22 or 24 in monitor...

[spdfreak]

I'm trying to decide between a 22 and 24 in monitor. I usually sit about 2.5 ft from my monitor and was wondering if the fonts, icon etc will be too small on a 24 because of the higher resolution. Currently, I have a 20 in Dell 2000FP which has been a great monitor but as I age, my eyes are changing so that 1600x1200 is a little uncomfortable for me now. Glasses don't help since it is that range between needing reading glasses and needing glasses for distance. Getting old(er) sucks. So I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the differences in a 22 vs 24 monitor. Thanks.

 

[MarcVenice]

Why care about font size? There's a great option in Vista that allows you to scale the fonts just the way you see fit. Works great as far as I know. I'd go for a 24" btw, heard a 24" soyo is a pretty cheap yet good buy.

 

[Piuc2020]

You'll need to increase the DPI which usually messes up the icons in the taskbar and other stuff but it makes everything more legible.

You could also just go with a Mac OSX computer (or install a hacked OSX on your PC), their DPI scaling is much better and their accesibility options are great, you can zoom on anything on the screen just by pressing ctrl and scrolling the wheel.

 

[Tattare]

The past few weeks I was looking at monitors for myself. My dell 2005 had a dead row that went across the screen. It was under waranty so dell sent me a sp2008wfp. Super high gloss screen and a cheap TN panel.
I went out and then bought a LG L227WTG-PF 22" for gaming. Running them both as duel screen and I dont really notice alot going from a 20" to a 22".

 

[MichaelD]

I'll throw in my vote for a 24" monitor with the 1920x1200 resolution. For me, it's usefulness and performance is just marvelous.

Editing Video: I can have my work space and my preview space not only on the same screen, but big enough to be very legible/viewable.

Gaming: The extra screen real estate and greatly enlarged "world view" contributes greatly to the immersion factor. When I play a game I want to completely "get into it" and a 24" monitor at native res really does the trick.

Even when surfing the net, you can have multiple windows open at once and still be able to use all the windows b/c they're all legible/easy to see.

If your eyes are truly that bad (I wear glasses myself, but I see fine close up...blind at distance) and all you want is really big fonts on a big screen, you can still get the 24" widescreen and run it at a 22" or even 20" widescreen res and get those big fonts + more screen real estate.

Bigger is always better.

 

[Denithor]

I stepped up from a Samsung 204B (20" 16x12) to a Dell 2709W (27" 19x12) and the difference is simply stunning. Before I had to squint to read anything, now text is much easier on the eyes.

BTW I love that monitor! You can get one for ~$600 on eBay, using the MS Live Cashback program, so it's cheaper than the 2408wfp on the Dell website.

 

[Denithor]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Bigger is always better.

...and the corollary:

More is never enough!

:evil:

 

[spdfreak]

Thanks for all the responses- I don't need huge fonts or icon, just something a little bigger than what I get on my 20in at 16x12. I was thinking that the 22in at 1680x1050 would work, but I'm not sure it is enough of a difference to matter. I do a fair amount of video edits, so some more real estate would also help. The 27in at 19x12 sounds great but 600.00 is out of my budget. I would love to use my 47in lcd monitor in the living room but I really can't move my desk in there

 

[airhendrix13]

I think it would be smart to go 24" if it is within your budget. You'll be able to watch 1080p media then! Keep in mind 24" has a smaller pixel pitch so text may be a bit smaller, but should be fine.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Denithor
I stepped up from a Samsung 204B (20" 16x12) to a Dell 2709W (27" 19x12) and the difference is simply stunning. Before I had to squint to read anything, now text is much easier on the eyes.

BTW I love that monitor! You can get one for ~$600 on eBay, using the MS Live Cashback program, so it's cheaper than the 2408wfp on the Dell website.

Damn, i had a 204BW also .. very nice 20.1" with limited viewing angles the only issue. i loved the smaller pixels and worried about the 24 inch being too large

guess what ?

i am now used to my new Soyo 19x12 and 24"... i just sit a bit further back

- best of all, it is large enough to use as my TV in my small LR.

 

[shangshang]

There are only two types of monitor size that I would consider right now

20" 1600x1200 regular 4:3 ratio
24" 1920x1600 wide screen ratio

either one of these will be good for both gaming and desktop work

 

[betasub]

Originally posted by: shangshang
20" 1600x1200 regular 4:3 ratio
24" 1920x1600 wide screen ratio

24" widescreen is 1920x1200 (16:10) for monitors, 1920x1080 (16:9) for TVs.

 

[CKent]

Go with the 24" so you can do pixel to pixel 1080p if you ever feel like watching blu-ray on it, hooking up a console, etc. And because bigger is better