Torn between 3 24 inch LCDs

[stnicralisk]

2400w BenQ ~415$
+Great Price!
-TN

FHD 2400 Gateway ~500$
+92% color gamut, 16.7 million colors, 3ms GtG!
-TN, some variance in reported back light bleed issues with some panels being returned to get panels that do not have the same issues.

FP241w BenQ ~620$
+ beautiful monitor, nothing but good reviews, I believe MVA panel slightly better than TN
- 72% colors at this price point?

What I am looking for specifically:

Gaming - no ghosting! good colors!
Secondary TV - being able to use to play DVDs on occassion from my computer
Text - reasonably clear

I am not really worried about viewing angles as I will usually be the only one looking at the monitor. When occassionaly viewing a DVD the angle and distance to the screen will not be very great either.

I am leaning towards the Gateway.

 

[kmmatney]

http://www.samsclub.com/shoppi...item=382089&pCatg=5902

And use the cash you save to get a better video card...This monitor looks awesome in person - better than the picture suggests.

 

[imported_wired247]

Man, 24" is basically double the price of 22" monitors for only 2 more inches and a more demanding video card requirement. Doesn't sound worth it to me, but to each his own.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: wired247
Man, 24" is basically double the price of 22" monitors for only 2 more inches and a more demanding video card requirement. Doesn't sound worth it to me, but to each his own.

I agree, 22" is the sweet spot right now.

The price jump to go to 24" is enormous and the video card strain is high for gamers once you get above 1680x1050.

 

[v8envy]

On the other hand, it's not just 2 inches -- it's more pixels. 16x10 at 22" is serious screen door time. 19x12 at 24" doesn't seem quite so bad. Yes, mathematically it works out to only 4.8% better dot pitch, but to my eyeballs the difference is huge -- text looks clearer, more screen real estate for more things on screen at the same time.

Def. worth the price premium to go to a 24 or 25.5 IMO.

 

[uclaLabrat]

ahhhh....but what about those 30" screens? :-D

 

[humanure]

the westy linked above is a great monitor, if you don't have a Sams membership Newegg and tiger direct have them for $360 AR. I bought mine at BB a couple weeks ago, they don't have them on the web anymore though. I think all 3 you're looking at are very good, seen some positive posts on the Benq's lately.

 

[redice]

get the FP241w and dont look back!

 

[dennilfloss]

Originally posted by: redice
get the FP241w and dont look back!

 

[mopex]

stnicralisk, I think the first thing you have to do is decide if you want a TN or VA panel. Once you make up your mind you can begin narrowing down your choices and how much you want to spend.

 

[Engraver]

Originally posted by: mopex
stnicralisk, I think the first thing you have to do is decide if you want a TN or VA panel. Once you make up your mind you can begin narrowing down your choices and how much you want to spend.

Don't forget VA panels have varying levels of input lag.

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: Acanthus

Originally posted by: wired247
Man, 24" is basically double the price of 22" monitors for only 2 more inches and a more demanding video card requirement. Doesn't sound worth it to me, but to each his own.

I agree, 22" is the sweet spot right now.

The price jump to go to 24" is enormous and the video card strain is high for gamers once you get above 1680x1050.

The big difference between 1920 and 1680 is 1080p Full HD functionality. As more people look for HD playback/HTPC capabilities on their PC this will be an increasingly important feature. Current uses include 1) HD cable/satellite/TiVo 2) HD OTA 3) PS3/XBox360 in 1080/720p 4) HD-DVD or Blu-Ray playback.

Also, if you get a 1920x1200 panel that supports 1:1 pixel mapping you can run demanding games at lower resolutions without any stretching. Viewable image on a 24" will be slightly smaller than a 22" at 1680 due to pixel pitch, but with a 24" you gain the additional functionality as a 1080p display.

 

[manimal]

BB has the westy on clearance in many markets for 330 out the door no rebate FYI YMMV.

 

[sourthings]

The LG L245WP or L246WP (Same monitor, different model #) are generally the best 24" LCDs around, short of buying the NEC model. The Benq is almost as good image quality wise but has scaling issues. Go with the LG, probably the best 24" around, certainly nicer than the Dell.

 

[dino26]

I use a 32" sharp aquos for my monitor and love it....you can get 720P 32" tv/monitors for as little as $500 but are limited to 1366X768. You can get a 1080p version for under $900.

 

[postmortemIA]

Originally posted by: wired247
Man, 24" is basically double the price of 22" monitors for only 2 more inches and a more demanding video card requirement. Doesn't sound worth it to me, but to each his own.

There are 24" LCD for as low as $300.. the 22" monitors are not lower than $200 and often they are in $200-$350 range.

what is true is:
worst 24">> best 22" for few reasons:
CHIMEI haven't made 24" TN matrix yet (thank God!)
with 22" it is lottery what you are getting
With 24" you get 1080P (already mentioned)
with 24" you could get non-TN panel, all 22" are TN
even 24" TN panels are decent

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Perhaps this? It's a tad more expensive than the highest priced option you list, but it is S-IPS and should have better IQ.

Of course the lack of inputs (ie no HDMI, component, etc) could be something of a let down, but if you're going to drive all your media functions via the PC that shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Buck Armstrong]

I'd get the Planar PX2611W or the Doublesight 263N. Both are 26" IPS panels for a great price. The Planar is better IMO, but the Doublesight is $150-200 cheaper ($699).

In any case, I wouldn't spend $500+ on a TN, which leaves the BenQs or the NEC 2470WNX. All other 24" VAs have more input lag or even worse problems.

 

[imported_wired247]

Originally posted by: chizow

Originally posted by: Acanthus

Originally posted by: wired247
Man, 24" is basically double the price of 22" monitors for only 2 more inches and a more demanding video card requirement. Doesn't sound worth it to me, but to each his own.

I agree, 22" is the sweet spot right now.

The price jump to go to 24" is enormous and the video card strain is high for gamers once you get above 1680x1050.

The big difference between 1920 and 1680 is 1080p Full HD functionality. As more people look for HD playback/HTPC capabilities on their PC this will be an increasingly important feature. Current uses include 1) HD cable/satellite/TiVo 2) HD OTA 3) PS3/XBox360 in 1080/720p 4) HD-DVD or Blu-Ray playback.

Also, if you get a 1920x1200 panel that supports 1:1 pixel mapping you can run demanding games at lower resolutions without any stretching. Viewable image on a 24" will be slightly smaller than a 22" at 1680 due to pixel pitch, but with a 24" you gain the additional functionality as a 1080p display.

Good point. If 1080p were a necessity for me I'd go for the 24".

Originally posted by: postmortemIA

Originally posted by: wired247
Man, 24" is basically double the price of 22" monitors for only 2 more inches and a more demanding video card requirement. Doesn't sound worth it to me, but to each his own.

There are 24" LCD for as low as $300.. the 22" monitors are not lower than $200 and often they are in $200-$350 range.

what is true is:
worst 24">> best 22" for few reasons:
CHIMEI haven't made 24" TN matrix yet (thank God!)
with 22" it is lottery what you are getting
With 24" you get 1080P (already mentioned)
with 24" you could get non-TN panel, all 22" are TN
even 24" TN panels are decent

I bought my 22" display at Costco, which is nice because of their insanely good return policy. 6 months, no questions asked. If I want, I can return it in 6 months and step up to a better display Also, if I get a single dead pixel, it's going back. Unlike newegg where you cannot return unless you have a quorum of dead pixels (which is utterly retarded)

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Yeah, the Planar is good, but the problem is where do you stop? The Doublesight is already a little bit more expensive than the highest priced LCD the OP is considering... Why not spend a little more and go with a Dell 3007 over the Planar or an NEC? And when you start getting into that price range, why not go for a ~40" LCD HDTV? And we can keep going

 

[stnicralisk]

Originally posted by: bunnyfubbles
Yeah, the Planar is good, but the problem is where do you stop? The Doublesight is already a little bit more expensive than the highest priced LCD the OP is considering... Why not spend a little more and go with a Dell 3007 over the Planar or an NEC? And when you start getting into that price range, why not go for a ~40" LCD HDTV? And we can keep going

Thank you. The second BenQ is actually already a little more than I wanted to spend. I was hoping to stay in the 400 - 500 mark.

I would prefer the 24 inch monitor to the 22 for several reasons. Firstly because they are of a tendcy in reviews to have a jump in quality - including for the 24 inch TN panels compared to the 22. Secondly because I will be keeping the monitor for at least 4 years before replacing it. I have suffered using an old CRT to this point and only am replacing it because it is dying.

Some would say wait for the 24 inchs to come down in price but in this industry that is ridiculous, by that time people will tell me to wait for the 26 or 27 inch monitors to drop in price. It is not a game I am willing to play.

I know there is a lot to be said in the TN vs VA debate. However I have went in person to see the Gateway and I can say that I cannot really tell any difference when viewing from the front. Color shifting is very negligble at small angles. However it still offers 1080p so I can play movies as well. It also has 1:1 pixel mapping.

The Westinghouse monitors dont really compare to any of the monitors I have asked about. I have a westinghouse tv and while I have no complaints it is definitely a cheaper part for a reason. Also I already have a good video card I will run the 24 inch without much problems. I have a 8800 GTS 640mb overclocked a good deal. I could grab up a 9800 gx2 but I think I will wait until the 10th generation of Nvidia cards. Currently I run all of my games at 16x12 4x8x Im sure I can run 19x12 0x8x just fine.

A friend got me a discount on the Gateway part and after much debate I went with it 512$ after tax and shipped.

 

[trexpesto]

Originally posted by: v8envy
..... 19x12 at 24" doesn't seem quite so bad. Yes, mathematically it works out to ...... better dot pitch ...... but to my eyeballs the difference is huge -- text looks clearer, more screen real estate for more things on screen at the same time.

Yabbut you are so old that you are speaking from the gullet of a vulture avatar.