Best LCD monitor...?

whoatethepies · Post by **whoatethepies** » Wed May 31, 2006 3:57 pm

What would you guys recommend? I'd use it for everything (games, DVDs, posting on SPCR...) so would want a good allrounder. Probably go for a 19" one, think the 30" widescreen Dell's are a *tad* excessive...

I've heard good things about the ViewSonic VX922 on Tom's Hardware. If anyones got one, what do you think?

derekva · Post by **derekva** » Wed May 31, 2006 6:09 pm

I'm really fond of my Dell 2005FPW (20" widescreen) and I have a couple of coworkers who love their 2405FPWs. If you decide to go with Dell, keep an eye on gotapex.com as they frequently have stackable coupons for Dell LCDs.

-Derek

Dr. Love · Post by **Dr. Love** » Wed May 31, 2006 6:31 pm

I bought a VX922 a couple of weeks ago and I think it looks very nice. It has a very fast response time for gaming. I haven't tried playing dvd's but I use my computer for playing games most of the time. No vertical adjustment and you cannot rotate it. But it does come with both DVI and VGA cables.

ihategg_b · Post by **ihategg_b** » Wed May 31, 2006 7:43 pm

Well it's arguable but the future of LCD monitors appear to be widescreen.

HammerSandwich · Post by **HammerSandwich** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 9:19 am

I did not like the 2405FPW and returned it to Dell. Problems:
- High-pitched whine
- Poor viewing angles
- Wouldn't accept VGA through my KVM

The noise is most annoying. Because the monitor's close to your head, the whine is worse than mobo or PSU coil whine.

Complaining about the viewing angles probably seems odd, but it's a real issue with such a wide screen. There is an obvious brightness/color difference from the center of the screen to the sides. The easy solution is to sit a little farther back, but I'd rather sit closer to a cheaper monitor.

That said, I've had a 1905FP for a while now, and it's pretty decent. I'm a lot more forgiving to a $300 LCD.

justblair · Post by **justblair** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:05 am

I got the ACER AL1916WS Widescreen TFT.

Very pleased with the picture quality. 1440x900 resolution and 8ms response time. Over here it works out way cheaper than the equivalent DELL. Doesn't have the USB ports on the side, and though its not ugly, my bros dell has a nicer stand and does the 90 twist.

I dont play games on it, but it reviews well. No problems with noise from it.

Nothing really to stop me recommending it.

nomoon · Post by **nomoon** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:15 am

I've had a good experience with my Dell 2405FPW (1900x1200). I run in a dual monitor configuration paired with a ViewSonic VX2000 20" (1600x1200). The Dell has a deeper blue range and seems more contrasty. I do photo work with them and it's impossible to make the colors match completely. I give the Dell an edge in picture quality overall, and I much prefer the Dell's smaller frame around the LCD. One night about 8 months ago I heard a slight high pitched whine from the Dell, but it seems to have been temporary. I would buy another one, though I understand that others have complaints about the whine.

Jason

jackylman · Post by **jackylman** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:22 am

Anyone have experience with HP LCD's? I'm thinking of getting a 19".

whoatethepies · Post by **whoatethepies** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:18 pm

HammerSandwich wrote:..Poor viewing angles..

Could be a big problem, especially when watching movies. Sometimes have a few people over to watch them and it doesn't help if they can't see whats going on!

I have to say the Dell's do look very smart, only other problem seems to be the high resolution. Good for most things, but it really stresses the graphics card in games.. Especially as some games (Oblivion etc.) run slow even at 1024x768.

I guess if one buzzes you can just RMA it..?

Slaugh · Post by **Slaugh** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 10:23 pm

I'm very happy with my Viewsonic VP191b (3rd generation). It has a Premium-MVA 8ms panel and it's perfect for gaming, watching movies, and doing photo editing. It also has a pivot feature, which is nice when you're browsing the Internet.

What's important is the panel inside the LCD monitor, and there are only 3 types: TN, VA and IPS. TN panels are always cheaper and none of them has the capability of displaying 16.7M colors... They all rely on dithering to show approximately 16.2M colors. On some monitors, you can hardly tell the difference, but on others, it's very apparent and quite annoying! TN panels also have poor viewing angles, and they are a bit faster than the other two panels, which is only good for gaming IMHO. MVA panels made by AU-Optronics (like my Viewsonic) are a bit less reactive than the TN panels, but have very good viewing angles and display 16.7M colors without problem. IIRC, Dell's LCD monitors usually use IPS panels, which can also display 16.7M colors and have decent viewing angles. They are usually slower than the other panels though.

There's a good site for LCD's reviews and all the technologies behind them, it's BeHardware. It's also a good place if you want to know what kind of panel a LCD is using... The ViewSonic VX922 uses a TN panel. BeHardware did a review of this one.

Big Pimp Daddy · Post by **Big Pimp Daddy** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 2:16 am

Another recommendation for the Dell 2005FPW, I've got nothing but praise for it.

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 3:53 am

whoatethepies wrote:What would you guys recommend? I'd use it for everything (games, DVDs, posting on SPCR...) so would want a good allrounder. Probably go for a 19" one, think the 30" widescreen Dell's are a *tad* excessive...

I've heard good things about the ViewSonic VX922 on Tom's Hardware. If anyones got one, what do you think?

Often it's a tradeoff between speed and picture quality. You dont mention picture editing? If not, I would prioritise speed.

Personally, I both do gaming and picture editing on a serious amateur level. I've found that the Samsung 970p have a pretty good balance between spede and picture quality. I dont watch DVD's however, but regarding that, speed DO matter, more or less the same as for gaming.

When I bought my Samsung, I didnt consider the regonomics. The 970p have quite good ergonomics, which I now appreciate a lot.

lm · Post by lm » Fri Jun 02, 2006 4:51 am

I was almost thinking to replace my CRTs with LCD, but reading this it seems it would still be a downgrade.

davidstone28 · Post by **davidstone28** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 4:52 am

www.tftcentral.co.uk

whoatethepies · Post by **whoatethepies** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 9:32 am

Thomas wrote:Often it's a tradeoff between speed and picture quality. You dont mention picture editing? If not, I would prioritise speed.

Speed I guess is the main thing as I don't do picture editing, but the problem with the fastest monitors seems to be the very poor viewing angles. Not a problem most of the time, but no good if a bunch of mates come over to watch 24...

Think a widescreen is a bit pointless for my needs too. The idea appeals but I'd get annoyed with the black outlines in games etc.. if the resolution wasn't supported.

lm wrote:I was almost thinking to replace my CRTs with LCD, but reading this it seems it would still be a downgrade.

On the fundamental level its going to be that way for a while. However, if you choose the right one it seems like you'd have to have a very sharp eye to see much difference. There are benifits of LCD though (crisper images/text on the desktop, lower power/space consumption, and a much better looking monitor!)

davidstone28 wrote:www.tftcentral.co.uk

Cheers!

DonQ · Post by **DonQ** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 9:56 am

lm wrote:I was almost thinking to replace my CRTs with LCD, but reading this it seems it would still be a downgrade.

Not necessarily. I wanted to replace my 21" Sony Trinitron, .24 dot pitch, with a flat panel monitor for various reasons (I am disabled and couldn't move the darn thing, the shipping box was taking too much room..). I saw the Samsung 204T at a Best Buy and fell in love, even with the slow 16ms response time, which didn't seem to matter at the store.

I couldn't be happier. The picture quality, resolution, and color, are incredible. I read somewhere that some found that the slow response time did cause ghosting in some games, but not with DVI. I use DVI and notice no ghosting. This picture is as good as my Trinitron. On the other hand, it wasn't cheap.

the_smell · Post by **the_smell** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 10:08 am

I'm using both a Dell 2005 and an Eizo S2410W, both are very good for what they do at their price point, and are fine for games, movies and general work, they're also silent

. Dell tend to be pretty good about letting you send back products just cause you don't like them after a couple days. The Eizo has very good colour reproduction (and is also 24"), that was the only reason I got it when I already had the dell.
Generally tho, a standard 19" screen seems to be a good buy at the mo, and not too expensive.

sgrossklass · Post by **sgrossklass** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 12:28 pm

davidstone28 wrote:www.tftcentral.co.uk

Excellent info there - so now there are 6-bit *VA panels, too. A popular German TFT site would be prad.de.
Interesting that noone has mentioned Eizo (e.g. S1910 or L778) or NEC models yet here - so I'll just do that. :p Back in the day I paid quite a bit more for my trusty Samsung 191T than even a L778 costs today, and now that's what I call a rock-solid monitor.

Howard · Post by **Howard** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:09 pm

$343 for a Viewsonic 20" 8-bit VX2025WM is pretty good, IMHO

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe ... st=froogle

whoatethepies · Post by **whoatethepies** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:32 pm

Howard wrote:$343 for a Viewsonic 20" 8-bit VX2025WM is pretty good, IMHO

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe ... st=froogle

Thats alot cheaper than it is over here in the UK..

Only problem is there's a 20-per-customer limit

Best LCD monitor...?

Best LCD monitor...?

I have a VX922

Re: Best LCD monitor...?

Re: Best LCD monitor...?