Displays I need a new monitor

Hello all,

I am looking to purchase a new LCD monitor on which to play my Xbox 360 and also use my PC, since my 17" CRT is aging a bit now, and a 5:4 aspect ratio isn't really ideal. I have done some research into LCD monitors.. and decided what specs I am going for.

So, I'm looking to get a 24" monitor, since any monitor below that won't support 1080p. I need HDMI as the Xbox 360 doesn't have any DVI output and VGA isn't the ideal input for a Digital display such as an LCD. Considering the environment in which I will be playing, I have decided that contrast ratio doesn't have to be particularly high, since I am in a dark room anyway most of the time, so around 1000:1 minimum will do. I have also decided that a fairly decent brightness will be required (again, because of the dark room), so maybe 400-600cd/m^2 minimum. Response time isn't too important, since the 360 outputs at 60Hz and my PC ain't gonna produce too many FPS any time soon (seriously.. my PC is OLD), so the pixels won't have to refresh that often. So basically 8-12ms will do.

Now, I was wondering whether anyone could help me by recommending a monitor?

There is a catch, however.. and that's my budget of £250.. maybe able to stretch to £300.. but that's really pushing it.

Perhaps any other 360 owners have found a nice monitor to play on? Or perhaps you can point me in the direction of a cheap and reliable retailer... The best offer I have found so far is an Acer P243W at OverclockersUK.. but the price is slightly over budget.. it would be nice to find maybe the same monitor for a better price.

 

I think you're probably asking too much for the money. A Dell 2408WFP would be perfect for you if you had £200 more.

Keep an eye out on eBay and on websites like eBuyer.com and http://www.pcbuyit.co.uk/ , you might get lucky.

 

There's a couple of HDMI enabled 24" Monitors on Ebuyer for under £300 - I was looking at the Benq one (teamd11 has just bought it in the "recent Purchases thread")

 

BENQ one seems good for just under 300,
check reviews and go on the site. Seems good

 

idk if it helps but i use a samsung syncmaster 2232bw it has analog and digital inputs but no hdmi but it does have a 3000:1 aspect ratio

 

A belated "welcome" to the forums Timmy

It'll be well within your budget - wherever you get it from... but if you can't push your budget to the sum required for one of the 24" models mentioned above... I'd suggest Googling for the best price you can find on the 22" Samsung 226BW (it's a highly respected screen).

Either that, or consider one of their new piano-black 'Pebble' models. They're beautiful to look at... but have good specs too

 

Firstly, thanks for the welcome.. and thanks to all for the help.

I have heard that the Samsung screens are the best around, but unfortunately I really do need HDMI. I'd rather not use VGA (an Analogous standard) for a TFT LCD Monitor, which is a Digital technology. It can affect the picture. Since the 360 cannot output over DVI, I clearly need HDMI to use such a monitor. I would also rather a monitor with a pixel resolution of 1900x1200, as the Xbox 360 does not output at 1680x1050.

I will look into it if I cannot find a more suitable monitor to buy.

 

The 24" LG L245W and 24'' Iiyama PLB2403WS-B both have HDMI as well... but they're both more expensive than the Acer, unfortunately

 

Finding a decent, HDMI-ready screen with a resolution of 1920*1200 for £300 will be pretty tricky.

Of course, a much simpler way would be to get one with DVI only, a VGA cable married to a decent VGA->DVI adapter does give a very good picture, certainly good enough to give me 2048*1536 at 75Hz excellent clarity and sharpness, not quite as sharp as DVI, but definately very acceptable.

If you can cope without HDMI, about the best 22" TFT in your price bracket is the Samsung 226BW.

 

my Acer P243W has HDMI (HDCP compatible) cost me £250

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-035-AC

try and beat that!