Which monitor should I get?
April 7, 2011 10:25 PM Subscribe
Confused about which computer monitor to buy! There are so many and so many different kinds now.
With the prices now, I'm looking to get a 24 inch one. Want to spend around $300.
Reading all the reviews just makes it more confusing.
LED, Twisted-nematic, IPS, ect....
I'll be using it for everything, including gaming. But no design work or anything were I would need 100% perfect colours.
At the computer stores the demo units all seem to be set up with videos, but I dont know how well that shows that they would work for games. Like this one BenQ EW2420 looked good and has a good viewing angle but in the reviews its got a slow response time.
With the prices now, I'm looking to get a 24 inch one. Want to spend around $300.
Reading all the reviews just makes it more confusing.
LED, Twisted-nematic, IPS, ect....
I'll be using it for everything, including gaming. But no design work or anything were I would need 100% perfect colours.
At the computer stores the demo units all seem to be set up with videos, but I dont know how well that shows that they would work for games. Like this one BenQ EW2420 looked good and has a good viewing angle but in the reviews its got a slow response time.
I like the Samsung SyncMaster 2333 that I bought recently. Bang/buck ratio high - of all the inexpensive monitors I've used, this one is more like a nice Apple display than any of the other ones. Bright colors, good viewing angle. Just Works.
posted by krilli at 1:01 AM on April 8, 2011
posted by krilli at 1:01 AM on April 8, 2011
If you'll be gaming, you'll probably want higher than 1080p. Something like one of these.
posted by Grither at 5:29 AM on April 8, 2011
posted by Grither at 5:29 AM on April 8, 2011
My experience is worry about 1) Size 2) Resolution (the higher the resolution, the more stuff you can fit on the screen, but typically smaller text) 3) Screen type- in this case matte versus glossy and 4) newegg reviews. I know about the whole IPS/LED/etc debate, but I look at it like wine: If you don't know what a uber screen is like, you'll be more than happy with one that costs 1/3 the price.
posted by jmd82 at 6:03 AM on April 8, 2011
posted by jmd82 at 6:03 AM on April 8, 2011
I just got a Samsung PX2370 and absolutely love it - as Krilli says above, its amazing for the price. I use a much-more-expensive Mac at work and this holds up nicely against it.
posted by ella wren at 6:15 AM on April 8, 2011
posted by ella wren at 6:15 AM on April 8, 2011
Oh, and it has a 2ms response time, which is faster than the one you linked above. My boyfriend got the same monitor and uses it for gaming, and he's been thrilled with it so far.
posted by ella wren at 6:17 AM on April 8, 2011
posted by ella wren at 6:17 AM on April 8, 2011
1920 x 1080 (1080p) or 1920x1200 (as Grither suggests / linked) will not really make a difference.
It really comes down to personal preference. I've gamed on both and I barely notice the difference. 1920x1200 gives you a touch more height (120 rows of pixels, to be precise) and also is in the "normal" pc widescreen aspect ratio of 16:10. 1920x1080 is 16:9, like most widescreen televisions.
If that is too much detail, just know that if it's one of those resolutions, you're good, don't stress between the two too much.
posted by utsutsu at 7:17 AM on April 8, 2011
It really comes down to personal preference. I've gamed on both and I barely notice the difference. 1920x1200 gives you a touch more height (120 rows of pixels, to be precise) and also is in the "normal" pc widescreen aspect ratio of 16:10. 1920x1080 is 16:9, like most widescreen televisions.
If that is too much detail, just know that if it's one of those resolutions, you're good, don't stress between the two too much.
posted by utsutsu at 7:17 AM on April 8, 2011
For 24" you'll want 1920x1200 (WUXGA) resolution. 1920x1080 will work well enough, but the bit of extra vertical resolution is better for working on documents, etc. where vertical space matters (at 1920x1200 you can fit two PDF pages side-by-side, f'rinstance, and have them be perfectly readable). For games/teevee it doesn't make a difference.
posted by neckro23 at 8:13 AM on April 8, 2011
posted by neckro23 at 8:13 AM on April 8, 2011
I bought an Asus 24" from newegg last summer for way less than $300. How's your video card? Make sure it supports the native Rez of the monitor, otherwise look for a lower Rez display (in other words, smaller) that will be a match.
I have a gtx470, when I bought it it was more than the monitor. It drives the native Rez nicely while my MacBook pro cannot.
Otherwise, just go by newegg reviews. Easy to tell if somethings generally a dud or generally good.
posted by tremspeed at 11:06 AM on April 8, 2011
I have a gtx470, when I bought it it was more than the monitor. It drives the native Rez nicely while my MacBook pro cannot.
Otherwise, just go by newegg reviews. Easy to tell if somethings generally a dud or generally good.
posted by tremspeed at 11:06 AM on April 8, 2011
My goto site for monitor reviews is TFT Central, followed up with the more general hardware review sites if I can be bothered.
posted by pharm at 11:36 AM on April 9, 2011
posted by pharm at 11:36 AM on April 9, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Shoot if you not going to do anything special then the one you listed should be good enough.
For $300 you should be able to get a 1080p HD monitor which would be good to watch videos. I have a 21" Acer that I purchased from Fry's for $120 two years ago. I am not in to games so it suits me fine. I am sure one can spend as one wants to. Hope this helps.
posted by Noodles at 10:43 PM on April 7, 2011 [1 favorite]