Is it worth going from a 22” to a 25” monitor, always at 1920x1080?

[bonheur]

Computer Usage:
Word, Excel, Photoshop Elements, DivX, web, e-mail, IM, Google Earth, etc. and NO games.

Current Monitor:
22” (21.5” real) at 1920x1080 with VGA and refreshed at 60 Hz. It’s a “cheap consumer model” bought a couple years ago.

Complain:
Text in applications looks slightly small to me, so I have to strain my eyes. The biggest issue is text on websites, I can use the zoom feature in IE9 but that comes at the price of available real state on the screen.

My Questions:
Would moving to a 25”--or perhaps a 26”--screen at the same 1920x1080 make text easier to read? I guess having the screen dpi close to 96 would make things a lot sharper, but would this change come with any downsides? Perhaps the dots that make the LCD screen would be more noticeable, hence I’d be farther off from the quality of “printed matter”?

Is it really worth going to, say, a 25” monitor or is there going to be a new screen standard sometime soon? I’m sure font size 120 dpi would put us a lot closer to the quality of printed paper, but the current software is made to run best at 96 dpi—which with a 22” monitor makes things look rather smallish.

To end with my questions, I’ve recently read several discussions about LCD monitors being refreshed at 60 Hz versus 120 Hz. So should I look for any of those in particular and what is the cost for each option?

Thank you in advance for all your suggestions!

 

[Anomaly1964]

Have you tried going into DISPLAY and adjusting CUSTOM font size?

 

[bonheur]

Have you tried going into DISPLAY and adjusting CUSTOM font size?

Yes, I've tried a custom setting in between 96 and 120 dpi--somewhere around 115 dpi. It doesn't always look good as text doesn't always show well in several forms, etc.

I really got the impression software is made to be run at 96 dpi. Besides, some packages like Photoshop Elements can only run with fonts at 96 dpi.

 

[Anomaly1964]

Yes, I've tried a custom setting in between 96 and 120 dpi--somewhere around 115 dpi. It doesn't always look good as text doesn't always show well in several forms, etc.

I really got the impression software is made to be run at 96 dpi. Besides, some packages like Photoshop Elements can only run with fonts at 96 dpi.

You might also try adjusting Clear Type...

 

[bonheur]

You might also try adjusting Clear Type...

I have that feature activated on Windows 7, but I don't see any options on that window other than the on/off tick box.

 

[kamikazekyle]

If you stick to the same resolution, the bigger your monitor the bigger everything will look. But at the same time, you're going to be loosing on sharpness. Since you're having difficulties seeing the text as is, jumping to a 24" or 25" at 1080p probably won't have any noticable reduction in quality for you. You might even be able to go bigger.

As for cleartype, in the Search box on the start menu just type in cleartype, and there should be an option to tune it. Alternatively you can go here

http://www.microsoft.com/typography/ClearType/tuner/tune.aspx

That works on Windows XP and up. I think it still works on Windows 7, but I normally use the built-in tuner on W7.

If you stick to a standard 24" TN panel, you can often find good LCDs for about $170 open box, $220 or so new. If you bump up to 25-27" expect closer to $300+ before sales. If you can deal with a 23", those can go as low as $130 open box. Check out NEC's refurbished store. They often have some pretty excellent prices for refurbs, and most NEC displays are pretty good quality.

I'd not recommend the current 120hz panels, since I don't *think* any current panels go over 23" at 1920x1080, and the cheapest I've found was an LG for $314 + shipping. I've used a 120Hz monitor for just desktop use, and while I did like it better than a 60Hz, I don't think it's worth the price *just* for office work unless you happen to be sensitive to ghosting or latency.

 

[bonheur]

Thank you, Kamikazekyle!

I've already run the ClearType wizard, but I'm not too sure that the quality of the text improved significantly.

I can read everything at 1920x1080 using my current 22" monitor, but in general text is somewhat too small to be in front of the computer for long periods of time. I keep my monitor at arm's length.

As an example, I'm reading this forum using IE9. I can read everything at 100% zoom, but if I zoom up to 110% I feel my eyes much more relaxed. Then, I turn the zoom up to 120% and the text is big enough to be reading anything I want for the whole day long without stressing my eyes.

That's why I'd like everything to look about 120% bigger than currently is, but I'm also concerned that--as you pointed out--I may loose crispness and I may also notice the dot size on the bigger 24" monitor. I'm "comfortable" paying up to about $220 for a monitor so that limits my shopping to 24" monitors, but will 2" make a difference?

 

[tynopik]

Text in applications looks slightly small to me, so I have to strain my eyes.

The correct answer is 'See an optometrist'

If you have to strain to read text on a 22" 1920x1080 monitor, there's something wrong

 

[bonheur]

The correct answer is 'See an optometrist'

Done.

If you have to strain to read text on a 22" 1920x1080 monitor, there's something wrong

Can .5" be the problem? As my monitor is in fact a 21.5".

Also, I place my monitor at arm's length. Maybe some of you have your monitor closer than I do?

 

[LiuKangBakinPie]

I see you have a CRT. A CRT is very heavy on the eyes. Get a LCD. Don't worry about the refresh rate its just a emulation to be compatible with your gpu. LCDs don't flicker so 60mhz or 120mhz will look the same its just the amount of frames it can receive from the gpu. So if your not into gaming 60 or 120mhz won't make any difference

 

[bonheur]

Thank you for your advice, LiuKangBakinPie!

I actually have an LCD monitor. It's refresh rate is 60 Hz.

Everything looks crisp on my current monitor, my only complain is that sometimes text is too small to be read comfortably.

 

[corkyg]

Have you ever tried Ctrol + scroll wheel up and down?

 

[bonheur]

Have you ever tried Ctrol + scroll wheel up and down?

Yes, Sir. As I said on a post above I use the zoom feature on IE9 where my comfort zone is around 120% zoom.

Also, I cannot use such feature on programs like Adobe Photoshop Elements where text is rather small and it only works with fonts at 96 dpi. I could use the zoom feature on Windows 7 but that's a bit unfomfortable if one has to use it for long periods of time.

Thank you for your suggestion.

 

[Throckmorton]

Yes, get the bigger screen. And if stuff is too big, no big deal, just move it further away from your eyes.

 

[Raswan]

I went from a 19" to a 27", and after a couple of days everything settles in nicely. In msword for me, the zoom HAS to be at 120%, or I get the split screen deal going on. Not something I can deal with while writing papers, so I keep it at 120. Wish it could be at 110, but whatever.

I'll also recommend an upgrade. The extra screen space really makes a difference.

 

[pitz]

I don't think 22" to 25" is worthwhile. I've been contemplating replacing my 24" Dell 2408WFP with a 27" Dell U2711, and even though the resolution is bumped up, I still can't find the justification to do it.

If you're going to a better quality panel, sure, but I doubt you'll really find much of that on the 25" size.

Best, IMHO, to save up for a 27" or a 30" monster, with 2560x1600 or 2560x1440 support. 25" is probably wasting your time.

 

[bonheur]

Thank you for all your advice, I appreciate it much!

I don't need to replace my monitor "right now" so I can wait a bit if that means a much better price, a better quality panel, or a newer technology.

Raswam, you're using a 27" monitor at 1920x1080, right? If so, what is the distance from your eyes to the monitor? Does everything look sharp? Maybe all the small "dots" that make the LCD panel can be easily seen? One of the advantages of having 1920x1080 in a 22" monitor is that the image looks like "printed paper", but this has its downsides too (text may look small sometimes).

Whatever I end up buying I don't want to spend more than say $200 or $250 (USD) for a monitor. What would this amount buy me? What could this amount buy me in, say, a year?

 

[bonheur]

Best, IMHO, to save up for a 27" or a 30" monster, with 2560x1600 or 2560x1440 support. 25" is probably wasting your time.

Having more resolution available means I can get more things side by side on the screen. But would any of those resolutions at 27" make text [fonts] look smaller or larger than with a resolution of 1920x1080 on a 22" monitor? As I get it 96 dpi fonts will continue to be the standard in the near future.

Eventually, I take it 30" monitors at those resolutions will still be too expensive for the next year or two?