So here's the deal. I live in Korea and as I was looking up parts for my new computer rig, I found a killer display for super cheap. They are under a few different names but basically(from my research) these are rejected apple cinema displays in a different stand and casing. This guy in the video talks about them some here --check it out if you are in the market for a nice display.

Achieva Shimian 27" 2560x1440 Monitor...

I actually can get them for about $220 here((sorry to rub it in )) but since you dudes and gals are in the States/Europe or wherever you are probably going to have to pay a bit extra because of the shipping. From $350-450 ( shipping included in price)

Where to get them--

Ebay has some auctions from Korean dealers. And if you are lucky you might find one here:
WARNING KOREAN LANGUAGE!!
www.danawa.com
www.gmarket.com

Also here is a nice little write up on the displays and the differences between them.

http://www.swiftworld.net/2012/04/14...ds-and-models/

I'm getting the 27q http://item.gmarket.co.kr/detailview...d#opinion_link

Okay, that's it...You all have helped me out a lot over the years with random problems, so I wanted to pass along a great deal...It's risky because it might cost you if you have to ship it back, but it's a hell of a good price.

Peace

Dave,

I hate you. Buy me one.

P.S. <3

I heard electronics are way overpriced in Korea, what gives? Is it cause they are rejected screens?

Most likely - they'll be offbrand so the price won't be jacked skyhigh.

You'll sometimes find that some "economy" brands actually use the exact same LCDs as bigger name brands like Sony or Apple, just in different casing - sometimes they even roll out the same factory.

Currently have a 22" monitor, this looks really sweet :O Thanks for the heads up

A 27" is a great investment for any artist. Just remember to get a good gfx card to drive your games. It looks like butt in anything but native res.

Hahah, Los man. I <3 you too Sent you a PM

The electronics are generally extremely overpriced here as there isn't an international market on many products. Only domestic brands = higher prices. This is a bit of anomaly. Looks like some are on ebay for $350 free shipping internationally. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...All-Categories

I might be interested in one.

Those are sexy monitors, how much are the apple ones typically?

Wait for 4k displays! hah this looks worth picking up though. I wish I had more pixels to work on....

If you've ever worked on a 27" Apple the experience is pretty horrible because of the gloss. Kind of weird staring back at your reflection while you paint/game/watch movies, unless you work in total darkness.

I read there are matte versions of these thing floating around (from different manufacturers) but haven't spotted them yet.

You can by a matte cover for them

I would be pretty worried about getting an IPS panel in one and a shitty TN panel in another, ughh.... but still, do sort of want.

Originally Posted by Snowfly

If you've ever worked on a 27" Apple the experience is pretty horrible because of the gloss. Kind of weird staring back at your reflection while you paint/game/watch movies, unless you work in total darkness.

I read there are matte versions of these thing floating around (from different manufacturers) but haven't spotted them yet.

turn off the lights.

ZacD - Yeah I'm aware, and applying matte covers takes a bit of skill. Gettng the entire surface dust and hair free, unpeeling and reapplying the film to press out the bubbles, taking care not to misalign... it can be done, but I can't even get the films on my iPod right. I'd rather not contend with 27" again.

skanker- I do work during the day too

Originally Posted by Snowfly

skanker- I do work during the day too

Close the curtains! If you lack them, buy blinds/curtains, install them, then close them!

Originally Posted by Snowfly

ZacD - Yeah I'm aware, and applying matte covers takes a bit of skill. Gettng the entire surface dust and hair free, unpeeling and reapplying the film to press out the bubbles, taking care not to misalign... it can be done, but I can't even get the films on my iPod right. I'd rather not contend with 27" again.

It'd be worth the hassle if reflections bother you that much, there's some pretty good youtube guides on how to avoid air bubbles when using those, I'd just make sure to do it as soon as you get the monitor.

Originally Posted by Torch

Close the curtains! If you lack them, buy blinds/curtains, install them, then close them!

Agree.

I keep my work area super dark, but I understand. Glossy screens are annoying ESPECIALLY on tvs.

Wow, that is amazing.. I may have to pick a few of these off ebay. Beats the 999 apple charges for their displays.. But quite a bit less features (though that is not that big of a deal if you don't need a thuderbolt hub, gigabit ethernet, usb, speakers and web cam).
Though a lot of people had issues with the displays in imacs and returned them.. Curious maybe they all went in these?

Originally Posted by Wahlgren

A 27" is a great investment for any artist. Just remember to get a good gfx card to drive your games. It looks like butt in anything but native res.

You could try 1280x720, which is exactly half the height and width, so you essentially have 4 pixel blocks that get rendered as 1 pixel. It might still not look super fantastic, but at least you'll have less intrusive interpolation.

In my experience and opinion, a small bit of scaling (say, 1600x900 to 1920x1080) looks worse than more scaling at a more regular interval, (1280x720 to 1920x1080) because there are less sharp pixels. With 720 -> 1080 You have 2 pixels spread across 3, so you only have 1 blurred pixel and 2 sharp ones. With 900 -> 1080 You have 5 pixels spread across 6, so you have 4 blurred pixels and 2 sharp ones.

It may seem counterintuitive, but it might be a good idea to lower the resolution MORE to get it to look a bit nicer. Plus, then you've got some extra GPU power which you can spend on higher settings like AA, parallax mapping and postprocessing.

Originally Posted by Snader

You could try 1280x720, which is exactly half the height and width, so you essentially have 4 pixel blocks that get rendered as 1 pixel. It might still not look super fantastic, but at least you'll have less intrusive interpolation.

In my experience and opinion, a small bit of scaling (say, 1600x900 to 1920x1080) looks worse than more scaling at a more regular interval, (1280x720 to 1920x1080) because there are less sharp pixels. With 720 -> 1080 You have 2 pixels spread across 3, so you only have 1 blurred pixel and 2 sharp ones. With 900 -> 1080 You have 5 pixels spread across 6, so you have 4 blurred pixels and 2 sharp ones.

It may seem counterintuitive, but it might be a good idea to lower the resolution MORE to get it to look a bit nicer. Plus, then you've got some extra GPU power which you can spend on higher settings like AA, parallax mapping and postprocessing.

Very interesting. Will try that out when time comes. I just got a gtx 680 so GPU power is the last of my worries at the moment. Running bf3 @ 2560x1440 on ultra. Silky smooth.

I really love the look of the glass display. Hoping it won't be a big deal.
Also as someone else mentioned the Cinema displays from apple are 1k! So this is a steal...Bumping so others can see

so I have a question:

If you buy one locally, can you return it or test it out before buying it?

I'm currently in Korea too and yes, electronics are usually over priced but I find good deals here and there if I pay in cash and do some bartering.

But, the monitors are a pretty good deal non the less.

Well I've been reading lots of conflicting reviews. Especially when it comes to the refresh rates. Some people report 60 while others say they have got up to 120.
Also dead pixel reports are all over the place too. Usually not terribly bad though.

I want to buy one, but I want someone to look at it first and figure out if it's a 60hz or 120hz monitor. I would totally send you money for purchase and shipping if you were interested as long as you check it out first.