New monitor for pc/ps3

[holsty101]

So my xmas treat for myself this year is gonna be a ps3 & new monitor, come on GT5! Yay!

But I need some help with what monitor to get, I'm looking for something in the 22"-24" range pref w/ speakers (tho it'd be easy to use my pc speakers via the multi-out, right?), I guess LED backlight would be nice but not essential, I've got about $200 (tho I might be able to squeeze another 20-40).

Been looking at -

Asus 23.6" LCD $190

Asus 23.6" LED LCD for an extra $10

Tho 24" might be just a little to large on my desktop ... I'm willing to risk it

 

[homerdog]

LED backlit monitors can sometimes perform worse than CCFL backlit ones, especially in terms of screen uniformity. Not necessarily the case with those two, but you should be aware LED does not always mean better.

At the $200 price range you should mostly be worried about the basics like having enough inputs, glossy vs matte screen, do you want a TV tuner, swivel base, height adjustments etc. Built in speakers will suck horribly I suggest you don't even consider that in your purchase. And you probably already know but comparing specs like contrast and response time between models (especially across manufacturers) is useless.

Good luck

 

[Davros]

but leds will last must longer than a ccfl

 

[Pete]

Edit: Um, ignore this post. The coupon has apparently expired. Still, it's worth giving it a shot if you're interested. And while Dell coupons/sales repeat pretty regularly, it's pretty close to Christmas to wait.

Dell has the 22" U2211h for $183 right now, a great price for a matte IPS display with a fully adjustable (tilt, swivel, rotate, height) stand and a 3-year warranty. No included speakers, but they sell an attachable sound bar if you insist. DP, DVI, and VGA connectors (so you can use HDMI-DP or HDMI-DVI cables for your console). It's also 1080p, which should be nice for a console (and important b/c its scaling options are limited to "Fill," which stretches a signal to fill the screen [no ratio problems for anything 16:9], and "4:3," which only stretches it vertically with black bars on both sides [fine for anything 4:3, but the 5:4 1280x1024 ends up horizontally squished]).

I sidestepped the whole CFL/LED backlight decision b/c all <$400 IPS LCDs were CFL a few months ago, but I'm not sure I'd care.

I got the 23" U2311h for $240+tax (the 22" was only ~$25 cheaper at the time, IIRC), and though I was wary of its potential problems (courtesy of the extensive threads at HardForum), I can't see any on mine (e.g., tinting or uneven backlighting). That doesn't mean they're not there, just that they're not obvious to me, which is all that matters.

I wanted IPS for the viewing angles and I wasn't disappointed, but reviews of some newer TN panels (again, some HardForum threads) report good viewing angles, so I won't rant against TN in general.

 

[holsty101]

Thanks for the advice folks, I've found this Asus on newegg that fits the bill and it has a good review from atleast one site I can find (kitguru), but it's still gonna be a week or so before I order if anyone has a recommendation they think is better VFM.

 

[Grall]

Just don't buy a TN screen, coz they f'n SUCK. But you knew this already I hope...

 

[Xenus]

For that price range he's looking at pretty much all TN screens besides they are not all that terrible unless you get off vertical with them especially below. I have a Samsung T240HD which is nice though it lacks composite and s-video though in exchange I get 2 HDMI ports when most in the it's class had just 1.

 

[Arwin]

Probably not going to be an issue but make sure it has DHCP, and an option to be able to not scale a 16:9 input to 16:10 would be nice to have.

 

[Pete]

For that price range he's looking at pretty much all TN screens

If you're in the USA, Dell regularly has the 23" U2311h for $240+tax and the 22" U2211h for $225+tax, if not less ($185, like I posted above!). I've seen the HP ZR22w going for $225, regular price.

If you're already looking at the ~$200 market, $240 isn't that much of a stretch for your main PC interface and that should last for years. Heck, I think the fully adjustable stand on all of these relatively new 22-23" IPS LCDs (all using LG eIPS panels, AFAIK) is worth an extra $40, considering how many TN LCD stands only tilt.

But if you read the (slightly obsessive ) threads on these IPS LCDs, there does seem to be an element of luck in getting a "perfect" one, so it does seem important to buy from a place with a good return or exchange policy. Heck, even Apple Cinema LCDs (another LG eIPS panel) have their own yellowing issue (which I've seen first-hand).

That's not to say TN panels can't be good. Give us your first impressions on whatever you end up with, holsty.

 

[green.pixel]

What bugs me is that 16:10 non-TN 22-24" monitors are getting increasingly hard to find.

 

[entity279]

Agreed, that's why I bought the 24'' UltraSharp just two days ago

Who knows if they they won't disappear completely in the next months ?


LE: Ah of course, it's a really wonderous screen. Too bad some of the color presets are visibly off, at least for my sample. But the sRGB is OK..

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Aye, I hate this trend towards 16:9. Especially since I want a LED backlit monitor for my document viewing secondary monitor in portrait view. Color and lighting uniformity isn't key there, just low energy use. But noooooo, every single one that isn't like 2-4k USD is 16:9, the bastards. And 16:9 is way too narrow for document viewing in portrait view.

Regards,
SB

 

[Grall]

I find that for gaming, 16:9 is superior to 16:10. You just get a wider, more panoramic view of the action in most games and that has a percievable positive impact on my enjoyment and playing experience!

 

[green.pixel]

I find that for gaming, 16:9 is superior to 16:10. You just get a wider, more panoramic view of the action in most games and that has a percievable positive impact on my enjoyment and playing experience!

You can get 16:9 experience on 16:10 monitor, not possible the other way arond.

 

[holsty101]

Well I've been using it for a few days now & I think it's great! (hah ... shock) No dead pixels that I can see, it's kinda really bright as default, I've got contrast & brightness down to the 20's now & it's looking good. I'm sure I could tweak it a bit more but I'm lazy.

It's nice to have a browser window open & still have screen space for other things, I'm starting to see the appeal of multi monitor set ups ... maybe I should get another one ...