I haven't bought a new computer monitor in almost a decade. Is there anything special to look for? I don't want anything too huge - maybe something in the 21-24 inch range? Is widescreen pretty much standard these day? How much do I have to worry about refresh rate, color depth, and stuff like that? Also, best websites for looking for PC hardware deals? Thanks for any help!
You'll have to look hard to find something that isn't widescreen, and why would you want to? I'd go 24" (in fact I have two 24" side by side) - 21" is small these days. All the rest depends on what you'll be using it for. You'll want IPS if you want the best for photography and editing. Low refresh rate for games, but most current monitors are fast enough that you'll never notice the difference. --- CRT is what you find in museums, just in case you think Raife is being serious.
Not much has changed since March, IMO. http://brokenforum.com/index.php?threads/second-monitors.2025/ Stick with IPS whenever possible, and I wouldn't buy anything with less than a 3 year warranty.
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...&nf=233672~0~15116333&prods=320-2676,320-9800 If I didn't care that much about USB ports and being able to adjust the height and orientation of the monitor, other than being an inch bigger is there any significant advantage of the U2412M over the S2340L? For just over half the price, it seems like a pretty good deal.
It's not an inch. You lose 230400 pixels and almost 33 sq inches of viewing area (actual reduction in size of 13%). You also lose Displayport support.
I'm pretty sure that you do in fact lose an inch along the diagonal. But yeah, I didn't notice that the aspect ratio was different. Is one more standard for PC games? And if I'm okay with HDMI, is there a reason to care about Displayport? And gaining 13% size for 45% or so more money doesn't sound like a great deal.
You may care more about Displayport in another year or two; consider it future-proofing in case you ever want to go to an Eyefinity setup. The diagonal measurement only matters if you're comparing ones with the same aspect ratio; a 24 to 23 inch at the same aspect ratio is only an 8% decrease in viewing area. You're absolutely right though, if you care about zero other features, you are paying 45% more for 13% more surface area. But when you see the height and swivel adjustment, when you use the USB ports, and if you ever need a Displayport connection, you'll realize that it's money well spent.
Just FYI, others have it much cheaper than Dell. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dell - ...18456943233&skuId=4154798&st=u2412m&cp=1&lp=1 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824260047 http://www.nextwarehouse.com/item/?1141227_g10e
Thanks. I'd have to check on shipping since rates to Hawaii tend to vary and there's usually no such thing as free shipping to here. I'm starting to feel bad about having you do all this work for me. Is Dell still generally considered among the best values for low-to mid-range monitors? Edit: I can get the 23" one from Amazon for $170 shipped. I know you think I might be disappointed if I don't go a bit bigger, but that's a pretty good deal.
Yeah, they make some good screens, actually give them a 3 year warranty, and the review consensus is generally very favorable. Try the Best Buy link, you'd be surprised where they're willing to ship for free.
Oh, I was comparing the wrong things anyway. There's a 2440 that's an inch diagonally bigger 2340, although it's also 16:9. For $30 more, that one could be a winner. This quote from one of the Amazon review makes sense to me:
Those 230400 pixels are worth the price difference, but I'm a nut about my 16:10 screens. I'd also pay more for the hub, swivel, and DP support, but ultimately that's your call. Make sure you compare Apples to apples and get the shipped price on that U2412M from Best Buy and compare it with the shipped price on a 2440.
Oh, hmm, another thing is that the 2412 comes with a 3-year warranty and the 2440 only comes with a 1-year. I guess you think I need a 3-year? Hmm... And I'll probably need a new graphics card. Mine was fine for a 17" monitor (Geforce GT530), but it might have issues with a bigger one. Yay on GeForce GTX 650 Ti?
So I went with the 2440 and the GTX650Ti 2GB. The monitor seems plenty big enough for me and everything runs great. However... One of the backlights on the bottom left corner doesn't always come on when I wake up the computer. If I switch from an HDMI cord to a VGA cord or vice versa it will come back on. Switching resolutions will fix it for a couple seconds but switching cords is the only way to fix it so it works until I put the computer to sleep. Think this is fixable or should I just return it to the store for a new monitor? Fortunately they had it in stock at the local Best Buy.
How long is the warranty for store replacement? That's the type of hardware issue you don't want to have, because eventually that backlight might go out. It's also annoying. My vote is to go replace, you're not going to fix that yourself.
