Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Last year, 4K monitors were going for $3000+. There were only really three in the market: Dell, Sharp, and Asus (unless you count the Seiki 4K TV as a monitor). After CES, there has been a flood of sub-$1000 4K monitors from Dell, AOC, Phillips, Samsung, Asus, and Lenovo. I would avoid the Dell monitor like the plague as it maxes out at 30Hz. The Lenovo, like most Lenovo products, has been delayed to foreverdom. That leaves us with AOC, Samsung, Phillips, and Asus. From what I understand, all four are using the same TN panel so it all really depends on which manufacturer you're loyal to and what you think will look the best on your desk. I had narrowed it down between Asus and Samsung. The Samsung is the most aesthetically pleasing IMHO, but the fact that its stand is non-adjustable and non-VESA is what ultimately made me stay away from it. However, the main reason I went with Asus was mainly because it seems to be getting the best recommendation from all the tech websites. Tom's Hardware has a 10 page in-depth review of it. Putting it together is a breeze. The mount is already on so all you need to do is use the turn screw for the base and you're done. A 3 minute job if you know what you're doing. The stand is well built and can be adjusted in all sorts of angles, all the way to portrait. It has the best stand out of all the 4K monitors. Your connections are limited to DisplayPort, HDMI x2, and MHL. Some might consider this a con, but really if you're purchasing this monitor it's assumed that you have a rig with DisplayPort 1.2 that's capable of 4K 60Hz. 30Hz is unusable for a majority of people out there (which is why I recommend to stay the hell away from the Dell). However, trying to get 60Hz is where the fun begins. I know AMD users have had problems getting 60Hz on the monitor (although this issue has apparently been fixed with updated drivers). I have an Nvidia GeFore GTX 770 and EVERYTHING I read online was positive. Once the stream is changed to 1.2, the 60Hz should be automatic for Nvidia capable GPUs. First off, 4K is absolutely stunning. You will pee your pants. I had owned a 50" 4K Seiki for a month before returning it. If it wasn't for the quality control issues and the 30Hz limitation I would have kept it, but anyway, the point is that 4K is gorgeous. It's like having a 28" iPad in your face. The reason I got this monitor though is for the 4K at 60Hz capability. So off I went to change the stream to 1.2 after the 5 minute set up of putting it all together and connecting the included Display Port cable. And BAM! Wait a minute... nope, not 60Hz. Hmmm... WHAT THE HELL?!! I knew troubleshooting this thing would be a war. Well, to make a long story short, I spent 2 days trying to read every forum post, using different DisplayPort cables, going on the OSD a trillion times, and all that good stuff. When it was all said and done... the problem was that I was using beta Nvidia drivers. Once I reverted to the most stable driver, there it was... glorious and magnificent 4K at 60Hz. So... if you're on the beta drivers, as recommended by a previous reviewer... install the most recent stable drivers instead and it could save you 2 days worth of frustration. I don't even know why I overlooked such a small detail. So anyway, yeah, this is an awesome monitor. It's hands down the best monitor I've ever owned. If you're a professional video/photo editor though, then you probably already know that this isn't an IPS panel. That is why it's not $3000. For someone like me who just wants something in super crazy 4K at 60Hz, this monitor is the cream of the crop.