Looking for a specific kind of monitor

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
K

kamikazekyle

Senior member
Feb 23, 2007
538
0
0
(Cliffs at the end)

I've read through the recommendations thread again, but I'm still having issues trying to find a monitor that hits my ideal mark.

For reference, I have three NEC 20WMGX2 monitors plus a Dell SP2309W. There's also a 32" plasma attached to my system, but that's not a daily use thing. The Dell is my center main, one NEC above and to the left side landscape, and one NEC to the right in portrait.

The NEC is by far the best monitor I've ever used. But, I'd like to scale up from 20" as my main display. I purchased a 24" 1920x1200 HP LP2475w, but wound up cycling it out in favor of my current Dell SP2309W. The Dell has a 2048x1152 resolution @ 23", which gives it better pixels per inch/dot pitch than my HP. It looks more in-line with the NEC secondaries. The HP also had some color temp issues between left and right sides.

But, the Dell is a TN panel and needs a beating to get the colors I want (due to being a TN, though good blacks), has some backlight bleed and a crappy vertical viewing angle.

So what I'm looking for is a *glossy* IPS or VA panel. It has to have a low dot pitch (we're talking ~.25 or .26 mm at most). It must have at least two digital inputs (HDMI, DVI, DP), with multiple DVI inputs and/or a display port a plus. HDMI audio passthrough is also a big bonus. Size wise it has to be approximately 23" or larger.

Obviously, that's a pretty damn narrow subset of monitors. I'm not too concerned on price, but wouldn't like to go into the $1,000+ territory. I'm also staying away from 30" monitors due to physical sizes, price, plus I haven't seen any that are glossy. I dislike matte displays :p The Apple 27" looks like a prospect if I forgo the connectivity options and break the bank.

After hitting up NewEgg for a while, I'm thinking I might be SOL, and stuck with either the TN Dell, or reverting to a cluster of the NEC's plus a DVI/HDMI switch box. If I get rid of the glossy requirement, that really expands the field, but I hate running a matte display in a cluster of glossy subdisplays.

Meh. I'm guessing in the end I'll have to give up my beloved NEC's if I want to go to higher resolutions/phsyical sizes and keep the dot pitch about the same. I suppose as a last ditch effort I could get another matte 1920x1200 24", use the 24" HP as a secondary, and retire the NEC's to alternates or something.

CLIFFS
-Want new monitor
-About the same pixels per inch as a 20"@1680x1050, or similar dot pitch to the NEC 20WMGX2 or SP2309W (~.25mm or less)
-Glossy
-IPS or VA (looking for quality)
-Minimum 2 digital inputs (some combination of HDMI, DVI, and/or DP)
-DP, multiple DVI, and HDMI audio passthrough a plus
-No 30"
*ALTERNATIVE: Glossy 24" IPS or VA @ 1920x1200 meeting all the above except dot pitch
 
Zap

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
22,377
7
81
You'll have better luck if you drop the "glossy" requirement. There are almost no glossy desktop LCDs, just like there are almost no non-glossy consumer notebook LCDs.

BTW I also have an NEC glossy LCD monitor. It is a 19" (don't remember model, is in my garage). I also have an Acer Ferrari 22" monitor that is glossy (but TN).

Come to think of it, my wife is using an HP glossy widescreen that is 1920x1200, around 25.5" and AFAIK not a TN. However, I believe it is discontinued. We got it as a "famous maker model TS-25W8HC" but it is an HP W2558HC.
 
C

Childs

Lifer
Jul 9, 2000
11,313
7
81
The U series from Dell seems to suit you best, minus the glossy screen. I have the U2711, and its pretty nice. I chose it over the Apple version because of the inputs. There is also the U2410.
 
K

kamikazekyle

Senior member
Feb 23, 2007
538
0
0
That's pretty much what I've come across. All the glossy panels I can find are TN's or old, discontinued models if they're not. I love those NEC's and the dot pitch, but 20" is still only 20". The 27" Apple monitor looks pretty damn good, but my primary machine is Windows, and unless they put out new drivers I can't even control brightness. The dell U2711 seems pretty nice with an awesome dot pitch, but at that price I can snag a 30". That HP W2558HC is still on refurb sales, but it's only 1920x1200 at 25.5", so that's just TOO big of a dot pitch.

Guess I had best snag the U2410 before they decide to start switching from 1200 IPS panels to 1080 panels. At least it has an identical dot pitch to the HP I still have in storage, so it'll look more uniform in a multimonitor setup. I still hate the high dot pitch since it makes text fuzzy, but meh :p I'll just have to leave the Dell TN or an NEC hooked up if I want to use something that needs a sharper looking text. Hrm, wonder how that TN will look in portrait if I orient it just right on my monitor arm...

Experiment time!

Thanks all for the suggestions.
 
K

kamikazekyle

Senior member
Feb 23, 2007
538
0
0
Huh. Turns out Dell Small Business has the U2711 for $300 off. Too bad my 20% off coupon keeps saying expired or already redeemed, even on non-sale valid items.
 
Throckmorton

Throckmorton

Lifer
Aug 23, 2007
16,829
3
0
Last edited:
K

kamikazekyle

Senior member
Feb 23, 2007
538
0
0
I completely forgot about trying to find the used prior gen Apple displays and clones. Too bad that it's only a single minidv input on the CinemaView and a lower DPI than a 24" at 1920x1200.

I hooked up my HP last night and after some further software contrast adjustments and calibration, I think if I cycled out my NEC's for a more consistent DPI across 24" 1920x1200 panels, I'd be OK. I did manage to get the colors matching pretty well to the NEC displays, though I have yet to come across anything but my plasma that'll hit blacks as deep as the NECs.

I'll probably wind up waiting to pick up a U2410 while it's on a big sale or something similar. If I could get my 20% coupon to work (at all), then I might grab one. They did have a $100 sale yesterday (and $300 off the U2711), though it's not on anymore. The U2711 looks awesome on paper for DPI, but that's pushing a nice bump in resolution for gaming and some games (ala Metro) I'm not exactly screaming along at 60fps as is :p
 
C

Childs

Lifer
Jul 9, 2000
11,313
7
81
On my old system Q6600@3ghz, 4GB, GTX 260 216, I could around 40-50fps with a mix of med and high settings, no hbao in BFBC2, other games higher. Never tried Metro. At 2560x1400, thats pretty good. Downside is information overload! If I had the desk space I'd use my old 23" 1080p monitor for gaming. If I could go back in time, I would have gotten the 23"/24" 1920x1200 Dell/HP. Getting the U2711 sort of triggered a series of upgrades that started with video card, then CPU which required new HSF, RAM and motherboard. Probably the most I've spent on a system in a 8 month period. In thinking about it, my current video card isn't really up to snuff with the rest of the system! :S
 
Throckmorton

Throckmorton

Lifer
Aug 23, 2007
16,829
3
0
It would be great if video card drivers let you set a 1:4 pixel mapping with NO interpolation. That way you could run your 2560x1440 monitor at 1280x720 with no fuzziness, just big pixels, same as back in the CRT days.

There was a post on the nVidia forum about it, and someone said that nVidia told him they have no plans to ever allow that.

I wonder why... the code would be so simple, and it's becoming more and more necessary with the high res monitors.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom