Based off of what you're saying then, I would think the Shimian QH 270-lite would be ideal, which seems to be sitting around $336 for pixel perfect and $285 for standard. Would you say not to worry about potential pixel problems? Is the extra $50 worth the piece of mind?
Other posters above preferred the Crossover 27Q at $347 (pixel perfect at $447). Of the four, it sounds like you'd recommend the Shimian at $285?
Not worth the price imo.
My screen has 3 dead pixels. The total times I've noticed the dead pixels? Zero. At this pixel density the actual pixels are TINY. You have to stare point blank at the screen to even find them. Regular old dust particles that would naturally accrue onto the monitor over time are bigger and more distracting. Unless you sit there with a microfiber cloth and clean your screen every minute, chances are you won't find some dead pixels too distracting.
Crossover is generally recommended for build quality reasons. It has a full metal enclosure, and the hammered glossy black bezel is less annoying than glossy black plastic. The build quality of the shimian is quite poor, I assume that's why it is so cheap. Many people who got them have reported the top of the bezel covering pixels and some have received stands that were incapable of holding the monitor in position, letting it droop and wobble while typing, as well as the bezel allowing the power led to bleed onto the panel. There is a lot of discussion about all of the models over on overclock.net, dating back to the beginning of this year so you can read about a lot of people experiences.
Yeah I've compared the Crossover and Achieva side by side, and it's true that the materials used in the Crossover are slightly better, and it
looks like it would be more stable, but it's actually really not. Both are wobbly.
I can't comment on the issues people report with the bezel. Perhaps there were some build quality issues with the Achieva but it's by no means a frequent thing. Most seem to be perfectly fine, mine included.
This is kind of going back to my other point though. None of these monitors have GOOD stands, but it's not really a big deal. You'd have to have an extremely wobbly desk for it to affect you, and I can honestly say I've never once been inconvenienced by my Achieva's stand.
I've been considering whether to buy one of these monitors for weeks now. There's 2 things that put me off: -
1. Import duty/tax (perhaps not an issue in the US)
I'm almost positive you don't have to pay import tax in the US as there's some type of fair trade agreement. I didn't pay any import tax and neither did any of my friends who live in the US.
Are any of these monitors HDCP compatible by any chance?
Achieva's are HDCP compatible.
Just realized I'm kind of sounding like a shill for Achieva. I don't mean it like that. I just think it's the best value. It's like you want a better stand and absolutely no dead pixels? Suddenly you're looking at $100+ or more. Is it really worth it? Not to me that's for sure.