Question about monitors

DocFrazier

So in the near future, I am going to be getting a new monitor, in preperation for this I was flipping through Amazon, just window shopping. Holy Crap! So many options, where should one begin? What should I be looking for in a brand name, in size versus cost, functionality(HDMI or DVI). All/Any input is welcome. This will be my primary display screen, the monitor I'm using now will shift to become my second screen. When I begin upgrading my computer, should I aim for a GPU with HDMI out or is DIV just as good? Those are some of the questions I have.
Go!

Straight_Man

Well, many folks pick a monitor with BOTH HDMI AND DVI simply so they can be flexible with what GPU they get. So far as I understand, DVI is slightly better than HDMI(no adaptation if later you want to use a DVI monitor if you get a DVI-out video card that way). I will let others talk more about monitor recommendations and video card recommendations and adapting from an HDMI to DVI with an adapter at GPU end of cable or in cable.

One thing, the better monitors will cost $200-300 minimum shipped and sales tax paid. But they will be useable longer.

As to waiting for monitor until you upgrade, I would strongly suggest that unless you buy a monitor that will work with both your current and future video card ideally-- and you will not know what video card until upgrade time if your system is quite old now.

DocFrazier

Heh... The system I have is quite old... The GPU is an Nvidia 8800 GT, so while old, it still had the DVI out.

Straight_Man

Ok, then you have your answer basically, you want a new DVI-capable monitor and card if old monitor is also DVI-in. You were talking about using BOTH right??? Or are talking a build with intent to keep both systems? The cards recommended here will tend to be multi-monitor capable cards if past runs true.

DocFrazier

What I have now is a Sharp HD tv from 2007, It has HDMI or VGA. I have a DVI to VGA converter which allows me to use this monitor. The new monitor is a birthday gift from my parents, and because of the dated system I have, which I know I will be upgrading, I'd like to point them to something I will be able to build into, so to speak. Because my GPU had the DVI, I can use that, but which is better, HDMI or DVI? Other things include brand, does that matter so much, or do I just judge quality by cost?

shwaip

Do you do any work that requires color accuracy/ higher gamut? (photo/video editing)

How big of a monitor do you want?

Aim for a monitor that has DVI and displayport.

How much do you want to spend?

Straight_Man

Basically, we need some ideas about what you will be trying to upgrade into. We do NOT need to know what video card yet, if you go DVI and displayport capable.

With HD monitors, large, very large and high density (in Pixels Per Inch quality) and fast response monitors to show motion (gaming) are quite expensive. Dell makes a somewhat not newest but considered decent for all the above things monitor that runs about $225 shipped with taxes. I THINK it is a model D2412UX or D2412UM monitor.

That would be good for you. Bonus, it is also color-accurate usually. @Fatcat has three of them. @Bandrik has 2 of them.

Amazon might have them cheaper by $20.00 to $30.00 than Newegg does. Last I looked, neither Amazon nor Newegg was closing them out but they were having a mini-price war on them.

DocFrazier

Well, that's the next step, but its a ways out. I can't even assign a specific budget, but it will be in the vicinity of 800-1000, essentially from the ground up, case, MB, Proc, PS, GPU, +4G RAM(to a total of 8), and potentialy SSD for a boot drive. Air cooled, I'm not venturing into overclocking just yet, just gaming and surfing. This is my first venture into building, the set-up I have now was put together for me by a friend, and reassembled by my step-dad.

Surfing Amazon, I found this monitor, http://www.amazon.com/Asus-VS247H-P-24-Inch-Full-HD-Monitor/dp/B005BZNDS0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1351324028&sr=1-1&keywords=computer+monitor . It seems to meet the above stated. I did searches after the Dell you mentioned, but I got nothing.

adarryl

My recommendation to you would be to see, in person, any monitor you're considering before you buy. Obviously, you want a high contrast ratio, low grey to grey response time and a video card that will support the monitor's native resolution, at least 1920 x 1080. With that said, there is still no specifications substitute for actually seeing and adjusting a monitor before you buy. Having owned/used numerous monitors, I can say that color saturation and contrast are the two most difficult things for a monitor to get right and you can fiddle with one for days trying to set it to your "eye" preference. I own but do not like Asus monitors. To me they are very bright which makes them stunning when you first look at one, but after a while, it is not unlike staring into a searchlight. However, as you set brightness to taste (taking it down from factory set), you discover they lose contrast quickly and you can get faded colors or in the opposite extreme "brazen" colors that shine unnaturally. Crank up the contrast on any monitor to see what I mean; turn it the other way and it is though someone hit the dimmer switch and colors fade. I like Viewsonic and ViewEra models but you have to go to their upper tier ($$) to get a really good one. However, I have found Viewsonic's customer support to be lacking. Of all the monitors out there, I am partial to LG. I find they do a better job with the key variables of color saturation and contrast though you still have to fiddle with them.

If you get a chance, take a comparison look at any monitor with a built-in TV tuner which has all of the D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI, Composite connectivities. I think you will like what you see.

One last thought: Viewing angle is terribly important. Try to get as close to 178 x 178 degrees as you can.

DocFrazier

Thanks for all the input! I consider myself fairly well equipped to tackle this now. BBL with questions about the build.

Straight_Man

Model number I mis-managed to figure out last night:

Dell U2412M--- Amazon has them on marketplace.

DocFrazier

Straight_Man said:

Model number I mis-managed to figure out last night:

Dell U2412M--- Amazon has them on marketplace.

Thank You.

RootWyrm

Best 24" out there right now is the HP ZR2440w. It's the model update to the HP ZR24w's. (I run a trio.)

The ZR2440w has LED backlighting, e-IPS and updated interface electronics. Build quality is much higher than Dell - that's not silver colored plastic, it's actually aluminum. Image consistency across multiple displays is spot on - usually <1-2% before tuning. They also pack a 3 year onsite warranty from HP as a business product, not a consumer product. So if anything goes wrong, call up and talk to an actual human, who will dispatch an actual human with a new monitor to your home if it should break.

The small downside is that the HP ZR2440w is a <b>1920x1200 (16:10) monitor. Not a 16:9. I've connected all sorts of things to both the ZR24w and ZR2440w though, and my Xbox 360 works just fine with VGA inputs at 1920x1080.

But don't take my word for it. TFT Central knows their stuff. (The only thing is that the firmware they tested is known to have input lag issues in certain scenarios; DP / DVI input with overdrive enabled is 10ms or less, same as the HP ZR24w.)

Thrax

Yes, nobody beats the ZR2440W. Best affordable 24" panel out there, bar none.

edcentric

or the Dell U2412. There is also the ASUS PA248Q.
I would go with something 24" and 1200 line resolution or higher.
But most critical, it need to be an IPS panel (not TFT crap).

Go to anandtech.com and look at reviews. They take real measurements and compare monitors for real.

fatcat

I absolutely love my Dell U2412m.

Get IPS, 1920x1200. HP or Dell Doc

DocFrazier

Is IPS a standard now, Or something you have to look for?

Straight_Man

IPS is in the better monitors, indeed MANY have it, but cheaper monitors have older tech and sometimes no IPS. MANY cheap monitors also have lower resolution than fatcat recommended.

Tim

I have the Asus VE 276. It's big. $300.