LCD vs LED monitors for gaming?

[Brewski]

I'm getting a new monitor and so far I'm torn between the two. Which one is superior for gaming? Any pros/cons?

[DeltrusDisc]

LEDs are damn bright, even with background/ambient lighting and brightness turned down all the way. Be warned. The whites will be extra murderous on your eyes.

[wombinator04]

I would say that LED monitors are more energy efficient, thinner and lighter, and produce better white and black levels than LCD monitors.
Not really huge noticeable differences In terms of graphics.

Cnet wrote a guide on monitors, It's informative: http://reviews.cnet.com/monitor-buying-guide/

[GG you got me]

LED monitors ARE LCD monitors. The only difference is in the chosen backlighting. LED monitors obviously use LED's the pros of which are often better luminosity and better contrast across the whole of the screen in addition to reduced power consumption, the cons of which are often the risk of backlight bleeding in blacks around the periphery.

"LCD" monitors are backlit by CFL tubes. The pros of these are the diminished risk of backlight bleed while the cons are increased energy use, lower luminosity and sometimes lower contrast across the screen as a whole.

As far as which is better for gaming, the technical answer would be best given after a simple question. Do you tend to play bright games or dark games? Dark games like Metro 2033 are more at risk to image degradation from backlight bleed, where bright games benefit more from LED's despite the backlight bleed. So in the most technical sense, between these 2 choices, an "LCD" or CFL tube monitor would be better for someone who plays darker, more ambianced games.

My real answer technicalities aside, is to choose the best resolution that your GPU can handle, at the best price, with the best consumer and website reviews be it LED or CFL backlit.

[BicycleMafioso]

Talking about image quality, I prefer CCFL.
I also would say, that the backlighting/edgelighting is second compared to what panel the monitor have.

What games one is primarily interested in, and the amount of movies and photo/video-editting (if any) one does also play parts. I realise photo-editting is really inferior in popularity to the other categories here, but alas.

[chaud]

I have a cheap (~$200) LED backlit IPS panel, and while I don't play a lot of FPS games, I like it. The colors are nice, response time is good enough for me. I had a yellowing of the backlight in my old CCFL monitor that tinted everything yellow.

[Joerge]

I have an Asus 24 inch LED, and what seems weird to me is I have had the opposite experience from what people are saying. previously I had an HP lcd, I would strain my eyes and get headaches after long gaming sessions. Maybe the type of back lighting my eyes were sensitive to?

Now that I have the LED back lit Asus, for some reason I play quite comfortably and rarely strain my eyes or get headaches like before. It could be other factors as well, but nonetheless note worthy.

In the end its up to personal preference, I would go to a store like Fry's electronics and shop around, see what suits you, since you will be staring at it quite a bit.
Once you decide on the technical side of things on what you prefer, its all about what physically suits you best.

[Zyzzyx]

Not a fan of LED for gaming. It's hit or miss for color and brightness, whatever you do..don't go cheap if you do it. Cheap LEDs (especially Samsung) are completely horrible (IMO). They are just way too bright and I could never get the adjustment right.

[Deng]

You shouldn't be that much worried about the type of backlighting but the quality of that backlighting and the panel itself.

There are utter complete garbage displays featuring either.

The only thing that you should know is that some people are very sensitive to the flickering of cheap LED bl.

If you want to start looking for reviews then prad.de and tftcentral.co.uk are your choice.

[Deleted]

LEDs backlit systems tend to be able to achieve better contrast ratios than CCFL systems. In video games, its usually the contrast you're more concerned with for the purposes of 'performance', as it helps distinguishing objects.

LEDs, specifically WLED which is whats used in non-luxury monitors, do however tend to constrain color gamut. 'Washed out' colors is far more common, and images can sometimes look a little boring as a result.

However with the advent of 'brown & bloom' spearheaded by ID and adopted by many modern developers, its not something thats visible in most games. It does present itself when working with graphics and images though.

[Deleted]

I've recently switched to LED backlit screens (using the BenQ XL2420T). They are bright yes, but that can easily be fixed by turning the brightness way down.

The main difference is as mentioned in this thread - the whites are brilliantly white (without a tendancy to appear 'warm' yellow-ish on other non-LED screens). Otherwise I wouldn't say you'd specifically notice a great difference.

LED backlighting on TFT panels is definitely a step forwards for this technology.

For gaming it's more important you get a low latency fast response screen to reduce the effects of 'ghosting'. Aim for a 2ms Grey-to-Grey response time panel for the best results. I'm not sure if you'll see such good results with IPS.

[vesseblah]

As far as which is better for gaming, the technical answer would be best given after a simple question. Do you tend to play bright games or dark games? Dark games like Metro 2033 are more at risk to image degradation from backlight bleed, where bright games benefit more from LED's despite the backlight bleed. So in the most technical sense, between these 2 choices, an "LCD" or CFL tube monitor would be better for someone who plays darker, more ambianced games.

LED is most definitely better than CFL for dark games and watching movies because of improved contrast range. CFL does not have true black as LEDs do.

[Dashield28]

LED = Sharp, bright colors deep blacks
LCD = more earth tone and mellow border light seepage in dark screens

[Deleted]

Some very good articles at pcmonitors.org for more in-depth reading:

IPS or 120Hz for Gaming
http://www.pcmonitors.org/articles/i...0hz-for-gaming

Will we see 120Hz IPS Panels?
http://www.pcmonitors.org/articles/w...responsiveness

OLED Monitors
http://www.pcmonitors.org/articles/oled-monitors

BenQ XL2420T Review (120Hz TN gaming monitor)
http://www.pcmonitors.org/monitor-reviews/benq-xl2420t

Dell U2312HM Review (IPS monitor)
http://www.pcmonitors.org/monitor-reviews/dell-u2412m

[Jdman]

I remember getting the LED monitor I have now and going home and playing SC2 for the first time on it and blown away. I love LED monitors but I would assume its mostly personal preference, like others have said LED monitors will probably be brighter.

[WarTV]

Very sorry to hijack your thread but i am kind of desperate since my current screen in dying:

i am stuck with my current ~8yr old screen mainly because i am having major problems with new screens.
with new screens i noticed that if you look at the screen from bottom to up position you the upper edge of the screen gets dark. unlike my current screen u can look at it from any position without having any dark edges.
i have no idea why and what type of screens suffer from dark edges when being looked at from different angles.

can anyone help me or guide me towards what kind of screen i need to be looking for to be able to see the screen from all edges without suffering from dark edges / color changes ? looking for 22" screens mainly.

[chaud]

You want an IPS panel then, as TN panels have that problem.

[WarTV]

You want an IPS panel then, as TN panels have that problem.

thank you sir !

[Holyshnikies]

LED. Get one with at least 120 refresh rate. Then to the size of your choosing.

[allan-snackbar]

Some very good articles at pcmonitors.org for more in-depth reading:

IPS or 120Hz for Gaming
http://www.pcmonitors.org/articles/i...0hz-for-gaming

Will we see 120Hz IPS Panels?
http://www.pcmonitors.org/articles/w...responsiveness

OLED Monitors
http://www.pcmonitors.org/articles/oled-monitors

BenQ XL2420T Review (120Hz TN gaming monitor)
http://www.pcmonitors.org/monitor-reviews/benq-xl2420t

Dell U2312HM Review (IPS monitor)
http://www.pcmonitors.org/monitor-reviews/dell-u2412m

Thanks for sharing man, will help loads of people +Rep