22" - 24" flatscreen computer monitors - any ideas?

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My Dad is looking to update his computer and wants some ideas on a flatscreen computer monitor that's somewhere in the 22" - 24" range.  The range of brands and models is a bit bewildering for him and he doesn't know what to go for or avoid.  Do you have any recommendations?

Thanks!

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I have a 22" Viewsonic one that is fine and dandy. It was at the lower end of the the price range, so it's not the flashiest one on the market, but it suits my needs as a professional graphics making type.

I think anything in the £100-£150 range is likely to be fairly similar these days. I'm not sure if you can even get CRT monitors any more. The important thing is to make sure whatever he gets has a DVI connector, as VGA is old and crap.

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Thanks for the advice!  Are there any brands that you know he should avoid?  Reviews on amazon for LG monitors seem to repeat criticisms about Samsung ones being unreliable - but they're very vague, as if the problems are notorious enough and needn't be clearly stated.

[Steve Lampkins]

What does he want to do with it? Just browse the web? Does he game at all? Edit photos? Would he want to watch films on it? Maybe from sitting further away or with other people? Viewing angle might be a factor in that case.

[Replies From View]

Simply an office computer with such things as word processing, internet and maybe there'll be a time when he wants to use it to watch films.  Never games.  I think colour accuracy might end up being important because he likes to take photographs and then paint from them.  He'll be seeking a decent printer for this purpose quite soon as well, I'm suspecting.

I see criticisms regarding flimsiness in some reviews, but is this really a problem?  If you have quite a lightweight monitor, do you find it wobbling around a lot?  I think this is the kind of thing that might annoy him if it's an actual problem and not reviewers being picky.  It'd be nice to not have things like missing pixels (this seems to be a common complaint against Samsung monitors, but again there are one star reviews for everything, so who knows), and to have a monitor that'll last as long as possible rather than need replacing in a year or two.  Quite general preferences, I know, but that's about it.

[Steve Lampkins]

For colour accuracy, should make sure it has an IPS panel or similar, rather than a TFT or TN panel. It does bump up the price range a little, and reduces the selection, but it's much better these days.

I have something similar to this HP: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2393448,00.asp

Solidly built, and I have had no problems with it. Very happy.
It's 16:10 aspect ratio - I was not keen on having a 16:9 monitor. I like those extra pixels. I don't mind having or even notice the black bars at the top and bottom for widescreen video content.


About 350 from Amazon - remember to direct him through Neil's link. ;)

[Uncle TechTip]

Christ, that's a lot of money. As a guide, cheapo brands are no more than 150GBP for 22". http://www.microdirect.co.uk/Home/Search/Monitors-TVs/?attribute_value_number_range|Display+Diagonal+%28inches%29|22|22.9|GELE=22|22.9

If he's not a gamer I can't see that any of the features of top models would be of use to him.

Oh Claude said it all. Don't overthink this situation.

[Replies From View]

Thanks for the advice everyone.  Really useful.

If you think IPS would be beneficial for colour accuracy[nb]Please chip in if you think it's unnecessary![/nb], I may direct him towards this one on amazon (through Neil's link) because the reviews are good (consistently better than others I've been reading for the LG and Samsung models on amazon).  At £190 (reduced from £230) it's far away from £350, and near enough the £150 range to make no odds.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-Ultrasharp-U2312HM-inch-Monitor/dp/B005MHMFJA

[Ignatius_S]

....If you think IPS would be beneficial for colour accuracy[nb]Please chip in if you think it's unnecessary![/nb]....

One of the benefits of an IPS screen is that colour will be consistent wide viewing angles  - this is a very good thing. However, it's necessary to regularly calibrate monitors in order to maintain colour accuracy - so I would advise a simple to use external calibration tool.

The Dell Ultrasharp displays have a good reputation - this one is a nice size and very reasonably priced. 

re: feedback on Amazon, I would take a look at a site like http://www.tftcentral.co.uk or a decent forum thread. The Amazon feedback can be handy, but often people are just talking out of their hat.

[Replies From View]

The Dell Ultrasharp displays have a good reputation - this one is a nice size and very reasonably priced. 

re: feedback on Amazon, I would take a look at a site like http://www.tftcentral.co.uk or a decent forum thread. The Amazon feedback can be handy, but often people are just talking out of their hat.

Thanks for this.  Their review of that Dell Ultrasharp model has helped and we'll probably go for it.


I appreciate your advice, everyone - thanks very much.

[Steve Lampkins]

Dell have a great reputation - I would have gone for that, but at the time when I bought my monitor, the equivalent Dell was more expensive and had poorer availability.

350 GBP is a lot for a monitor? I'm in Northern Europe, and I think I paid more than that. Expensive place though. My original monitor (Acer), that the HP replaced, was bought 5-6 years ago. Equivalent panel and size, but I think it cost over 500. Prices have come down fairly slowly for the higher-end panels.

[Replies From View]

My original monitor (Acer), that the HP replaced, was bought 5-6 years ago. Equivalent panel and size, but I think it cost over 500. Prices have come down fairly slowly for the higher-end panels.

It's actually a toss-up at the moment between the Dell and an Acer; this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-S240HLbid-widescreen-monitor-Backlight/dp/B005QVZ79C

Down from £250 to £125.

[Benevolent Despot]

The important thing is to make sure whatever he gets has a DVI connector, as VGA is old and crap.

I like my VGA connection because it supports higher Hz than the DVI, and I honestly cannot tell any difference in picture quality between the two.

[Ignatius_S]

I like my VGA connection because it supports higher Hz than the DVI, and I honestly cannot tell any difference in picture quality between the two.

Due to VGA being analogue, there's a greater degradation of the signal as it moves through the connection - which is also more prone to outside interference; this might not be noticeable on every set-up, but it will be on some. Quality at high screen resolution tends to be a crisper with DVI - also, personally, I find text to be far better via a DVI connection.

The difference in Hz really only means how many more frames per second is possible and is something that most people wouldn't notice. For something like gaming, the ms response time is far more important.

[Steve Lampkins]

I have two identical monitors at work - one hooked up to DVI, one to VGA. I can definitely tell the difference and is quite annoying.

If you love your Hz, buy a gaming monitor that goes up to 120Hz?

[Dark Sky]

I was recommended a Samsung by a 'techy' friend[nb]he did a computer science degree[nb]which he failed[/nb].[/nb] and I have no regrets with it!

Actually, I do, I wish I'd gone for a 27".  I thought 24" would be enough, but the novelty regarding how big it seemed in comparison to my old monitor lasted only a few weeks.

[Benevolent Despot]

I think the bump from 60 to 75 Hz my setup gives me makes everything look a little softer and milder - which may be a minus to some but I don't like text cutting into my eyes. It also means the cursor moves 25% more fluidly. Which I passionately care about.

Edit - also my monitor is a 7 year old 17-inch 1280*1024 and is the perfect shape for web browsing. I really hate browsing on widescreens.

[Slaaaaabs]

Samsung and a few other brands used shitty capacitors on their power supplies for a while, they would bulge and eventually prevent the screen from turning on, a cheap fix but a pain in the arse nonetheless. From what I can tell this practice has stopped, but be wary if buying an older model.

I've heard good things about Iiyama as a cheaper brand.

[QDRPHNC]

I have two identical monitors at work - one hooked up to DVI, one to VGA. I can definitely tell the difference and is quite annoying.

Seconded. It's not a huge difference, but it's there. Go with DVI.

[Replies From View]

He went with the Dell in the end:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B005MHMFJA/cab-21/

The amazon page says it has VGA, DVI and HDCP Interfaces.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Now that's sorted, I have a question: Does anyone know if there are any screens with resolutions higher than 1080p that aren't mindblowingly expensive? All the ones I've ever seen go for six hundred quid or thereabouts, which is just nutty.

[Ignatius_S]

Now that's sorted, I have a question: Does anyone know if there are any screens with resolutions higher than 1080p that aren't mindblowingly expensive? All the ones I've ever seen go for six hundred quid or thereabouts, which is just nutty.

At the moment, not really but I expect prices to come down – thanks to 'retina' display etc. malarkey, there's a lot more interest in those kind of resolutions, which will increase as content becomes more common.

As it happens, I did spot this one recently.

Going back to the more established market, monitors that have 2560x1440 or  2560x1600 resolution have been increasing, albeit on the pricy side. That said, I'm a great believer in looking how much you'll be using something when looking at the price – with something like a monitor, which is a pretty long-term investment for most folk, that £600 (say) suddenly doesn't look a crazy amount to spend.

[Steve Lampkins]

I have a 24 inch 1080p monitor. I've considered bumping up to 27 inches, but I would maybe just 'increase the pixel' size, and stay at 1080p. Not so much because of the price, but because my computer is quite a beastly games machine, with a high-end GFX card, but it would still be pushed to run, say BF3, at high settings at a higher res.


At Something Awful, a few members (US and EU) have had surprisingly good experiences with some dodgy sounding Korean monitors. Not sure if this thread is open to non-members: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3372494#post385561412

Catleap Q270 / Shimian QH270 / Korean IPS Monitor (IPS)
This is a Korean 27" IPS monitor that has become very popular lately for its incredibly low price of entry. The trade off is that you must import it via eBay sellers, and the warranty may not be the best. That said...
Inputs: 1x Dual-Link DVI
Resolution: 2560x1440

Things you should know:
- There are a few variants. ToastyX explains:

The main difference between the three is the stand.

    Catleap - This monitor has the worst stand, and you have to take the monitor apart to remove the neck of the stand and the useless plastic arch that covers the VESA holes. It wobbles, and some of them lean. It also sits higher than most monitors, like around iMac level, and there's no height adjustment.

    Achieva - This monitor sits lower, and there's still no height adjustment. You can easily remove the stand without taking the monitor apart, and the VESA holes are easily accessible.

    Crossover - The LED-P version has the best stand with all the adjustments: height, tilt, swivel, and rotate (pivot).

    In terms of performance, they're all the same except the earlier Catleaps made in February can do 85-100 Hz while the current ones can't.

    "All" of the monitors are glossy. The Achieva and Catleap both come in glass and non-glass versions, but several people have reported getting dust behind the glass on the glass models. There's really no point in getting the glass versions since both versions are glossy. That's just one more layer for them to screw up.

- Some models can surpass 60Hz refresh rates, hitting anywhere from 85Hz to 100Hz.
- It has an external DC power brick that comes with a Korean cable. You just need a standard IEC cable for the brick (i.e. another one of the cables you already use for your computer PSU, monitors, etc).
- The stock stand can be kinda crappy. See below for alternates (monitor does have a standard VESA mount plate)
- Apparently there are glossy and matte variants of the screen. When I say matte, it's matte WITHOUT anti-glare coating...so it'd be in-between say an Apple Cinema Display and a Dell UltraSharp. Here is Animal's picture of his "matte" display.
- Has no OSD! So you have to calibrate via your videocard driver and/or Windows.
- Some dead/damaged pixels could be expected, but apparently you can get a "perfect" one for an extra fee. THIS IS WHAT PERFECT MEANS. Not the same as Dell's guarantee!

    It looks like the company that makes the Catleap monitors is offering a factory-guaranteed "perfect pixel" version for an extra fee. The Green-Sum seller on ebay is offering this version for an extra $60. It might be worth it if you are on the fence but don't want to chance getting a flawed screen.

More info:
    This goes pretty far in depth as to what the different trims offer.
    http://www.swiftworld.net/2012/04/14/budget-korean-27-ips-monitor-information-and-comparison-of-the-different-brands-and-models

Reviews:
Goon Shadowhand00 bought one. Here are his initial impressions. And information from him regarding specs, etc.
Animal also bought one.
spanko spanks it to his new monitor

Sellers:
Dream-Seller (eBay)
RedCap (eBay)
dcsamsungmall (eBay)

[phes]

Samsung and a few other brands used shitty capacitors on their power supplies for a while, they would bulge and eventually prevent the screen from turning on, a cheap fix but a pain in the arse nonetheless. From what I can tell this practice has stopped, but be wary if buying an older model.

I've heard good things about Iiyama as a cheaper brand.

yes, this is exactly what has happened to mine just 18 months after purchase. I'm currently toying with the idea of using a youtube tutorial to fix it. I've never done anything such as this though, so i'll probably be buying a new smoke alarm also.