Monitors with resolutions greater than 1080p have always commanded a premium. While 1920x1200 monitors have become rare, 2560x1440 (WQHD) and 2560x1600 (WQXGA) continue to have a steady, but costly, presence in the market. Even brands such as Doublesight (which don't command the same recognition as, say, Dell or Samsung) price their WQHD offerings around $1000. Under these conditions, budget consumers looking for their high resolution fix have had to resort to Korean brand units from eBay. We had a cursory look at one such unit, the Achieva Shimian QH270, earlier this year.

Many consumers are not entirely comfortable ordering expensive gadgets off eBay. The absence of a budget offering from a US-based company in this space has been disappointing, but Nixeus is now stepping up to fill this void with the Nixeus Vue 27" S-IPS WQHD (2560x1440) LED monitor. Nixeus is not new to the consumer electronics game. They started off with media players (such as the Nixeus Fusion HD and the Fusion XS) and have since expanded to HDMI cables and now, high resolution monitors.

The claimed specifications of the NX-VUE27 are as below:

• Display Size: 27" widescreen
• Panel Type: LG S-IPS panel, A grade
• Resolution: 2560*1440
• Aspect ratio: 16: 9
• Brightness: 380 cd/m2
• Contrast Ratio: 1500: 1
• Pixel Pitch: 0.2331mm*0.2331mm
• Response Time: 6ms (Gray to Gray)
• Viewing Angle: 178(H)178(V)
• Display Color: 16.7M, 8-bit, high color accuracy
• Stereo Speakers
• Connectivity: VGA, HDMI 1.4, DVI Display Port 1.2
• Power Power Consumption: <72W
• Operation Voltage: 100-240V AC 60/50Hz
• Accessories: DVI Cable*1, Power Adapter*1, User Manual*1, 3.5mm Audio Cable*1

We find that the monitor has a number of connectivity options which are not available in the Achieva / Catleap / Yamakasi units (which just use DL-DVI). Nixeus indicated that all the inputs except for VGA would support the maximum resolution of 2560x1440. This means that your Kepler or GCN GPU should be able to drive full resolution to the unit over HDMI itself.

With a price of $430, it is sure to attract a number of users who have been on the fence about ordering one of the Korean monitors off eBay. The unit is slated to go up for pre-order on Comp-U-Plus within a few days. Our display editor, Chris, should be getting hold of a review unit prior to the August 21st launch date. We will post our hands-on evaluation of the monitor soon.

UPDATE: Comp-U-Plus is accepting pre-orders right now.