~$300 Widescreen Monitor Recommendations?

[loocas]

Hi all, I'm very sorry to ask so bluntly a question, but I've been looking around now for the past day with no avail to finding an answer fit for a layman such as myself.

I'm a designer so I'm looking for high quality in colour and contrast but am becoming more and more confused as I read stats of monitors against others, something I have next to no knowledge on.

I use a Macbook Pro and am very fond of the display, but seeing the wildly varying quality of my friend's desktops leaves me worried about buying one without seeing it in beforehand.

So, frankly, I'm hoping someone more knowledgeable than I could help me in finding something within these requirements:

1980 x 1080 & 24" or above
Good Contrast and Colour balance
Somewhere around the $300 mark, give or take. Recommendations above that however would also be appreciated if worth it.

Thanks for any replies!

 

[SheHateMe]

Catleap or a Shimian. Look them up on Ebay. They only have DVI-D inputs, though.

 

[loocas]

Sorry for such a late reply, but after more searching and exploring, I went with a Catleap and a Dual-Link DVI connector for the MBP.

Thanks very much SheHateMe, you were a great help!

EDIT: I don't have either just yet, but there are plenty of places to find out more info about them for anyone else reading.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Dell U2412M. Its on sale for 299 now and its basicly the best 24" you can buy.

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&cs=04&l=en&sku=320-2676

And input lag? What lag:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX6Wau5K6mw

 

[Destiny]

Sorry for such a late reply, but after more searching and exploring, I went with a Catleap and a Dual-Link DVI connector for the MBP.
.

Make sure it is an active adapter...otherwise it may not work...

 

[MontyAC]

Check Monoprice for their active cable.

 

[Wolves]

LG IPS277L, Catleap or Crossover.

Dont buy the Dell U2412M. To small and dont buy a new monitor bellow 27". You will regret it. Also U2412M is 16:10 which is being phased out. Thats the reason why they try to sell them off atm. Nobody will want to buy them in the future because from 8 Windows will be designed for 16:9.

 

[lehtv]

Dell U2412M. Its on sale for 299 now and its basicly the best 24" you can buy.

Do you have the monitor yourself? I've read of complaints about the anti-gloss coating

 

[nehalem256]

LG IPS277L, Catleap or Crossover.

Dont buy the Dell U2412M. To small and dont buy a new monitor bellow 27". You will regret it. Also U2412M is 16:10 which is being phased out. Thats the reason why they try to sell them off atm. Nobody will want to buy them in the future because from 8 Windows will be designed for 16:9.

Given that most people I think regard 16:10 as superior to 16:9 it seems likely that many people will want to buy it.

 

[Remobz]

Given that most people I think regard 16:10 as superior to 16:9 it seems likely that many people will want to buy it.

I am not doubting you, but is that based on fact or opinion mostly?

I would not want to be stuck with something that will be phased out soon

 

[lehtv]

How is it being phased out? 1080p already is the HD standard. 1920x1200 monitors are already few and far between. This has nothing to do with which resolution is better to use... If you prefer to have more vertical space, buy more vertical space, that doesn't stop you from watching HD movies.