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Old 05-18-18, 01:42 AM   #1
BarracudaUAK
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Default More hardware failures, Looking for a new Monitor...

I've been checking up on prices lately, and I found a card that I like, for a price that I'm willing to pay.
(Which is = or < than what I have been paying for all previous generations.)


So I decided to go ahead get one this week (still to do, hopefully in the next few days).


However, I decided while I was looking to see if I could find a "dumb" (preferably Vizio) 4k TV to replace my current Vizio LCD TV (Model # E420VO, 42" viewable, 1080p, 60hz) that I've been using for over 7 years.
In that time it never missed a beat, sometimes staying on for well over 24 hours.


However, I was unable to locate what I was looking for... as I scrolled down a page on one of the many sites I looked on I saw something odd.


A small black dot.
So I tried to wipe it off, thinking that I missed a spot a few days earlier when I cleaned the screen.
And it didn't come off.
I carefully slid the mouse pointer, it has a white "outline" around the darker middle, and as the mouse moved over the "dot" it turned black as well....

Dead Pixels!

It's only 2 for now, but if it follows the path my old phone did, it will be a sizable chunk in a few months.


So I took a preventative step, I pulled the Sanyo TV from the "old", and put it on the "new".
Since the Old gets used MUCH less (digging up info when I'm playing on the Xbox 360, or doing an upgrade "test-run" before the main system, etc).

And the 40" Sanyo (39.5 viewable) is so... small, and blurry.
I can definitely tell that the Vizio was a higher quality Display.


Which leads me to my 2 questions.


1: Does anyone have any experience with ACER monitors?

I found an Acer 4k 43" (viewable) monitor but I haven't used one recently.
The monitor in question is the: Acer ET430K




If the answer to question 1 is "no"...


2: Do you know of a ~40+" 4k "dumb" TV/Monitor?


I was looking at the Vizio TV's because they have a processor to "upscale" what ever your PC sends to 4k without the need for the video card to do it, but I'm not sure if this Acer does.




And before anyone asks:
"Do you need one that big?"


Yes, yes I do.





I've gotten spoiled to the screen area, I can reduce the font size and have multiple items on screen, it actually saves desk space!


Plan is to get it after I get the new card so I can actually drive the thing at 4k.




Barracuda

Last edited by BarracudaUAK; 08-02-18 at 11:28 PM.
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Old 05-18-18, 06:46 AM   #2
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Cannot help, sorry, although i use an Acer 24" monitor. But it is a simple thing, nothing spectacular. Works reliable since years.


One of the laptops in my family is Acer as well, also works reliably, both computer and display, but again, nothing special in their specs.



Its been years since I heard somebody complaining about pixel errors in a new monitor or display. The industry seems to have it quite under good control these days.
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Old 05-18-18, 10:40 AM   #3
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Sorry I can not help either. I have used an Acer G247HL Monitor 24.0"vis for several years with no problems, I like it. I did look the Acer ET430K monitor up on Amazon. It had 13 reviews, and no rating under 4 stars for a total combined rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars, for what that is worth.
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Old 05-18-18, 12:38 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Skybird View Post
Cannot help, sorry, although i use an Acer 24" monitor. But it is a simple thing, nothing spectacular. Works reliable since years.

One of the laptops in my family is Acer as well, also works reliably, both computer and display, but again, nothing special in their specs.


Its been years since I heard somebody complaining about pixel errors in a new monitor or display. The industry seems to have it quite under good control these days.


Quote:
Originally Posted by HW3 View Post
Sorry I can not help either. I have used an Acer G247HL Monitor 24.0"vis for several years with no problems, I like it. I did look the Acer ET430K monitor up on Amazon. It had 13 reviews, and no rating under 4 stars for a total combined rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars, for what that is worth.





Good to know that they have been reliable...


The Vizio TV I'm starting to have trouble with is from 2010, 7 1/2 years of use...


---

I read a few reviews on the Acer, on the web site of the store I was thinking of purchasing it from, and they are mixed.


Some complain of "image retention", that is, as the image changes it takes a second for the old image to fade.
The 40" Sanyo that I bougt as a monitor for the old pc, that I'm using right now, does that a bit with text as I scroll down the forum.


I saw a few reviews that mention dead pixels on the Acer when new.


I also saw many reviews that said they didn't have any trouble with them at all.


Which might boil down to a settings difference...
Except for the dead pixel part...



-------


With further digging I did run across a brand named "SCEPTRE".


Wal-mart's website listed it at ~$400 for a 65" (4k and "dumb").
Digging some more to see if any other stores carry them.
All the reviews seemed to agree, if the shipping doesn't damage it, it's a good TV.


I checked the Sceptre website and they have a 43" 4k that is the right size.
~42" viewable, but about 3" smaller overall than my Vizio, which would be perfect for my desk.



My desk has a built in shelf about 33" above the desktop.
(I couldn't find a desk I liked, so I built one!)


So while I wouldn't mind a 65", it really wouldn't fit!


So I'm still on the hunt, but thanks for the info!


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Old 05-18-18, 07:01 PM   #5
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I purchased 2 ASUS monitors about 5 years ago, one died after 2 years (half the screen was lit the other dead) the remaining has 4 dead pixels. I won't be buying ASUS Monitors again, the motherboard on the other hand is excellent.
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Old 05-18-18, 10:21 PM   #6
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I bought a 27.6" Hanns-G monitor in august 2010.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...hlight=Hanns-G

I read a few bad reviews involving black pixels, but after almost eight years I'm glad to report that it still functions perfectly. I've thought about getting a bigger one, but as long as this one continues to do the job I'm happy with it.
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Old 05-19-18, 02:01 AM   #7
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Well, maybe it isn't a dead pixel.....




I have the Vizio on the old PC, And I turned it on to check a few things....


And that spot was staring at me, bugging me, so put the mouse pointer over it...
And still, the dot shows up over the pointer...


SO, I get up to go refill my drink, and I notice that the "spot" fades and then disappears.
I can see the ENTIRE mouse pointer, and when I move it, the window behind it.
As it should be.


Dead pixels do not "fade", nor "disappear".
They simply are.
But it did.


So I look at it straight on again, and there it is.

So it MAY be a "crack" in the screen.
Which in the end, will probably end up being much worse.


Not sure if I should be relieved or not!
Either way, it's going back on my 8-core!!!


(Pending a 4k monitor.)
(Maybe.)



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Old 05-19-18, 03:51 PM   #8
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Dead pixel.

Crack in the screen.

Both are equally bad if it means spending money to replace the monitor. Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing your next step.
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Old 05-21-18, 01:15 PM   #9
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After careful examination of the affected area. Read: "looking really close at the screen with a white background. And carefully running my finger over the screen."


I can find no actual "crack".


However, when looking "straight" at the screen (the "dot" is approx. 1/4 screen height below "eye level"), it only appears to be about 1 pixel in size, but seems to be originating the in the 'black lines' that run between pixels.
CRTs would refer to the space between pixels as "dot pitch", 0.22mm was average on a 17-19" monitor.



This is smaller than in was.


I've noticed when pressing too hard on an LCD/LED screen, that it will 'discolor', and usually have some variation of black or grey.


I did clean the screen a few day before this showed up, maybe I pressed a bit too hard...?
and the screen 'cover' is sticking to the 'display' part of the screen.?.?.?


More questions than answers at this point.


Regardless, it is back on my main PC, the Sanyo 40" was annoying.


Sometimes I wonder if the Vizio does some form of anti-aliasing.
When I still ran WinXP the AMD "Catalyst Control Center", under certain tabs, mentioned that setting an option on or off might not work if the "Monitor" was also doing that job as well.
May be there is more "going on in there" than just displaying.


That or the Sanyo, despite advertising as a 1080p, is actually only displaying at 720p?


At the same resolution, a smaller view-able area (39.5" vs. 42") SHOULD be clearer, not even more fuzzy.


Also tested on my Xbox 360. Read somewhere, that games for the 360 usually use 720p, then upscale to 1080p. The games were "fuzzy", and angles were less "crisp".
Like dropping from 2xAA, to none.


Just thought I would update this.


Still looking at 4k monitors, just not with as much urgency!


Barracuda

Last edited by BarracudaUAK; 08-02-18 at 11:34 PM. Reason: It annoys me when people type "to" when they mean "too" but I did it here!!! Twice!
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Old 08-16-18, 07:54 PM   #10
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For reasons that I won't get into, my Sanyo is now no longer usable as a monitor...



While it still technically works, it has screen damage to a substantial portion of it, resulting in large black bars across the screen.
(I've been searching for a replacement, but can't find anybody that sells new panels/screens for that Model.)



SO, either I replace it, for really cheap...


OR, now that I have the RX 580 in the 8-core,
I replace the Vizio with a (larger?) 4K....


And here I was all happy with my current setup....


Note to self: Never be satisfied EVER again...


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Old 08-17-18, 07:54 PM   #11
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Considering my budget, I didn't go the 4K route.


(Although, I may do that at a later time...)




I got an Insignia 43" (42.5 Viewable) 1080p 60hz LED.


It's worse than my Vizio in a few ways, but in most areas it's on par with it.


Definately brighter.


The price had dropped recently, so I got out the door for less that $200.


I'm still testing as I just got booted up about 20 minutes ago, after I ran through the short setup.
I may bump the sharpness up to 90 from the 70 I have it set on, as text is much clearer on my Vizio.
It's not bad, it's just not great.
Scrolling text really quick doesn't "blur" the text like some that I've seen.


If my Vizio is a 10, then this is about an 8.
(My Vizio, on text clarity, is on par with some 4k screens. The Vizio MUST be doing anti-aliasing, it's the only explanation.)


I'm off now to test it with Unigine Heaven/Valley/Superposition and give it a run on some of my games to see how it handles rapidly moving objects...


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