Comparing TN vs. IPS LCD monitors for gaming

Solution 1:

Some considerations about IPS vs TN competition:

• IPS costs more than TN
• IPS reproduce colors better than TN
• IPS has a wider viewing angle than TN
• IPS has a slower response time (latency) than TN monitors (5-8 ms vs 2-5 ms)
• IPS (at the moment) does not support a 120 Hz refresh rate. Therefore if you want to play 3D games (e.g. using NVidia 3D Vision) on IPS monitor you can have 30 fps maximum (60/2).

These are general assumptions about these two different monitor technologies. Then every product has his own story. You can read some good reviews on websites like, for example, Digital Versus.

Said this, if you do not plan to watch many movies or to play a lot of FPS/action games and you have the budget I suggest you a good IPS monitor because their are wonderful to work with (program, web design, etc.). Otherwise, go for a good TN monitor.

Solution 2:

Typically, TN displays have faster response times but IPS technology has been rapidly improving in that aspect. However, TN is still much cheaper than IPS.

IPS does offers a richer color and wider viewing angle, great for more general purpose use such as multimedia.

This article is a good read about the pros and cons of each.

@FallenAngelEyes sorry if it wasn't much help. The only important piece of advise I'd offer is to go with the IPS monitor, yes you pay a little more, but in the future, should you choose to add a second monitor (when IPS is cheaper), you don't want to be stuck with a TN + IPS monitor since the contrast can be big enough to induce headaches (at least for me). I have a IPS+TN setup and I regret it immensely.

Solution 3:

I read a decent article that covered all these issues.

The short rundown is = IPS (inplane switching), its pixels are organized in a different way to TN (Twisted nematic). TN, generally, has faster hertz and response times, its also cheaper, currently, to manufacture. TN are a kind of cheap and nasty solution to fast hertz and ms.

IPS has superior colors and viewing angles, its a bit more expensive, but quickly catching up to TN in speed.