Yet another which monitor thread - 23-24" £200

PaulT · 31 Jul 2010 at 17:43

I've spent the last three days going through monitor after monitor and think I've overdosed on resolution, contrast and statistics.

I want a height adjustable monitor as having checked the fixed monitors in PC World I don''t think i'd be able to get on with them, plus have to get a £30 monitor stand for my desk.

The PC is to be used primarily for gaming (I7 930 with Nvidia 460), along with general office work. It will also be used for indesign and photoshop. I know that means the ideal is a £300-400 monitor but that's out of the budget.

Ideally costing less but my budget is around £200. To go above that it would really need to hit the photoshop and colour matching buttons to a reasonable extent.

Advice eagerly sought.

PCM2 · 31 Jul 2010 at 18:21

The only monitor I can recommend for your uses would involve a stretch of your budget (the Dell U2311H), but it would certainly be worth that little extra. At £200 you're looking at budget models that are either good for gaming but not colour-critical work, or are highly adjustable and decent for colour critical work but not so much for gaming. You just can't have everything at that price (new), at the moment.

PaulT · 31 Jul 2010 at 20:57

Thanks for the response It's certainly one to consider, though from looking at some reviews it's appearing as if it's not really great for gaming (8ms response seems a lot compared to the 2ms a lot of gaming comps now feature) but certainly has excellent colour callibration and angle-viewing.

It's more than I can really stretch to in the budget when I'm buying a new desk at the same time, however. Is there a decent compromise choice under 200? Probably leaning more towards the gaming side as it's likely easier to self-justify spending out 300+ on a future work-related monitor than a better gaming monitor.

I've seen these and have been weighing them up:

Samsung 2494HM (not available at OCUK)

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-124-SA

LG W2442PA

Adjustable monitors seem to be a rarity these days, which is odd given at the same time decent office computer desks are harder to find.

PCM2 · 1 Aug 2010 at 09:51

The LG is actually a pretty good monitor - but only after it has been calibrated. The factory settings are pretty off as far as colours go and I'm never one for spending too much time calibrating TN panels anyway. Do take this comment with a pinch of salt though - this was a passive observation as one of my work colleagues used to have one and I got to fiddle about with it for about an hour. I am sure you have read a lot of decent reviews floating about on the internet for the LG W2442PA. Unfortunately that Samsung is one of the very few Samsungs that I know very little about. I think this is because, as you say, affordable and adjustable panels are a rarity these days.

PaulT · 1 Aug 2010 at 11:27

After a comment from my better half about hours spent picking a monitor versus working/doing house-stuff etc....

Even taking the £75 difference between the two, do you think the Dell is a better choice than the LG?

PCM2 · 1 Aug 2010 at 11:45

In honesty, if you are going to be doing photoshop and design work then it would probably be worth the extra for the Dell. You will probably notice extra subtle shades in gaming and movies as well and the pleasing black depth should also be a bonus in this regard. As far as responsiveness goes, it is down to more than just the 2ms vs 8ms grey to grey. Whilst it would be foolhardy to suggest that any IPS panel (the Dell) is as responsive as their Twisted Nematic counterpart (the LG); the U2311H is one of the most responsive IPS panels available with low input lag. It will probably save you upgrading for another work panel in the near future and will be a great all-rounder.