What size/brand computer monitor should I get?

College Life
1

<p>So I’ve got to get a new monitor for my computer and laptop because the last one lived out its life. I’m planning on watching TV, playing video games, and doing regular computer stuff through this monitor too so I don’t want anything too small. Yet I can’t figure out the perfect size monitor for me, I just think 19" is too small yet when I see an advertisement for a 32" my mouth salivates but I know that’s just not sane. So I set the limits as Under 32 but Over 19. Any recommendations? If anyone has a huge computer screen or use a huge screen for a computer sometimes, what’s your review on practicality? </p>

<p>Also, should I go for the TV thats advertised as a computer screen? I don’t like to have my computer running all the time or having to turn on my computer to watch TV. And what brand names are the best and which are the crap?</p>

2

<p>22" monitors are pretty affordable right now. 24" monitors are a nice step up. Anything larger would be excessively large, unless you wanted to put it on a TV stand instead of your desk. You probably want to get a TV with a computer input.</p>

<p>As far as monitors go, I love Samsungs…Viewsonics are pretty good too.</p>

<p>If you’re looking towards a TV with a DVI/VGA input for your PC, Sharp Aquos TVs are great.</p>

<p>Vizio and a lot of smaller brands are lower in price, but the quality dips too.</p>

<p>CNET.com is a good place to check for reviews. The quality of individual monitors (even from one manufacturer) can vary greatly.</p>

<p>Any other suggestions?..Buy it on an American Express card if at all possible (automatically tacks a year on the warranty), and I’ve had TVs shipped from Newegg.com before, very happy with both the shipping speed and the price.</p>

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<p>i think 22-24" is good. i’d only get a 26" or above if i planned on using it as a TV or second monitor.</p>

<p>as for brands, i know Samsung is very good, and Acer is good too.</p>

<p>i would go for a pure monitor. you choose the tv tuner, as opposed to the one that’s built in (which most likely isn’t any good).</p>

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<p>If you want real 1080p in a monitor with a good size, then u should get the 24. A 22inch is much more affordable though.</p>

5

<p>Go for the 24" if you can afford it. WUXGA (1920x1200) is a very nice display resolution, especially for 1080p, as Shocka said.</p>

<p>You don’t have to have your computer on to watch TV on a computer monitor as long as you have a monitor that supports HDMI input. Then you can just hook up your Blu-ray player or cable/satellite box to it directly.</p>

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<p>The price-vs-quality sweetspot is between 21" and 24". Look for something with a relatively high resolution, such as WSXGA+ (1680x1050) or WUXGA (1920x1200). You’ll love the screen real-estate and the size will look amazing compared to those CRTs.</p>

<p>There are many good brands, so you should look up reviews, but specs are often the most important.</p>

<p>1.) Look for a LCD monitor with DVI-D input. You get the crispness of a fully digital setup while having relatively cheap cables and videocards available. HDMI is OK too, but the equipment for it is just insanely expensive, with little benefit over DVI-D. DisplayPort is another option, but due to new technology, it is priced just as high as HDMI. In any case - avoid VGA-only LCD monitors like the plague!</p>

<p>2.) Contrast ratio plays a major role in the quality and crispness of the display. 300:1 is standard, but the more, the better. 200:1 will give you fairly dull pictures while 700:1 will bring an amazing amount of vibrance. Some quality monitors go up to 1000:1. There are also some dynamic contrast rations that go higher (usually up to 3000:1), but those are usually only good for movies. Their static contrast ratio is probably still a standard 300:1. For comparison, the human eye has a contrast ratio of 10000:1 with a dynamic contrast ration of 1000000:1.</p>

<p>3.) Brightness is another thing to consider. Usually, 300cd/m is average. Don’t find that bright enough? Aim higher - eg. 500cd/m will give you an equivalent of a nightlight at night, when turned on.</p>

7

<p>“HDMI is OK too, but the equipment for it is just insanely expensive, with little benefit over DVI-D.”</p>

<p>$9 for a DVI-HDMI cable (along with an HDMI to HDMI cable) is insanely expensive?</p>

8

<p>

Yeah, exactly. By the way, [url=<a href=“http://www.monoprice.com/]MonoPrice[/url”>http://www.monoprice.com/]MonoPrice[/url</a>] is a great place to get cheap cables.</p>

9

<p>I was wondering, is there a way to convert cable tv output into hdmi with a reasonably priced cable?</p>

10

<p>I own 8 monitors from 17 inches to 24 inches of varying resolutions. The 24 inch Dell with multiple inputs and side-by-side is my favorite. It might even have picture in picture.</p>

<p>If you’re doing work (writing papers, code, etc.) having more vertical resolution is nice - it’s more important than horizontal resolution in my opinion. This is more of an issue for 20 inch monitors which come in 1680x1050 or 1600x1200. The latter resolution usually costs more as it is aimed at the business market.</p>

<p>Larger monitors typically use more power and can generate a surprising amount of heat. LED backlit screens would be nice but they are only offered on high-end laptops or as an option for laptops to my knowledge. They use less power and generate less heat and won’t fade over time like CCFL-backlits screens.</p>

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<p>I’ve been very happy with the two Hanns-G monitors I’ve bought. They’re relatively inexpensive and they don’t come with many bells and whistles, but the one I use has a better picture than my Dell UltraSharp, and it only cost $120 as opposed to $320 (both were 19" monitors), as of a couple years ago.</p>