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2560x1440 monitor

skaertus

skaertus

macrumors 601
Original poster
Feb 23, 2009
4,281
1,443
Brazil
I am searching for a 2560x1440 monitor and I am looking for the alternatives I have. I already discarded a 3840x2160 Dell monitor as I learned that my early 2013 15-inch retina MacBook Pro won't support such a high resolution on an external screen.

So, I am stuck with 1440p models. The thing is: I live in Brazil and offers here are very limited. And no, I cannot order a monitor from the US because I will have to pay an astonishing amount of taxes that is unbelievable to most non-Brazilian citizens and which will make it more than double its original price. As much as I would love to, I just cannot search Amazon.com for the best deal and have it delivered in my house.

I have the option to buy an Apple Thunderbolt Display, but I will not do that because it costs about US$ 2,200 here, so I am looking at the other options. The bottom line is, the following models are available here, and not all of them are readily available:

• Philips 272P4QPJKEB, US$ 1,150

• Dell UltraSharp U2713HM, US$ 925 (3+ weeks to be delivered)

• Samsung SyncMaster S27A850, US$ 950

• LG 27EA83R, US$ 900 (sold out for now)

Basically, these are the only options I have. The Dell is the cheapest one to buy in the credit card, but it will take something like a month to arrive, or maybe even more. The LG one is sold out for now, but it comes and goes all the time, so I might find one. The others are all ready for shipment and will be delivered in about a week.

I would like to know whether you have any opinion on these monitors. They are all 27" with a 2560x1440 resolution, but they use different panels.

As I understand, the LG and the Dell use the same IPS panel as the Apple Thunderbolt Display. The panel is made by LG and is has a 350 nit brightness.

The Samsung and the Philips both share the same PLS panel made by Samsung, and they sport a 300 nit brightness.

As far as I read, the IPS panel has better color reproduction and perhaps wider viewing angles, but the PLS is more colorful and has quicker response.

I would like to know which of these monitors is better and would be more recommended. First, which panel is the best? Second, which monitor is the best and most polished?

Thanks.
 
Last edited:
smellalot said:
Hi I know you said you listed all your options. But can you buy from Korea through eBay?
Click to expand...

I can, but I won't, unless I have good reason to.

Here's the taxes I will have to pay over the price + shipment if I order a monitor from anywhere in the world:

Import Tax: 60%
Tax Over Goods and Services: 18% over the total amount (price + shipping + import tax + tax over goods and services)
Tax on Exchange Conversion: 6%
+ US$ 65 of customs costs

Suppose a monitor costs US$ 500 and shipping to Brazil costs 200.

The total price will be like this:

Price: US$ 500
Shipping: US$ 200
Import tax: US$ 420
Tax Over Goods and Services: about US$ 245.80
Tax on Exchange Conversion: US$ 4.20
+ US$ 65 of customs costs

Final price: US$ 1435.00

Note that the tax above is over price plus shipping, not only price. And the customs office may not accept the price which was declared by the seller and apply its own parameter. If I find a monitor for US$ 250 on eBay, the customs office may not believe in the declared price, interpret it as a tax evasion maneuvre and may tax it as if it costed US$ 500.

There is a monitor from Korea that sells for US$ 320 announced on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Perfect...omputer_Monitors&hash=item4ace9ab711#shpCntId). Shipping to Brazil costs US$ 70. So, the price will be like this:

Price: US$ 320
Shipping: US$ 70
Import tax: US$ 234
Tax Over Goods and Services: about US$ 137
Tax on Exchange Conversion: US$ 2
+ US$ 65 of customs costs

Final price: US$ 828

Note that the credit card will charge me a premium for the exchange conversion. I used the current exchange rate which is US$ 1 = R$ 2.27, but the credit card will likely charge me at least R$ 2.35 for each US$ 1. Due to that, a US$ 828 monitor may end up costing more than US$ 900 due to this premium. So, the price alone is definitely not worth it.

In addition to that, the customs office may take over 2 months to release a product.

So, the answer is no, I won't buy a monitor from Korea, even if it is the cheapest place in the world. Brazilian taxes are so crazy that the price difference in the end will be negligible, and not worth it.

And no, there is no workaround. I know some of you may have known a guy who sends electronic products to Brazil and blah blah blah. Yes, I know it exists, and it is usually considered smuggling. Any workaround like this is risky, and I am not willing to put my money on that.

That's why I am stuck with the models I listed. Which one would be the best one?
 
skaertus said:
Final price: US$ 828
Click to expand...

OK, I see you already knew about those Korean displays. I just recently discovered those and the prices are really good. Especially for the bigger 30" 2560x1600 px displays.

I'm sorry but I can't help you with those other displays. I know a german website: http://www.prad.de They make really good in depth reviews. Maybe you can use google translate to have a look at those.
 
smellalot said:
OK, I see you already knew about those Korean displays. I just recently discovered those and the prices are really good. Especially for the bigger 30" 2560x1600 px displays.



I'm sorry but I can't help you with those other displays. I know a german website: http://www.prad.de They make really good in depth reviews. Maybe you can use google translate to have a look at those.
Click to expand...


Thanks. I will take a look at the website you recommended.

Does anybody have any opinion on the monitors mentioned above?
 
smellalot said:
OK, I see you already knew about those Korean displays. I just recently discovered those and the prices are really good. Especially for the bigger 30" 2560x1600 px displays.

I'm sorry but I can't help you with those other displays. I know a german website: http://www.prad.de They make really good in depth reviews. Maybe you can use google translate to have a look at those.
Click to expand...

Thanks. This is a really useful website. And it also has an English version, so there is no need to use Google Translate.
 
You forgot one, this is my choice 2nd to the ATD similar fused construction like newest iMacs

http://www.planar.com/products/desktop-touch-screen-monitors/24-inch/pxl2790mw/
 
jenzjen said:
You forgot one, this is my choice 2nd to the ATD similar fused construction like newest iMacs

http://www.planar.com/products/desktop-touch-screen-monitors/24-inch/pxl2790mw/
Click to expand...

Actually, I did not forget this one. This Planar monitor may be good, but it is not available for sale here in Brazil, so there is no way I can buy one of these (unless I accept to pay an impossibly high price, which I will not do).

My options are pretty much limited to the specific models I listed in the thread, as these are the only ones which are available here in Brazil, and some of them are sold-out for now.

So, it is a choice between the Samsung SyncMaster S27A850, the LG 27EA83R, the Philips 272P4QPJKEB and the Dell UltraSharp U2713HM. I cannot find other options here for a reasonable price. Which one of these would you recommend?
 
skaertus said:
Actually, I did not forget this one. This Planar monitor may be good, but it is not available for sale here in Brazil, so there is no way I can buy one of these (unless I accept to pay an impossibly high price, which I will not do).

My options are pretty much limited to the specific models I listed in the thread, as these are the only ones which are available here in Brazil, and some of them are sold-out for now.

So, it is a choice between the Samsung SyncMaster S27A850, the LG 27EA83R, the Philips 272P4QPJKEB and the Dell UltraSharp U2713HM. I cannot find other options here for a reasonable price. Which one of these would you recommend?
Click to expand...

I can't speak to the others, but I am very happy with my Dell 2713HM - it replaced a rather ageing but still well performing CCFL Dell 20", and it has performed excellently. It works seamlessly via display port on the Mac.

Worth the wait I would say!
 
Pheo said:
I can't speak to the others, but I am very happy with my Dell 2713HM - it replaced a rather ageing but still well performing CCFL Dell 20", and it has performed excellently. It works seamlessly via display port on the Mac.

Worth the wait I would say!
Click to expand...

Thank you. I would prefer going with one of the other monitors, as the estimated time for delivery of the Dell monitor is more than 3 weeks, and quite likely may take over 2 months.
 
Pheo said:
Check what panel the others use - might all be the same
Click to expand...

I did some research and what I found was the following. The Dell and the LG monitors both use IPS panels made by LG (quite likely the same panel). The panel seems to be the same one used by Apple in the Cinema/Thunderbolt Display. The Samsung and the Philips models use a PLS panel (quite likely the same as well), which is Samsung's answer to LG's IPS, and with similar qualities (such as wide viewing angles).
 
Well, I have to be honest. I am having a very difficult time trying to find a 2560x1440 monitor for sale here in Brazil. Even the monitors I mentioned in my first post are all sold out in most stores. The ones I managed to find are seriously overpriced. I simply cannot get a 2560x1440 monitor for less than US$ 1,200 here.

One alternative would be to buy two 21.5-inch 1920x1080 monitors and place them side-by-side vertically instead of horizontally (so there are two 1080x1920 monitors side-by-side instead of one).

My previous experiences with two monitors are not good; they are mixed at best. However, I have always used two different monitors side-by-side and they did not feet well. At home, I used a 21.5-inch 1920x1080 monitor and a 22-inch 1680x1050 monitor and it was not comfortable at all. At office, I used a 19-inch 1600x900 monitor and a 17-inch 1024x768 monitor, and it was not comfortable as well. Perhaps things are different if I place two identical monitors side-by-side, but it still not one.

Does anybody have any experience in doing that? Is it worth it? Would it be better than one 2560x1440 monitor for productivity? What about websites? Do they fit in 1080 horizontally or I will have problems displaying them?
 
skaertus said:
Well, I have to be honest. I am having a very difficult time trying to find a 2560x1440 monitor for sale here in Brazil. Even the monitors I mentioned in my first post are all sold out in most stores. The ones I managed to find are seriously overpriced. I simply cannot get a 2560x1440 monitor for less than US$ 1,200 here.

One alternative would be to buy two 21.5-inch 1920x1080 monitors and place them side-by-side vertically instead of horizontally (so there are two 1080x1920 monitors side-by-side instead of one).

My previous experiences with two monitors are not good; they are mixed at best. However, I have always used two different monitors side-by-side and they did not feet well. At home, I used a 21.5-inch 1920x1080 monitor and a 22-inch 1680x1050 monitor and it was not comfortable at all. At office, I used a 19-inch 1600x900 monitor and a 17-inch 1024x768 monitor, and it was not comfortable as well. Perhaps things are different if I place two identical monitors side-by-side, but it still not one.

Does anybody have any experience in doing that? Is it worth it? Would it be better than one 2560x1440 monitor for productivity? What about websites? Do they fit in 1080 horizontally or I will have problems displaying them?
Click to expand...

Hi man, how are you?

The Dell model you cited seems to be a good one, why don't you get that? A good idea is to call them or chat to have a better price.

I'm also Brazilian, and Dell has a great support here.
 
HFoletto said:
Hi man, how are you?

The Dell model you cited seems to be a good one, why don't you get that? A good idea is to call them or chat to have a better price.

I'm also Brazilian, and Dell has a great support here.
Click to expand...

Do you have an idea of the time that takes for Dell to actually deliver the product? I am under the impression that this is an imported product and that it will take over a month to be delivered. Do you have any experience on this?
 
HFoletto said:
Hi man, how are you?

The Dell model you cited seems to be a good one, why don't you get that? A good idea is to call them or chat to have a better price.

I'm also Brazilian, and Dell has a great support here.
Click to expand...

I checked with Dell and I was informed that, if I order the product today, I will receive it in about 25 business days (around May 21). The product is not available for sale here in Brazil (it is an import).
 
skaertus said:
I checked with Dell and I was informed that, if I order the product today, I will receive it in about 25 business days (around May 21). The product is not available for sale here in Brazil (it is an import).
Click to expand...

Oh, that's really bad! I'm about to order a monitor from Dell as well, but more than 1 month is a lot. In the other hand, I think there's nothing we can do but wait.
 
HFoletto said:
Oh, that's really bad! I'm about to order a monitor from Dell as well, but more than 1 month is a lot. In the other hand, I think there's nothing we can do but wait.
Click to expand...

Yes.

Which model are you looking at?

Take a look at Dell's shipping policy: http://www1.la.dell.com/content/top.../pt/dhs/delivery?c=br&l=pt&s=gen&~section=002

According to Dell, imported products may take 4 or 5 weeks to be delivered. Depends on the monitor you are looking at, it will be an imported product. I think the high-end models (such as the ultra-high resolution monitors and the UltraSharp line) are all imports and all subject to these shipping policies.

I have read reports in the Internet about people who ordered products from Dell and the product was not delivered within the timeframe estimated by Dell. I have seen reports of products being delivered two months after ordered. It is not necessarily Dell's fault; as the product is imported, there are too many variables that may delay the delivery of the product (especially the Brazilian customs office).

One alternative is to look for a similar product in the Brazilian market. If one does not exist, you may choose to import the product yourself. You may guarantee a faster delivery, but you will have to pay all the taxes associated with it (such as the import tax and the ICMS).
 
skaertus said:
One alternative is to look for a similar product in the Brazilian market. If one does not exist, you may choose to import the product yourself. You may guarantee a faster delivery, but you will have to pay all the taxes associated with it (such as the import tax and the ICMS).
Click to expand...

Can you use some US packet relay service that receives your order from say, Amazon.com, and then sends it to anywhere in there world for you? I know those exist but never used one.
 
smellalot said:
Can you use some US packet relay service that receives your order from say, Amazon.com, and then sends it to anywhere in there world for you? I know those exist but never used one.
Click to expand...

Yes, I could use that. However, when the product arrives here in Brazil, the Brazilian customs office will apply all the taxes over the product, and the prices will skyrocket and become more than double the original price.

The real problem here in Brazil are the high taxes charged by the government, and which finds no parallel in other countries around the world. As you can imagine, nobody wants to pay US$ 700 of taxes over a product that costs US$ 500. Lots of people try a workaround not to pay taxes. However, the Brazilian government developed very efficient ways to supervise the entrance of imported products.

The end result is that it is really very difficult to enter Brazil with a product the size of a 27-inch monitor without being taxed.

Even if I agree to pay the taxes, however, the product would take several days (or perhaps weeks) to arrive, and it would probably be stuck in the Brazilian customs office. I would have to go to a customs office in order to pay the taxes and release the product. Not so easy, and I am not willing to go through all this process...
 
Thanks for your help. I ended up buying an LG 27EA83R monitor, which uses the same panel as the Dell. It was the only option available, apart from a Philips model (which was more expensive and did not seem as good as this one).

However, I could not use the 2560x1440 resolution on my MacBook Pro so far. I have a 15-inch early 2013 retina MacBook Pro.

I am using a DVI to MiniDisplay Port cable, which was the one I had at hand, and I can only get a 1920x1080 as the maximum resolution. I read somewhere that I need a Display Port to MiniDisplay Port cable in order to get the 2560x1440 resolution on the Mac, and that the DVI to MiniDisplay Port cable supports only a maximum of 1920x1080. Is that correct? Will I be able to use the 2560x1440 resolution if I get a Display Port to MiniDisplay Port cable? Or is this particular monitor incompatible with my Mac at the highest resolution? :(
 
skaertus said:
However, I could not use the 2560x1440 resolution on my MacBook Pro so far. I have a 15-inch early 2013 retina MacBook Pro.

I am using a DVI to MiniDisplay Port cable, which was the one I had at hand, and I can only get a 1920x1080 as the maximum resolution. I read somewhere that I need a Display Port to MiniDisplay Port cable in order to get the 2560x1440 resolution on the Mac, and that the DVI to MiniDisplay Port cable supports only a maximum of 1920x1080. Is that correct? Will I be able to use the 2560x1440 resolution if I get a Display Port to MiniDisplay Port cable? Or is this particular monitor incompatible with my Mac at the highest resolution? :(
Click to expand...


You need the mDP to DP cable.
 
smellalot said:
You need the mDP to DP cable.
Click to expand...

Thanks. The problem is, I still have not managed to find one. It is the only cable Apple does not sell here in Brazil.

Perhaps a Dual-link DVI cable could do it? It costs some US$ 150 here, but if it is the only way to work...
 
skaertus said:
Thanks. The problem is, I still have not managed to find one. It is the only cable Apple does not sell here in Brazil.

Perhaps a Dual-link DVI cable could do it? It costs some US$ 150 here, but if it is the only way to work...
Click to expand...

AFAIK you need this active adaptor cable: http://store.apple.com/de/product/MB571Z/A/mini-displayport-auf-dual-link-dvi-adapter

But this is very expensive. If I was you I would look for the mDP to DP cable. Maybe you can find it used or in some computer store.
 
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