Which screen

benjo · 12 Jul 2006 at 01:08

Hi all.

I dont know much about whats hot etc atm. Going to be buying an X1800 in about a months time, so i'm going to upgrade from my 17" CRT

I'm liking the idea of a widescreen, along the lines of the Acer 19" widescreen?

I'll have a budget of around £200 for the panel me thinks

What ya got?

benjo · 12 Jul 2006 at 17:54

bump

Wheaty · 12 Jul 2006 at 18:44

Check out your local PC shop and look at the sizes of the monitors.

The 19inch widescreen IMO is a bit small, I like 20inch but the 19inch loses too much height for my liking.

A 19inch 4:3 would be a better upgrade IMO, unless you can strech to a 20inch widescreen.

The names which come to mind are-

Samsung SM-920N - Great screen, same as the famous 913N (I think it was called) but has only a analog input.

A more expensive choice would be the Viewsonic VP920, it has great egronomics (as in tilt and moving around) a DVI input and the 0 dead pixel promise.

Thanks and I hoped I helepd somewhat!

Cyber-Mav · 12 Jul 2006 at 19:01

got to a 21inch crt like i have. they can;t be beat

benjo · 12 Jul 2006 at 20:44

Wheaty said:
Thanks and I hoped I helepd somewhat!

You sure did! I'm questionning myself about a 20"WS now

If i were to get that, i would need to wait a month and then buy it. Or do overtime

. As you said, i'll take a look at the monitors some local places have. I'm upgrading from a 17" CRT so i think 19" + will be a good upgrade

@Cyber Mav: My desk is on its last legs, i dont think a 21" CRT would last long

Plus they seem to be quite hard to find nowadays

Darkwave · 12 Jul 2006 at 21:06

Take my advice and stay away from Video7, particularly the 19" widescreen one that is currently on This Week Only. I am staring at one as I type this message, and it's going back tomorrow for a Hyundai 19" widescreen instead.

The Acer, Hyundai, and Viewsonic 19" widescreens are all excellent quality panels according to the guy on the OcUK phones who helped me today and all about the same price.

Wheaty · 12 Jul 2006 at 21:31

They all use the same TN Film panel, its just the casing and other bits which are different. Also the building process.

I would go for a 20inch to be honest, a big upgrade! I have a Viewsonic VX2025 and I love it! Pictures if you request them mate!

Thanks.

Darkwave · 12 Jul 2006 at 22:30

Wheaty said:
They all use the same TN Film panel, its just the casing and other bits which are different. Also the building process.

Really? The guy I spoke with on the phone at OcUK today said that basically you get one of two "grades" of panel from like three fabs on the planet, and while they are the same, the higher grade panels you get in brands like Acer and Viewsonic monitors are tested and quality controlled much more strictly than the lower grade ones in brands like Video7 (which I made the mistake of buying and happened to get a dud screen.)

benjo · 12 Jul 2006 at 22:34

@Úlfhednar: I had the same reaction when i saw the Video7 screen. Sounds a bit iffy tbh

@Wheaty: Go on then, would like to see what its like

Darkwave · 13 Jul 2006 at 00:06

benjo said:
@Úlfhednar: I had the same reaction when i saw the Video7 screen. Sounds a bit iffy tbh

Aye!

OcUK assured me that they are a fine brand and that I was simply unlucky, but seriously, I think I will reconsider my scrooge-like penny-pinching behaviour in future and only buy from established manufacturers, even if it means paying a bit more.

Wheaty · 13 Jul 2006 at 13:58

Hi there,

Please excuse my crappy photography skills. The pictures also make the screen look washed out, its really actually vibrant in real life.

Just a general shot.

Playing with macro!

Angles.

A general shot of my setup and the Viewsonic. Its a really nice size and the widescreen feels natural, sounds weird but you kind of feel you need that extra wide space.

I came from a 17inch TFT. The difference was not massive but noticeable. Every now and then when your playing a game you sit back and actually notice how nice the extra wide aspect is.

http://tvcalculator.com/index.html?1a2a488ebd74133cbda64ba344a166cc

Check here to see the difference in size. I couldnt be botherd to change the resolutions by the way (dont really need them unless you want to know the pixel density and stuff).

Good luck.

AWilderbeast · 13 Jul 2006 at 16:20

im after a 19" widescreen tft also, just been looking all over the web for ones i like and reviews on them.

It seems if your after a great monitor for gaming and want widescreen you have to go for 20" as there isnt enough 19" out there.

I cant seem to find any anyway.

Anyone know of or have a 19" widescreen monitor for gaming use i could look at?

Wheaty · 13 Jul 2006 at 20:31

I dont think theres much choice in the 19inch Widescreen market, as they all use the same TN film panel (I think).

This panel is good for games but not as good as the other panels (P-MVA or S-IPS).

Also the size of 19inch widescreen (IMO) is a bit too small. I would prefer a 19inch normal instead. But, if your set on a 19inch, then I would reccomend the following-

Acer

Hanns-G HW191D

Viewsonic VA1912W