WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:06.799 I need to bring a monitor to Whale Land, but I don't want to tear apart my desk 00:00:03.280 --> 00:00:09.170 to take my beloved AW 3225QF. 00:00:06.799 --> 00:00:15.519 What am I gonna do? [sighs] Maybe there's a sale on. What do 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:17.760 I actually need to game? 120 Hz refresh 00:00:15.519 --> 00:00:22.960 rate is fast enough. And a smaller display is easier to move. IPS has 00:00:19.920 --> 00:00:25.279 decent motion clarity. That's it. Wow. 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:31.359 And for only 70 freedom bucks, what have I got to lose? 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:33.040 Wo. And here it is. I actually did go to 00:00:31.359 --> 00:00:36.719 the land with this puppy and it was great. Partly in thanks to this little 00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:40.640 monitor that could. [music] And that's thanks to how much display 00:00:38.559 --> 00:00:45.840 tech has advanced over these last few years. When you can get a proper nice 00:00:42.800 --> 00:00:47.440 gaming OLED for around $500 or $600, you 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:51.120 better believe the older gear is out there priced to sell. And while I can't 00:00:49.440 --> 00:00:54.800 guarantee that every model is going to be a winner like this one, I think the 00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:59.120 results for this little guy are going to surprise you. I've got absolutely zero 00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:01.520 buyer remorse because I followed a short list of what I consider to be musthaves 00:01:00.915 --> 00:01:07.465 [music] when shopping for a budget gaming monitor. You might know me as a man who 00:01:05.519 --> 00:01:11.520 owns a monitor, but now I own two. And [music] I'm here to convince you to not 00:01:09.680 --> 00:01:16.080 overspend on your next display. At least if you don't have to. Instead, save your 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:19.600 money for our sponsor, Nexigo. Their Black Friday sale is going on now. So, 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:23.040 if you're in need for a new webcam, a projector, or some gaming accessories, 00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:26.320 now is the time. Grab yours in the link in the description. 00:01:29.080 --> 00:01:31.100 >> [music] 00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:38.880 >> I know what you're probably thinking. Plof, you spoiled son of a Stop 00:01:36.960 --> 00:01:44.560 with the act. But it's true. In part because of must-have number one, the 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:46.960 refresh rate. 60 or even 75 hertz. Way 00:01:44.560 --> 00:01:49.960 too low. We want the 120 that's on this box. 00:01:50.560 --> 00:01:57.520 What? Wow. Maybe it's not. Yeah, maybe it's not actually listed on the box. 00:01:54.720 --> 00:02:02.079 Whatever it was on the spec page on the monitor uh section of Best Buy, and so I 00:02:00.240 --> 00:02:08.080 know it's 120 Hz. Whether you're gaming or working, 120 Hz feels great thanks to 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:11.920 massively reduced latency. And while that can be reduced further with a 00:02:09.920 --> 00:02:16.959 higher refresh rate, the returns start to diminish quickly. 120 Hz is also 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:21.599 great for modern consoles, and at the resolution we'll be using, they won't 00:02:18.640 --> 00:02:27.040 have to worry about poor performance. Boom. head shot. Look, 1080p is 00:02:24.640 --> 00:02:31.920 definitely a compromise, but at 24 in, we're still getting over 90 pixels per 00:02:28.959 --> 00:02:35.760 inch. That's under the desired 100 threshold, but our price is under that 00:02:33.760 --> 00:02:38.800 threshold as well. A bigger screen would be nice, but you can always scooch it 00:02:37.200 --> 00:02:44.160 towards you or kind of scoot yourself towards it. And setup was a breeze. I've 00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:48.800 brought a 27in LED monitor to a land before, and while that was nowhere near 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:54.080 as difficult as moving a CRT, this thing took up hardly any desk real estate. and 00:02:51.920 --> 00:02:58.160 it was still easy to see over the top when I wanted to talk to someone on the 00:02:56.080 --> 00:03:03.200 other side of the table. The last item on my checklist is panel type. I dream 00:03:00.640 --> 00:03:11.360 the dream that someday OLED will be obtainable for the sub $100 mark, but 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:13.280 today it's not that day. However, IPS 00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:18.879 still has solid motion clarity while maintaining decent color accuracy and 00:03:15.760 --> 00:03:21.200 viewing angles. Higherend VA panels are 00:03:18.879 --> 00:03:26.239 fine, but my experience with them on the lower end has been a smeary mess. And 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:32.959 TN, the clearest of the trio, just doesn't pop like IPS or VA do. I wanted 00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:34.560 a jack of all trades. And this is it. Do 00:03:32.959 --> 00:03:39.120 you think anyone's going to hate it? >> Let's go. What are we testing? But am I 00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:42.879 talking about the the monitor or the computer? >> The whole thing. 00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:46.640 >> The whole thing. Okay. It looks amazing. Looks amazing. Looks really smooth. Oh, 00:03:44.640 --> 00:03:50.239 there was a kitchen. It's not a like chicken. >> I think everything's fine. Just I've 00:03:49.040 --> 00:03:53.360 never really played Counter-Strike, but everything feels smooth and looks fine 00:03:52.640 --> 00:03:59.120 enough. >> Uh, should I be expecting lag spikes or 00:03:57.760 --> 00:04:04.400 >> Well, it feels like really high frame rate, that's for sure. Oh, I just got a head shot. [laughter] 00:04:03.040 --> 00:04:09.760 And I've never played these games before. Um, this is the most okay 00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:13.040 monitor I've ever seen. This is sort of comparable to the monitor that I had 00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:16.560 before I got my upgrade. You can watch that uh if you'd like. I own a monitor 00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:20.639 now, too. >> Apparently, that was a head shot, but that was his chest. But okay. 00:04:19.359 --> 00:04:24.400 >> Oh, they they're bots, right? I'm not that good. >> Yeah, they're bots. >> Okay. Yeah, I'm not that I'm not that 00:04:23.040 --> 00:04:28.479 good. [laughter] >> Like, the colors are fine on it, but I 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:33.680 wouldn't call it sp Oh god, I'm terrible at Why are you getting me to play this? 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:34.720 >> By my standards, I can see myself using 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:40.560 this. >> This is a really cheap monitor, right? >> Yeah. The monitor's $70. 00:04:39.199 --> 00:04:45.680 >> Oh, okay. >> LG. >> Yeah. 00:04:43.280 --> 00:04:48.240 >> Really? It looks pretty good, I got to say. Like, what's the refresh rate? It 00:04:47.280 --> 00:04:53.120 feels really smooth. >> 120 Hz. >> 120 Hz. Okay, this has got to be 1080p. 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:55.520 >> 1080p. >> But solid viewing angles, 00:04:54.960 --> 00:05:01.840 >> right, >> dude? I could get like 1 2 3 4 5 six of 00:04:59.440 --> 00:05:05.280 them, man. [laughter] >> Where'd you get that sick shirt? 00:05:03.040 --> 00:05:09.039 >> I got this sick shirt from the glitch collection at ltstore.com. 00:05:08.080 --> 00:05:16.000 Get yours today. >> What surprised me the most was just how color accurate the monitor is in SDR. 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:21.440 It's not perfect, but with 99% coverage of sRGB, it's able to achieve an average 00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:24.080 delta E2000 of just 3.5. Great for 00:05:21.440 --> 00:05:27.919 professional creators. Maybe not, but that's more than accurate enough for 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:31.919 damn near anyone to not only game on this thing, but to watch content on it, 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:36.000 too. It's also got almost zero processing latency with our measurements 00:05:33.759 --> 00:05:41.520 being just a bit above the theoretical perfect while refreshing at 120 Hz. And 00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:45.280 while the motion clarity isn't amazing, it's not awful with greater gray 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:51.280 response time averaging just 6.6 milliseconds with a max under 13. I've 00:05:48.080 --> 00:05:53.039 seen worse on a $30,000 TV. If that's 00:05:51.280 --> 00:05:57.919 not fast enough for you, this does support black frame insertion or BFI 00:05:55.280 --> 00:06:02.880 through its 1 millisecond motion blur reduction setting, cutting our average 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:04.560 response time nearly in half. For my use 00:06:02.880 --> 00:06:08.080 case, and I think for most people out there trying to game on a budget, 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:13.280 there's not much more you need. It's a solid monitor for gaming in a dark room, 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:16.080 but there are some flaws. I don't mind 00:06:13.280 --> 00:06:19.680 the lack of brightness. 350 nits is more than acceptable in a dimly lit land 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:23.360 event, but uh put this thing near a living room window though, and you're 00:06:21.520 --> 00:06:27.759 going to want to invest in some curtains for that midday sun. Also, thanks to 00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:32.240 that low brightness and edge lighting instead of a set of full array local 00:06:29.520 --> 00:06:37.120 dimming zones, this thing sucks when it comes to HDR. Frankly, it shouldn't even 00:06:34.400 --> 00:06:41.360 get the HDR10 rating, let alone have it in the name on LG's website. But don't 00:06:39.440 --> 00:06:44.639 worry, because aside from our poor HDR experience, finding a model with better 00:06:42.880 --> 00:06:48.479 features, refresh rate, size, and resolution is actually pretty easy and 00:06:46.639 --> 00:06:54.160 surprisingly affordable if you're not gunning for the latest and greatest 00:06:49.919 --> 00:06:57.440 panel tech. Let me show you. This 27in 00:06:54.160 --> 00:07:00.240 1440p 180 Hz Acer model looks great on 00:06:57.440 --> 00:07:04.319 paper and only costs 160 bucks now that it's a couple years old. Next step, 00:07:02.479 --> 00:07:08.080 quick review check. The lab doesn't have a monitor section yet, so for now, we'll 00:07:06.160 --> 00:07:13.680 let ratings tell us if this is trash or not. However, I kind of stand by IPS in 00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:19.280 general and would probably only look deeper than the storefront reviews if 00:07:15.840 --> 00:07:22.880 it's a higherend purchase or a VA panel. 00:07:19.280 --> 00:07:24.720 past the coveted 1440p 27in range. I 00:07:22.880 --> 00:07:29.680 personally think that increasing the resolution or size is a lot of 00:07:26.960 --> 00:07:33.199 diminishing returns real fast. Unless you're talking about going ultrawide, 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:38.800 which is a totally valid but different bag of worms entirely. Once you're at 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:40.639 that 1440p 27in target, I think it's 00:07:38.800 --> 00:07:45.440 better to spring for proper HDR, which we'll get to shortly. In terms of 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:49.039 refresh rate, 120 Hz already felt good. 00:07:45.440 --> 00:07:51.520 165 is nicer, but realistically 240 Hz 00:07:49.039 --> 00:07:56.160 and above is something many of you will only notice in first person shooters, if 00:07:54.080 --> 00:08:00.000 you can tell at all. On a strict budget, I wouldn't move past this price point, 00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:03.840 as we're already paying more than double for some nice to haves compared to the 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:08.400 Goat here. If you've got a few more coins in your piggy bank, some miniLEDD 00:08:05.759 --> 00:08:13.919 monitors have fallen below the $300 price point. This AOC model is going for 00:08:10.879 --> 00:08:17.360 260 right now. And if you can afford it, 00:08:13.919 --> 00:08:19.759 OLED is incredible and has hit the $5 or 00:08:17.360 --> 00:08:24.160 $600 price point many of us have been dreaming about. This AOC model looks 00:08:21.840 --> 00:08:28.960 pretty good. Or get the Dell Alienware model with similar specs for 550 if you 00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:34.159 trust them more. Personally, I think if you can wait even a few more months to 00:08:30.960 --> 00:08:36.560 save, OLED's incredible HDR performance 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:43.680 with per pixel dimming zones giving us counts in the millions is worth the 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:46.160 wait. Yeah, it's twice the price, but 00:08:43.680 --> 00:08:52.480 we're getting more zones than our AOC model over here to help with bloom and 00:08:49.360 --> 00:08:54.080 near perfect motion pixel response times 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:57.519 to keep your screen clear and up to speed in Battlefield 6 or whatever other 00:08:55.839 --> 00:09:01.760 modern shooter you're playing. But maybe you're like me, a gamer with no kids and 00:08:59.760 --> 00:09:07.680 three money buying some of the best displays on the market now for hundreds 00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:10.800 instead of thousands. Well, okay. If you 00:09:07.680 --> 00:09:12.800 want an oddity like the Samsung Arc, uh 00:09:10.800 --> 00:09:17.200 you'll be spending more than hundreds, but you get the point. You've got 00:09:14.800 --> 00:09:20.959 options, people, many of which we'll have linked in the video description 00:09:18.640 --> 00:09:25.040 below. Tandem OLED is here driving down prices. Cutie OLED still looks 00:09:22.880 --> 00:09:29.519 incredible, and who knows what will come out next. Until then, I'm going to keep 00:09:27.760 --> 00:09:34.320 bringing the little LG that could to Whale Land, and I'm not going to spend a 00:09:31.920 --> 00:09:38.240 single second of my time thinking, "Wow, I wish the monitor looked better." 00:09:36.160 --> 00:09:41.920 because honestly, it looks almost as good as our sponsor, Nexigo. If you're 00:09:40.560 --> 00:09:45.519 looking to save some money on upgrades for your entertainment center, it's time 00:09:43.680 --> 00:09:49.040 to check out Nexigo's Black Friday sale. Snag yourself a new projector like the 00:09:46.959 --> 00:09:53.200 Aurora Pro Mark II, which comes with a free 100in screen. Maybe you want a more 00:09:51.440 --> 00:09:56.240 discreet option like the Nova Mini that comes with a free gimbal stand. Pack it 00:09:54.720 --> 00:10:00.080 into your bag and you've got a projector on the go. Their NS-32 wireless 00:09:58.240 --> 00:10:04.160 controller is perfect for your Switch. It's only $29.99 and it comes in a 00:10:02.320 --> 00:10:07.200 variety of patterns and colors. or grab mom and dad a dash cam for their holiday 00:10:05.839 --> 00:10:11.360 season. Check out their deals before they're next to gone. See what I did 00:10:10.160 --> 00:10:16.480 there? Use our link in the description to see all of the great deals Nexigo has for their Black Friday sale. Thanks for 00:10:14.880 --> 00:10:19.920 watching. If you like this video, maybe watch the one where we fixed my old 00:10:18.079 --> 00:10:23.279 budget monitor. It worked great for a little while. Uh then I took it to a 00:10:21.440 --> 00:10:26.640 land and I guess it just jostled around a bit too much in my car on the way 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:31.440 there [laughter] and it broke. It's not always fixed forever. Sometimes you're 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:31.440 just extending a lifespan.