New Monitor Buying Time

[devilmaster]

So here's the deal.

My 19" CRT crapped out a little bit ago, and i've been slogging away on an old 15 incher I keep around as a spare.

So here we go - Looking for what you guys think of LCDs. I'm looking to go in the range of 19" - 22", but i'm not sure of whats best, regular vs. widescreen, response times, contrast ratios, etc.etc.etc.

I use an ATI all-in-wonder card, and have both sat and cable hooked to it. My system is an entertainment centre, so I'm looking for a good monitor that can do video well without ghosting.

The 2 monitors my local store has, is the 19" Viewsonic vx922 (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18153&vpn=VX922&manufacture=ViewSonic) with a 2ms response, but they've also just started selling 22" widescreen Acer (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=19543&vpn=ET.2216B.0D0&manufacture=Acer) with a 5ms response

So what do you all think?

[Spicoli]

i think you should get a new one.:)

[WickerBill]

Hardcore computing... get two 19" and run dual monitors.

Hardcore gaming... get the biggest screen with the highest speed you can afford.


I use an HP L2335 at work but I can't afford one for home... bah.

[nrc]

Besides response time, for me the problem with a lot of LCDs is dot pitch, or really pixel's per inch. A 19" LCD with the same 1280x1024 native resolution as a typical 17" LCD just looks like the easy reader version. There's no real increase in information on the screen, you can just view it from further away.

Make sure your screen is going to be viewable at a high enough resolution to make the larger size worthwhile.

[pfc_m_drake]

Since it's in your entertainment center (and you've got your satellite hooked up with your AIW card), I definitely think you want to go widescreen.

Are you limited to shipping to Canada? The reason I ask is because there are a couple of good outlets that are US based that won't ship to Canada ( :( )...but since you're close to the border maybe you've got some options there??

[Insomniac]

Get a Dell LCD. They have a 30-day money back guarantee. They have sales pretty often and have pretty good specs as well. You should be able to find a size/price that you like.

[oddlycalm]

If you want to watch movies on it you want widescreen. Also, you need a DVI output on your vid card and a DVI cable to get the best quality image on an LCD display. The good news is that the prices have really come down on all sizes. Hard to beat Dell's prices, or in your case Dell Canada.

One thing to remember is that regardless of the name on the box all the panels in a given size range probably came from the same company once you go larger than the commodity 17" & 19" units. The HPL2335 that Wickerbill mentioned has the same exact LG Philips 23" panel that the Sony, Viewsonic, Apple, HP, BenQ, etc. had. The only 23" panel at that time was the LG-Philips, yet the price of the monitors varied by up to 50%.

oc

[Insomniac]

One thing to remember is that regardless of the name on the box all the panels in a given size range probably came from the same company once you go larger than the commodity 17" & 19" units. The HPL2335 that Wickerbill mentioned has the same exact LG Philips 23" panel that the Sony, Viewsonic, Apple, HP, BenQ, etc. had. The only 23" panel at that time was the LG-Philips, yet the price of the monitors varied by up to 50%.

Not to mention how much the specs can vary for the same panel between companies.

[Insomniac]

If you want to watch movies on it you want widescreen. Also, you need a DVI output on your vid card and a DVI cable to get the best quality image on an LCD display.

If you plan to watch HD content also, you may also want to look for HDCP as well.