Suitable monitor for Coding/Gaming/Image editing

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21 Aug 2009
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Hey, its time for me to get a monitor upgrade - using 2 x 17" doesnt cut it anymore and as buying new monitors isnt cheap thus want to make sure i get something pretty decent :) any help would great as i dont want to make an expensive mistake :(

I would be using the new monitor(s) for:
  • programming(Thus need a lot of space, current setup isnt enough),
  • gaming(mainly online, COD4 and hopefully soon to be SW:ToR :)),
  • image editing(photoshop, 3d studio max etc i need the new monitor to display a decent amount of colours etc)
  • hidef movies/tv so a nice contrast ratio, also how my room is laid out the monitor needs to have a decent angle range and as my bed is lower than my desk i need to monitor to be able to tilt forwards and pref have good viewing angles.(read that TN panels dont do this well???)

My problem is i just cant choose what to pick. would keeping a dual monitor setup be best, if so was thinking 2 x 24" or 2x22" screens (pref 1920 by 1200), would buy one now and then the other once payday arrives:) or get one big monitor (25.5" -27") and have a good resolution?

i have a nice budget but nothing to extravagant(£300-£400max). For a large monitor im really considering buying the 26" lg flatron however it lacks inputs and failed a UGRA test? in this review (not entirely sure what it is though...and if i buy a console im not entirely sure on how id hook it up + wouldnt mind hooking up a freebox down the line via HDMI which this doesnt have). the Dell 2709W would be nice but i cannot justify that much money for a monitor especially as ive read about the lag issues. For smaller monitors 22"/24" im not entirely sure, at first i looked at the Samsung T240 but now changed my mind.

Atm im stuck in a pickle and after thinking maybe a dual monitor set up might still be best for me, any recomendations would be great :)
 
Just wanted to highlight this one to you as I am seriously considering this myself :)

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-025-OK&groupid=17&catid=1120&subcat=

There is a review of it on trusted reviews (I think that was where I saw it) and whilst not the best monitor it was certainly not shamed,

J.

P.S. As a coder myself I do like to undock panels and stick them on a second monitor giving much more space on my main panel, keep one of the seventeens and use it for this at the side of your new monitor.... just a thought.
 
was thinking 2 x 24" or 2x22" screens (pref 1920 by 1200), would buy one now and then the other once payday arrives:) or get one big monitor (25.5" -27") and have a good resolution?
There's no resolution difference from 24" sized ones until you go to 30" size. (except some overhyped Full HD buzzscreens giving you less vertical space)
WUXGA probably has little less space than your current screens give in total so sufficiency of one monitor depends on how tight you're having currently... then again that space being spread between two screens makes it harder to fit for example big image into it.
You could also get two different monitors, one primary monitor and then secondary one (for those toolbars and extra program windowses etc) which wouldn't need to be so good quality one.


TNs don't have any vertical viewing angle as far as brightness/gamma stability is concerned. Check brightness between bottom and top in straight on shots:
http://www.behardware.com/articles/680-5/lcd-24-iiyama-b2403ws-samsung-245t.html
Examples what actually "stressing" test images look in end of this page:
http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/viewing_angle.php
 
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