Some Monitor Choice Help Please

Kheldar · 11 Feb 2009 at 21:33

ok, sorry another thread looking for some help, but the more i look at model numbers and specs the more confused i get !

am currently using a very reliable Dell 19" CRT that must be closer to 10 yrs old than 5. been looking to get a decent size LCD for around 3 yrs but first we moved house and then we had a baby so it got put on hold.

finally a rather big birthday is coming up very soon and so a monitor is once again on the cards and i wont have to pay for it!

now i mainly play WoW or some TF2 - I DONT play the latest FPS stuff. I may look to buy Empire Total War on its release.

my pc aint the newest or fastest. graphics card wise i've only (currently) got a Radeon X1950 Pro 512mb DDR3. So you may tell me a 24" is a bad choice and even a 22" ? although i could look to get another card if necessary......

for various reasons i've settled on looking at getting a Samsung or DELL.

i've been looking at the

Dell SP2309W 23" Widescreen LCD Monitor
Dell UltraSharp 2209WA 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor - which was pre order earlier today and now out of stock ?
Samsung SM2233BW Cream 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor
Samsung SM2333SW 23" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Samsung T220 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor
Samsung T240 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor
Samsung SM2443BW 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor
Samsung SM2433BW 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor

what are the real differences apart from the obvious (small) size differences.

does it matter if one quotes 2ms and another 5ms ?

or how some quote 3000:1 contrast and others 20000:1 and some even upto 80000:1 ?

or the difference in a quoted resolution of 2048x1152 or 1920x1200

i've seen some called 16:9 and others 16:10 aspect ?

whats with a SM2433 24" versus a SM2443 ?! £10 difference ? the samsung numbers and letters seem espicailly confusing and similar !

and why is the Samsung T series seemingly dearer for a same 24" size ?

talk about giving me a headache :confused:

thank you in advance for some help and guidance for my nearest and dearest spending her cash on me

Kheldar · 13 Feb 2009 at 08:32

can no one help please ?

nearest and dearest needs/wants to place an order over the weekend for next week's birtday

Audigex · 13 Feb 2009 at 10:31

16:10 is the standard "computer" widescreen and gives you 11% extra vertical height on the monitor (about 3 start-bars worth). 16:9 is the standard TV widescreen, so films will fit perfectly. Whether this is about convenience for the consumer or cost cutting is up to you to decide.

Ignore the high contrast ratio - it's standard "bigger is better" ********. Go off the general quality of the panel.

Unless you're a hardcore gamer, 5ms or 2ms don't matter. Some people can notice the difference in high-fps games, most won't care.

I'd go with a 22" with a resolution of 1920x1080 (Full HD) and look to upgrading your video card if your old ATI seems sluggish (especially likely on WoW); which leaves you the option of using it for blu-ray films in the near future.

Other than that I'm not great on the specific brands - I have a cheap 22" (not full HD unfortunately) but I don't see any quality issues with it. I'd just like the extra resolution.

Kheldar · 13 Feb 2009 at 14:17

thanks Audigex

when you say general quality of the panel are you meaning based on the manufacturer or some tech specs like the panel type ?

are you recommending a 22" simply because of my graphics card ?

anyone else care to recommend one the monitors above from OcUK webiste ? or dissuade me from any of them would be helpful.

need to sort out which one by sunday

Typhoon · 13 Feb 2009 at 14:33

If your budget will stretch to a 24" then that the one you should be getting. Your existing card will be more than plenty for desktop work at 1920x1200, and you coould always runna lower res for games if your card cant handle them. Gives you some scope for a graphics cards update in the future. Plenty of threads at the moment on the merit of various 24" screens at different price points.

Kheldar · 13 Feb 2009 at 16:10

thanks typhoon.

i was looking at the ones above to make my choice from. there are far to many to include any others and the model numbers are just too confusing !!

like the sammsung 2443 versus 2433 ? :confused:

Typhoon · 13 Feb 2009 at 18:50

I think both those Samsungs have the same panel, one looks like it fits better in an office and has a stand with more adjustments, and the other looks better at home.

Kheldar · 13 Feb 2009 at 21:29

cheers.

for some gaming and browsing does it really make a blind bit of difference on the panel type ?

are the panels in the ones i have mentioned above all the same or different ?