Foo - Help with LCD Monitor purchase

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View Full Version : Help with LCD Monitor purchase

darksiderising
12-01-09, 10:56 AM
Hi all, I'm going to be purchasing a pretty large LCD monitor in the very near future and I need some help for ya! I am looking for something in the 23"-25" range, and I am worried that I will either get one that is too big or too small.

Specifically, I'm looking for:
-non-glossy screen
-at least 1080p
-multiple input options
-ideally, a built-in tv tuner
-5ms response time (won't be gaming)
-decent constrast ratio

I'm looking to make one purchase that will last me a good number of years. I'm a college student now and will be graduating -hopefully- in May of next year. I'd like to have a monitor that could also double as a TV for movie-watching in the future. Given that, my first instinct is to go with the 25", but I am worried that it will be too large on my desk for use as an everyday computer monitor.

Here's some items that I've been reading up on (on which I have been reading up, I KNOW, I KNOW ;) ):
SAMSUNG 25.5" $330:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001281
SAMSUNG 24" $270:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001280
SAMSUNG 22" $240:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001278

EDIT: I should also probably mention that I will be using this with a MacBook Pro laptop.

cuda2k
12-01-09, 11:11 AM
I have the 22" Samsung you have listed there at home. Great monitor and TV.
darksiderising
12-01-09, 12:58 PM
Do you think the 24" is a good upgrade for $30 more? You get 2" extra and a base that swivels in addition to the tilting. Would 2" extra be too large for you?

artifice
12-01-09, 01:19 PM
IMO, err on the side of larger. I always end up thinking "oh, it looked so much larger in the store..."
cuda2k
12-01-09, 01:33 PM
I'd go with the extra 2" and the base features for $30.
darksiderising
12-01-09, 03:45 PM
Awesome, thank you for the recommendations, yous guys.
ehidle
12-01-09, 06:09 PM
The type of LCD panel is extremely important. If you want color fidelity and don't really value ridiculous speed, then some variant of an IPS panel is probably for you. They are more expensive, but they look a lot better than the standard cheapy TN panel for a variety of reasons.

First, TN panels can only reproduce 6 bits of color. They have to dither to approximate the remaining color depth, so their fidelity to color is lacking. IPS panels reproduce the full color depth.

Second, TN panels have bad off-axis viewing characteristics. I have a 24" Samsung TN panel, and the off-axis viewing is so bad that the apparent color shifts across the monitor at a normal viewing distance. IPS panels maintain color fidelity and brightness over a much wider viewing angle.

I recently picked up an IPS panel for a client, and I can say with certainty that they are far more beautiful to look at than a TN panel. Look to spend about $600 on a halfway decent 24" IPS panel (like an HP LP2475w).

BTW: that HP comes with just about every cable and input method imaginable, from DisplayPort to HDMI to DVI to SVGA... and it gets rave reviews..