Monitor suggestions £300 budget

[Hagar]

I am in need of a monitor to replace my CRT, I have a budget of £300 which is not fixed but I would like to stay reasonably close.

I use my PC for text based programs, coding in visual basic, internet and mail, and a few games.

My graphics card is an ATI HD3650 512Mb Gddr3 AGP, not fantastic but adequate, my PC is likewise a couple of years old but reasonably fast, Lian Li, Athlon dual 64 bit, DDR, winXP and win7.

I think I need 24", 1920 x 1200 (may consider 16:9 rather than 16:10).
Professional looking and reliable monitor with good warranty.
Sharp graphics, no fuzzy text, good colouration.

All suggestions are welcome.

best regards, andy

 

[Culinia]

Hi there

Basically if you are expecting a CRT quality in a LCD monitor you will be disappointed.

IPS panel would be nearer to a CRT but it is out of price your range by about ~£150 for a 24"
You could downsize to 22" at 1680 x 1050 with this Dell UltraSharp 2209WA though or save up for a 24" HP LP2475w or Dell UltraSharp U2410. Also worth point out, if you do decide to save some more money a newer version should be released, so worth checking that out.

Also worth noting that if you decide to go with the Dell... read this post regarding some tinting issues with them.
but if you can cope with less viewing angle and as some pros (photography) say poor colour reproductions although they're not actually that bad if you don't depend on them for printing etc. then a TN panel will be good enough such as this 24" BenQ G2420HDBL.
I personally would avoid Samsung becuase apparantly through some reading they seem to 'buzz' on some panels.

In my opinion modern LCDs do not blur (unless they are faulty) as they did previously in the past.

 

[chris74]

I was hummin' and Hawin' about a monitor with the same type of budget to go with my dell 2407wfp.

Seems like every monitor is 1920x1080 where my dell is 1900x1200 so it left very few options.

Instead I opted for this: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-100-SA&groupid=17&catid=510&subcat=

Its a TN panel unlike my Dell but its fantastic. Samsung really do make great panels and there really isn't a difference. Take Samsungs fantastic warranty and dead pixel warranty and you really will struggle to beat it.

Oh one last thing. I purchased the 19" BenQ LED monitor for my son. If this mirrors what the 24" bigger brother offers then I would stay clear.

 

[Hagar]

Culinia,

Thanks for your reply, I am not expecting CRT performance from a TN or other monitor, my main concern is uneven colours and or backlight so I am looking at the upper end of manufacturers. I could afford and get either the HP or the Dell IPS 24" panels but do not think that I would need this level of panel for my tasks plus it is quite a lot of money for just a monitor. I appreciate your thoughts though and was tempted earlier in my search by the 22" Dell except for the resolution. I am convinced now though that I do need the 1200 pixel depth for my coding activities.

Chris74

I welcome your recommendation on the Samsung panel, I am a little bit confused with Samsung though as they have such a large array of items and not all on their website. I did note the 2443BW as a possible but also noted that they have been around for just about 18 months and as OC have sold out for a while and they are getting a bit scarcer, whether they are being superceded. This would not be a problem if they are a truly great panel and will last a few years, the 2443 is the sort of spec I am looking for.


Maybe in the next few weeks there will be a new must have 24" or 26" out there, but I do really need to make a buy soon.

best, all, andy

 

[PCM2]

I agree with Chris74. The 2443BW is a fantastic panel. I wouldn't worry about it being superceded. Samsung are focussing more on their 22-23 inch panels at the moment although there are some releases planned for Easter time which might be worth looking out for.

 

[Hagar]

I agree with Chris74. The 2443BW is a fantastic panel. I wouldn't worry about it being superceded. Samsung are focussing more on their 22-23 inch panels at the moment although there are some releases planned for Easter time which might be worth looking out for.

Looks like I am going with this one, I have emailed OCUK but they do not have a date for restock so I will support my local brick and mortar store who can get me one even if it is 10% more retail, in this climate we all need the local stores to survive.

thanks, andy.