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Best 19"/20" Widescreen LCD for Me???

M

mjs90201

Member
I am shopping for my first LCD monitor, a 19" or 20" widescreen (no room to go bigger). I've noticed that 19" monitors have 1400x900 resolution and 20.1" monitors have 1680x1040 resolution. Though I haven't done the math, it seems to me that the 20.1" monitors may have a significantly higher pixel density than the 19". Is this true? If so, would this result in everything appearing smaller on the 20.1" monitor at its native resolution? I have also read that the image quality of the best 20" widescreen monitors is inferior to the best 19" monitors. True? Might an inexpensive graphics cards or the onboard graphics of a new high end computer have difficulty with 1680x1040 resolution?

I will use my monitor for office apps (word processing, database), watching movies, and some video/photo editing. I do not play games. What monitor(s) would be best for these purposes? Four I have considered are: DELL UltraSharp 2007WFP (about $360), Sceptre X20wg-Naga (about $220), and Hanns-G HW-191DPB (about $200 at Newegg.com). The Hanns-G monitor seems to have received the best customer reviews of this group. Should I be considering other monitors?

Regards,

MJS
 
Look for the monitors without a wide strip of plastic or wide border around the outside of the monitor screen or speakers on the side. I have a samsung monitor at home that has almost no border on the top and the side and it seems like it looks smaller and it has a more crisp look to it. Some good speakers might help. I would like to get a wider screen and try to use split screen and use half for the tv and half for the computer. I prefer to watch DVD's to most TV Programs anyway.
 
you could take a look at a samsung 225bw. its 22", but very low profile so it might fit where you need it to. I just bought mine a couple weeks ago, is like night and day difference compared to my old 19" crt.
 
A few things you need to consider when buying an LCD:

?Panel Type: There are a few major panel types you will encounter. The first and most common is TN or twisted nematic. These are 6 bit panels that tend to have lower response at the expense of colour reproduction. Since gaming is not a factor for you, I would stear clear of this type of lcd. The second type is S-IPS or super in plane switching. These are 8 bit panels that have excellent colour reproduction and accuracy and also tend to have no ghosting at all. As they combine the best of both worlds, they are very expensive usually. The last popular type of panel is P-MVA or premium multidomain vertical allignment. These panels are 8 bit with very good for colour reproduction, but tend to suffer in games, though this doesn't affect you.
**It should be noted that the Dell 2007fpw now ships as an inferior M-PVA (or P-MVA?) and not the S-IPS as formerly did**

?Brightness: Brightness is measured in nits for lcd monitors and the higher it is, the brighter the screen is. Usually this makes for more accuracy of colors, a more vivid picture and in some case a sharper overall image. Most monitors have ~300nits, and this is sufficiant for movies and photos.

?Contrast: The Contrast is very important to the saturation of colours, making sure red looks like red and not pink, and such. It will also make sure your blacks are dark and rich and not greys. A higher contrast close to 1000:1 is good nowadays. Some models have very high advertised contrasts. These monitors, such as the LG 204WT have dynamic contrast, and an actual contrast of 800:1. They are still very good monitors, just not true 2000:1 contrast.

Those are the MAIN points for you to consider. That being said, I have a few suggestions for various price ranges: keep in mind these are all widescreen...
Budget 19": LG 194WT: I personally have this monitor and love it so far. It does not include a DVI cable, but the vga output is solid. It is a great buy for $220, but you will not get THE BEST color reproduction as it is a TN panel.

There aren't many non TN 19" widescreens so if you want 19" and good colours, you'll have to ditch widescreen. Therefore:

High end 19": Samsung 971p: This is an P-MVA panel that is supposably excellent on all fronts of lcd greatness. It is pretty expensive for a 19" lcd at $350 though...

Budget 20" LG 204WT: This lcd is the brother of the 194WT and is similar if not higher in quality. It frequently goes on sale for $300.

High end 20" Samsung 215TW: This P-MVA panel is one of the best for colors and contrast. Right up your alley, especially since it's not so great for gaming. Goes for ~$400.

Enthusiest 20" NEC 20wmgx2: This is the mac daddy of 20" lcd's. It is perfect in pretty much every area, period. If you want the best you've found it, just be prepared to be $550-600 for it. Worth every penny though.

Hope these suggestions help a little. If I have time, I'll get you some links. In the meantime, welcome to the forums!😀

EDIT: Now with links!
 
I believe Samsung also has 19" and 20" widescreen models that are a bit cheaper than the Dell. Wonder how they compare?

I also noticed that Dell has a newer and cheaper 20" model: E207WFP. It lacks all the extra video and USB connections of their 2007WFP model. Anyone know whether the E207WFP has the same picture quality as the 2007WFP?

 
Originally posted by: mjs90201
I believe Samsung also has 19" and 20" widescreen models that are a bit cheaper than the Dell. Wonder how they compare?

I also noticed that Dell has a newer and cheaper 20" model: E207WFP. It lacks all the extra video and USB connections of their 2007WFP model. Anyone know whether the E207WFP has the same picture quality as the 2007WFP?
Click to expand...

the E207FPW is a TN panel. Like I said above, it is inferior to the S-IPS 8 bit panels and probably the binned panels that you may well get with the 2007fpw.
I suggest looking elsewhere for better colors.
Samsung 19/20" widescreens are TN's also, other than the 215TW. They are pretty good for gaming, though for your purposes, they aren't the best options.
 
Thanks for the helpful info, acegazda! I do not know how trustworthy manufacturers reported brightness and contrast specs are, however.

The Dell monitors have a "picture-in-picture" feature which I think I might enjoy. Do you know whether other recommended monitors have this feature? Another factor will be which monitors I can find at local stores with a return policy. I am a bit afraid of buying a monitor on the internet and getting stuck with a few dead pixels.


 
The Samsung and NEC 20" panels have PIP, but the LG does not.
Circuit City is pretty reasonable with their dead pixel policy, bestbuy I heard is a pain in the arse. I bought from bb only because they were the only one to carry the L194WT.
Newegg and Zipzoomfly are very good etailers and though I've never bought a monitor from them, I think numerous members can attest to their policies.
To sum it up, I guess you could take a chance with the 2007fpw, but it's a lottery. You might get a good deal on a great monitor (the S-IPS) or you may get fscked with the M-PVA. Dell has been binning these panels for some time now.
 
After doing the math, I have determined that 20" widescreen monitors have a substantially higher pixel density than the 19" widescreen monitors. It is my understanding that this would result in most things (icons, text) appearing smaller on the 20" monitors at their native resolution (compared to the 19"). Since I have difficulty reading small print without magnification, I think I would prefer a 19" monitor. I might also barely have room for a 22" monitor, which according to my calculations would have only a slightly higher pixel density than a 19" LCD.

Regarding PIP, can this capability be acquired through an inexpensive software program? It would be nice to watch a video or television (if/when I purchase a TV tuner card) in a window superimposed over an application window on my widescreen monitor.

 
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