Emergency monitor replacement help!!!

uncle_rufus · 24 Aug 2014 at 09:21

Hey all,

I'm in the process of moving into a new house, and I'm sure we can all identify with the usual fear of unpacking all the PC bits and setting things back up, hoping that the bumps and shaking in the journey haven't caused any damage...

Well unfortunately my very old (7 years maybe?) Samsung 226BW (long live 16:10 1680x1050!!!) which has been making some high pitched noises for a little while has finally been killed off

I'm starting to get withdrawl symptoms here so I need a new monitor (or monitors :rolleyes:

) ordered by the end of today. I've been looking through all the threads on here and reading reviews and I'm very confused. Few details of my setup:

- I had the Samsung + a Dell 1280x1024 as a little secondary monitor
- I want to keep a 2 monitor setup, it's just too handy having a second display while gaming on the primary one
- Graphics card is a GTX 670 and I can't afford to replace that too
- Primarily used for Gaming but also programming, music/video editing and 3d modelling
- Budget of probably £400-ish

Option #1: Replace the Samsung with a single very decent monitor (maybe the Acer 27" 144Hz G-Sync?) and keep the little Dell as a secondary. I'm worried the Dell might be completely swamped next to a larger monitor though

Option #2: Buy a pair of decent 24" monitors to replace the others completely. 2 identical ones would look good but it seems a waste to use 2 decent ones when only one will actually see any gaming action, so I could also buy a good primary and a less good secondary

Option #3: Superwide? I like the look of the 34" LG but no way can I stretch to that, and I can't decide if the cheaper 29" models are too short in the vertical. Did see a nice post where someone had 2 of the 29" LG stacked vertically which looked very good

What do you guys think? So much choice :confused:

TL;DR My old crap Sammy monitor has gone bust, need a new dual-screen setup, budget around £400 please

Joe_Easy · 24 Aug 2014 at 09:50

Rufus - I'm no expert but I have been dealing with similear dilemma over the last 6-8 weeks as I'm doing my first upgrade in about 8 years.

I won't take you through every step of my thinking but in the end I decided to go for the best single monitor I could afford as I expect to use it for the next 8 years. The monitor is one of the only parts of a PC nowadays that you don't have to upgrade every 2-3 years and that you physically/visually interact with every day.

My recommendation is to step up to 1440p graphics and buy a 27inch IPS monitor that will blow you away in terms of colour, contrast, viewing angles as well as responsiveness.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-043-AS&groupid=17&catid=1120

edit - plus it's on sale at the minute, £60 off the regular price on a this week only deal. It's one of the only pieces of kit I've seen with so many 5 star customer ratings. And yes, your graphics card can drive it no problem

It's slightly over budget but from what I've read and seen, totally worth it. Use this as your main and the your dell as secondary for browsing and what not and yes, it won't look great in comparision but in another year or so you can think about buying a smaller replacement.

Your eyes will love you for it...plus the extra pixels and workspace will for ever change your work flow and the way you game

uncle_rufus · 24 Aug 2014 at 09:58

Thanks for the response... I saw that Asus but I'm not sure something about it doesn't look appealing to me, maybe the bezels are a little bit thick I'm not sure...

I was just messing about with the idea of

2 x 24" Dell UltraSharp U2412M 1980x1200s
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-052-DE

It has the same slightly increased 16:10 aspect ratio that I'm used to, but is also a decent step-up in quality of panel and size. Any thoughts on that?

Joe_Easy · 24 Aug 2014 at 10:02

I'm not familiar with that monitor but it looks like a great choice, the bezel on that asus is not that different from one of those dell's though in reality.

Dell monitors are good quality...are you ok not having an HDMI in though?

I would check out the youtube reviews of any monitors you are thinking of getting as you'll get to see it in real life use and get a different perspective.

Would seriously think about 1440p though, it's a big step up from 1080p and there are other monitors out there with that resolution if you don't like the ASUS.

Good luck

uncle_rufus · 24 Aug 2014 at 10:10

Haha - yeah sorry I didn't realise what a hypocrite I was being about the bezels!!!

Luckily I think the Dell ones are identical or at least very similar to the ones I've used at my workstation at work before so I'm fairly familiar with them (though not for gaming of course!)

I do like the idea of 1440p in principle, but how much harder would it be on my graphics card? The other issue is I can't decide if maybe a 27" screen is a little big when sat so close at a desk...

Joe_Easy · 24 Aug 2014 at 10:40

Haha - no worries, it's hard to judge those things from a website.

Your graphics card will easily push that monitor and give you good FPS

It's probably the best value for money monitor out there right now at that price.

I have a 27inch monitor and while it took me a few days to adjust, I would never go back..the size is just perfect now and it completely changes how immersive games, movies and everything else is.

I wouldn't go much bigger though as once you get past 27inch on a desktop it can be too big...but for the kind of things you want to use it for, I think 27inch is perfect both from a visual experience point of view as well as a workflow annd work space point of view.

Go on, take the plunge...you know you want to...I like the ASUS but there are lots of good 1440p 27" monitors out there...just maybe not at this price and warranty...

uncle_rufus · 24 Aug 2014 at 11:02

Hmm another idea that has just tempted me would be to have one large monitor in the centre and a portrait 4:3 monitor either side of it...

I'm not that fussed about eyefinity/surround but I feel like having 2 identical monitors side by side and then always gaming on one of them alone will feel weird and be bad for my neck unless I mount them off-centre. With a 4:3 - 16:9 - 4:3 type setup the central monitor remains very clearly the focus and primary monitor...

I could get hold of a 19" 1280x1024 Dell for £60, so £120 for the two side monitors, then the 24" Dell for £220ish or maybe a 27" main screen, and a nice triple monitor arm for probably not much more than £400

uncle_rufus · 24 Aug 2014 at 11:28

Update: I think having spent more time looking I'm going to go for a PLP setup as described above... question is can I get one that looks "meant-to-be?" i.e. with the screens all meeting up nicely?

A pair of 19" Dell E1913S 4:3 1280x1024 in portrait either side of a 24" Dell U2412M 16:10 1920x1200

The design of the monitor bezels and chassis are identical, which is nice, but I guess since 1280 isn't quite equal to 1200 it won't be a perfect pixel-to-pixel boundary... close though... physically the monitors are fairly similar sizes - the 19"s are 457mm wide and the 24" is 361mm tall... hmm maybe not