Monitor size ... is 30 overkill?

[Warp01]

... upgrading soon.

:biggrin: Regards

 

[Shmee]

used for what? If gaming, you will need a lot of graphics power to run newer games at that resolution.

 

[Warp01]

I use it for internet browsing, office applications and watching movies. I´m an ocassional gamer and the game is very old. No trouble here I think.

Regards

 

[Skurge]

IF you can afford it, go for it. Office apps will be good with the extra real-estate.

 

[dangerman1337]

What's your system BTW and the Game?

 

[SlowSpyder]

I went from a 19" 1440x900 monitor to 22" 1680x1050 monitor to my current 26" 1920x1200 monitor and loved each upgrade. I am currently in school and really like the size and resolution for having a Word document and a .pdf or IE window open next to it when I do homework. Extra resolution and enough physical space to easily read are great for productivity, I say go for it.

 

[Zargon]

anything bigger than 28 I would think you would want a res better than 1920x1200

I use 2x28 at that res and some stuff is just huge

 

[Seero]

I have used a 30" LCD, but the edge bleed, so I go back to smaller LCD (120Hz) instead.

 

[atran5e]

anything bigger than 28 I would think you would want a res better than 1920x1200

I use 2x28 at that res and some stuff is just huge

32" is still fine at 1080p from about 1m away. 37" however I agree is a bit too much for 1080p altho some folks still like it.

Personally I would never go back to TN panels, no matter what res or size. Currently using an Alpha S-IPS panel and picture is 99999 better than a TN panel.

I think the best upgrade after an SSD atm is a non-TN panel.

 

[tommo123]

i love my 3007fpw. far better screen than my TV (42") that's right next to it.

i'd love to have a 42" tv with that res though. that would be sweet!

 

[Puffnstuff]

The only draw back to the lower priced 30" panels is that you have no controls built into the monitor. You have to move up considerably in price to get the osd so if that doesn't bother you then go for it.

 

[Warp01]

What's your system BTW and the Game?

Core i7, Radeon 5700 card. The game is FS2004...if I increased resolution I could decrease antialiasing.

Regards

 

[Qbah]

I always stick to the below, it has never failed me:

"Your TV can only be too small"

It does apply for LCD monitors too

 

[sgrinavi]

A single 30 is not too much by a long shot. I am Running a pair of Dell U2711's at home and at work, I acutally added a 3rd 24" @ home because I was running out of room when I was doing CAD work.

 

[superccs]

You can get a42 inch tv at 1080p and its awesome for exactly what you described.

 

[blastingcap]

I use it for internet browsing, office applications and watching movies. I´m an ocassional gamer and the game is very old. No trouble here I think.

Regards

Consider getting 2 or 3 smaller monitors (like 3 x 22" or 3 x 24"); you can literally maximize a window for a TV in one screen, surf the web on another, and work on Word or Excel in the third screen. 30" is nice (especially with Windows 7 which lets you quickly and easily split-screen), but a lone 30" doesn't have the same kind of options that multiple screens allow for. (I suppose you could get 3 x 30" too but that costs a lot.)

Most modern video cards can run 2 screens without issue.

For 3+ screens:

For single GPU you can get a cheap AMD HD5770 and a DP->DVI single-link adapter ($30) to run 3 screens, but possibly HD6xxx cards coming out will let you do that without the adapter.

For NVIDIA you need to have 2 video cards to get 3+ screens.

 

[NoQuarter]

You can get a42 inch tv at 1080p and its awesome for exactly what you described.

ugh I hate running office apps and such at 1080p past 24". 30" monitor is 2560x1600 and has a better dot pitch than even 22" 1920x1080 monitors making for a really crisp image. On a TV you have to sit a good distance away from it for the low resolution to not make the text irritating to read.

Consider getting 2 or 3 smaller monitors (like 3 x 22" or 3 x 24"); you can literally maximize a window for a TV in one screen, surf the web on another, and work on Word or Excel in the third screen. 30" is nice (especially with Windows 7 which lets you quickly and easily split-screen), but a lone 30" doesn't have the same kind of options that multiple screens allow for. (I suppose you could get 3 x 30" too but that costs a lot.)

Totally. I think a single 30" is best for movies and some games, and 3 23" or 24" is great for productivity and some games that support ultra-widescreen.

Based on the criteria I'd recommend 2 or 3 monitors over 1 larger one unless movies are a higher priority than apps or multitasking.

 

[taltamir]

there is no such thing as too big... although some people seem to think there is.

 

[MagickMan]

Got a bud that's using a 32" 1080p TV as a monitor and it actually looks decent. I was a little surprised.

 

[Blitzvogel]

Got a bud that's using a 32" 1080p TV as a monitor and it actually looks decent. I was a little surprised.

Been doing that for over a year and a half on an LG 32" 1080p HDTV. Worked out quite excellently. Started out using my Asus laptop with a Geforce 9800M GS (mobile 9600GT basically). The GPU couldn't keep up with newer stuff, but for my main muse, BF2, it worked perfect. First desktop experience was with a Radeon 4670 1 GB, and while the Radeon could handle the resolution much better, it still lacked the real 1080p power, but it was an interim card until I got my Radeon 5850 which of course pulverizes just about everything, even at 1080p. Accept mother fudging Metro 2033..... The setup is something that might turn off the traditional PC gamer, but the way I have it worked out, it's a nice cross between traditional and console like sitting and mounting arrangements. Traditional is still the best overall though, and I have my other desktop set up as such when I really need to.

As long as you don't mind the tiny fonts, and you have the graphics horsepower, it's a good deal.

 

[Dark Shroud]

Has anyone tried using a Plasma TV as a monitor? I've been eyeing a few 42" with 600hz just for my room. If I can run my PC on it for gaming I think I'd like to try.

 

[RussianSensation]

I use it for internet browsing, office applications and watching movies. I´m an ocassional gamer and the game is very old. No trouble here I think.

Regards

It's not overkill at all. I bought my monitor in May of 2007 (so soon it's going to be 4 years old). In that time I switched out 3 CPUs and 3 videocards. And I am not looking to replace the monitor any time soon. So if you are going to "invest" into something that you will enjoy for a long time - monitor and a sound system are the way to go!! :thumbsup:

This is how I would break it down:

Best for productivity - 2 or 3 monitors.
Best for videogames - 30 inch 2560x1600
Best for movies - 42-46 inch 1080P

Decide what's most important for you and go that route. Keep in mind that almost all 30 inch and 1080P LCD TVs use IPS panels, far superior to the smaller 22-24 garden variety TN panels. Also, since Blu-Ray and MKV movies don't benefit from resolution higher than 1080P, 2560x1600 for movies will not produce a better picture quality. Plus you can watch TV on the Plasma / LCD TV (another little bonus).

Got a bud that's using a 32" 1080p TV as a monitor and it actually looks decent. I was a little surprised.

Oh ya!! And if you are using a larger 37-46 inch LCD as a PC monitor, you'll likely sit 3-4 feet away at which point the pure emersion of the larger screen easily overcomes the resolution deficiency for some tasks (although 2560x1600 is way better for games and productivity). IMO, it's almost a given that a 50 inch 720P display will blow the doors off a 32 inch 1080P monitor for movie experience You need to either sit really close or go beyond 50 inches to appreciate 1080P vs. 720P in movies. I've seen 1024x768 plasmas with better picture quality than 1080P LCDs of the same size.

 

[Zargon]

32" is still fine at 1080p from about 1m away. 37" however I agree is a bit too much for 1080p altho some folks still like it.

Personally I would never go back to TN panels, no matter what res or size. Currently using an Alpha S-IPS panel and picture is 99999 better than a TN panel.

I think the best upgrade after an SSD atm is a non-TN panel.

could be, but by far way out there in $$$/return value. Go find me a quality 24+ non TN thats fast enough for games, then do it under 500 bucks. thats why I use large TN's.

I was suggestings over 28 go up in res, becuase most peole sit about 24 inches or so from the display, and at that range 30+ with 1080 desktop icons are huge and font is just giant, like reading a kids book :biggrin:

a friend uses a 60 inch, its about 3.5 ft away, and it kinda sucks for FPS because you cant see the whole screen easily

 

[taltamir]

I don't know what people have against TN panels... Do they enjoy ghosting?

 

[RussianSensation]

I don't know what people have against TN panels... Do they enjoy ghosting?

Even 8ms on an IPS panel is sufficient to overcome ghosting. Ghosting is almost a thing of the past with even input lag being a more severe issue.

TN panels have inferior viewing angles. On a smaller screen such as <24 inches, that may be fine. Once you start going into 27-30 inch sizes, the viewing angles (colors start to wash out, etc.) generally become a bigger issue. This is why the TN discussions starts to crop up more when talking about larger panels.

Zargon, I doubt anyone would want to sit 24 inches away from a 30+ inch LCD TV. It's almost a given you are sitting 3-4+ feet away when using them hehe.