I am looking to spent no more than $400 on a new 24" monitor. These are the ones that I am currently looking at. Acer P244WBii Samsung 2433BW Acer P243WAid BenQ G2400WD LG W2452T-TF I don't know much about what makes one monitor better than another, so I was choosing these based on resolution, price, and looks. Please feel free to recommend a different monitor. Please tell me what makes your recommendation better than the others. Thank you for all your help!
A good monitor is one that doesn't have a reflective screen or boarders (not only it's hard to see and you keep seeing yourself where your eyes can't focus properly after long hours (changes between you and the actual screen), that is adjustable to ensure proper comfort usage while using the computer for long hours. One that doesn't have preferably no light bleeding, proper color output, contrast ratio and response rate. Reflective screen makes dust appear more easily, and easier to see defects and really minor scratches, that should technically not be visible.
my "rich" housemate have that BenQ 24inch screen. very good quality panel...... i just don't like the screen's startup screen. not sure whether it's the PS3's graphics or the screen, GTA4 on it have very bad distance objects, they seems too blurry. MGS4 also needs AA in some places. for PC though, the screen is absolutely perfect. RA3 and/or Fallout 3 on it is amazing! much better than my 22inch LG.
@GoodBytes: Thank you for the info on what makes a good monitor. Another question: I keep hearing about TN panels and other panel types...what is the difference, and how can I tell which type of panel is on the monitor? @wuyanxu: Thank you for the information about the BenQ monitor. I will be playing games, as well as watching movies and surfing the web, so how do you think it would perform with PC graphics? @supertoad: Oh crap. Haha I forgot to ...next time I will remember to .
Asulc: Not sure about that benq as i assume it's a TN panel. I use the Benq FP241W and it preforms exceptionally well. The level range is very accurate, colors are good. Compaired to my 22inch TN panel I use as a second monitor it's increadible. The TN has noticably poor color accuracy. Even though it's marketed as 1000:1 static, my Benq Which is also 1000:1 static clearly has superior contrast aswell. Looks great for games and movies. Zero dissadvantages as far as Quality and Versatility. Because it's not as new anymore I think it can be had for a good price. Trusted reviews has a review here: http://www.trustedreviews.com/displays/review/2006/09/13/BenQ-FP241W-24in-Widescreen-Monitor/p1 If you can afford it (it will be more expensive then a TN display) then by all means go for it.
Thanks, but I am afraid that my knowledge stops here for the moment. I am like you, I am searching for a monitor. I am still doing research. I know that TN panels in general are faster then any other types, so no (or very little at a technical point of view) ghosting, so it's great for movies or games... but image quality is not so great. But that is about it. And I am sure someone will correct me on what i just said.
the TN panel has is 6-bit and dithers up to get the full range of color. They also have poor viewing angles and greyish blacks. at a $400 budget all the screens you are looking at will be TN panels.
I think the FP241W was discontinued recently, replaced with a TN model... a shame, since the FP241W was one of the better 24-inchers out there. TN [twisted nematic] panels are cheap, have fast response times and low input lag, and have horrible color accuracy mostly due to the fact that most TN panels are dithered 6-bit panels instead of true 8-bit. Easily identified by viewing angles, usually 160/160 or 160/170. Marketed oftentimes as "gamer LCDs", because of the fast response time and low input lag. If you're on a budget or can tell the difference between 20ms and 40ms ping, you may want a TN. *VA [patterned/multi-domain vertical alignment] panels [PVA and MVA] are better than TN panels for color accuracy and have great black leves and contrast ratios, but have more, sometimes significant, input lag and "gamma shift" where the gamma noticably changes over very small changes in viewing angle. On the FP241W, and other large *VA panels, the left and right sides of the monitor will be different colors than the center because you sit so close. Still, they're advertised as 178/178 viewing angles. You probably want to shoot for a *VA panel since they really blow TN panels out of the water in almost every way. IPS [in-plane switching] panels are the best for color accuracy and viewing angles. Calibrated S-IPS or H-IPS panels are the choice for photo editors and such, but they have worse response times and more input lag than TN panels. Very expensive but also regarded as the best of the three panel types. The NEC LC2490 [generally regarded as the best professional LCD on the market] is an H-IPS 24" which goes for around $1000. I told you they were expensive. Unfortunately, I don't have any recommendations for specific models since I haven't been in the market for a monitor for a while. Remember that TN panels have low viewing angles and you can mostly avoid those.
on PC the BenQ is perfect. (a bit large for me) all the games i've seen him play on it looks fantastic. there is a small delay in resolution switching comparing to my 22inch though. but other than that, i can't really find any fault with it.
I would go with samsung, they have a reputation for the best image quality and I happen to own one myself, I'm very very happy with it. The color and sharpness are great on every application I've thrown at it and I use a veriety of applications including gaming, photo editing and text stuff. I don't know alot about the rest of your list but you wont go wrong with the samsung.
