The biggest culprit here is eye strain, mostly caused by staring at a screen for too long without taking breaks. Honestly, there isn't a single piece of tech out there that can fix that 😁
For example, I use a VA panel with an "eye care" mode enabled. It’s just a basic adjustment of settings like contrast, brightness, and color that you could easily tweak yourself. When I turn mine on, the screen turns so yellow I don't even want to look at it 😁
Unless you have hawk-like vision or absolutely need razor-sharp clarity for work, you might actually be better off picking up a 27" monitor with standard 1080p resolution (which is basically the opposite of what most gamers 😁 recommend). Because the pixels are larger, it’s much easier on your eyes if you struggle with vision issues. Just make sure you grab an IPS/PLS or VA panel
Like this one, for instance: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=GW2480E
They also push all that modern "low blue light" and "flicker-free" marketing lately. If you go with one of those, you’re checking all the boxes on paper, and they aren't exactly expensive
Is this used, and what’s the price tag? I’m assuming it’s pre-owned since nobody really sells 16:10 monitors anymore, and you can't find them on Best Buy or Amazon. It’s a solid monitor if the price is right.
At the end of the day, there isn't some magical marketing gimmick that makes a monitor "eye-friendly." The real question is what specifically bothers you about your current setup—is the screen too small, or is the brightness just too dim? Based on the ergonomics and the specs, that HP is perfectly fine.
I was reading some threads online where people were claiming that both Futura and Protis said the CPU was locked, but then one guy bought it for his buddy and confirmed it's actually unlocked...
In my opinion, the processor might fetch $167, and the motherboard could go for maybe $133... However, since it's a newer Intel chip, people sometimes overpay for them—if you happen to run into someone who doesn't know any better, you might even squeeze out $220 from them. To be perfectly honest, though, for $300 I wouldn't recommend this combo to anyone. I've seen Ryzen 5 1600 setups going for $540-$$200, and for $133, you can pick up a brand-new motherboard, let alone a used one...
I was reading somewhere about those AMD PRO series processors (they're labeled as "business" versions). Apparently, they were originally designed for OEM machines, but it looks like retailers have started stocking them for general consumers too. The main differences are that they come with locked multipliers and feature some kind of security co-processor under the hood, along with a few other minor tweaks. Also, you'll notice the CPU and cooler come in separate packaging, but beyond that, they're pretty much identical. They can be a decent value, provided the buyer realizes they won't be able to overclock them.
It’s a solid card, sure, but honestly, the GTX 1660 Super is a much better value since it performs almost identically and usually ends up being cheaper by a decent chunk of change. That said, you didn't get fleeced because $733 is actually a pretty fair price for a high-end cooler like that one. A top-tier cooler of this caliber would easily cost that much, if not more...
Is there any specific reason why you're zeroing in on those two 27" 1080p models?
They don't really stand out to me—not in terms of features, and certainly not in value. For that kind of cash, you could easily pick up something with 144Hz for gaming, or even jump up to a 31.5" 1440p display instead.
It's a solid deal provided there's a warranty included. My only concern is the power supply and the case—you can't afford to cut corners there. It needs to be high-quality, serious hardware, not some cheap junk...
See, you really should lead with that info in your very first post. 😁
From what I’ve gathered through some digging over in Ireland, people usually suggest sticking with Amazon or maybe checking out Overclockers or one of those big German retailers.
Here is my suggestion: check out ComputersUniverse out of Germany. They ship to pretty much everyone in the European Union, their selection is solid, and the prices are fair.
By the way, make sure the SSD is 1TB and the RAM is 3200MHz CL16. As for the case, just pick something you actually like—just don't buy any cheap junk.
That should leave you with about $300 left over for a monitor. Think about whether you want a 24" 1080p 144Hz setup, or if you'd rather go for a 27" or 31.5" 1440p 75Hz display...
27" and 28" screens are just too small for 4K resolution. You’re going to wreck your eyes, especially when you're working in video editing software where all the interface elements are tiny. The pixel density (PPI) ends up being way too high. Plus, that 28" model uses a TN panel, which means you get the worst possible color reproduction and viewing angles—definitely not what you want for video or photo work.
As for that other 27" 144Hz option, it makes zero sense here. A 144Hz refresh rate is meant for gaming, but running 1080p on a 27" screen isn't sharp enough at all. It’s essentially the exact opposite of the first two options because the PPI is far too low.
A better middle ground would be looking at some 31.5" 1440p IPS monitors—
Look, you can find just about anything within that budget if you're looking at different types of monitors, but if you really want an ultrawide—specifically a 34" with 3440x1440 resolution—then go for it. That size and resolution combo is absolutely perfect for that aspect ratio. Right now, there isn't really any other monitor of that specific type available at that price point. Don't sweat the brand too much, either; LC-ov has actually become a pretty decent company. Besides, almost all screens are manufactured by just a handful of big players like LG or Samsung anyway.
It’s sitting at $309 in Germany with a 19% discount, which includes shipping and US sales tax—so $875 that’s my bottom line. You get a 3-year warranty with it.
The catch? It looks like we're dealing with another mediocre cooler. They did release a revised version that seems decent enough, but honestly, you never know exactly which version ends up in your hands.
Here is a review of the specific revision for the non-XT model:
Meanwhile, Linus Tech Tips is tearing apart the revised version of the XT model.
RDR2 is already starting to absolutely murder GPUs like the RX 580. If my memory serves me right, you can't even maintain a 60 FPS average on medium settings, let alone hit a stable minimum. You could definitely benefit from a beefier GPU for this specific title—honestly, a GTX 1070 is probably the only used option worth considering. On the other hand, this game tends to run much more smoothly on AMD cards, so the RX 580 practically performs on par with the GTX 1070, even though the latter is technically a tier above. That is, unless recent driver updates or patches have shifted the landscape. So, when it comes to your GPU options for this game, you're pretty much stuck in this bracket. 😁
You're better off picking up the GTX 1650 Super over the 5500XT; overall, it's the superior choice and even cheaper than the 4GB version of the 5500XT.
Games that an RX 580 8GB can push at 144fps can be easily kept up by a Ryzen 5 1600 at that same frame rate...
People constantly overlook the GPU in this discussion. It’s not like the Ryzen 5 1600 has some arbitrary 60 fps hard cap preventing it from hitting high frames in many titles—especially when paired with a stronger GPU (where the actual ceiling would be something like a GTX 1080 or an RX 5700).
Another point people miss: you don't need a constant 144fps to actually benefit from a 144Hz monitor. You can feel the difference even at 90, 100, or 120 fps. In fact, the biggest jump in smoothness is really moving from 60 up to 90 fps.
To put it in perspective, if I were still rocking my ancient HD7850 2GB, I would definitely see the benefits of a 144Hz monitor since most of my games run above 60 fps, while something like CS:GO would fly at a million fps.
My advice to him was to dump as much money as possible into the graphics card. It's much better to take those $200 savings compared to the two processors mentioned and add them to whatever he gets from selling his RX 580 8GB; that's how you get the best gaming performance (a GTX 1070 is likely the ceiling for that budget).
Fair enough. I wouldn't go so far as to call it an absolute steal, though. There are plenty of other options out there with nearly identical specs—like that one I mentioned earlier which actually comes with a 5-year warranty. Also, if you're looking at that 1ms response time as a major selling point, don't fall for it; it's mostly just marketing fluff. Honestly, it doesn't matter much unless the monitor hits that 144Hz refresh rate.
