From Viewers Like You…
1440p IPS Display at Under $350!
About two months ago, a viewer of the podcast that Ryan co-hosts on the This Week in Tech network, This Week in Computer Hardware, wrote in with some information that immediately excited the staff here at PC Perspective. Ryan for a long time has been of the opinion that the proliferation of 1080p displays, and prohibitive cost of high resolution monitors has been holding the industry back as a whole. With talk of 4K displays being introduced for consumers this year, a major topic on the podcast in the weeks prior to this viewer email had centered around why we haven't seen affordable 2560×1440 (or 2560×1600) displays.
This brings us back to the knowledge which the listener Jeremy bestowed upon us. Jeremy brought to our attention that various eBay sellers were reselling and exporting generic 27", IPS, LED backlight, 2560×1440 monitors from South Korea. What is remarkable about these displays however is that various models can be found for just around, or even under $350. Everyone listening, including Ryan and his co-host Patrick Norton became immediately interested in these monitors, and I went into research mode.
Continue reading our review of the 27-in Achieva Shimian 2560×1440 monitor!
As it turns out, even by the time we at PC Perspective had found out about these displays, there was already a cult following for these Korean monitors on various forums throughout the internet. Quickly we found out that these monitors were using the "A-" stock of LG LM270WQ1 27" panels. While the current Dell Ultrasharp 27" U2711 displays use a different revision of the LG panel (LM270WQ2) this is in fact the same panel the Apple uses in their 27" iMac and Cinema Display/Thunderbolt Display.
However, several questions about these monitors came up throughout our staff. What kind of quality could we expect from a "reject" LCD Panel? What about input lag? We also had several suspicions about the build quality of these monitors.
Well, after being spoiled by 30" displays at the PC Perspective office for years, I thought it was time to bite the bullet and upgrade my home setup, and inform the PC Perspective audience about the real quality of these monitors. Read on for more!
I had mine die within three
I had mine die within three weeks of use. For those who care, I had it locked at 60Hz. The company that sells them through ebay refused to respond to my messages. Ebay had apparently been having this issue with the seller three times previously during the week and decided to refund my money in full.
TL;DR
Great monitor when it works, Terrible Support
Was about to hit “confirm
Was about to hit “confirm buy” before I read your commend David… I’ll wait a bit I guess. Let us know if your monitor dies Ken :S
I will definitely follow up
I will definitely follow up if it does, but I sure hope not! 🙂
What dealer on eBay did you
What dealer on eBay did you pyrchase this monitor??? I see that Amazon offers some of the same monitors at about the same prices, would Amazon be a safer buy??
I’m interested in the Crossover 27Q-P.
As far as I know, I was the
As far as I know, I was the first English speaking person to buy one of these Korean monitors. I got my Shimian back in Febuary, have it running at 70hz, and it’s been working just fine.
FYI, this commotion all started on Overclock.net
if you buy another one to
if you buy another one to replace it, you’ve still spent less than the HP
sincerely,
Owner of a flawless 4 month-old Catleap
Seem like a bargain to me. I
Seem like a bargain to me. I notice that some sellers offer a ‘perfect version’ with a higher grade panel but then it costs more like 500 dollars.
read the fine print of these
read the fine print of these some of these perfect pixel versions still have a reasonable amount of dead pixels that they consider ok and will not accept a return if you don’t have more than so many dead pixels.
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have one of these, bought
have one of these, bought through the http://120hz.net group buy (for guaranteed overclocking). There is also a great thread about these at HardOCP (Hardforum). These are great monitors, mine was $50 more but hits 120Hz without issue. The colors are great, backlight bleed is not bad, and unnoticeable in games or any movie not set in the Nostromo… Overall, it’s a great monitor but make sure you read up on who to buy from.
I am not affiliated with anyone from 120hz, they are just a great place to see the different models and who is safe to buy from… 😉
Could you please send me whom
Could you please send me whom you purchased this monitor from along with the model and approx price. Don’t know if I really want to go through 120hz.net
Thanks
I have had the catleap for 3
I have had the catleap for 3 weeks now and have been very impressed. Paid $286 and got free international shipping. This monitor is really unbelievable for the price and my only gripe is the response time. The good thing is that its usable for fps, just wouldn’t recommend it for the hard core competitive people.
As of now I would recommend this monitor to everyone who can afford to take a chance on this things survivability. If you are the type who needs a warranty just stay away. For everyone else, this is excellent value.
Just a FYI it seems that
Just a FYI it seems that SquareTrade will warranty these screens.
Ive had my catleap monitor
Ive had my catleap monitor for a few months now and I love it. its amazing in every way including the price. Still no dead pixels or any problems.
I’d be all for getting one or
I’d be all for getting one or more, but my computer wouldn’t handle it and even if it could, I have no desk space 🙁
The nice thing is that you could spend the same amount of money on multiple monitors here for the same price as one from our leading dealers (even the HP deal). That’s always a nice thing if you get one perfect (and even better with multiple in great to perfect condition).
I just wish I had money.
*EDIT*
Awww man. Now I just want to buy this solely for Total Annihilation! You guys are killing me!
Remorse on the yamakasi
Remorse on the yamakasi Multi-input.
I have been testing the $400 AUD multi input model all day.
No faulty pixels, excellent colours, which make my 120hz Alienware AW2310 look like it was done in crayons.
The input lag is horrendous….
I’ve been running some clocks on the AW2310 / a Dell 2407WFP and the Catleap and unfortunately it’s around 90ms behind the Alienware, despite having scalers turned off – the multi-input card screws everything. Totally unusable for competetive games.
Yeah, I don’t think the
Yeah, I don’t think the multi-input models are worth it, unless you won’t be gaming on them or only playing games like RPG or strategy games.
Amazon offers a number of
Amazon offers a number of these monitors by the same company’s. What’s the advantage going to eBay?? Amazon would seem safer.
For this little amount of
For this little amount of money, if it dies I will open it up and replace any blown capacitors myself!
I want 3 for a badarse Eyefinity setup.
I ordered a Yamakasi Catleap
I ordered a Yamakasi Catleap for $350 shipped. I have had it for probably 4 or 5 months now. It came with no dead pixels, no stuck pixels, and is a beautiful display.
I had a Dell 3007WFP-HC but it got so hot that I have actually made this my new main monitor. At some point I would like to do some sort of dual display incorporating the Dell, who knows.
In any case, LOVE my monitor, the price can NOT be beat in the US. If you are interested in this monitor but worried about buying from abroad, don’t worry. The good sellers seem to be very good about defective units and the various Korean companies DO offer a warranty, you will have to ship it back to Korea to get it honored but there is a warranty.
So don’t wait anymore! These are awesome monitors and you haven’t lived until you’ve played your favorite games at 2560×1440 on a 27″ S-IPS panel monitor.
I really want one of these
I really want one of these displays, but I want the 16 x 10 30 inch, instead of the 16 x 9 27 inch. Any info on those? I’ve seen them on eBay but not sure if they are worth the extra cost.
This is in regards to the
This is in regards to the Yamacasi Catleap Q270 2B.
I got a reply back from TA planet saying that the Yamakasi 120Hz are out of stock, however for the ones that can wait he said “Another brand, Shimian 120Hz overclock version will be released after one month.”
I will look forward to talk to him again next month, hopefuly they are display port only.
By that time they will have AsRock X79 Extreme 11 motheroard. Maybe 7990 will release & will support 120hz & should give me plenty of time to research AMD for 120Hz or cheaper 2×690 & the next quadro 5000 desktop kepler & tesla. All of them freaking waterkooled of course. And be ready for world domination or learn about lots of game/cg movie making so I can justify buying all of that crap then.
I bought the Auria EQ276W
I bought the Auria EQ276W from Microcenter yesterday. It was $399.99 USD and came to ~$414 after NJ tax. It’s a stunning multi-input (HDMI with HDCP, DVI dual Port, DisplayPort, VGA and mini audi jack) 2560×1440 display and looked great with out of the box settings. It had no dead pixels / stuck pixels or light bleed. Gloss screen but hardly noticeable IMO.
The stock picture above of the Auria EQ276W doesn’t do the outer esthetics justice as it as it really looks nothing like the picture.
I haven’t tested lag but I also don’t intend to use it for much if any gaming.
It comes with a 1yr warranty and I still have the option of returning it to Microcenter is I so whish it but I would probably be more apt to buy another one.
Presumably Microcenter will ship the Auria EQ276W so it doesn’t necessarily matter if you don’t have a store location near you.
Its price competitive with the other Korean models (specifically the multi-input models) without the risk.
can you please share the
can you please share the color calibration file you generated?? thanks!
I just bought one of the
I just bought one of the Catleap’s. Thanks for the review, this wave of cheap Korean monitors is awesome!
I think this 27 inch 120hz
I think this 27 inch 120hz monitor is the best monitor for people who use it for design or watching movie, but it’s not the best choice for people who want use it playing games.
http://www.2560x1440monitor.c
http://www.2560x1440monitor.com
In here, price of monitor from $279
Here is the Amazon link for
Here is the Amazon link for the product
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Achieva-Shimian-QH2700-IPSMS-Edge-2560×1440/dp/B00DQK3936
They claim a One Year warranty which, because it is on amazon, surely must have to be honoured.
Any thoughts from anyone?
Great Review.
I was about to buy a
I was about to buy a crossover to place beside my 27″ Apple Cinema Display until I heard that these monitors have calibration issues. Is that something to worry about? Can someone tell me how to get this new monitor to match the color to my Apple?
Yes, there are calibration
Yes, there are calibration issues. With the newest Achieva Shimians. For example, you CANNOT have the backlight dimmed. By changing brightness the backlight IS NOT CHANGED and contrast is killed. Which is pretty bad if you use your monitor in a dark room. Expect, eye strains in this scenario.