 4k monitor and I am confused over to suitable candidates:
1. BenQ EW3270U 4K HDR
2. 32UD89-W 32" 3840X2160 IPS 4K
My main users for it will be:
1. Xbox One S (wanna take advantage of freesync)
2. PS4 Pro
3. Work laptop
4. Personal Mac
Requirements:
1. 4k
2. Not a TN Panel
3. HDR
4. FreeSync
5. 32''
6. 10 Bit Panel
I am downgrading from 2*23'' Dell ultrasharps at home so i feel as though one 32'' monitor is a good compromise.
Questions:
1 - Does any one know why the LG is almost double the price of the BenQ and what it offers?
2 - Are there any other suitable alternatives out now or soon?
3 - What about FreeSync 2
Thanks for reading. I don't think the 32UD89 has the ability to accept an HDR signal, that's the 32UD99. It looks very similar hardware-wise, with perhaps the omission of the local dimming backlight? They're likely more expensive because they're aimed at professionals and include calibration features rather than because of gross differences in hardware.
Both the UD99 and BenQ have minimal HDR ability so make sure your expectations there are reasonable. The BenQ is a VA panel, so it's got a better dynamic range to begin with than the LG can manage at all. I would basically just treat them as wide gamut monitors rather than buying for the increased dynamic range. There is a bit of it from backlight control between frames but you're not going to see much change in static contrast.
If you're after the last few percent of accuracy like a 10-bit panel then I'd lean towards the LG if you can't afford the NEC and Eizo offerings. According to the Tom's Hardware review the BenQ has no calibration features at all in HDR mode so you'd have to do it solely through profiling (can you even profile an HDR screen yet? Image editing isn't my field).
The BenQ looks like the slightly more capable screen though, the freesync minimum of 24hz instead of 40hz alone should make a big difference to console games.
The BenQ does look like it's tone mapping preference is preserve dynamic range rather than brightness values, so expect content to be a bit dimmer than intended.
I'd check all the programs you use on your work laptop have HiDPI/Retina support, " is an awkward resolution that's neither one thing nor another for PC use. It is pretty high to be using at 100% scaling unless you have exceptional eyesight or have the screen close to your face (maybe 30-50cm).Your Mac OS PC may look a little softer/blurrier than you're used to if you do need to scale to 1.25x or 1.5x due to the way it handles non-integer scaling (rendering at 2x and scaling down).
I don't really follow 16:9 monitors as I want something wider for my next one. The monitors with decent dimming systems that offer reasonable increases in dynamic range are starting to appear though. Dell UP2718Q, Acer Predator X27, Asus PG27UQ and ProArt PA32UC, although I think the last may be currently the only 32". The production volume is nowhere near big enough to sell any of them at mainstream prices yet, so they may be out of budget.
I haven't seen many technical details on Freesync 2's HDR implementation. As a layman the biggest practical issue I see with HDR is the fixed brightness nature of standards using the PQ gamma curve (HDR10, Dolby Vision etc.). Absolute brightness values might be fine for a home theatre setup, but they're not going to work on a webpage that could be viewed in lighting conditions anywhere between outdoors at noon on a phone, to a laptop in bed. Instead of leaving it to each individual display to guess at how to adjust brightnesss I'm hoping we see more support for a relative brightness HDR standard like HLG that's specifies the data relative to the display brightness - as SDR standards do.
It's all early days yet though, so you're bound to end up with the usual quota of early adopter disappointments whatever you buy. Shelving HDR for now:
I like the look of this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-LU32H850UMUXEN-32-Inch-Gaming-Monitor/dp/B0727RQZBZ/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me= If you go to AMD Freesync site, set the filter to 32" in size and 2160p in resolution your left with 5 options but only 3 support Freesync over HDMI, all LG models.
Not a lot of choice, also the Xbox One platform currently only supports Freesync in the range of 40-60Hz same as those LG models. Freesync on Xbox only works with titles that have
a) uncapped frame rates which are rare, most games are capped at 30 with no off toggle.
b) run at 60fps but not a solid 60 so dip below into 50/40's (much fewer in number on S model than the X model).
It will take a while for games to be built with Freesync in mind on Xbox.
If Sony ever supported 1440p on the PS4 Pro I would go with a Samsung CHG70 which is a 1440p gaming monitor with Freesync 2, HDR and 120Hz output. The Xbox One S can use all three of those but it does have a more narrow Freesync range 48-60hz for Xbox, display goes 48-100Hz via PC. But Sony do not support any of that and you will be stuck with 1080p output.
Sticking with 4K the LG is the only real option unless you want to buy one of Samsungs 2018 Q*FN or NU* TV's which now support Freesync. See Rtings Samsung reviews, Freesync range in 4K mode is limited to 48-60Hz. But in 1080p it's 20-120hz which is arguably a lot more useful if Xbox ever expands it's functioning Freesync range. TV even supports which is very rare in TV land and supported by Xbox One. I don't know if you're still looking mate, but having gone round the houses with monitor choice this year, I thought I'd chip in with my experience. My needs are the same as yours, but without the Mac.
The suggestion above about the Freesync site is good advice. The monitor I finally settled on is from that list - the LG 32UD59. A few weeks in, I'm still really pleased with it. I spent months trying to find one that does the One X justice, and this is it. Don't bother with HDR - unless you spent near a grand it won't be proper HDR. I tried several with it (the BenQ, Samsung and LG mentioned above included) and it was underwhelming to say the least on all.
The 4K definition, contrast, and colours on this LG are better than any other I've tried, it produces a beautiful, truly spectacular image. Freesync makes the One X experience noticeably smoother. Text is really crisp on Windows (I'm using 200% scaling) - 32" is the perfect size for 4K. And was a bargain on Prime Day to boot, although the current (Amazon) price of £489 is still well worth it.
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