Looking for good Graphics Card / Monitor combo

dereko

If I want to get the same image quality from my windows PC as I do with my mac do I need to purchase a special graphics card and monitor?

For that matter what hardware products should I be looking at that give the same or better quality image.

I'm currently looking to upgrade my dell PC into a good gaming machine. I love the quality of the 27" apple montiors so I want to replicate that on my PC.

I'm basically looking to buy a new power supply, graphics card and monitor. I think the rest is powerful enough for now.

Any thoughts?

marco_polo

What do you normally use the PC for? You will not nesscessarily need a powerfully graphics card just because you have a large monitor, it depends entirely on what you are using it for (Games, £ DRendering or 2D Graphics work for example).

For that 'Apple look' Image quality will rely almost entirely on just getting a quality 27" monitor.

What is you current setup?


*EDIT* Facepalm missed the "upgrade my dell PC into a good gaming machine" bit . Will need a good graphics card so. What type of games do you play and what is the budget?

dereko

I'd be looking to use it for normal work stuff and some gaming and watching some videos.

So regarding gaming, Star craft 2, COD 4 etc

So yes I'm looking for that apple look on the monitor but I also need a reasonably powerful graphics card to play some modern games. I have a basic graphics card at the moment that need updating.

My main issue was getting a graphics card and monitor combo that work really well together e.g. exact horizontal and vertical refresh rates, clear sharp easy to see text and crystal clear video and gaming experience.

So i'm willing to go high end on montior and mid to high on graphics card.

For example is there a monitor out ther for the PC I can buy that is better than this new one from apple?
http://www.apple.com/displays/

marco_polo

The retail price of that 27" apple will be US$999 (Not out just yet by the looks of it).

For just regular 27", 1080p TN monitor you would be looking at about 350-400 euro minimum. For a 27" IPS monitor with a 2560 X 1440 resolution I would guess that you would need to probably double that budget at least (Can't find an example at the moment), also bear in mind that with an IPS panel you will also need to find one with a reponse time of < 6ms so that there is no ghosting during games.

Another thing to consider is that the higher the resolution the more expensive the graphics card you will need. At 1920 X 1080 you are probably looking at a HD 5770 / GT460 in the 150 - 200 euro price range for high settings gaming. For something like 2560 X 1440(or 1600) you would probably need a HD5870 from about 350 or thereabouts

dereko

Thats a good point about the response time.

So for example this machine from dell:
http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=ie&l=en&s=dhs&cs=iedhs1&sku=381164

The wouldn't be good for gaming? What is a good response time?

dereko

And for that matter the apple one is quiet bad so:
Response time (typical): 12 ms

Lu Tze

dereko wrote: »

And for that matter the apple one is quiet bad so:
Response time (typical): 12 ms

Different uses for the monitors so different priorities. You dont need a fast response time for photo editing isnt a high priority but colour and contrast presumably would be. I dont know if there are m/any large monitors of that size with a <5 second response time

dereko

Lu Tze wrote: »

Different uses for the monitors so different priorities. You dont need a fast response time for photo editing isnt a high priority but colour and contrast presumably would be. I dont know if there are m/any large monitors of that size with a <5 second response time

I absolutely understand the different priorities point. Its just if you did want to use it for game it wouldn't be ideal, thats all.

dereko

At the moment that 27" Dell looks to be the best option. (still open to other suggestions)

So in order to take full advantage, what would be good graphics card you could buy for under 400 euros?

Lu Tze

Yeah i know, but i would imagine the market for these high res screens is 95% pro/enthusiast photographer and a small minority of gamers. Flaccus has a 30" one pictured in the main build sticky in this forum.

you could get 24" panels handy enough with a lower resolution but low response time for a lot cheaper. If budget isnt an issue get 3 and use eyefinity to make them act as one display. If the budget is limitless get three hd monitors and paint a wall white in your house :pac:

Lu Tze

dereko wrote: »

At the moment that 27" Dell looks to be the best option. (still open to other suggestions)

So in order to take full advantage, what would be good graphics card you could buy for under 400 euros?

Quick check on amazon brings this up

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LG-W3000H-BN-monitor-black-WQXGA/dp/B0015LWB00/ref=sr_1_7?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1284048587&sr=1-7

You would have to check out the reviews though. There are also 26" ones at 1920 x 1200 resolution