Need Help choosing 2x Monitors

Turbulance · 20 Sep 2009 at 01:00

Hi, as the title says, I am looking to replace my current setup which is a 23" Samsung LE23## TV 1360x768 resolution and a 19" Packard Bell monitor which came with the Packard Bell computer I won last year.

Anyway my current rig is fairly mid spec by todays standard Q6600 8800GTX 4Gb Ram and was wanting to replace the two screens I have which look horrible side by side. I am not bothered about HDMI but I would like DVI on them. Price isnt so much of an issue if its really worth spending a lot more but as I am used to gaming at such low resolutions I dont think I will need anything too fantastic.

On th otherhand I want 2 monitors that are going to last me another few years as I am looking at upgrading my rig soon and dont want to have to replace them with it.

Primary use will be for gaming, watching DVD's and movies through my computer and thats about it really oh and in black ideally lol.

I have been reading reviews around and a lot of people are praising the Dell's and Samsungs but I cant really see the difference between the £200'ish pannels and the £400+ screens, help!

Thanks,

5abr3 · 20 Sep 2009 at 01:27

Any idea what sort of size you are looking to go to or what kind of ratio you are aiming for? Not much point us suggesting 4:3 screens if you want widescreen!

cmndr_andi · 20 Sep 2009 at 02:46

Two of these would be absolutely fantastic. I have one at home and it is lovely, adding a second would be hilariously awesome.

Turbulance · 20 Sep 2009 at 04:10

Thanks for the quick responses, yeah I was looking for something about 22" or perhaps bigger, ideally widescreen yeah. How do those screens compare to the £450ish 24" versions?

Thanks,

Moeks · 20 Sep 2009 at 04:40

cmndr_andi said:
Two of these would be absolutely fantastic. I have one at home and it is lovely, adding a second would be hilariously awesome.

I have 2, and while I will concede that they are very good, I would hardly say 2 is "hilariously awsome" ...that's quite an overstatement really

But yea, recommend.

For "hilariously awsome" you need a lot more than 2 monitors these days

...and they need to be a lot bigger than 22" for that matter.

Turbulance · 20 Sep 2009 at 05:08

Been reading up a bit on these new 120hz monitors that work with Nvidias new 3D view glasses system, what do people think about this option? I heard it uses 2x DVI ports too so that would limit me to 1 monitor, not a massive issue if the 3d really was that worth it.

cmndr_andi · 20 Sep 2009 at 11:31

Moeks said:
For "hilariously awsome" you need a lot more than 2 monitors these days ...and they need to be a lot bigger than 22" for that matter.

Hehe, I see what you mean. I guess its all a matter of perspective, If I have a single 22in and then add a second identical one then its a huge and amazing upgrade. But someone with a 3x 24in setup would likely look down it as pretty insignificant.

The monitor I picked is also non-TN panel (eIPS infact) and consequently very good for image quality and viewing angles. To get a similarly featured 24in monitor would set you back twice as much, so for a multi monitor setup I reckon it isn't worth it. For more info on panel types have a look here.

As for the 120Hz monitors, for gaming they look excellent. But you do pay a hefty premium and they only use TN panels. I do hear the nvidia 3D is rather good, but at the moment the only 120Hz monitors are 22inch, If you want to go 3D I'd wait for some larger/higher res monitors to appear.

ChazHurst · 20 Sep 2009 at 11:47

I can do nothing but recommend these. Although they might be out of stock currently...

Image quality is great, excellent contrast, white whites (not yellow like some older sammy models (226BW)). Some backlight bleed in the corners but you can't expect it to be perfect at this price point.

TheMeekon · 20 Sep 2009 at 12:44

ChazHurst said:
I can do nothing but recommend these. Although they might be out of stock currently...

Image quality is great, excellent contrast, white whites (not yellow like some older sammy models (226BW)). Some backlight bleed in the corners but you can't expect it to be perfect at this price point.

Not sure if there is any difference in the 22" model of the Samsung but I had it and it was shocking, looked really washed out and the back light bleed was horrendous. Swapped it after a couple of months.

Moeks · 20 Sep 2009 at 20:06

If you are going to buy a 22" display, the Dell 2209WA really is the best you will get in my opinion, if you are going to go larger, then there quite a few other options, but as cmndr_andi said, you'll have to pay twice as much for the same quality of panel and display in a 24" format.