27" or 24" good match for iMac 27"

[lothia]

Hello,
Long time lost reader and first (maybe second) time poster hoping the people of this community would be able to provide more insight into my problem then I have been able to give myself.
First and foremost this will be a second monitor to use while developing with my i7 iMac 27" which supports 2560 by 1440 pixels. It will also be used as my main monitor while working from home which could be 1-3 days a week.
I guess I have a few generic questions first
1) I have read that some of the higher quality monitors are far superior to those lesser (like my iMac or the Mac Cinema Display). Are these the differences between LD, LCD or some other type or just quality?
2) I am using (costco link) which has 2 sides, one aprox 55" and the other about 65". I was wondering with 2 27" monitors it would take up about 50" and with the second one being 24" it would be a total of 47". Would this 3" really make that much of a difference?
3) If you believe that a 27" and a 24" is to large combined what would you recommend?
My last question is what monitor you would recommend? I would like to keep the price under $300 (I know the other 2560 x 1440 pixel monitors are about $1000). The main concern I have is that this will be a second monitor next to a top of the line, so I don't want it to look horrible in color and I don't want the visible angle to be to shallow.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: doing the template (sorry should have known there would be one)

Approximate Purchase Date: Next 2 weeks

Budget Range: $300 after rebate, will go up to $1000 if enough reasons are given, however I would prefer to stay around $300.

Monitor Usage from Most to Least Important: Developing (coding entire stack), Not a huge noticeable difference while next to my 27" iMac, everything else

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Any website (newegg and amazon are my most commonly used)

Country of Origin: Could care less

Brand Preferences: No preference

Physical Size (Diagonal): User suggested but most likely 24 or 27, unless you would say different

Resolution(s) You'll Consider: 1920x1080, 1920x1200, 2560x1440, 2560x1600

Inputs Needed: HDMI for input

Panel Type(s) Desired: User suggested but believe I would prefer not to have TN as color and angle are the most important factors to me.

LED Backlight: Color and angle is the most important factor to me, so I am allowing you to make a suggestion.


Speakers: Indifferent

Wall-Mount: Indifferent / Avoided

Stand Functions: swivel (anything else that could be useful as second monitor)

Additional Comments: I have already stated this but I will be using this as both a second monitor when programming for person use and a main monitor while developing for work.

 

[MauveCloud]

For #1, there are several panel technologies. Have a look here for an explanation: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/articles/panel_technologies.htm

For #2, two 27 inch monitors should still fit on that, especially since you may want to turn one or both of them to better face your seated position.

For #3, please fill in the template: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/59847-3-template-monitor-advice

 

[jaguarskx]

1) The quality is due to the LCD panel technology. TN panels are cheap to manufacture but have color shifting issues due to narrower viewing angles compared to more expensive VA and IPS panels.

2) I have two 25.5" LCD monitors which measures about 23.25" wide each, so that's 46.5" in total. Three of these monitors would measure a total of 69.75" wide. However, two of those monitors will be angled so it should be less wide.

3) For a 1920 x 1080 monitor under $300, I would suggest the Dell U2311h or the NEC EA231WMi. See following reviews:

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2311h.htm

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/nec_ea231wmi.htm

 

[lothia]

Edit: Accidently posted after doing an edit. Will post a continuation from 2 previous posters.
I have updated my OP so that it has the Monitor request template.
As well please note that while the width of the desk is 55", aprox 16" of it will be part of a corner of the L desk, would this be any problem?
As well I shall check out the reviews and links that you have provided. Thanks

 

[jaguarskx]

You should be fine, but it think it also depends on how you plan to set it up.

I too have an L-shaped desk and I actually sit at angle when using my PC. My primary monitor is angled near the corner of the desk.

 

[jaguarskx]

If color and viewing angles are important to you, then avoid TN panel monitors.

Consider the Dell and NEC which I have already suggested which use e-IPS panels and are relatively inexpensive. Additionally avoid anything with LED backlight since the light is slightly bluish in nature; not true white.

Initially when there was very little information about e-IPS panels, it was assumed that both the Dell U2311h and NEC EA231WMi both used the same e-IPS panel. However, there have been several "experts" from Hardforum who noted that the Dell was more prone to some dithering effects than the NEC.

It has recently come to light that there are several different types of e-IPS panels most of which are 6-bit panels similar to TN panels. These 6-bit e-IPS panels can only create 256k actual colors and must use dithering to create up to 16.7m colors. Just like TN panels. But the 6-bit e-IPS panels are still better than TN panels.

There is a 23" 8-bit e-IPS panel and at least for the moment, I am assuming it is being used in the NEC EA231WMi. However, the NEC has 14ms response time which makes it less ideal for gaming than the Dell (8ms).