Spec Me a 20" Monitor

Kosmiche

Kosmiche

Kosmiche

Permabanned
Joined
3 Oct 2009
Posts
14,033
Location
North Wales
Hello,

I've decided I would like a 20" monitor, this size is perfect for me and I currently own and love a Viewsonic VX2025WM.

Now this monitor is aging, and I've noticed newer monitors are much brighter than my slightly dim old viewsonic.

It has a resolution of 1680x1050 but I've noticed that 20" monitors now all have the 1600x900 res.

Is this much of a downgrade? Will I notice the difference?

I also like how tall my Viewsonic is and I'm concerned a 1600x900 monitor will be like looking at a letterbox. Is that the case?

Basically could you guys please hit me with some 20" monitor reccomendations that will surpass my viewsonic...its a pva panel remember and it cost about £300 when it came out so its a nice quality monitor.

Thanks guys.
 
Just for thought:

The smaller the screen, the more you will be affected by the 16:9's squashed phenomenon. If you're comparing 20" 16:10 and 16:9, the 16:9 will feel cramped. Furthermore, price difference between 20" and 22" isn't that great. And at that size range, you should go with IPS panels. And you won't be anywhere near 300€ range, more like 100-150€ range. Unless you're looking for professinal grade monitors, which might cost an arm and a leg.

Also, I think the sweet spot is around 23-24" atm, and the further you move from this, the less selection you'll have. And I would recommend staying with the 16:10 ratio, unless you're getting the monitor primarily for movies. In desktop usage, the extra vertical space will really come in handy. Unfortunately, the industry has mostly moved to "FullHD" ( == 16:9, 1920x1080), because it sells for the oblivious masses. Therefore, 16:10 drastically limits the options...

Either way, here's my recommendations:

Philips 227E3QPHSU
- e-IPS, 22"
- 1920x1080 (16:9, grr)
- about 150€ (120£ ?)

LG Flatron IPS225V
- e-IPS, 22"
- 1920x1080 (16:9, grr)
- about 140€ (115£ ?)

Btw, if you're adventurous, you could even go to 23". They're around 160€, so price difference really isn't much.

LG Flatron IPS235V
- e-IPS, 23"
- 1920x1080 (16:9, grr)
- about 150€ (120£ ?)


PS: All the recommendations are made with the condition that it's IPS. And I would strongly recommend you only look at IPS panels (or pretty much anything else is fine too, but stay away from TN).

PS2: Actually, it would seem that ALL the current 20" monitors have TN panels. Thus I can't give any recommendations for 20" monitors, in any case (and I'm confident enough to say others won't, either). Furthermore, even the cheapest 20" TN monitors start around 90€. Simply put, go with 22" and IPS.

edit:
Here's a comparison of going from 16:10 20" to 16:9 22", enjoy:
http://displaywars.com/20-inch-16x10-vs-22-inch-16x9
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom