Need some guidance on New Monitor

Rambo89 · 16 Mar 2012 at 00:06

Hi,

I have been using a Hazro 24" H24Wi for the past 3 and a half years or so but the power supply has just blown on me, attempted to get a replacement but the one i recieved had wrong Pin layout and struggling to find a replacement that will work.

Currently planning on getting a new monitor on Payday, what would people recommend i buy?

My price range is £200-£300 if 24" or higher, was looking at the Hans-G 27.5" monitor.

Axeia · 16 Mar 2012 at 01:29

The Hans-G is almost off the market (the Dutch market anyway - I'm guessing the same goes for the UK). It's also known for having horrible support because the warranty is handled by repair-tech. More importantly it seems like it would be a downgrade in more than one way:

The Hazro is glossy, the Hans-G is matte (matte monitors look a bit more Dull)
The Hazro has an IPS panel, the Hans-G uses a TN-panel (you'll have worse viewing angles and colour uniformity)
The Hazro has a much higher pixel density, The Hans-G will look less sharp.

Point #1.. well, that's pretty much impossible to get around, the number of glossy panels within your budget can be counted on one hand (The Samsung 120Hz 23" screens and one of the HP's).

I'd say that the monitor you'd want is the Dell U2412M. Same resolution as your Hazro, same screensize, also an IPS screen. It is matte but that's something you'll most likely get used relatively fast. It's also on special sale atm, so I hope for you that payday is sometime soon?
Does come with a much better stand than the Hazro btw, height adjustable, rotate-able, all the good stuff.

Rambo89 · 16 Mar 2012 at 02:30

Did see that dell and liked the specs, IPS screen would make things better as my hazro is really good, hopefully the Dell will be similar.

Would not want to buy a monitor which is no where near the quality my hazro was!

Payday is in 2 weeks, not bothered about price hike, if its worth the purchase ill get it, will look into reviews.

Also, is the BenQ XL2420T any good?

Is there any 27" Monitors worth looking at as well?

cmndr_andi · 16 Mar 2012 at 06:25

+1 for the Dell U2412M

It will be of similar quality to your Hazro and comes with a nice 3 year warranty from Dell (their service is generally excellent). Here is an in-depth review.

The BenQ XL2420T is a very different type of monitor - but well worth considering if you do a lot of gaming. It uses a TN panel - so the colour accuracy isn't as good as the Dell or your Hazro and the viewing angles aren't nearly as good. However, it does have the benefit of a really fast pixel response - so very little ghosting can be seen (even when playing fast-paced games) and the 120Hz refresh rate means that motion feels smoother when there is a lot of movement. This monitor's resolution is only 1920x1080 (not 1920x1200 like the dell and hazro) so it doesn't have quite as much height, which probably won't matter much in games but you may notice in windows/applications.

As for 27 inchers, in your budget there are only TN panel and a few VA panel 1080p/1200p monitors (the IPS 27 inchers cost £400+). I wouldn't recommend a 27in TN panle monitor, as the TN technology has drawbacks of poor viewing angles (when you move your head slightly off-centre the colours can visibly shift) and colour banding can be seen at the extremes of the panel - these drawbacks are further highlighted when you use such a large TN panel.

The 27in VA panel option may be worth considering - as such a monitor would give you decent viewing angles, good colour accuracy, excellent contrast and excellent black levels. However, these panels are really poor for motion and ghosting is usually very apparant if you play any fast-paced games. Therefore, if you are using the monitor for only desktop work and would really like a large panel (bear in mind the pixels will be quite big - since the resolution is the same or smaller than your hazro - but stretched accross a larger area, so image won't look as sharp) then a 27in VA panel monitor like the BenQ EW2730V (here is an in-depth review) is a decent option.

Personally, I would go with the Dell U2412M.

Rambo89 · 20 Mar 2012 at 01:39

Have been looking at the Dell U2412M and really tempted but so much planned next month i would have to wait.

I was also looking at the Dell U2312HM, i am picking up a 22" LG Monitor/TV off a mate for cheap so going to dual monitor thought might be more worthwhile just getting another 1920x1080 monitor so it makes this easier.

Is the Dell U2312HM as good as the 24"?

Sycho · 20 Mar 2012 at 03:04

If you are gaming a lot get the BenQ XL2420T it's extremely good, colours are very nice for a TN panel too and the stand is very easy to adjust to your needs.

If you are doing photo work/gaming seldomly/watch movies regularly then the Dell U2312HM is best choice for an all round monitor.

At the end of the day after having a real good IPS panel myself i personally prefer 120hz with 3D Vision 2.0 over a bit better viewing angles and colour production.One downside to 120hz though is you need very good gpu power to see it's true benefits in some games.

Rambo89 · 20 Mar 2012 at 03:36

The most important things i need are decent viewing angles, i use my monitor for watching blu rays and videos most nights after work, my desk is 14 inches higher up than my bed, so i look up at the monitor from below, so the vertical angles need to be good.

It also needs to perform well for games too.

Would the U2312HM be a good choice for this? is there any other 23/24" that would do so? possibly for upto £200?

Toothy1911 · 21 Mar 2012 at 13:45

The U2312HM would be a good choice for viewing at an angle, as it is an IPS screen. I wouldn't gamble with a normal TN screen, you might be disappointed that low down. The U2312HM is idea for movies, as it is 16:9 and 1920x1080. Compared to the U2412M, you're only losing out about 1cm on the width. But, you will gain about an inch on the height of the 24", which doesnt sound a lot, but makes quite a difference for web use and gaming. Depends if you want to stretch a bit over budget though

cmndr_andi · 21 Mar 2012 at 15:53

Based on that usage and a budget of £200 then you won't be able to beat the U2312HM. It is a really nice monitor and will offer you the wide viewing angles you are looking for as well as good gaming performance.

If you can afford the extra for the U2412M then that will be even better (due to the larger size, higher resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio), but if it is too much then the U2312HM is still great.

Here are a couple of really in-depth reviews of the U2312HM that are well worth a read:

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2312hm.htm
http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/review/2011/review-dell-u2312hm.html

Rambo89 · 22 Mar 2012 at 04:21

Cheers for the input, i am still trying to work out what monitor i want to go for.

Ive been looking at the LG IPS235V-BN as well, im thinking of getting 2 of these on payday, still trying to decide as ive started working at home doing nightshift for my work and 2 monitors works a lot better, means i can have remote desktop up while having the use of the other monitor for fault finding!

Ill decide on Payday depening on my wage i may just get 2 of the U2312HM's.

cmndr_andi · 22 Mar 2012 at 10:30

The LG IPS235V is a good value IPS monitor and is pretty ideal if you are mainly using the monitor for desktop work and movies. However, if you plan to play games it isn't ideal and the Dell U2312HM is better.

Here is a review of the LG IPS235V, on the page looking at the responsiveness:

Subjective evaluation

In some games, faint streaks could be observed. However, occasional gamers should only notice these if they are very sensitive to streaks. The monitor can be recommended for use in games to any other users. On the other hand, hardcore gamers should notice this effect, so the model is only suitable for them to a limited extent.

In contrast, the review for the Dell U2312HM on the same site says:

Subjective evaluation

The IPS panel in the U2312HM has been designed for short switching times; the 6-Bit colour control, which is otherwise almost exclusively used in TN panels, helps the screen to achieve truly fast switching times for IPS technology; the overdrive solution goes a step further, but it is so regulated in doing so that distracting side effects can only be uncovered in synthetic tests at low levels.

It is possible to play even very fast paced games on the U2312HM. The fact that the overdrive solution hardly makes itself noticeable in a negative way when viewed subjectively, despite the fast response times, is worth mentioning. This claim can no longer be made regarding the fastest TN panels, which manage to squeeze out a few more milliseconds.

CooperFBI · 27 Apr 2012 at 12:08

Rambo which monitor did you go for in the end?

I'm in the same boat as you. I have the same Hazro and need to replace with a similar quality monitor. I need sRGB (or as close as possible as I do web stuff) and was looking at either the U2412M or the U2410. I'd rather go cheap this time, but really don't want to drop in quality as the Hazro quality is beautiful.

Did your power just blow out on the Hazro? Any odd symptoms that appeared first?