Ok, hi all. I'm new around here and do not have too much experience so be kind I have bought a new, high specced system and I am looking for a monitor to go with. My PC spec is as follows: i7 920 CPU - clocked to around 4Ghz - it hasn't arrived yet ;D GTX 295 - clocked, not sure by how much yet - read above Asus P6T 6GB of DDR3 RAM @ 1900mhz So..I know it isn't the highest spec system you can get but it is an absolute beast compared to a 5 year old P4 system... I am looking for something that will run games at a good frame rate with good colours & contrast. I don't want any ghosting or whatever. I do not want to pay over £300 although this is slightly flexible. I would like atleast 1x HDMI input as I will be using my PS3 too, although I can swap leads - it isn't as important as the picture quality. TV tuners, speakers, etc are a bonus - they are not needed. With all that said, I am looking at these two - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-087-SA http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-104-SA http://www.ebuyer.com/product/141056 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/135253 If anyone has any experience with the above or the above brands, your comments would be appreciated. Also, a good retailer would be appreciated - I have no experience with any so comments would be appreciated. Another thing, what input does a PS3 use (not HDMI) incase I chose one without 2xHDMI's and couldnt be bothered to swap it. Thanks in advance, Sam. P.S. My system will be watercooled in a Lian-Li V2110B with UV lights, etc.. and will have an OCZ Vertex 60GB SSD for the OS and two 750GB HDD's in RAID1 for main storage & backup. I also have a G15 and a G9 already.
Don't put your rig down man, thats a right beast alright Considering you've got the world's most powerful graphics card, you'll be wanting something to show it off with. The question is, do you want it for the desk or for the living room? If its for the desk, I reckon a 24inch is better since the same res isn't as stretched and your close enough to notice it. If its for the living room or similar, as big as poss is better. Can you stretch by a little? This is the screen I've got, all the reviews are excellent and I've found it lives up to them, got it for £320 end of last year, but screen prices are always oscillating. http://www.kikatek.com/product_info.php?products_id=75185&source=froogle It's called the Samsung SyncMaster 2493HM. Pros: -5ms response time (better than the popular Dell 2408WFP for example) -1000:1 Contrast ratio (ie very contrasty!) -Full swivel and tilt -1920x1200 (ie slightly more than 1080p!) Cons: -'Only' 24inch so massive for desk, small for across the room -6-bit rather than 8-bit panel, so if you do photo editing would benefit from something like the Dell 2408WFP (£400+) Hope that helps a little.
The 24" I'd recommend is the widely praised HP LP2475w. Yes it's expensive, but it's a damned good monitor.
Thanks for the replies... It is for my desk but I have more than enough space....it has been crowned as 'bigger than Alan Sugars' by many people. I don't do much photo editing, games is the main use for my system (or will be ). 1920x1200 is ok, so long as I get a letterbox rather than a stretch. What is the deal with all of these different panels? I really don't know that much about monitors and all of these different things are confusing me £320 is probably my maximum. 2xHDMI (if possible) or 1... Good contrast ratio 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 is fine (so long as it is not stretched) 24" and up. speakers and tuners are just bonuses. I'm not too bothered about swivel, tilt, etc Viewing angles aren't much of a problem. I don't want any ghosting, etc, so a good response time is needed. Frohicky1 - that monitor does look like a good solution but it is now at £345 and seems a bit pricey to me. Does anyone know of any other monitors to suit my needs? Elton - I'm afraid that that monitor seems very pricey for what it is. Thanks for your help anyway. Thanks.
Try looking for an LG W2600HP (or W2600HP-BF). It is VERY important that it's not called either W2600H or W2600H-PF. The difference lies in the panel used. The "good" version uses an S-IPS panel, while the "bad" version uses a TN panel.
I know I should go and buy the CPC magazine but I really need this monitor for when my system arrives. Can anyone tell me which monitors came out on top in the testing by CPC? And also if they give any advice on choosing a monitor, could that be given here. Thanks a lot for your help. Sam.
I'm facing the same problems choosing the right monitor - this is the outright winner form the magazine http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148972 but its also the most expensive at £413. Been looking at a few others which are half the price to be honest as I cannot justify spending a 1/3rd of my budget on the monitor alone So i've also been looking at http://www.ebuyer.com/product/149662 or even this http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?SAM-2333SW I wish this one had a higher resolution http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?DLL-2209WA too just cannot make my mind up yet
If you can deal with the slightly smaller monitor you could get the 2209WA. If you can't then get the Samsung Syncmaster.
The Samsung isn't as good as other monitors such as the HP, the in real world terms I don't think you'll notice much difference. Sure it's better, but is it £100 better? Obsiouvly if your budget was higher there would be no question, but when in competition, I think the benefits of a HP over a Samsung have to slip by the wayside. Yeh monitors are expensive. Essentially its a completely seperate purchase from the 'tower'. You can see why people like Dell bundle absolute cr*p with their towers to make them affordable
You might find a Dell 2408WFP for £350ish, that would be the monitor i would get. Also, your System pretty much is the best you can build CPU and GPU Wise, thats gonna tear the games up xD If you have a seperate sound system, an HDMI - DVI Cable should work fine with the Screen, but i would definitely get one with HDMI Built in.
I just bought a BenQ E2400HD, which can be read about here -> http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/review/2008/review-benq-e2400hd.html After I calibrated the monitor I'm having no troubles using it. Even working in Photoshop (sRGB colour-space) is no problem at all and the colours are allright. It's not the best monitor outthere, but you won't get any better as far as I can tell for the money. It's available for around £200, so you've got alot of money to spend on other nice things EDIT: I'm working as web-designer I maybe should mention. Not doing print-proofing or anything like that with the BenQ.
I have bought a new, high specced system and I am looking for a monitor to go with. My PC spec is as follows: i7 920 CPU - clocked to around 4Ghz - it hasn't arrived yet ;D GTX 295 - clocked, not sure by how much yet - read above Asus P6T 6GB of DDR3 RAM @ 1900mhz you can't beat this deal: I just bought a samsung 2333sw 23" monitor with full 16.9 ratio and 1080p res on the dell small business web site for 161.99 on sale normally 279.99 so hurry only one day left
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...=BF&cid=7421&lid=197378&acd=10549103-1727683- heres the link to the samsung that 23" monitor
No offence but if your spending that much money on your rig why would you let it all down with a TN panel?
Samsung SyncMaster 2333SW - LCD display - TFT - 23" this head line came from shopper.com, and several other sites state its a TFT panel! also that pc build is from above its not mine
TFT (Thin Film Transistor) is another name for LCD. All LCD monitors are by definition TFT monitors. TN refers to the type of panel used. TN (Twisted Nematic) is the cheapest of the lot and (these days) generally only excels at speed (earlier it didn't even do that). Colour reproduction is lousy (usually TN panels can only display 262144 colours and "dither" the rest, also called 6bit+FRC) and viewing angles are even worse, especially if you look from above or below. IPS (InPlane Switching) and PVA/MVA (Patterned Vertical Alignment/Multi-domain Vertical Alignment) panels have vastly superior colour reproduction and viewing angles, but are a bit slower than TN panels. Usually monitors with IPS or xVA panels cost substantially more than TN-based monitors, but of late several "cheapish" models have made their entrance. To name a couple, there's the Dell UltraSharp 2209WA and also LGs W2600HP (as I mentioned above). LG, who produces most IPS panels, are also set to introduce a new line of IPS-based monitors in July, the Wxx20P series. Supposedly there'll be a 22" and a 24" for about 260 and 400 Euros, respectively. Both models will have a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels and a speed of 5ms G2G.
I say the Samsung T260 is your best choice. I have the T220 and it is the best monitor I have had. Not only that but it has a sophisticated and stylish look that gets noticed when one walks in. This is the first monitor that i not only love the performance but the looks as well. BTW: For a newbie you sure do have a PC that makes some veterans jealous.
@ azrael.....thanks for the info I can use it in the future that said I viewed this monitor in store side by side to others and I was not disappointed. when I set it up wilth samsungs color software I'll make a statement
You could always look at Apple Displays, which are IPS panels, but their looks are....yeah, you know.
