24" Monitor and videocard combo

[gorka]

This machine will be used almost exclusively for Word, a ton of Excel and Powepoint.

Am I right in assuming that pretty much any 24" TN panel will give the same level of sharpness? Or should I be avoiding TN altogether?

Also, what about LCD's with the glossy screens, does this help 2D and Text any?

Finally, the videocard. If nVidia, any of the 8xxx Series and any 3xxx for ATi will give equal IQ right? I looked at the Matrox cards as well, but did not see anything wortwhile.

Thanks for any suggestions!


Budget is US$500 for the 24" and about US$200 for the card.

As a reference, I have a 226BW right now with an 8800GTS, and this monitor is "just OK" after calibrating with Spyder. I have seen plenty with better 2D and text quality.

 

[KenAF]

The Dell LCDs tend to be pretty good with text, although not so good for gaming.

That's a good question on the nVidia vs ATI. I have no idea how they compare in terms of text quality. Text quality on nVidia cards was inferior to Matrox for a long time, but I believe they addressed that several years ago. I have a nVidia 8800GT now, which is comparable to the 7800GT it replaced. I have not tried a modern ATI card with my monitor (Gateway 24").

 

[Aztech]

How would a recent Intel chipset that's built-in to the motherboard do? You really don't need a 3D gaming card for your application.

 

[gorka]

Sorry. I have not seen onboard video of decent quality. The new DELL's in our office all use the Intel onboard video and the quality is not good. These are all on 20" LCD, and I'm not sure how much better tonboard would be on a 24."

Budget really isn't a concern as I've already indicated US$200 for the card.

Again, thanks for the advice. But I'm not trying to save money or get away with the least I can do with. My PRIORITY is trying to make the user's eyes as happy as they can possibly be when looking at the monitor.

 

[krnmastersgt]

No need to get an 8800 just for Office apps, also what resolution your monitor maxes out at affects what you should buy, if its at 19x12, like most 24" no need to get anything stronger than an 8600 gt, I use it for my schoolwork and light gaming at 1680x1050, lower res than what you'll be doing but on my 22" it looks nice as it is, but alas, your money, your choice on how to spend it.

 

[gorka]

Agreed. I've actually begun searching for a passive (fanless) 8600.

Just need to decide on the monitor now.

*yeps. resolution will be 19x12

 

[ClockHound]

The thing that will be critical for most office work is the brightness. With most 24" LCD screens that means too much of it. That's a lot of white background to be gazing at all day. Unless your users like typing into a 500 nit billboard outdoors under direct sunlight. Ideally you want a monitor that can control brightness without sacrificing contrast.

For an Excel workbook that fills most of the 1920 X 1200 space, a 24" TN screen isn't a great choice. The limited viewing angle and contrast shift will be noticeable over that great white expanse, possibly annoying some users. (At least this one) And it seems the 24" TNs suffer from more backlight bleed than the VA panels.

A glossy screen won't benefit text, and the glare will likely be annoying with office lights on. Does make for more lively colors, tho.

If it were me and my users, I would devote more budget to the screen and less to the video card. For 2D, even a lowly 8400 would be fine.
Then I, pretending to be you, would consider the following non-TN units:

NEC MultiSync LCD2470WNX ($710.00 - each user would chip in a week of lunch money and thank me, you)
Samsung 245T ($649.00 )
Dell 2407 WFP-HC ($599.00 - inverse ghosting not a big issue in Word)
HP LP2465 ($604.00)
ViewSonic VX2435WM ($559.00)

And if I, er, you had to try a TN then:
Samsung 245BW ($409.00)
BenQ G2400W ($389.00)

And the #1 thing to try, is to try a few for a few days in situ. Have a shootout at the TN coral. While the internet is great place for getting info about LCD screens, it's terrible for the experience of them, since they all look the same! ;-)

Good luck!

 

[Steve]

Matrox's grand reputation for sharp text and 2D doesn't matter when you're on DVI. Most any card should do just fine.