t0x.inHomeAboutKorean PLS Monitor AdventureSeptember 13, 2013, filed under Building, Miscellaneous, Technology; No Comments.Tags: 2560x1440, 27", Engrish, HDQ, Korea, Korean, LCD, LED, MonitorI have a 27″ 2560×1440 monitor at work that I use in place of 2 x 24″ 1080p monitors and I love it. The only problem I have with it from the perspective of “how can I get the same thing at home” is that name brand 27″ monitors that have higher than 1080p resolution cost $600 minimum.I started searching for a less expensive but viable option and came across the Korean LCD phenomenon. Long story short (I’ll add to it later) I’ve ordered one. One of the best resources – THE best, actually – I’ve found related to these monitors is the Overclock.net thread called The Korean PLS Monitor Club.I found that the best deal I could locate was the eBay seller “Dream-seller” and the make/model X-Star DP2710. Standard quality (possible dead pixels) for $280, shipped from Busan KR in 2-3 days (by way of Fed Ex and coming in through Anchorage AK). I paid $30 more for the “perfect pixel” assurance. Most people report perfect pixels regardless of which option they choose, but they’re already so cheap, it is worth $30 for the added assurance. For that $30, you get a monitor that they actually tested and found no dead pixels. You can’t even get a guarantee like that from Acer, Asus, Dell, Samsung or HP. By the way, these monitors all use Samsung LCD panels internally…the very same ones my $600 Asus monitor at work has installed. I’ll update this post with photos later. The sacrifice you make comes in the form of features and case build quality. For example, if you plan to  VESA mount and want to remove the flimsy built in stand, you have to completely remove the front bezel and lift up the LCD panel itself to get to the screws. This is not for the faint of heart, non-techie. It also only has a single DVI input. Not VGA, no HDMI, no displayport. You need a good video card and need to check the compatibility list before ordering one of these.I received my monitor from X-Star last night. Took the case apart to get the stand out, which was quite easy. No scratched plastic, broken clips or anything else. There are several YouTube videos you can check out (Either for Qnix or X-Star) to increase your comfort level with this type of thing. I ordered the Perfect Pixel version and as I would expect it has zero dead or stuck pixels. It looks terrific, even in comparison to my $600 Asus 2560×1440 monitor at work. In fact, I just realized the bezel is narrower all the way around on the X-Star.Below are some pictures I took. Two of the monitor installed on my new custom desk, and one of some Engrish on the box that cracked me up.Customer Workstation Build.September 10, 2013, filed under Building, Technology; No Comments.Tags: computer, custom, desk, drafting, kee klamp, LCD mo