New Monitor Question

[Mindroth]

I've spent several hours trying to figure out what kind of new monitor to get, and and some time looking at TVs and Monitors in stores... and is it just me, or does LED Backlight technology just look 10x better than anything else? Is there an alternative that isn't stupidly expensive that would be comparable?

I'm looking for a monitor that can look beautiful, but still function properly for serious gaming, and is somewhere in the 3-700 dollar range. I've found a couple LED backlit monitors in the 23-24" range that are a mere 300-400 dollars, but I would really like a 25.5-27" monitor that can put out sharpness and color on the level of the LED backlits I have seen. LED monitors seem to jump from 24" (350$) to 30" (900+?) and I can't figure out why=(

Any advice on what to get?

 

[Bull Dog]

if you are willing to spend >500 on a monitor I would *highly* recommend you purchase an IPS panel monitor. Like Dell'sDell U2410. Or HP's IPS monitor.

This should leave you a much happier camper over getting a third rate TN LCD screen with LED backlighting.

 

[Mindroth]

I'm looking for something at *minimum* 24 inches, (ideally 25-27) so that tosses the Dell, but the HP is ok. Can the IPS monitors put out the same crispness and quality of picture as the Samsung "mega dynamic contrast ratio" TVs/Monitors that show up at millions of contrast ratio (which is obviously inflated, but I assume still means something)?

Sorry if I'm asking a dumb question, it's just ... confusing how many terms and whatnot there are - even after reading the LCD guide on this forum.

 

[fffblackmage]

Dynamic contrast is a useless specification to use as a comparison with other monitors. I simply wouldn't even look at dynamic contrast. You want to use normal contrast for comparison, but even then, just looking at specs aren't really useful. The best way is still to just see the monitor in person and compare.

i can't remember the exact model number, but there was a Dell ultrasharp? 24" H-IPS LCD that's priced around $400-$500? i heard that was pretty darn nice, but one con was input lag, which probably isn't a big deal if you're not going to be playing twitch shooters (CS). Well, maybe that model got replaced by the Dell U2410 or something...

I have the Samsung T260HD, which I got for $350. It's an alright monitor as far as TN panels go, I guess. But recently, after getting an Acer P215H (yes another TN panel, but this time glossy), I feel rather annoyed with the inconsistency of TN panel quality. The glossy screens really do have a nicer contrast and color saturation (makes the T260HD look cruddy in comparison), but I get annoyed seeing myself in it when I get dark scenes in games/movies. Glare is also an annoyance on occasion. I'm also certain color reproduction on the monitors are off. Maybe that wasn't a very good comparison, but the point I'm trying to make for TN panels is that while one aspect is nice, they kinda fail on other aspects.

Well anyways, you certainly want to look at IPS and maybe PVA or some other kind of panel technology other than TN if you want something like looks nice, but just keep in mind you'll have to pay the price for it. Unfortunately, I haven't been keeping up with newer LCDs to make a good recommendation.

Hopefully, that was helpful... and good luck!

 

[LokutusofBorg]

The Dell and the HP that Bull Dog linked are both 16:10 24" monitors, so I don't know why you'd "toss" the Dell.

 

[0roo0roo]

its no garrantee of quality. there are many types. some in laptops simply increase power savings with little image quality boost. high color gamut lcds are sometimes still powered by the regular backlights, probably high cri versions though.

if its edge lit it'll not be so great, if its rgb led then yes, its got potential but most aren't

 

[Mindroth]

Oh, I misread on the dell - sorry!

Both of those monitors look good and are basically the pricerange I was hoping to pay. (the dell U2410 and HP LP2475W)

Is there a difference between them that should make me lean to one over the other?

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Mindroth
Oh, I misread on the dell - sorry!

Both of those monitors look good and are basically the pricerange I was hoping to pay. (the dell U2410 and HP LP2475W)

Is there a difference between them that should make me lean to one over the other?

Since no one else asked...what are you using this monitor for primarily? Gaming? Movies? Photoshop? If a mix please provide an estimate of the distribution.

 

[Mindroth]

I game quite a lot, probably 40-60% of the time spent, watch movies/TV and do general web surfing the rest, and rarely do anything like photoshop.

When I game, I generally don't play twitch shooters in multiplayer - mostly RTS's, turn based strategy, and League of Legends. My current monitor is a rather old 19 inch ViewSonic VA902b with 8ms response time (don't know the input lag). Haven't noticed ghosting or anything.

So essentially, as long as I'm not losing gaming quality over my current monitor, I'll be happy. I'm mainly looking for the highest clarity picture I can get.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Mindroth
I game quite a lot, probably 40-60% of the time spent, watch movies/TV and do general web surfing the rest, and rarely do anything like photoshop.

When I game, I generally don't play twitch shooters in multiplayer - mostly RTS's, turn based strategy, and League of Legends. My current monitor is a rather old 19 inch ViewSonic VA902b with 8ms response time (don't know the input lag). Haven't noticed ghosting or anything.

So essentially, as long as I'm not losing gaming quality over my current monitor, I'll be happy. I'm mainly looking for the highest clarity picture I can get.

Then I would do a PVA/MVA panel monitor myself. The contrast ratio of these panels is superior to that of an IPS panel.

 

[Mindroth]

How noticeable to the naked eye is the difference in the picture quality between the two? If something is a very marginal increase in picture quality, but largely affects gaming - like I think PVA/MVA's are supposed to do, then it probably wouldn't be worth it.

Which particular model in the 24-27 range would you recommend?