New Monitor

tgdrums1990 · Post by **tgdrums1990** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 2:54 pm

Ok, so I am looking into getting a new pc monitor, but am cluless as to what brands have the best displays, I have seen some dell's and find they look good but I was wondering if there are other brands that are better.

wim · Post by **wim** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 3:37 pm

i probably wouldn't buy anything else from dell, but i do think dell is the best for LCD monitors

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:26 pm

Dell's UltraSharp displays are quite good. I've used three at work, so no games, but the color, contrast, and brightness are all excellent.

Samsung also makes very nice panels.

Depending on the size you want, you will also want to look at the type of LCD panel. Above 24" you get into S-IPS and PVA panels which offer much better color reproduction and viewing angles. Below that, is pretty much the exclusive realm of the TN+ panel due to price constraints.

seraphyn · Post by **seraphyn** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 6:55 pm

Apple Cinema Display = *drool*

Pricey things though

I have a Samsung myself, works great, but it does have backlight leakage.

porkchop · Post by **porkchop** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 10:11 pm

one thing to look out for when buying lcds is electrical whine.

i've owned 3 lcd and my brother has 2.
viewsonic 20"- whined so loud i had to replace it

benq 17"- nothing!
acer 20"- very quiet, but noticeable if you listen for it in a silent environment.
samsung 17"- nothing!
dell 24"- very quiet, but noticeable in a very quiet environment.

of course it differs lcd to lcd- it would be best if you could try before you buy.
idle noise is high at shops etc. though, so you have to put your ear to the rear vents if you hope to hear anything- and yes, you will look like a weirdo

Michael Sandstrom · Post by **Michael Sandstrom** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:55 am

If you have money to burn and want the best check out the new Gateway XHD3000.

Wibla · Post by **Wibla** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:50 am

My LG L246 is silent, and the picture is very, very good... too bad it isnt cheap

N7SC · Post by **N7SC** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 12:42 pm

When I had to buy a new monitor a few months back, I passed on Dell because of the well documented stories about how they would release a great new monitor and build it with a superior IPS panel, but after a while quietly change to using MVA or PVA panels. There were accusations that they waited until after most reviews were written on the IPS versions.

There are some really nice IPS monitors that can be had at a fairly low price, the NEC 2070NX is what I bought for $400 US. You can't hear any squeal or whine unless you put your ear right up against the vents on the back, but you have to do it in the middle of the night in a quiet room. The image is absolutely great.

A great resource: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk See the article about the "Dell panel lottery."

Matija · Post by **Matija** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:05 pm

Buy a CRT (if you have the room to accomodate it) and skip LCDs completely. Inferior technology. SED and OLED displays might be better, but I don't think we'll be seeing those before 2009-2010.

kittle · Post by **kittle** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:14 pm

I run a 17" dell at work and 2x Samsumg 19" at home (970p).

Both work great for me. The samsung does fine on games and movies (the dell i cant tell -- no games at work).
The samsungs generate a noticable amount of heat, while the dell is just slightly warm to the touch.

Zathrus · Post by **Zathrus** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:13 pm

DisplayMate makes video calibration software. They KNOW what the best monitors are - from the point of view of image, not noise.

Their video hardware awards, here:

http://www.displaymate.com/best.html#displays

samuelmorris · Post by **samuelmorris** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:39 pm

I have no issue in recommending Dell or Samsung monitors. If you buy Dell though, stick with the proper Ultrasharp series, I don't know if the E series is as good. If you go samsung, get the 226BW - a very fine screen that.

spookmineer · Post by **spookmineer** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:44 pm

Matija wrote:Buy a CRT (if you have the room to accomodate it) and skip LCDs completely. Inferior technology. SED and OLED displays might be better, but I don't think we'll be seeing those before 2009-2010.

I'm still using a 7 year old Iiyama CRT "flat screen" (no bulge) which is still excellent. It may be a bit small (17") but it does everything I need it to do.

I've been thinking about getting an LCD monitor, but I simply can't get used to the image... (same with LCD TV's).
Additional downside is the native resolution, which forces you to use it. I watch a lot of (gaming) movies, and need them to be of highest quality in full screen mode - but some are 600x480, others are 800x600, some are 1920x1080 etc.

It's a pity CRT monitors are so hard to come by, I fear they will stop producing them in only a few years time at the most.