A wide screen LCD for under $400?

[ibex333]

I currently have a Viewsonic VP171b, and I am thinking about getting a larger wide screen monitor. I am hoping for 21"-24", but if that is not realistic, I suppose I could settle for a 19".

Let me know, if you know of a model that will fit my criteria.

Oh, and it should have good response time, because I'm an avid gamer.

PS:

I got a few questions about my video card. (in sig).

1)As of now this thing offers plenty of power and runs anything I throw at it at max. However if I was to OC it in the future, is there any reason to buy aftermarket coolers for it to gain extra performance? How much difference is there between OCing through software and using extra air cooling for this particular card?

2)Is my card able to play HD DVD and BluRay movies at full 1080p resolution?

 

[MustISO]

There are plenty of 22" widescreen LCD's for under $400. There's even a few 24" monitors under $400. Look for something with a 2ms response time if you're a gamer.

 

[qbfx]

I think you can get a very good 20"-22" *VA based monitor for that price if you found one (I suggest looking at NEC's models) or a TN based 24". There are some Acer models that spot 3000:1 DC and 2ms for like 300$-350$ which are good for gaming and sound like a good deal (P241W/P243W). There's also the Samsung 245BW 24" which has a reputation of a good gaming monitor thanks to it's fast response time and minimal input lag (about 7ms) which sells for about 400$. As for your 8800GTS, I'm no expert but I think it shouldn't have any problem playing any 1080p content.

 

[pctwo]

Soyo has a 24" that goes on sale occasionally at officemax for $300. it's a decent no frill monitor. NOT a TN panel like other cheap 24". QA is suspect so it's a crapshoot if you get a good one, but officemax has 14 day no restocking fee return and exchange.

 

[Zap]

Another vote for the Soyo 24". I think it's on sale for $300 this week - every month or two that happens. I got a good one and it has been... very good.

 

[sutahz]

$400 gives you a wide open door for options. Whats wrong w/ TN? Is my 225BW a TN? I like(ed) it. 2ms for gaming??? 8ms will do if I'm not mistaken. my 6ms 42" vizio worked fine for Crysis and CoD4 (8800GT). Your 8800GTS (G90) is great, dont worry about that. The 8800GT is 10-15% better, but oh well.
Bigger the resolution, the less AA is req'd, because lines just look better w/ more pixels to make them look smoother, however AA still helps, but not as big of an impact. Do you have 320MB or 640MB version? either way, go for 1680x1040 (22"). W/E

 

[egale]

There is a lot of negative press about TN panels. They have the quickest response times but they supposedly have worse color rendition and are 6-bit rather than 8-bit panels.

That being said, I had a Viewsonic 17" wiht a TN panel that I used for years before I knew anything about the different panel types and was very pleased with it. Wen I recently upgraded to a 22" I was very concerned after doing all the research as I do some gaming but lots of photoshop. I finally settled on an Asus VW222U.

The monitor looked pretty good to me but I bought a Spyder to calibrate it anyway. After calibration it looked a little bit better, nothing drastic by any means. The picture is quite acceptable and I don't find it lacking at all.

I am sure there are people with really sharp eyes that could spot the shortcomings right away and maybe if I saw the same image displayed on a TN and non-TN monitor side by side I could see the difference. But for now, I am living in peaceful ignorance I guess and am happy with my TN monitor and the images it displays.

Unless you are very sensitive to colors being off and such, I really wouldn't worry about it.

 

[ibex333]

How does one know if he is getting a TN panel? What does it look like in "specifications"?

 

[Miklebud]

Originally posted by: egale
There is a lot of negative press about TN panels. They have the quickest response times but they supposedly have worse color rendition and are 6-bit rather than 8-bit panels.

That being said, I had a Viewsonic 17" wiht a TN panel that I used for years before I knew anything about the different panel types and was very pleased with it. Wen I recently upgraded to a 22" I was very concerned after doing all the research as I do some gaming but lots of photoshop. I finally settled on an Asus VW222U.

The monitor looked pretty good to me but I bought a Spyder to calibrate it anyway. After calibration it looked a little bit better, nothing drastic by any means. The picture is quite acceptable and I don't find it lacking at all.

I am sure there are people with really sharp eyes that could spot the shortcomings right away and maybe if I saw the same image displayed on a TN and non-TN monitor side by side I could see the difference. But for now, I am living in peaceful ignorance I guess and am happy with my TN monitor and the images it displays.

Unless you are very sensitive to colors being off and such, I really wouldn't worry about it.

QFT! I was in the exact same postion.

I love my 22" TN panel in my HP W2207!

 

[qbfx]

Originally posted by: ibex333
How does one know if he is getting a TN panel? What does it look like in "specifications"?

TNs are usually listed as having viewing angles 160/160 or 170/160 with 5ms or 2ms rt whereas *VAs have 176/176 or 178/178 with 8ms or 6ms rt.

 

[JimiP]

I highly recommend the LG L226WTQ. It's a 22" Widescreen with a 2ms response time, a 3000:1 contrast ratio and a native resolution of 1680x1050. It can be had for about $329 give or take.

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: JimiP
I highly recommend the LG L226WTQ. It's a 22" Widescreen with a 2ms response time, a 3000:1 contrast ratio and a native resolution of 1680x1050. It can be had for about $329 give or take.

For that kind of money it's a bad deal. The WTY model is 8-bit, that one is 6-bit. The WTY is only $20 more on newegg; just week ago it was $320. Shame on me for not pouncing on it.

edited: WTY = win; WTQ = lose.

 

[cdmccool]

Go for the Soyo 24". Avoid anything that's a TN.

I have the Soyo, and it's flawless btw.

 

[soccerballtux]

You know the more I look at it that Soyo sounds smart if you get the 2yr warranty from OfficeMax. If you get a bad one just keep taking it back till you get one that doesn't draw horizontal lines on you.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux

Originally posted by: JimiP
I highly recommend the LG L226WTQ. It's a 22" Widescreen with a 2ms response time, a 3000:1 contrast ratio and a native resolution of 1680x1050. It can be had for about $329 give or take.

For that kind of money it's a bad deal. The WTY model is 8-bit, that one is 6-bit. The WTY is only $20 more on newegg; just week ago it was $320. Shame on me for not pouncing on it.

edited: WTY = win; WTQ = lose.

Hmm what makes you say there is a difference between the WTQ and WTY models? I was under the impression they were the exact same thing.

 

[lilbabimac]

6-bit 2

Originally posted by: soccerballtux

Originally posted by: JimiP
I highly recommend the LG L226WTQ. It's a 22" Widescreen with a 2ms response time, a 3000:1 contrast ratio and a native resolution of 1680x1050. It can be had for about $329 give or take.

For that kind of money it's a bad deal. The WTY model is 8-bit, that one is 6-bit. The WTY is only $20 more on newegg; just week ago it was $320. Shame on me for not pouncing on it.

edited: WTY = win; WTQ = lose.

So you're basically saying that the WTY houses a MVA, PVA, or IPS panel... The only information I found regarding that is a user comment on Newegg who called LG about it, but I wouldn't trust a CSR's "guess" on what type of panel the WTY uses. As for the ghosting issues, those were mostly problems in the older WTQ's. The newer mfg dated ones don't seem to have those problems. Unless you can provide concrete, substantive evidence for your claims, I wouldn't try to pass your guesses as facts.

1. 6-bit

2. 6-bit

22": LG Flatron L226WTQ/L226WTY, 1680x1050 (16:10)
Panel: TN (LG.Philips LM220WE1); 6-bit+Hi-FRC, 16.7M colors

Image Delay (rt+lag): 27 - 33.4 - 37

Specifications: LG Flatron L226WTQ

HDCP Compliant: Yes

More Info: prad.de

Notes: Great for gaming, but some firmware in older units caused ghosting issues.

Price: ~$350 USD

 

[soccerballtux]

Set to 100 and search for "alpha22555", read his other reasons section.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...ize=100&PageStyle=lite

Seems trustworthy, but other than that I have no more sources.

Although you know what, 2ms....that doesn't sound right.

 

[Doclife]

Another vote for the HP w2207. The color on this monitor is vibrant, bring more life out of a lifeless picture is all I can say.

 

[lilbabimac]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
Set to 100 and search for "alpha22555", read his other reasons section.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...ize=100&PageStyle=lite

Seems trustworthy, but other than that I have no more sources.

Although you know what, 2ms....that doesn't sound right.

Yeah, it's a 6-bit for sure. It's rare that a 22" monitor uses anything other than a TN. I know of one Lenovo 22" monitor that uses a PVA though. I just wanted to get that cleared up so that there's no confusion.

 

[Riverhound777]

Soyo gets my vote. I've had mine for a couple weeks now and love it.

 

[BadBrad]

Another vote for Soyo. Mine has been great since Thanksgiving. Also, I think some of the quality issues discussed in these forums are legit while others are not. Because of it's low price many inexperienced users tried to connect them to under powered cards that became heavily overworked when configured to the high native resolution (1920x1200) of the monitor.

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: BadBrad
Another vote for Soyo. Mine has been great since Thanksgiving. Also, I think some of the quality issues discussed in these forums are legit while others are not. Because of it's low price many inexperienced users tried to connect them to under powered cards that became heavily overworked when configured to the high native resolution (1920x1200) of the monitor.

No, this would not cause multiple horizontal rows of pixels to go bad.

 

[qbfx]

Originally posted by: lilbabimac

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
Set to 100 and search for "alpha22555", read his other reasons section.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...ize=100&PageStyle=lite

Seems trustworthy, but other than that I have no more sources.

Although you know what, 2ms....that doesn't sound right.

Yeah, it's a 6-bit for sure. It's rare that a 22" monitor uses anything other than a TN. I know of one Lenovo 22" monitor that uses a PVA though. I just wanted to get that cleared up so that there's no confusion.

TN doesn't necessarily mean 6-bit, like *VA doesn't mean 8-bit. The Lenovo you're referring to is very different than other 22" displays - it uses a 8-bit PVA with 1920x1200 res. Nice things cost much tho

 

[deadken]

Hey, I have a quick question....

I currently run a BFG 640MB 8800GTS video card and a Samsung 204B 20.1" LCD. I do like this monitor a lot and paid about $500 when it came out (yes, I have seen it for less then $300, again, I got it in Feb. 2006). IIRC it is a 5ms response time and 'only' has 16.1M colors. I am guessing that this is a TN panel that you guys have been talking about. Anyway, it does have 1600x1200 resolution and works fine for my gaming (which, like the OP, I do a lot).

So, would the Soyo mentioned so much here be an upgrade for me? Does it have 1920x1200 resolution? I really don't think that I would want any less then that. I held off on getting a Widescreen and I don't know if I am going to like it or not. I do play a lot of BF2 and now COD4. I also play Maple Story (MMORPG) with my kids. I don't know how 'distorted' any of these games will look, or if they will look distorted at all.

I have found that the Soyo 24" LCD will go on sale again starting this Sunday! So I figured that I should start asking these questions now. Thanks for any help and information you guys can give.

-Ken

BTW: It's nice to see that ZAP is still active on this site. I trust his opinions very much since my communication with him from those S754 combos from Outpost way back when.

EDIT: I should mention that I wouldn't mind spending another $100-$200 on a better monitor if it was that much better. Of course, I don't really NEED to buy another monitor atm. I expect to be buying a few hundred dollars worth of car parts for my 'hobby' car this month, so money will be a bit tight to begin with.

 

[pm]

Another vote for the Soyo 24" from Office Depot for $300. It is 1920x1200, has a P-MVA screen and the picture is bright, with good colors and a very wide viewing angle. My screen arrived set to very bright, but I toned down the contrast and brightness a bit and I've like the color and brightness ever since. The built-in speakers are tinny and useless, make sure to turn the volume down to nothing to eliminate hiss from the speakers.

The display's scaling in games isn't so good - but I just letterbox it (no scaling... smaller picture with black bars) and it looks and plays fine in games like UT3 and COD4. I tend to play at 1600x1200 with black bars around the picture and it looks fine. I would rather get a 24" 1920x1200 and then letterbox it to avoid distortion than get a 19" non-widescreen.