Achieva Shimian 27" Monitor Review - 1440p IPS Display at Under $350!
Overview
So now that we have a clear picture of the competitors in this market, let's take a look at the one I picked, the Achieva Shimian QH270-Lite.
After much research over a course of weeks, I finally decided to pull the trigger on this display late one Friday night. (Editor: that is usually when the best decisions are made, I say.) One of my biggest concerns, past the quality of the product, was how long it would take to ship. As we all know, waiting for gadgets to come in the mail is no fun, but I was pleasantly surprised with the shipping of my monitor.
The eBay seller from which I ordered the Shimian, had shipped it the following Monday, and I received the display that Wednesday afternoon. I was also overjoyed to find that the seller included a DHL tracking number, which really helped to provide a sense of security for me.
While I got this monitor for what I considered to be a steal at $315 shipped, it seems the same seller is now selling this model for $310 shipped, so even better!
Once I received my monitor, I rushed right into the PC Perspective offices to unbox it and begin testing. Here is exactly how it was shipped to me, the monitor box simply wrapped in bubble wrap. It doesn't seem like an effective method for shipping, but the product made it to me directly from Korea, unscathed.
As you might expect, the Shimian is pretty barebones in the accessory department. Included is a manual (in Korean of course), Power cable, and a Dual-Link DVI cable. While it may not be a lot, this is all you will need to get started with this monitor.
Taking a closer look at the power supply, we see the cable with a Korean Plug. However, looking at the power brick, you can see that there is a standard AC plug, in which you can plug in an American 3-pin power cord.
The back of this monitor features the power button on the top, with the brightness control buttons below that. Under the brightness control buttons are a series of other buttons, which are actually disabled on this monitor, as it does not have an On-Screen Display or Speakers.
Since this display has no On-Screen Display or built in controls, all calibration of the display has to be done through the Operating System. With my display, it was immediately evident that it needed to be calibrated out of the box, as the color was nowhere near balanced compared to other displays I use on a regular basis.
For years, our calibration needs at the PC Perspective office has been met by the Pantone Huey Pro, which can be found for a street price of about $80.
Once the Pantone software is installed on your computer, you simply follow the instructions, and ultimately attach the sensor to your display using built in suction cups.
During the calibration process, different colors are displayed on the screen, with the Huey then analyzes and the monitor is calibrated accordingly.
PC Perspective Upcoming Events
|
I had mine die within three weeks of use. For those who care, I had it locked at 60Hz. The company that sells them through ebay refused to respond to my messages. Ebay had apparently been having this issue with the seller three times previously during the week and decided to refund my money in full.
TL;DR
Great monitor when it works, Terrible Support
Was about to hit "confirm buy" before I read your commend David... I'll wait a bit I guess. Let us know if your monitor dies Ken :S
I will definitely follow up if it does, but I sure hope not! :)
What dealer on eBay did you pyrchase this monitor??? I see that Amazon offers some of the same monitors at about the same prices, would Amazon be a safer buy??
I'm interested in the Crossover 27Q-P.
As far as I know, I was the first English speaking person to buy one of these Korean monitors. I got my Shimian back in Febuary, have it running at 70hz, and it's been working just fine.
FYI, this commotion all started on Overclock.net
if you buy another one to replace it, you've still spent less than the HP
sincerely,
Owner of a flawless 4 month-old Catleap
Seem like a bargain to me. I notice that some sellers offer a 'perfect version' with a higher grade panel but then it costs more like 500 dollars.
read the fine print of these some of these perfect pixel versions still have a reasonable amount of dead pixels that they consider ok and will not accept a return if you don't have more than so many dead pixels.
have one of these, bought through the http://120hz.net group buy (for guaranteed overclocking). There is also a great thread about these at HardOCP (Hardforum). These are great monitors, mine was $50 more but hits 120Hz without issue. The colors are great, backlight bleed is not bad, and unnoticeable in games or any movie not set in the Nostromo… Overall, it’s a great monitor but make sure you read up on who to buy from.
I am not affiliated with anyone from 120hz, they are just a great place to see the different models and who is safe to buy from… ;)
Could you please send me whom you purchased this monitor from along with the model and approx price. Don't know if I really want to go through 120hz.net
Thanks
I have had the catleap for 3 weeks now and have been very impressed. Paid $286 and got free international shipping. This monitor is really unbelievable for the price and my only gripe is the response time. The good thing is that its usable for fps, just wouldn't recommend it for the hard core competitive people.
As of now I would recommend this monitor to everyone who can afford to take a chance on this things survivability. If you are the type who needs a warranty just stay away. For everyone else, this is excellent value.
Just a FYI it seems that SquareTrade will warranty these screens.
Ive had my catleap monitor for a few months now and I love it. its amazing in every way including the price. Still no dead pixels or any problems.
I'd be all for getting one or more, but my computer wouldn't handle it and even if it could, I have no desk space :(
The nice thing is that you could spend the same amount of money on multiple monitors here for the same price as one from our leading dealers (even the HP deal). That's always a nice thing if you get one perfect (and even better with multiple in great to perfect condition).
I just wish I had money.
*EDIT*
Awww man. Now I just want to buy this solely for Total Annihilation! You guys are killing me!
Remorse on the yamakasi Multi-input.
I have been testing the $400 AUD multi input model all day.
No faulty pixels, excellent colours, which make my 120hz Alienware AW2310 look like it was done in crayons.
The input lag is horrendous....
I've been running some clocks on the AW2310 / a Dell 2407WFP and the Catleap and unfortunately it's around 90ms behind the Alienware, despite having scalers turned off - the multi-input card screws everything. Totally unusable for competetive games.
Yeah, I don't think the multi-input models are worth it, unless you won't be gaming on them or only playing games like RPG or strategy games.
Amazon offers a number of these monitors by the same company's. What's the advantage going to eBay?? Amazon would seem safer.
For this little amount of money, if it dies I will open it up and replace any blown capacitors myself!
I want 3 for a badarse Eyefinity setup.
I ordered a Yamakasi Catleap for $350 shipped. I have had it for probably 4 or 5 months now. It came with no dead pixels, no stuck pixels, and is a beautiful display.
I had a Dell 3007WFP-HC but it got so hot that I have actually made this my new main monitor. At some point I would like to do some sort of dual display incorporating the Dell, who knows.
In any case, LOVE my monitor, the price can NOT be beat in the US. If you are interested in this monitor but worried about buying from abroad, don't worry. The good sellers seem to be very good about defective units and the various Korean companies DO offer a warranty, you will have to ship it back to Korea to get it honored but there is a warranty.
So don't wait anymore! These are awesome monitors and you haven't lived until you've played your favorite games at 2560x1440 on a 27" S-IPS panel monitor.
I really want one of these displays, but I want the 16 x 10 30 inch, instead of the 16 x 9 27 inch. Any info on those? I've seen them on eBay but not sure if they are worth the extra cost.
This is in regards to the Yamacasi Catleap Q270 2B.
I got a reply back from TA planet saying that the Yamakasi 120Hz are out of stock, however for the ones that can wait he said "Another brand, Shimian 120Hz overclock version will be released after one month."
I will look forward to talk to him again next month, hopefuly they are display port only.
By that time they will have AsRock X79 Extreme 11 motheroard. Maybe 7990 will release & will support 120hz & should give me plenty of time to research AMD for 120Hz or cheaper 2x690 & the next quadro 5000 desktop kepler & tesla. All of them freaking waterkooled of course. And be ready for world domination or learn about lots of game/cg movie making so I can justify buying all of that crap then.
I bought the Auria EQ276W from Microcenter yesterday. It was $399.99 USD and came to ~$414 after NJ tax. It’s a stunning multi-input (HDMI with HDCP, DVI dual Port, DisplayPort, VGA and mini audi jack) 2560x1440 display and looked great with out of the box settings. It had no dead pixels / stuck pixels or light bleed. Gloss screen but hardly noticeable IMO.
The stock picture above of the Auria EQ276W doesn’t do the outer esthetics justice as it as it really looks nothing like the picture.
I haven’t tested lag but I also don’t intend to use it for much if any gaming.
It comes with a 1yr warranty and I still have the option of returning it to Microcenter is I so whish it but I would probably be more apt to buy another one.
Presumably Microcenter will ship the Auria EQ276W so it doesn’t necessarily matter if you don’t have a store location near you.
Its price competitive with the other Korean models (specifically the multi-input models) without the risk.
can you please share the color calibration file you generated?? thanks!
I just bought one of the Catleap's. Thanks for the review, this wave of cheap Korean monitors is awesome!
I think this 27 inch 120hz monitor is the best monitor for people who use it for design or watching movie, but it's not the best choice for people who want use it playing games.
http://www.2560x1440monitor.com
In here, price of monitor from $279
Post new comment