Achieva Shimian Club
Vote in the above poll once your monitor arrives, and you test it.
To be added to the club, please post your comments/pictures in this thread FIRST.
You will need to RIGHT CLICK and COPY the link address of your post:
^^RIGHT CLICK YOUR POST NUMBER^^
Then PASTE the link in the "Comments & Experience" and "Pictures of your new monitor" sections of the form.
Your pasted link will look something like this: "http://www.overclock.net/t/1215866/reviewed-400-2560x1440-ips-no-ag-90hz-achieva-shimian-qh270-and-catleap-q270/100_100#post_16537913"
Here is the link to the Club FORM. Please do not forget to link your post(s).
Original Post:
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Vote in the above poll once your monitor arrives, and you test it.
To be added to the club, please post your comments/pictures in this thread FIRST.
You will need to RIGHT CLICK and COPY the link address of your post:
^^RIGHT CLICK YOUR POST NUMBER^^
Then PASTE the link in the "Comments & Experience" and "Pictures of your new monitor" sections of the form.
Your pasted link will look something like this: "http://www.overclock.net/t/1215866/reviewed-400-2560x1440-ips-no-ag-90hz-achieva-shimian-qh270-and-catleap-q270/100_100#post_16537913"
Here is the link to the Club FORM. Please do not forget to link your post(s).
Original Post:
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I found an "Achieva Shimian QH270-Lite" 2560x1440 monitor for $460 new. That's a steal... in fact, it seems too good to be true. As paranoid as I am, I'm afraid to even post the link, as stock is limited. I'm skeptical, so, I turned to OCN.
Has anyone used this monitor before? Should I go for it?
EDIT: I went for it. In a nutshell, if you don't mind the risk of buying a monitor without a warranty, get it.
Vote in the above poll once your monitor arrives, and you test it.
Knowing how many come DOA will help establish how risky this purchase is. Please note that the vast majority of the panel flaws are minimal, and dead pixels are hard to notice with this kind of resolution.
In this post, I'll try to consolidate as much info from the thread as possible. If you plan on reading this monster of a thread (which I recommend), I suggest going to your profile and selecting 20 or more posts per page. I use 100.
Answers to FAQ:
- Variants of these monitors are all 2560x1440, 27" IPS monitors sold in Korea, not the US. They retail for ~$250 in S. Korea, and end up being ~$400 in the US after shipping. In other words, they're $700-$1000 monitors with higher potential refresh rates for 1/2 the price.
- Sorry, the group buy isn't happening here on OCN, for various reasons. You're free to organize a group buy outside of OCN, and buying them in bulk/selling them on the marketplace would be fine.
- All the Catleap monitors seem to hit 85hz+ (97hz 100hz being the highest so far, which is the GPU's limit at this resolution), while my Achieva can't go above 70hz.
- No 240V/120V step down transformer or EU adapter needed. All you need is a generic PSU cable
- It's a glossy display, no AG coating
- 1 Dual Link DVI input, audio input, and 24V DC input. That's it.
- It's an 8 bit display. There are "10 bit" variants out there but not on Ebay. From what I understand, it's not a true 10 bit panel anyway. Useful info about 8 vs 10 bit color, thank you SJetski71
- No OSD (on this basic "Lite" model), just LED backlight brightness and volume.
- It has an LG IPS LCD panel, the same one found in 27" iMacs. The Dell u2711 uses the LM270WQ2, I think this uses the LM270WQ1. Not sure what the difference is.
- The discussed Catleap variant uses the same display, as far as I know
- Initially, it was ~$460, I bought it just as the price dropped to $398. The Catleap was down to $370 once. Prices have been rising with demand.
- The Ebay squaretrade warranty doesn't apply, as far as I know. You can buy it, but if the monitor breaks, you'll simply get a refund for the warranty, as this isn't a product intended for the US. Squaretrade reps say that they'll cover this monitor, but we won't really know until someone tries to send in a monitor under warranty.
- Yes, it's fine for gaming. Due to the lack of a scaler or any extra inputs, input lag is on par with my 720p TV.
- It's 60hz default, not 97hz or 120hz.
- Both the Achieva and Catleap have VESA mounting points.
- I don't remember paying any import taxes. The seller (dream seller) handled shipping, I never got a tracking number. It got here in about 3 business days.
- My Achieva does not have a glass surface, other variants do. I'm not sure if the bezel is removable, but it doesn't seem to be.
- There are multiple reports of very small amounts of dust stuck behind the glass of the IPSB model. In terms of reliability, the non glass models have a better track record, and glass doesn't improve the display quality.
- The Achieva QH270-lite from Dream Seller on Ebay is the IPSBS model, with speakers and no glass.
- There is a UK variant of the monitor, the Hazro HZ27WC, but it's significantly more expensive. Achieva is Hazro's OEM. As the manual and any OSD will be in Korean, the Hazro manual may be helpful.
- There may be a valid manufacturer's warranty, but don't get your hopes up. See quote below.
- The (Achieva) stand does tilt back.
- My Achieva from dream seller came in bubble wrap, as have some monitors from every other seller. Others did not.
- dcSamsungMall ships by Fedex. Dream Seller ships by EMS, which is ultimately handled by the United States Postal Service. Shipping times and methods vary.
Variants explained. The two high end models (IPSM,IPST) also have variants with DisplayPort, and have a DP added to the end. The IPSB is the only Achieva with glass, Catleap variants may have it too.
Tenative info about the warranty. Thank you for the find and translation p33k.
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If you can somehow ship them back to Achieva in Korea, these monitors have a warranty. In theory.
This is what a few dead pixels look like.
Dead pixel response from Dream Seller.
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Link to Achieva bulk monitor prices, not including shipping. This'll give you an idea of how much you should pay. Remember that shipping is expensive.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/61830124/Spec.%20sheet%20for%20Shimian%20series.pdf
If it gets lost in the thread, this is my initial review (click the link, or this).
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More pictures.
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First pictures of the Achieva QH270-IPSB, the one with glass and no speakers. Thank Bless you AchuSaysBlessYou
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Tiny spec of dust under the glass model. Not really noticeable.
http://www.overclock.net/image/id/1909828/width/600/height/450/flags/LL
The Catleap variant. This is the first evidence of 60hz+ refresh rates on the Catleap monitors, necriss got his all the way to 97hz.
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Proof of the 85hz+ refresh rates on the Catleaps.
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Alternative seller. Use at your own risk, not sure how many ordered from this one.
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More Catleap pics.
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Catleap calibration info. Thank you ToastyX
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How to mount the Catleap.
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How to run your monitor at a higher refresh rate, particularly if you have an AMD/ATI card (as Nvidia users can already set a custom refresh rate). The program someone over at hardforum made is the easiest way to do it, though other more effective ways are being investigated. Again, thank you ToastyX.
Program: http://www.toastyx.net/cru-preview.zip
Release notes: http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1038342324&postcount=6
See also: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/7947-force-dvi-hdmi-resolutions-refresh-rates.html
Translated reviews of the Catleap, Achieva, and Crossover brand monitors.
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.playwares.com%2Fxe%2Findex.php%3Fmid%3Dmaingame%26page%3D2%26category%3D19628503%26document_srl%3D21449157
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.playwares.com%2Fxe%2Findex.php%3Fmid%3Dmaingame%26page%3D3%26category%3D19628503%26document_srl%3D20925987
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=www.playwares.com%2Fxe%2Findex.php%3Fmid%3Dmaingame%26page%3D5%26category%3D19628503%26document_srl%3D19660691
Good info on the Yamasaki Catleap: http://www.wapy.com/entiz/read.php?num=5299
Achieva unboxing:
2560x1440 test video
Here's the Yamasaki Catleap club, for more info on that variant: http://www.overclock.net/t/1225919/yamakasi-catleap-monitor-club/0_100