Spec me a monitor!

[_PD_]

Hi!

K, so I need a new monitor...

I have NEVER bought a monitor before, so I have no idea. At the moment, I use two CRTs, both the same size. If I measure diagonally across the glass (is that how you do it?), they are 16 inches across.

I want a flatish one to take to uni, and am happy to buy just one, as I can always use one of these old CRTs as my second screen.

I will use it for (in approx. order of usage); Browsing/MSN etc, apps such as photoshop and dreamweaver, gaming (BF2 and LFS mostly), and watching DVDs.

Do I want a widescreen? The OcUK Value Hanns-G HW191D 19" Widescreen looks good, but if it's 19" diagonal, does that mean it wont be very tall compared to a regular 19"? And is widescreen worth having, anyway?

I have £150 to spend.

FINALLY, to me I reckon bigger will just be better, I've never looked at a monitor and thought anything of it other that "ooooooh big", all this contrast ratio and response time stuff just confuses me. I do like a stupid resolution though.

Any advice appreciated, sorry for the long post

Thank you!!!

 

[sugoi]

for £150, the OcUK Value Hanns-G HW191D 19" Widescreen LCD Monitor is really popular at the moment especially with the recent reductions in price, it wont be as tall as a reular 4:3 19", maybe the same height as a 17", but you do lose 124 pixels in height from a standard TFT 19" - what you lose will be gained in width though, at that price it's a good deal. Widescreens are becoming popular now, great for movies and widescreen gaming is becoming more apparent, im on the verge of moving to widescreen from dual screen as well. I also do a lot of web design in photoshop and online gaming...

 

[Holbeck]

What about a 17"? I can't afford to pay more than £120 but most you see are either own brand like Dabs/********/Watford ect. or unknown brands. Are any of these any good? I am mostly worried about the dead pixel problem although I assume this has mostly been eliminated as I haven't seen this mentioned so much nowadays.