23 inch IPS or 120Hz?

If you're going dual displays and want one for gaming and the other for general use, I would say go both. Get an IPS and a 120Hz monitor.

This was the original solution I was looking for considering I was all about CS 1.6 and FPS games when I was upgrading my displays. However, trying to match up dimensions, looks, pixel pitch, resolutions, etc... it was pretty clear that I was going to be dealing with two very different displays. When you doing this, colors don't match up as well, pixel pitch can cause slight difference in "feel" when you switching windows between displays, etc.

I ended up picking up two 60hz IPS panels that I tested and found zero ghosting and never looked back. 120hz is nice for fast paced games, but I would never give up the colors and clarity of the displays I am using now.

Its actually funny you mentioned this because I hooked up my older samsung 2233rz as a 3rd display last night on a wall mount above my normal two and it's a pretty drastic difference in both colors and image quality. (Granted the 2233rz hasn't been the pinnacle of 120hz panels for a long time) I plan on picking up a 3rd IPS panel and wanted to test the mount out first.

Just to give you some background, I still play CS 1.6, and it had zero effect on my ability to play fps games. Im probably a bit better now since the whole 120hz vs 60hz thing is in the rear view... lmao. I use the displays for browsing the web, movies, eve online, gw2, and fps games like cs:go, 1.6, tf2, etc.

120hz is really cool for a dedicated gaming rig, but unless your getting paid to play, or never multitask on your rig, I really can't justify it. Sorta seems like a fad to me until we start seeing widespread quality ips panels that can run at 120hz instead of just the few catleaps that are oc'able and such.

Also, stay matte... i never understood the complaints of ag-coating, but gloss displays are a headache imo.

I think it matters more on what you use your monitors for. Unless you really need the IPS panels for work that you're doing, personally, I think they're a waste.
If you game a lot then you're better off with the 120Hz panels. IPS panels have a lot of ghosting due to the high response time. I don't think I could ever game on one because of this.
Not sure which model, however the Samsung monitors I've seen are really nice.

great information and question OP... I am in your situation as well, I am leaning more towards in getting a Samsung with 120 hz for gaming.

You can't generically say IPS monitors ghost and 120hz panels don't anymore. Compared to what we are dealing with 3-5 years ago its barely a deal breaker anymore. Also, I don't understand the price argument. You can have the color and image quality of a decent IPS panel with better ghosting and response than most 2-3 year old TN panels in the newer IPS panels from LG and monitors like the Dell U2312 and U2412. These panels are technically only 6-bit w/ a-frc, but they have the response you'd expect from a tn panel and the colors of a decent IPS. 2ms/5ms/8ms is so ambiguous these days... most of the visible difference is only apparent when running synthetic tests/benchmarks.

From personal use, the fastest panel i've ever used was my samsung 2233rz, like zero input lag and no ghosting. It's terrible for long term web browsing and other stuff though.

The most responsive and least ghosting 60hz panel i've used is the U2412m. I've tried 120hz acers, 2ms 60hz samsung tn panels, 120hz alienware, hannspree 28", and a few others.

Im not saying 120hz panels are bad, it all depends how much you care about hardcore gaming. Your going to enjoy it either way, but I spend far more time out of games and my eyes appreciate the IPS panels more than the TN one's i've owned.

My suggestion is to get your hands on anything you can to try it out for yourself, subtle things can be pretty drastic on certain people. I used to get massive headaches after spending a lot of time in front of the computer, but no longer. Really spending your time picking a display and calibrating it can be a world of change.
Edited by rmp459 - 9/5/12 at 9:02am

I made the switch to a 120hz earlier this year and have loved gaming on 120hz. I never liked using vsync but its so nice how much smoother gameplay is and non tearing is great. In bf3 I noticed the smoothness a lot more than sc2 but when your running the movement seemed smoother and almost cinematic in a way. I vote for the 120hz. My Asus in the signature is great but you have to play with settings a but to get the contrast just right. I wanted a gloss panel without the glare coating so it may not be what your looking for but there are good 120hz to choose from.

You're right, I shouldn't have generalized.


From what I've noticed personally, higher response time, typically, equals ghosting. Now this differs from person to person due to things such as what you're viewing on it, distance from it and other things such as eye sight. I have 13/20 vision, so I tend to notice even the slightest bit of ghosting. I was one of those die-hards when it came to even switching to LCD/LED monitors because CRT's have 0ms response, and the color saturation was spectacular.

Ideally, what a person would do is go to a store like Best buy and look at all of the different panels that they have there. As you've mentioned, some people get headaches from certain things, probably like the spectrum emitted and so on.

I've looked at a lot of IPS panels, and I can still see ghosting. Mind you this is just a personal observation. I don't like blur in anything --that gives me headaches. That's why I typically find the monitors with the lowest possible response time as there is typically no ghosting.

I agree with really spending your time setting up your display. It truly does make a world of difference.

Samsung S23/27A950D...
Probably the best 120hz monitors out but it does not support nVision 3d... If you're into it...
I just got my S23A950D on sale but did not have to adjust the color settings as they are pretty bright and vibrant... Also with the glossy finish, you get 'deeper' colors...

I personally compared it to a Dell U3011 IPS and for gaming, especially CS, 120hz is the way to go. Just remember you will need a machine capable of pushing a constant 120hz... (one 580 is more than enough for CS...) but if you want to do more of the later games, might want to consider another 580 to push higher frames at highest details such as Battlefield 3...

The IPS do have solid colors, but I personally noticed an input lag, and with Vsync to reduce tearing, it can possibly add even more lag...

There are many debates on this subject, but to be truthful, they serve a different purpose... 120hz is nice and smooth to actually see the frames that your GPU's are pushing to the screen... IPS colors cannot be beat when working with photos, professional use, or larger resolutions such as 27 or even 30"... Just more pleasing to the eye if you do more than just gaming... (at this time until AMOLED monitors start to be released...)
The Samsung S27A950D 27" 120hz is still 1080p... but good for 3d movies...
Edited by Chris13002 - 9/6/12 at 2:55pm