Budget monitors 120 Hz. No brakes
At the moment, the point of purchasing a regular monitor on a TN+Film matrix is zero. Modern affordable e-IPS models handle games no worse, and when compared with some displays, even better. Large viewing angles, less color shift, and a variety of choices in almost any price range put them in first place among other possible candidates for purchase. In addition, I will not tire of repeating, a monitor is bought for many years and therefore it is necessary to take a more serious approach to its choice. Think about your eyes and nerves (this is the main thing).
Don’t think that I’m completely against Twisted Nematic panels, not at all. They are almost the only option when a diagonal of no more than 19-20 inches is needed and money is really tight. In other cases, from my point of view, they have no place on your table. And it doesn’t matter at all what type of activity the user does at his computer. Internet, office, movies, music, games - there is no difference, unless, of course, you are an ardent fan of modern (and not so modern) games. So, without a doubt, it is worth taking a closer look at TN+Film models with a vertical scanning frequency of 120 Hz.
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As you know, almost all liquid crystal displays in the current Full HD 1080p high-definition video standard can only operate at a frequency of 60 Hz, very rarely - 70-75 Hz. In other words, regardless of the power of the video card, the monitor produces an image at a frequency not exceeding 60-75 frames per second. Maybe it's the old CRT displays with 100-120 Hz. It’s still a sin to throw such specimens in the trash – they will still serve.There will be debate for a long time that the human eye cannot catch more than 24 frames, and there is no point in increasing the scan frequency/number of fps. But, as our acquaintance with the 120 Hz gaming monitor BenQ XL2420T, provided by our partner company Regard, showed, it’s time to finish them. There is a difference and it is obvious. Another thing is that the noticeable advantages are not “a carriage and a small cart” at all, but many fewer. Details in this material.
Testing methodology
This article was written using a new method, dated January 27, 2012. It is based on the experience I have gained over the last couple of years of working with monitors (both as an author of articles/tests, and as a person who is constantly faced with setting up and calibrating various display models). The equipment used includes X-Rite instruments (two different colorimeters and one reference spectrophotometer), and software– only freely distributed programs and utilities.
Choosing a monitor will not be an easy task for everyone. Some will approach this with all the seriousness of the matter, while others will choose the first one they get from their favorite manufacturer. In order not to buy a pig in a poke, it is better to study reviews and testimonials. This is how you will be able to choose the best 120 hertz monitor without disappointment.
Monitors
If you decided to thoroughly take on the choice of a monitor, most likely you would be bogged down in this for days and weeks. The world has never seen so many screens before. And while the poor buyer is trying to understand the new products, manufacturers continue to release them.
120 Hz monitors have been around for a very long time, so it’s impossible to call them new. Some even consider them outdated. Although, as statistics show, many gamers still cannot part with their “oldies” at 60 Hz.
Nevertheless, it is difficult to call a 120 Hz gaming screen, since there are already options for 144 and 240 Hz. These giants will definitely give you a head start and will more than leave the observed frequency behind. The above gaming models are now very expensive, and therefore we have to look for an alternative.
It's for an alternative like 120 hertz that gamers come. We will look at a couple of interesting and affordable models.
Alienware
In 2012, the Alienware OptX AW2310 monitor became popular. Now it has become more difficult to find it, but if you set yourself a goal, it is possible. This monitor came out with an interesting design. It can hardly be called gaming, but even 5 years ago this option would have attracted many gamers.
The aspect ratio of this model was 16:9 with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels giving an excellent picture. 23 inches is considered optimal for gaming and work in general.
The screen was placed on a massive stand of an unusual shape. Of course, Alienware now has much more interesting models. The OptX AW2310 had the company logo on the front panel. No more graphic elements No.
The rear panel had the necessary interfaces, including DVI-D and HDMI, audio outputs and a pair USB type A and B.
The monitor worked on a TFT TN matrix. The option is not the best, especially considering the popularity and availability of IPS. The maximum frame refresh rate was 120 Hz.
The response time is 3 ms - not the most record-breaking figure. The functionality isn't the best either. There was color calibration, which worked well.
Alienware: reviews
Comparisons of 120 hertz monitors must be accompanied by reviews, since this is the only real assessment. So this model turned out to be quite good, judging by the opinions of many users.
They positively noted the correct colors, sufficient brightness, appearance and the required number of ports. The clarity of the image was praised. I also liked the height adjustment of the screen.
Speaking about the shortcomings, it is worth saying that most buyers encountered problems with touch controls. In most models it broke in the first months of use. On the one hand, the breakdown seems insignificant, but in fact it is upsetting due to its spontaneity. Some owners complained about self-shutdowns.
Viewsonic
Viewsonic VX2268wm turned out to be quite good and also received the trust of buyers. It looked familiar to many; it could stand out due to its glossy finish, which not everyone likes.
The monitor operates with a diagonal non-standard resolution of 1680 x 1050. The aspect ratio is 16:10. Again we see a cheap TFT TN matrix, which does a good job of broadcasting images.
Equipped with VX2268wm (120 hertz) 3D. The screen response time is 2 ms. The only inputs are DVI-D. But the model was equipped with two stereo speakers of 2 W each. There is automatic color calibration.
Viewsonic: reviews
This option turned out to be a complete disappointment for many, but for others, on the contrary, it helped them in work and even in games. On the plus side: buyers were able to highlight the presence of 3D and a frame refresh rate of 120 Hz. The color rendition turned out to be quite good. The operational response time of 2 ms does not negatively affect the game.
The owners also noted the unusual 16:10 format, which, although not everyone liked it, became a godsend for many. The monitor's operation turned out to be fast; it operates calmly both at the maximum frequency and at lower rates.
Negative reviews turned out to be very different. Some users could not figure out how to set 120 hertz on the monitor, which is why they mistakenly thought that the model was faulty.
Among the serious shortcomings is the weak support, which bothered many. It turned out to be flimsy, unstable, and at the slightest vibration of the table it could topple the monitor. Many were also dissatisfied with the viewing angles, although we shouldn’t have expected more from the TFT TN matrix.
BenQ
Another good model was the 120 hertz monitor. This model works with a diagonal of 23.6 inches. Screen resolution is 1920 x 1080 with an aspect ratio of 16:9. The matrix is still TFT TN, there is also 3D support.
Externally, the monitor looks very good. It was placed on a large, stable stand. They tried to make it a “frameless” model. A specially dedicated panel was made for the buttons. Ports were placed at the back: VGA, DVI-D, HDMI and audio input.
This model in many descriptions is presented as a gaming model with an LCD display. She got WLED backlight, which significantly affected the quality of the picture. The response time is 2 ms and the frequency is 120 Hz. There is automatic color calibration and several temperature modes inside.
IntroductionThe topic of scanning frequency on LCD monitors periodically comes up on various Internet forums: seven or eight years ago - mainly due to concerns about whether the monitor flickers at 60 Hz, currently - in discussions whether increasing the scanning frequency can improve time response or smoothness of movement.
Until recently, such discussions did not have any particular practical value: LCD monitors do not flicker, the scanning frequency of 75 Hz, although present on most models, does not provide any measurable advantage, and on some monitors it is even emulated by electronics - the matrix continues to work at 60 Hz, and “extra” frames are simply thrown away. Places restrictions and throughput DVI interface- in the single-channel version on monitors with a resolution of 1680x1050, it allows you to set the scan rate to no higher than 75 Hz, and with a resolution of 1920x1200 - and not at all higher than 60 Hz.
However, it seems that the situation will change radically in the near future. The impetus for this was the active promotion by NVIDIA of GeForce 3D Vision stereo glasses of the so-called “shutter” type - each lens is a liquid crystal curtain that opens 60 times per second. The monitor must show twice as many frames, alternating images for the right and left eyes - that is, it must work with a frame rate of 120 Hz, and work honestly.
Here you can recall 120-Hz televisions, but in them, since the television broadcast format remains the same, additional frames are calculated by the processor of the television itself as an average picture between two real frames. This provides the effect of greater smoothness of movement, but is only indirectly related to our topic today.
So, LCD monitors with a frequency personnel development 120 Hz. Of course, NVIDIA did not randomly choose the date for the start of active promotion of stereo glasses - if the company had released them a year or two ago, the glasses simply would not have been used with anything, since CRT monitors were no longer popular, to put it mildly, and LCD monitors were still were not able to provide 120 Hz sweep.
But today such monitors already exist - and we will look at one of them, Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ, in this article. Although it is officially positioned as a monitor with support for NVIDIA stereo technologies, there is absolutely nothing stopping it from being used without glasses - and it is very interesting whether the 120 Hz scan will provide any advantages in this case.
Testing methodology
A description of the testing methodology, the equipment we use, as well as a brief explanation of what certain passport parameters or monitor parameters we measure mean in practice can be found in the material “ Methodology for testing LCD monitors" If you feel that you are not well versed in the numbers and terms that the article abounds in, please read the relevant sections of this description; we hope it will clarify many issues.If you did not find the monitor you are interested in in this article, it makes sense to check with full list of tested models.
Passport parameters
The monitor is built on the basis of a 22-inch TN matrix, the rated response time of which is 3 ms (GtG), which indicates to us the presence of response compensation technology. However, this is logical - otherwise the monitor simply would not have time to switch between frames at a frequency of 120 Hz.The parameters of brightness, contrast and viewing angles are quite standard, as a plus it can be noted that the manufacturer indicates both static and dynamic contrast.
In addition to the high scanning frequency, the set of inputs is noteworthy - only Dual link DVI, and nothing else. The monitor does not really have an analog input. Dual-channel is needed to ensure a high scan rate: with a resolution of 1680x1050 and a frame rate of 120 Hz, the data flow exceeds 4.7 Gbit/s, despite the fact that the maximum throughput of single-channel DVI is slightly less than 4 Gbit/s.
This will not cause any compatibility problems: without exception, all modern discrete video cards have dual-channel DVI ports, so connecting the SyncMaster 2233RZ to them will be no different from connecting any other monitors. Integrated video cards and laptops mostly have a single-channel output, but this only means that scanning frequencies above 75 Hz will not be available on them.
The required video cable is supplied with the monitor, but if you need to purchase it separately, please note that it must be a “Dual Link DVI-D” cable. On a “Single Link” cable, the monitor will work, but you will not get 120 Hz scanning.
Design and ergonomics
The monitor is made of glossy black plastic with a minimum of right angles and flat surfaces. Samsung has been actively using this design with one or another variation for quite some time now, and it can be understood - the monitors look very attractive, for which they can even be forgiven for some impracticality: glossy plastic is known for its soiling and poor resistance to small scratches. The lower part of the case is decorated with a narrow strip of transparent plastic; in the 53rd series of monitors there are control buttons behind it, but in the 33rd series it plays only a decorative role.
In profile, the monitor has an average thickness, but thanks to its smooth outlines, it looks quite elegant. This is especially well emphasized by the stand, which, unfortunately, allows you to adjust only the angle of the screen, and even then within small limits.
Another drawback of the stand is its inconvenient fastening: it is held in a rubberized groove by friction. To assemble the stand, place it on the table, then forcefully push the monitor onto it from above; to disassemble, place the monitor face down on a flat surface, not forgetting to lay down a soft cloth, then, holding the case with one hand, forcefully pull the stand towards you with the other . Both procedures are simple, but require such effort that it seems that a little more - and the stand will simply break.
What's nice is the ability to use a standard VESA bracket instead of a stand - mounts for it are provided on the back wall of the monitor. So, if desired, the 2233RZ can be hung on the wall or mounted on something more flexible than a standard stand.
As mentioned above, the monitor has a single dual-link DVI-D input. It is impossible to connect it to an analog signal source through any adapters, and to work with two computers you will need to purchase a KVM switch.
The control buttons are located on the right side of the monitor; they are easy to touch due to their large size and slightly convex shape, but the inscriptions, of course, are not visible at all during normal operation of the monitor - they are also on the side.
Samsung solved this problem with a method so obvious that it is surprising why it began to be used only now: when you press any button, explanatory inscriptions light up on the screen, each of which is located strictly opposite the corresponding button. Thanks to this, using the buttons is not exactly convenient, but it is possible - without much getting used to and constant search to the touch desired button in the style of “So... she seemed to be fourth from the top... first... second... third... guessed right!”
The designers didn't think of one thing - moving the power button to the side or at least making it a noticeably different shape, for example, concave.
One of the most wonderful ideas in monitor design is the power indicator. Typically, designers are torn between how to make it noticeable (for some reason, almost no one makes indicators that shine only when the monitor is in “hibernation”, like on TVs) - and at the same time not too annoying. However, the second point is sometimes forgotten, limiting itself to the installation ultra-bright LED in the center of the front panel...
In the SyncMaster 2233RZ, the LED itself is not visible at all - it is hidden inside and only illuminates a small section of the decorative acrylic strip running along the lower edge of the case. It is best seen in the reflection in the black-mirror surface of the stand:
The solution is very close to genius - perhaps this is one of the most beautiful and at the same time most convenient options for implementing a power indicator that I have ever seen.
When the monitor goes into hibernation, the indicator begins to blink, but due to its low brightness, this does not cause any inconvenience.
On Screen Display
The monitor has a typical feature for all modern Samsung models OSD menu - except that it is always located in the lower right corner of the screen, next to the button labels. You cannot move the menu.The settings in it are grouped into six sections. The menu remembers your actions and the next time you enter it, it opens in the section where it was closed.
The first section is brightness and contrast settings, as well as switching MagicBright modes. The latter are several preset brightness settings that can be switched very quickly with one button, without going to the main menu - this is extremely convenient when using the monitor at home, when you work, play, and watch movies on it.
By default, the brightness is set to very high, for normal operation it will need to be greatly reduced.
The second menu tab is for setting color temperature and gamma. The first item allows you to select the color temperature of the image from a ready-made list, the second one allows you to manually adjust it using the RGB sliders, and the third one allows you to change the gamma, making the image more contrasty or, conversely, lighter (only three values are available in it).
Despite the lack of an analog connection, there is a clarity setting in the monitor menu. In most cases, there is no point in touching it: when the clarity increases, unpleasant white rims appear around the letters on the screen, and when decreased, the picture becomes noticeably blurred.
In the settings of the on-screen menu itself, the choice of language, menu transparency and the time it remains on the screen is preserved, but there are no more settings for the menu position on the screen.
The penultimate item allows you to reset all settings to factory settings, select the function that the “programmable” button (second from the bottom) calls - between switching the MagicBright modes, which it is configured for by default, and switching the interpolation mode, activate automatic shutdown monitor through specified time, and also set the interpolation mode. There are two options for the latter: stretching the picture to the entire screen size or stretching the picture while maintaining the proportions.
The last menu item is information about the current operating mode. Here you can make sure that the sweep frequency is indeed 120 Hz.
Subjective impressions
In everything that does not concern the scan frequency, impressions of the monitor can be summarized not only in one paragraph, but in one line - this is the usual modern model on a TN matrix, with acceptable color rendering, good horizontal and more or less normal vertical viewing angles. The fact that the monitor is designed to work with 3D glasses does not affect its image in any way: you can go to the store, look at any other TN monitor made by Samsung and get a complete picture of what the SyncMaster 2233RZ looks like - at least For now it works at 60 Hz.
Switching to 120 Hz passed without problems: the corresponding mode “by itself” appeared in the normal system settings of the monitor.
The impressions turned out to be extremely pleasant.
Firstly, the difference between 120 Hz and 60 Hz is visible even in the interface operating system- movements become much smoother, and this applies to both the mouse cursor and entire dragged windows. This is especially noticeable in Windows XP and Windows Vista Home Basic - in Windows Vista, the developers of the Aero interface, which is included in Home Premium and higher versions, have done a lot to achieve greater visual smoothness, so Aero already looks good at 60 Hz.
Secondly, the artifacts of the response compensation circuit are noticeably reduced: if at 60 Hz, when dragging a window in Windows, quite distinct white stripes follow the letters, then at 120 Hz they are almost invisible. At the same time, blurring, that is, the actual response time of the monitor, remains the same to the eye as at 60 Hz - but the picture in motion looks much better.
Thirdly, 120 Hz is also noticeable in games - if, of course, your video card has sufficient performance to draw so many frames every second. I can’t say that the game is moving to a new quality - although, perhaps, hardcore players will start talking about milliseconds of advantage over the enemy - but thanks to smoother picture movement and the disappearance of RTC artifacts when moving from 60 to 120 Hz, the game becomes more enjoyable.
In general, I did not expect that the transition from 60 Hz to 120 Hz scanning would be so noticeable - the difference is really visible to the naked eye, and in all cases, without exception, it turned out to be in favor of the higher frequency. Smoother movements, almost complete disappearance of artifacts from the response compensation circuit - all this makes an extremely pleasant impression, and somehow I don’t want to go back to 60 Hz.
Generally speaking, I am inclined to consider this feature as one of the key factors in the future success of GeForce 3D Vision - if all other technologies for obtaining three-dimensional images require buying a special monitor, which does not work very well in normal 2D mode (at least not Zalman Trimon , nor iZ3D could please us with the picture quality), then with GeForce 3D Vision it’s exactly the opposite. It makes sense to buy a monitor compatible with these glasses, even if you are not interested in the glasses themselves - simply because even without them it turns out to be better than regular monitors!
As a result, it may well turn out that after some time many players, and even ordinary users, will have new 120 Hz LCD monitors at home, which will already be fully compatible with stereo glasses, despite the fact that Nobody even thought about buying such glasses. And it would be strange for manufacturers to advertise such monitors only as compatible with NVIDIA 3D glasses, ignoring their advantages in regular 2D mode.
However, let's move on to the numbers and test the monitor in accordance with our methodology, and not only study it speed characteristics at 120 Hz scanning, but we will also check whether it is really not inferior to conventional 60 Hz monitors in image quality.
Brightness and Contrast
By default, brightness is set to 100% and contrast to 75%. A white level of 100 cd/m2 was achieved with a brightness setting of 44% and contrast of 45%. The brightness is adjusted by modulating the power supply of the backlight lamps at a frequency of 180 Hz.
With default settings, the monitor brightness is more than 300 cd/sq.m, which is normal for watching movies, but too much for work - in the latter case, comfortable brightness usually lies in the range of 70-120 cd/sq.m. The contrast is very good - it almost reaches 800:1.
When measuring dynamic contrast (this mode is activated using the “MagicBright” button) on a black background, the calibrator showed zero brightness, so the minimum guaranteed value it measured was entered into the table - 0.02 cd/sq.m. Accordingly, the dynamic contrast indicated in the table must be read with the prefix “not less.”
The monitor also has five preset modes with brightness and contrast settings quickly switched by successive presses of the “MagicBright” button. Their settings cannot be changed.
The brightness in all cases is more or less adequate to the name of the mode, except that it is worth making a note regarding “Text” and “Internet” - the first is intended for working with text in good office lighting conditions, for home it will be bright, and the second is more suitable for viewing photos or even movies than for surfing the Internet. However, nothing prevents you from setting up the monitor to work manually, and switching to “MagicBright” modes when you need more brightness - that is, in movies, games or when viewing photos.
The “MagicBright” modes do not affect color reproduction, with the exception that each of them is associated with a specific color temperature value: “Warm” in the “Movie” mode, “Cool” in the “Sport” mode and “Normal” in the rest.
Illumination Uniformity
On white, the average backlight unevenness turned out to be 4.9%, the maximum deviation was 12.6%, on black - 5.0% and 17.8%, respectively. The indicators are quite good; however, in the pictures constructed from the measurement results, it is clear that a light spot in the lower half of the screen stands out against a black background.
Color gamut
The monitor has a standard, non-expanded color gamut. If we compare it with the typical sRGB color gamut, then the latter 2233RZ is slightly inferior to the latter in blue (because of this, shades of pink and purple are reproduced worse, and blue itself is slightly shifted towards turquoise), but it is superior in green and red.
Gamma Setting Accuracy
With default settings, the monitor's contrast is slightly too high - this can be seen from the characteristic kink in the gamma curves in the upper right part of the graph. In practice, this means that some light shades will merge with white... however, it is unlikely that anyone will work on the 2233RZ with factory settings, it is too bright.
When the brightness and contrast in the monitor settings are reduced, the right side of the curves returns to normal, but in general the gamma indicator is slightly underestimated - because of this, the curves are higher than ideal, and the picture on the monitor screen will look less contrasty than it should.
Colorful temperature
Before us is a completely ordinary TN matrix with response time compensation. The arithmetic mean value of the response time was 3.2 ms (GtG), which is in perfect agreement with the manufacturer’s promises, and the maximum recorded was 17 ms, and even then only on one transition, from black to dark gray. In principle, a completely ordinary picture for modern gaming monitor.
The response compensation scheme was not without errors: on average, its error was 9.6% - this is not very much, but enough for artifacts to be noticeable in some situations, as I already wrote about above, in the “subjective part” of the article.
In addition to the usual measurement of RTC circuit miss in percentage, starting with this article, we also introduce a measurement of this miss in milliseconds. Let me explain its meaning.
This is a typical picture of a monitor pixel switching from black to gray, taken using a photosensor and an oscilloscope. Until the 40th millisecond (horizontal axis of the graph), the pixel was black, but then the command came to change the color. A powerful impulse generated by the response time compensation circuit literally moved the pixel to the desired level in just a couple of milliseconds (a little more than 160 units on the vertical scale of the graph), but it turned out to be too large - instantly “flying” this level, the pixel gained noticeably higher brightness, about 210 units . After that, it took him several tens of milliseconds to still return to the set level - and during this time, the pixel brightness exceeded the required one, which looks like a wide and high hump on the graph. It is this hump that causes the appearance of light edges, known to us as RTC artifacts.
Thus, the miss of the RTC circuit, measured in milliseconds, is, in fact, the relaxation time during which the pixel will actually set the brightness we need. Both for the reasons for its occurrence and purely visually, this effect is different from the usual response time, so we will not summarize the times.
Not a very happy picture: the average relaxation time is 15.2 ms, which is five times (sic!) longer than the average monitor response time, and the maximum relaxation time can exceed 50 ms. Because of this, artifacts during the operation of the response compensation circuit become noticeable to the eye.
Response time: 120Hz
What will happen to the 120 Hz scan? Judging by subjective observations, when switching the scan frequency, RTC artifacts disappear - but what is the reason for this?
The response time changes slightly: on average it turns out to be 3.3 ms (GtG), which is 0.1 ms more than with a 60-Hz scan - such a difference can and should be attributed to measurement error.
The error of the response compensation circuit, expressed as a percentage, decreases slightly: on average 7.3%, at a maximum of about 40% - already better than at 60 Hz. But is this the only reason for the visual difference? After all, the numbers differ in general little...
And this is where the diagram with the relaxation time of these notorious RTC errors will help us - it is specially built on the same scale as for the 60 Hz sweep. Do you see the difference? Then the average relaxation time was 15.2 ms, now it is 6.6 ms. Errors are not just a little smaller in size - they disappear from the screen more than twice as fast.
Let's supplement what has been said with a picture illustrating the movement of a black rectangle along gray background at sweeps of 60 Hz and 120 Hz. The rectangle moves smoothly from left to right, “snapshots” of its position are taken every 8.3 ms - with an image update period at 120 Hz scan:
After the rectangle has moved to a new position, a bright spot appears in its original place - a consequence of the very “flight” of pixel brightness due to the overly aggressive behavior of the response compensation circuit. The next frame forcibly suppresses this spot (for simplicity, we will assume that it is completely - in practice this is not always the case), but since during this time the rectangle managed to move again, a new one already appears in a different place. Thus, the rectangle is inextricably followed by its white shadow - an RTC artifact.
Please note that with a 120 Hz sweep, the interval between changing positions of the rectangle is half as much as at 60 Hz, therefore, it manages to move half the distance, therefore, the width of the white spot is half as large!
But as we experimentally established earlier, with a sweep of 120 Hz it also fades out more than twice as fast. As a result, it turns out that the visual noticeability of artifacts with a twofold increase in the scanning frequency is reduced not by two, but by four times. Excellent result.
Of course it would be a mistake a priori extend this output to all monitors with 120 Hz scan - and we hope we will see many more of these - but the example of the SyncMaster 2233RZ clearly shows that new technology can give regardless of any stereo glasses.
Conclusion
I admit: I myself did not expect that SyncMaster 2233RZ would have such a pleasant impression on me even without stereo glasses.Unlike all the monitors we have previously tested that support stereo mode, be it Zalman Trimon or iZ3D, the Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ is not only no worse than conventional “flat” monitors - in terms of its parameters, such as contrast, viewing angles, color rendition, it is at level of the best home models of LCD monitors built on the basis of TN matrices. You don't have to make compromises for the opportunity to look at a truly three-dimensional world in computer games, you just buy a good home monitor that can also be used in conjunction with stereo glasses.
Moreover, 120 Hz scanning provides serious advantages without any glasses. We did not expect a decrease in the response time - it is already less than the sweep period even at 120 hertz, but the strong decrease in the visibility of RTC artifacts, which made them practically insignificant, turned out to be an extremely pleasant surprise. This is, to put it mildly, rare these days: a 3-ms matrix that has no artifacts.
In addition, 120-Hz scanning provides smoother movement, both in games and during normal work - in the second case, it is, of course, not critical, but is still noticeable to the naked eye and therefore can rightfully be attributed to the advantages of the monitor . For gamers, 120 Hz LCD monitor models may well quickly become a must-have element of a serious gaming computer.
If we talk about prices for new monitors, then the manufacturer's recommended price for the SyncMaster 2233RZ is $399 - $100 more than the regular 60 Hz SyncMaster 2233BW. The latter at the time of writing this article cost about 10 thousand rubles Therefore, SyncMaster 2233RZ should be expected to be on sale at a price of about 13-14 thousand rubles. It’s not cheap, but such a cost cannot be called prohibitive either - a quite reasonable markup for the opportunity to get an excellent gaming monitor with characteristics that are unique today.
At the same time, the implementation of 120-Hz scanning does not require any special technological delights, and therefore one can hope that after some time the range of such models will increase significantly, and the gap in cost with 60-Hz monitors, on the contrary, will be reduced to one or two thousand rubles .
P.S. Although, of course, you shouldn’t forget about stereo glasses. And we will dedicate it to them our next article.
Other materials on this topic
Stereo glasses NVIDIA GeForce 3DVision
22" PVA: NEC MultiSync P221W monitor
A triumph of design: ASUS LS221H and LG Flatron W2284F monitors
Selecting an LCD Monitor: Winter 2008-2009
Many argue about which is better: a 120 Hz monitor or a 60 Hz monitor. This article will help answer this question. It contains information about what this same Hertz is, what and how much it affects, and how these monitors differ. The issue of pricing for this type technology. Reading this short article will not take much time, but after that anyone will be able to accurately answer the question posed.
What is Hertz?
For those who, in principle, have not encountered such a concept, it will be useful to know what is meant in this way physical quantity, reflecting the frequency of some processes that have periodicity. The unit of measurement was named in honor of its discoverer, the scientist. It was introduced into use back in the 30th year of the last century. And thirty years later it was recognized as the most widely used indicator in the world and included in international system units of measurement, also known as the SI system.
Hertz or, more correctly, Hz is the number of repetitions per unit of time - a second.
Hertz, for example, measures the frequency of sound vibrations, the so-called pitch of sound or EMR frequency in the well-known microwave oven.
But how does the frequency unit apply to monitors? Let's take a closer look.
What does monitor frequency affect?
To understand why Hertz is so necessary for a monitor, you need to remember why our eyes can see moving pictures on the screen. To create the illusion of movement, a series of static frames, which capture a certain action, sequentially flash before our eyes at a certain speed. It is very important that the interval between them is the same. In this case, our eyes do not have time to distinguish pauses between frames, and they merge into one continuous action.
This was used in ancient times to create animation, which later became the reference point for the creation of the first movie camera. This led to the then still silent black and white, and then to color, “talking” cinema.
Modern monitors work on approximately the same principle. They flicker at a certain frequency, measured precisely in Hertz, changing the picture each time and thereby creating the illusion of movement, say, of your mouse cursor.
Everyone has probably heard that a long time ago, movies were shot and, accordingly, shown at a frequency of 24 frames per second, that is, 24 Hertz. Today everything is different. For an ordinary monitor, the minimum operating limit of this indicator is a frequency two and a half times higher than then, that is, 60 Hertz.
This allows you to achieve better picture quality - it looks smoother, clearer, more detailed and deeper. This is the key importance of Hertz in modern monitors. The larger it is, the better the picture.
60 Hertz vs 120
However, you should not think that the picture on a 120 Hz monitor will be very different from the image at 60 Hz. In general, this will be noticeable: the smoothness of the movement of objects on the screen will improve, the clarity of graphics will become somewhat better, lighting effects in movies and games will become more voluminous and realistic. However, this will only be felt when detailed comparison. 120Hz monitors certainly allow you to look at some things with new eyes. But you will notice the difference only if you place two screens next to each other that differ in Hertzian frequency and look closely at the details.
In general, after long-term use monitor at 120 Hz, you are unlikely to want to go back to 60 Hertz. You obviously won’t get the pleasure of looking at a more “clumsy” picture, since the slightest difference in the smoothness of the cursor movement will already be noticeable. After all, the eyes are already accustomed to seeing a higher quality image.
120 Hertz or more?
If it wasn’t enough for you, don’t despair. Today, there are models with a truly cosmic Hertz value, exceeding two hundred updates per second. Such monitors are not yet so common, but it is becoming clear that a simple 60 Hertz is no longer enough for the average user. What can we say about avid gamers, because for a gaming monitor 120 Hz is no longer an entirely acceptable value. It does not always allow you to fully appreciate the beauty of a location or cut-scene. Also important in the game is a detailed depiction of characters, attributes and other plot elements.
Price
Alas, as always, the issue of comfort is inextricably linked with monetary costs. After all, the higher the frequency characteristic of a monitor, the more technically advanced it is and, as a result, more expensive than its less fast counterparts. On average, the price of a 120 Hz monitor ranges from 13 to 20 thousand rubles. The cost for some segments of consumers is really significant, so you should think twice about the advisability of such a purchase. Some people will prefer to purchase a less “fast” monitor, but for others, personal comfort from spending time at the computer is more important than the price of 120 Hz monitors.
