Ok so after hours and hours of research, I took the plunge. It's a little intimidating spending so much on a monitor (considering a 55" TV from a major manufacturer can be had for around the same price), but through the years as a PC gamer I have learned that the monitor is probably the most important part of the system (subjectively, of course).
From my research, let me share briefly... All 165 hz 4ms 2k ips "type" panels are made by AOC. (translation: ips, or inter-plane switching, is phase coined by samsung and LG - actual panel manufacturers that are competitors. AOC boasts a AHVA panel, but for all intents and purposes is the same thing as ips... Good viewing angles, great color reproduction, decent black levels, and traditionally, mediocre response times which meant a few years ago - not good for gamers... until now). Now I'm an older gamer, and I don't need flashing LED lighting, or any peripherals that were inspired by the days of Governor Arnold fighting space alien hunters. The primary reason I chose Viewsonic instead of the "gamer" targeted marketing efforts of ASUS, ACER, and AOC, is that the Viewsonic is a no-frills, no nonsense, monitor manufacturer. Over the years I have had a personal Viewsonic TN panel that had great colour accuracy, response times, and was solid. I have also used Viewsonic TN monitors professionally working in various office jobs through the years, and they are reliable, and to be blunt I don't have any reason to dislike/complain about them. On the other hand, the guys that give you flashing lights, multi-color designs, and try to tell you they are for "pro gamers" just doesn't appeal to me. ASUS and ACER seem to be selling everything from motherboards to peripherals to dog food lately, and to me, that's kinda of a turnoff. About the point I can buy toothpaste from the company making my "pro gaming" components, I want to look elsewhere, personally...
PROS:
* Very fast for a ips type panel. If you do your diligence to read reviews, the monitor settings should be set to "advanced", and color should be calibrated with a colorimeter to make the best out of the panel.
* Viewing angles. On a screen this big it is important. Even if you are sitting right in front of it, there is some color deviation from one side to another on TN type panels.
* Color accuracy. Big and beautiful. If you find reviews on this panel you will find complaints, even if knit picking, but color accuracy won't be one of those complaints. Me 15 years ago didn't care about colors. I know what I'm missing now and I will not own another TN panel for personal use (with exception to a laptop potentially).
* 144hz/165 hz - YES it makes a difference. I play CS:GO, and wow what a big change from 60hz to 120hz. Bear in mind here you need a fast PC to give you consistent frames at these higher speeds at 2k resolution.
* Gysnc. Yes it's awesome. Yes it makes a difference. Yes it's worth the cost.
* 16:9 works great for movies and media. 2560x1440p is supported by almost all modern games.
* No dead pixels!
Cons:
* Cost. If you aren't made of money like me, this was a HUGE investment. I will be seriously disappointed if it doesn't last me 6 years or so.
* IPS Glow. Yes, these monitors have IPS glow, and many of them have substantial backlight bleed. If you are researching these monitors you already know this. Don't be the person that buys a monitor that has ips glow and complains about it to the world that it is so horrible. It's a known part of the technology. If you have an issue with it, wait another 5-10 years until OLED or another panel tech is accessible, and buy then. Right now this is the best thing going, unless you prefer the slower 30+ inch ultrawide screens. If you go for the ultrawide tech, some games will not be fully compatible. Mine has a moderate amount of IPS glow, and a bit of backlight bleed in the lower left corner. Your mileage may vary.
* I personally don't care for the little LED light on the bottom. It changes color for no apparent rhyme or reason. The manual is horrible and doesn't mention it. I had to go to the manufacturer website to read what it is supposed to do.. It's something to the effect of changing color to create a more immersive effect. Give me a break! I don't really mind it until it turns red for no reason, then it's just annoying.
* I'm now locked into the NVidia ecosystem for Gsync. I don't like proprietary ecosystems (Yes I'm looking at you, Apple!). But currently, it's the best thing going. What can I say.
Points of interest:
* Overwatch, Starcraft 2, and other competitive type games play great on 16:9 - 2560x1440p. Some games like this do NOT play well on 21:9 screens. You will end up seeing big, ugly borders on movies and media, and in some cases, these borders will be present in games like Overwatch. This may be arbitrary to some, but in the foreseeable future I think this 2560x1440p is a great middle ground resolution which I anticipate will be supported by 99.9% of games coming out. Not so with ultrawide type monitors.
* Screen size has nothing to do with how your PC will perform. Resolution is what matters. Right now, even the $1,500 graphics cards will not max out 4k screens at 144hz. So if you are thinking of buying a 4k screen, consider that graphics cards aren't quite there yet. Yes you might be able to buy two Titan X and get decent frame rates, but for the rest of us, 2k is much more manageable.
* GTX 770 will NOT give over 120hz at 1440p. This was a big surprise to me. I'm personally waiting for AMD to come out with new cards, and create a price war at which time I will be looking to upgrade. I'll probably wait for the forthcoming rumored Nvidia GTX 2070 or equal.
* 144hz can only be had with a good displayport cable. HDMI maxes at 60hz which defeats the entire purpose.
* IPS Glow will be a probability. Buy from a vendor you trust, and if it's unbearable, have the option to return it. The panel lottery is real. Mine has a small about of backlight bleed, but unfortunately, I can't go back to 60 hz now. FYI 120 hz is noticeable everywhere, including mouse pointer speed in Windows!!!
TLDR:
* Best option available currently for 2560 x 1440 with high refresh and Gsync
* Panel type has great blacks and color accuracy.
* 4k panels are a novel idea but you won't be able to push games at high graphics settings and high refresh rates for a few more years unless you want to spend $4,000-5,000 on a gaming PC.
* More appealing design (less obnoxious) that the competitors
* You are buying from a monitor company, not a "gaming" company that wants to sell you big flashy logos and colors on everything including the kitchen sink.
* You are still risking the "panel lottery" when buying a large format IPS/AHVA panel.
| Standing screen display size | 27 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | QHD WIde 1440p |
| Max Screen Resolution | 2560 x 1440 Pixels |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 3 |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 2 |
