“Pleasantly Suprised” - GrJohnso’s Review of YAMAKASI CATLEAP Q270 SE 27" LED 2560X1440 WQHD DVI-D Dual Computer Monitor

Pleasantly Suprised

Posted 7/17/12 · 477 Views · 10 Comments

Pros: Price, Size, Resolution, Color

Cons: Build quality, power adapter, heat

I'll keep it short, as there is plenty to read about in the forums. If you want good colors, good resolution, and are on a budget, these Korean IPS 27" monitors fit the bill.

Color is "OK" out of the box, but if you are doing any photo/video work, you will want to use a basic calibration tool. This monitor has no OSD, so you can only control brightness without software. Once calibrated, these things are pretty good. Expect 77% of adobe RGB color range. Better than TN panels, but not as good as the high end IPS panels that can do >100% aRGB.

Viewing angles are just "OK". Larger, back-lit screens are prone to a bit of IPS "Glow" around the edges when viewed off angle. Using straight on at reasonable viewing distances will product the best results.

Most of these ship with a power brick designed to work with 190-240v range input, but they will work with standard 110v US outlets as well. However, they will run hotter, and are more prone to failure that ones specifically built for 110v. So, you may want to budget an extra $25 or so to replace this brick.

Buyer beware: You need a graphics card capable of support the full DVI Dual Link resolution of 2650x1440p. There is no scaler onboard, so most laptops or notebook computer will not drive these.

Definitely not for everyone, but... It works for me.

10 Comments

Mkilbride 7/18/12 at 3:44am

Bout the scaler, I has a question

If I plug my PS3 into it, will it go to 1080p or max out @ 720p, as some people say without the scaler, it'll default to either 720p or 1440p, no other resolutions, unless you use a graphics card.

GrJohnso 7/18/12 at 10:11am

I'm not sure how the PS3 will work with it. Most HDMI to DVI-D converters don't do full 1440p or better. The older HDMI standards just didn't push this kind of resolution.
I would drop a note in the Yamakasi Catleap forum to see if anyone has tried it with their PS3 yet. I have a feeling you will need to buy a multi-input version of the monitor.

byteninja2 7/18/12 at 1:03pm

Holy cheese, now I was pretty sure I wouldn't get a Korean no brand, but $285?!?!

burticus 7/18/12 at 1:08pm

My local microcenter sells something very similar to this for $400, but they never keep them in stock very long. Probably the exact same panels.
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0384780

Been tempted, but I would need a $400+ video card to push 1440p in games too and I'm not ready to drop $800 right now ($1200 really to replace BOTH of my monitors, but probably not worth the effort on #2 since it's VGA to my laptop, no way it will rez up to 1440p)

GrJohnso 7/18/12 at 1:24pm

Yah, that $285 was hard to pass on.... As for a card to drive this resolution, that is a little bit of a consideration. One thing to keep in mind, you don't need AA as much (if at all) with these beasts like you do on lower resolution (less pixels per inch) displays. I need to do some more tests, but.... I see little to no benefit with AA on vs off at normal viewing distances. Currently running this with an old ATI 5970... Will go back to tri-fire shortly with an additional 5870 in the mix once I work out some power supply issues...

bruflot 7/19/12 at 12:35pm

As for the PS3, it will definately not do 1440p.
PS3 uses HDMI 1.3, with supports a max res of 1080p, whereas 1.4a supports 2560x1400 w/ 120Hz.

burticus 7/19/12 at 2:13pm

How does the PS3 look @ 1080p on it? I would be using a 360, but tomato-tomahto...

byteninja2 7/21/12 at 5:39pm

Hmmm, I think I bought a 30 inch 720p (bought it ages ago, forgot if it is 720 or 1080), and it looks pretty good on the PS3/360. Not the greatest, but whey you are a yard or 2 away, its good.