Need a new monitor

April 11, 2005 12:00 PM

My monitor is finally dying on me. I'd like to spend up to $300 max for a decent flat screen monitor. I do some graphic work in Photoshop and play some video games on my PC. Any recommendations for that price (less would be preferable). Any advice on where to buy? Is Ebay ok?
posted by derekislost to computers & internet (9 comments total)

Dell UltraSharp 1905FP 19", $300 shipped. Friends of mine have this monitor and are very happy with it. (via Ben's Bargains, coupon from Dell Business)
posted by kuperman at 12:09 PM on April 11, 2005

a budget LCD roundup.
posted by milkrate at 12:10 PM on April 11, 2005

milkrate, you beat me to it. It is only reviewing 17" monitors (well, 1 19"er) with prices from $230 to $360 (street, from newegg.com). Worth a look if only for the criteria examined.
posted by misterbrandt at 12:26 PM on April 11, 2005

I second the Dell 1905FP. I bought one a few months ago (for something like $450) and am extremely pleased with it. $300 seems like a real steal.
posted by medpt at 12:42 PM on April 11, 2005

Another vote for the Dell. We bought a couple in my office and I was so impressed I bought one for home.
posted by schustafa at 12:51 PM on April 11, 2005

Yeah, go with the Dell 1905 while it's cheap.

Do not buy from eBay, there isn't a need for it, and you're much more likely to get screwed with dead pixels. There's plenty of selection for 17" LCDs at $300, but the only place you're going to find a 19" for that price is online (read: NewEgg), so don't bother going to the big box stores (they have poor selection, horrible prices, and you can't compare the monitors very well, even though they're side by side, because they're all sharing a crappy analog signal.)

In my opinion, the things you need to look for are digital input, and response time (25ms is the most common for that price point, but you want to get less than that for gaming if you can). Contrast and brightness have not been things that I've noticed had much of a difference, personally.
posted by Hildago at 12:54 PM on April 11, 2005

If you're just looking for cheap, here's a 17" monitor for $150. I just got one and I like mine (tho I'm not a gamer).
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 1:05 PM on April 11, 2005

I heart my ViewSonic VP171b.
Three inputs (2 RGB, 1 Digital). Good L/R view angle, top/bottom view angle is okay but could be better. No ghosting when I play games. I got mine on sale for around $280 a while ago, looks like the going price is between $330 and $380 still, though, so it might be a bit out of your price range.
posted by ThePants at 3:18 PM on April 11, 2005

Surplus Computers is a decent place for getting a flat screen monitor as well as other cheap (and frequently cheaply made) computer gear/hardware. They have several choices under three hundred dollars. I've purchased several things from them and they ship quickly.
posted by battlecj at 5:44 AM on April 12, 2005