1080p monitor compared to mbp 17" .. what the hell??

[ZestyOne]

So I just got a macbook pro 17", 2.8ghz core2 duo, 8gb ram, nvidia 9600M GT 512 mb 3d card. I bought it from my friend who uses an external monitor for graphic design, and puts his mbp in clamshell mode. I thought this was a fantastic idea..

I used the mbp for some time and I noticed how *incredibly* sharp and vibrant the screen was, also how high the resolution went.

I then ordered a 25" LCD "hanns g" monitor. I had never heard of the name but it had great reviews on newegg/tigerdirect.. plus it had 1080p which apparently was all I needed (so i thought). I heard the panel type was also important but neither of those sites showed panel type so I just went on user rating.

http://www.hannsg.com/US/EN/Products/LCD Monitors/Common.aspx?productId=685

So.. I get home, I plug that badboy in ready to drool.. I had been looking at my roommates new 27" imac for some time cause he just bought it a week ago.. I suppose I expected when Id plug it in it would look like that.

so i do and the colors are noticeably duller (despite changing the settings on the monitor itself).. and the resolution only goes to 1080. Obviously cause thats whats on the box, but i guess i never put 2 and 2 together that the native imac/macbook res is SO much higher, more vibrant, and more colorful.

I also turned on world of warcraft and the refresh rate seemed to destroy my eyes.. it just looked a little more choppier in general. it still said 30+ fps which is what it gets on my mbp, but for some reason i cant explain it didnt look very smooth at all.. it wasnt choppy but it was almost like the refresh rate was at 30hz... almost gave me a headache. i looked in game and the max said 50hz.

i looked in display settings and changed from 50hz (PAL) to 60hz ntsc and now in the game the display forces it on 50hz and 60 is no longer even an option.

Do i need drivers or something? whats the deal? I have no idea what the missing link is, I'm good at computers but not at monitors. I am using the HDMI cable (the one it came with, not a 'high quality' one) with an apple adapter. would that make a difference? I can get used to it i guess I just feel like something is missing... a driver, or some refresh rate setting thats making it look and feel just slightly off. :/

 

[kasakka]

You're noticing several things:

The small pixel size because of the small display, high resolution in the 17" MBP and very high resolution but still small pixel size in the 27" iMac. Compared to that your bottom of the barrel Hanns.G has much larger pixels so text etc is not as sharp and detailed.

Then there's the panel type. While the 17" MBP does use a TN panel like the Hanns.G, it is probably a fair bit better still. The iMac's IPS panel is so much better it shouldn't even be discussed in the same sentence.

Refresh rate should set it to 60 Hz normally, but in my experience with cheap monitors anything is possible. Are you playing WoW in Windows or OSX? If there is no option for the refresh rate in settings, you could google and see if there is some configuration file you can edit to force it to 60 Hz. You could also try connecting with DVI if that makes any difference - really shouldn't since HDMI's video output is the same...

 

[Minimoose 360]

The monitor you got is a much lower quality panel than your MacBook Pro. You can't really go about comparing the two. Such a monitor has a much lower DPI and color gamut, black levels, etc. which will ruin your viewing experience. Just because a product is cheap and has good reviews, doesn't mean it's going to be a good product

 

[ZestyOne]

The monitor you got is a much lower quality panel than your MacBook Pro. You can't really go about comparing the two. Such a monitor has a much lower DPI and color gamut, black levels, etc. which will ruin your viewing experience. Just because a product is cheap and has good reviews, doesn't mean it's going to be a good product

lol word... guess i learned my lesson.

how much is a monitor thats high quality.. maybe not as much as a mac (800 for a monitor? wtf..).. but noticeably better 25"

 

[iSpoody 1243]

it all depends
i got a AOC 23" full hd monitor with inbuild speakers and hdmi for 220$ AUD.
i wasnt expecting miracles at the price but it has impressed me.
while the mbp screen is better, the AOC monitor is quite good.
and the screen is matte which makes it even better.

 

[Bill Gates]

lol word... guess i learned my lesson.

how much is a monitor thats high quality.. maybe not as much as a mac (800 for a monitor? wtf..).. but noticeably better 25"

A good start would be something like the Dell U2311H or the NEC EA231. They're low-cost entry-level e-IPS panels. They aren't quite as good as what's in use in the iMac, but they are leagues ahead of any TN LCD on the market. I personally use a Dell U2311H with my MBP when I'm at home.

 

[Fuchal]

I would grab an LED Cinema Display when they're in the refurb store. It's about $300 off retail.

 

[bware189]

A good start would be something like the Dell U2311H or the NEC EA231. They're low-cost entry-level e-IPS panels. They aren't quite as good as what's in use in the iMac, but they are leagues ahead of any TN LCD on the market. I personally use a Dell U2311H with my MBP when I'm at home.

If he's playing videogames, its probably better that he stay away from IPS, and stick to TN, given the horrible refresh rates on IPS monitors. Probably one of the best monitor discussion forums is here:

http://hardforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=78
Hopefully you can find what you're looking for. If you do, chime back into this thread and tell us how it went.

 

[Bill Gates]

If he's playing videogames, its probably better that he stay away from IPS, and stick to TN, given the horrible refresh rates on IPS monitors. Probably one of the best monitor discussion forums is here:

http://hardforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=78
Hopefully you can find what you're looking for. If you do, chime back into this thread and tell us how it went.

The Dell actually isn't bad since Dell opted to use overdrive to speed-up the pixel response times, and input lag is practically non-existant. There's no need to sacrifice image quality for response times except for the most demanding gamers (who shouldn't be using a Mac in the first place).

 

[unamused]

Then there's the panel type. While the 17" MBP does use a TN panel like the Hanns.G, it is probably a fair bit better still. The iMac's IPS panel is so much better it shouldn't even be discussed in the same sentence.

THIS.

Its almost like saying a Hyundai has 4 wheels and a friends Ferrari has 4 wheels but the Ferrari is so much better....

Sure they may have similar specs on the outside, but you cant always just look at that... same exact thing with displays... ever wonder why some 55" lcd tvs cost under 1000 bucks while others sell for 2000-3000?

Anyway, i think you got the point... Its really not a fair comparison from TN to IPS but you live and learn! Maybe you can still get a refund?

Personally im going to save up for the dell 27" ultrasharp... same IPS panel as the imac except its a CCFL backlit display vs led...