Monitor Buying Guide 2018
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Just grabbed a U2140f for $30 on ebay. hopefully it's legit & i can finally a/b with the benq [edit] NOT LEGIT! lol. got my refund though
KM I thought Windows 10 was my problem, but now that I switched back to Windows 7, I find that I still can't use it without strain. Never considered if it was limited to web browsers. Should be a good setup. An old Quadro card. Windows 7, EW2440L. The EW2440L is turning off intermittently and making strange noises, I think it's dying, I'd like to replace it but every new monitor seems to have such a high minimum brightness.
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KM I've been looking at reviews and it seems very difficult to find a monitor that has a low 0% brightness. 75 cdm/2 seems pretty standard now. I don't find that comfortable in all but the brightest rooms, but even then.. Compare to 11 on the EW2740L and a bit higher but pretty similar on the EW2440L.
I found Chrome has less eyestrain than Firefox that I was using before.
I know everyone's experience is different...but my boss got me a BenQ HDMI Senseye3 LED (GL2760H) and it has not helped at all. It's only a 60hz monitor. A techie friend is telling me to get a high resolution, high refresh rate (at least 164hz) monitor and use a display port cord. Also, preferably an IPS monitor. Has anyone had any success with any of this??
Most folks have no comprehension of the visual disturbances we're experiencing so their answers typically encompass "get your eyes checked" or "get a high refresh monitor".
Needless to say these won't solve the problem. Beyond that it's a tangled web of problematic monitors, hardware and software. Finding something that works means either using older gear or getting lucky with a device or combination.
A common fall-back monitor is the Dell 2410 that a lot of folks have had success with, though you'll obviously have to source one second hand.
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I have been trying the Samsung C24FG73. The minimum brightness is around 40 cdm but I don't find the monitor to be painful. Side by side the BenQ EW2750ZL is more painful despite being dimmer. Not at all what I expected. Unfortunately text is a bit weird on this monitor and can be difficult to decipher, I can't really describe it any better.
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I can recommend the Dell U2419H. I've been using it for about 4 months now with no issues here (upgraded from U2414H). It's PWM free and has 'Comfortview' which supposedly lowers the blue light levels. I don't know how effective it is, but I leave it on regardless.
Companies are aware all right. Another example.
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degen It This is an interesting monitor in that I want to turn it up to see well. Almost in a way I don't want it too dim. I guess my feeling at the moment is that the back light doesn't feel as harsh. However everything has been complicated by a recent switch back to Windows 10 as a trial. I'm going to be back to Windows 7 and compare it with the EW2440L side by side. rookie mistake to change two variables.. Even though the backlight doesn't feel harsh the muscles around my eyes are contracting and I am getting nerve pain in my temples (hypersensitivity in trigeminal nerve). I think that's a Windows 10 thing. If anyone is interested I will report back here on if it was the new monitor, the OS, or both.
Generally I have extremely little hope that any new piece of technology will be better. I have become very pessimistic, reminds me of your post @KM .
The technology is not getting better. I don't see it. I've been through a few monitors and it is discouraging. Soon retailers will be blacklisting me lol. My family thinks I'm really weird too.
I really, really, wish my EW2440L wasn't exhibiting these problems with turning off every couple of minutes or so. This monitor has been exhibiting weird behaviour for a while now and it's making me nervous.
Bit of a rant but this is really getting to me.
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I had tried the Samsung CFG73, but it eventually caused strain when reading text. I think it might actually be a "regular" eyestrain caused by the strange subpixel setup. Text very blurry and hard to focus on. I really think the Quantum Dot backlight had promise though. I would choose it over a regular WLED backlight anytime I had the choice.
Now I'm trying the Dell U2518D. A source I trust seems to have erroneously stated the monitor to be 8-bit without dithering. Another source, Rtings, claims it must be 8-bit + FRC due to the gradient results. Didn't find that until the monitor was on the way, but I decided to try it out anyway.
Painful in an immediate sort of way which I know it won't be any good. Could be because of IPS, or FRC, or some other factor. I wish I could know for sure but there are too many variables with the "smart" firmware in these monitors now with fancy video processing.
degen I should have a true 8-bit monitor.
Unfortunately, doesn't seem to be for sale.
Works great, under Linux. Reboot into Win7 and it does something noticeably different (for the worse)
Still no good laptop though. It's a expensive endeavor with all this trialing
degen Have you ever seen this thread? https://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=5890 I believe that a few of us probably have issues with just the harshness of the LED back light vs the way CRT did it. This is an issue that gets almost zero coverage which drives me crazy as it seems incredibly important to people who are strained from every LED monitor. I would even bet it had something to do with me when I bought a new 2019 monitor and I had some luck as there was a new panel in there probably with some improvements. I have an old flicker free 2014 BENQ2270 and it's just death to the eyes no matter what setting. I remember having a 2009 Acer netbook that was LED and that was death to my eyes as well. You could always look into LG's Nano screens as they are very similar to quantum dot.