Best 24" monitor?

[chedderslam1976]

I am looking to get a new monitor. I want a really, really good one and I am willing to spend the money for it. Which monitor provides the best picture without an outrageous price?

I am leaning towards a 24" as that seems to be the best balance and it has a resolution that I think I will be able to use.

I want to be able to game down the line, but for now most of my time will be spent on the internet and doing web design. I was considering these models:

SAMSUNG T240HD which newegg has for $459.99
SAMSUNG TOC T240 which newegg has for $429.99
Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP which dell has for $517.00

I also saw that Dell has a "double sight" display:
DoubleSight Displays
24" Wide Screen LCD Monitor, adjustable stand for $549.99

I'm not sure what the deal is with the "double sight display".


So what would you go with? Is there better out there? I am willing to spend more if it is worth it, but these seem to be reasonably priced.

I would really appreciate any input.

Thanks!

 

[AeroGear]

The best MID to HIGH range 24" I've read about for all-around tasks but mostly for tasks requiring good color and graphical quality are the NEC 2470WNX and the NEC 2490 WUXI.

They come at steeper prices mind you, 750$-1150$ CAD so I dont know how they cost in your area. Sometimes its worth paying more for a quality product, I've been a long time customer of NEC monitors and my first NEC CRT, which I gave to a friend, is still going strong after 10 years of massive use.

I cant speak against DELL or Samsung, they have been key players in the monitor business for a while so I believe they deliver products of good to decent quality.

 

[cjl]

I'd go with the Dell Ultrasharp - great monitor, with phenomenal color.

 

[jaguarskx]

I would go with the Dell which uses a S-PVA panel and is good for color reproduction.

The Samsungs use less expensive TN panels which cannot truly reproduce 16.7m color without using dithering which will produce inaccurate colors.

If color accuracy is at the top of your list then go with the Dell. If you want something that looks decent and relatively inexpensive, then go with one of the Samsungs.

 

[chedderslam1976]

I think I am leaning towards the NEC MultiSync 2470WNX 24" LCD Display. CDW has it for $779.00. I would rather buy it locally but searching onlne at bestbuy doesn't show it.

I would assume this monitor uses and IPS panel and the 6 ms response time should be adequate for gaming. From what I read, the dell monitors use random panel types so you don't know what you are getting. I would rather spend the extra money and get the best.

Any thoughts?

 

[jaguarskx]

No, the 2470WNX uses a S-PVA panel.

The NEC LCD2490WUXi is the monitor that uses an IPS panel, but at over $1,100 it is typically beyond the budget of most people.

If you are looking for a 24" LCD monitor then you can look at the HP LP2475w which should be selling for around $650.

 

[chedderslam1976]

What type of panel does the hp use? Is there somewhere on the web I can look up panel types by model number?

 

[jaguarskx]

The HP LP2475w uses an IPS panel. Apparently I left that out when I responded. Here's a review:

http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/review/2008/review-hp-lp2475w.html

 

[chedderslam1976]

Wow, the more I shop around, the more confused I get. I'm not sure which panel type would best suit me, and I'm having trouble keeping track of all the different models out there. I am starting to consider spending the extra money for a 26 inch as well, so if anyone can recommend one, please feel free to do so.

I'm seeing many of the mid-upper grades having 6ms response time, even those that arent tn's. The really expensive ones seem to have the higher response times that I would think wouldn't be suitable for gaming, which I would think is a result of the panel type.

I'm not in a rush to buy this, probably won't get it until after christmas, although I might bite the bullet and get it sooner.

The hp looks like a good monitor, with 6ms response time to boot. I didn't know an ips panel could be that fast. I was set on NEC but I'm not sure now.

Help!

 

[jaguarskx]

Generally speaking...

TN Panels = Least expensive, fastest response times, but poor to fair color accuracy, fair black levels, and limited viewing angles.

MVA/PVA Panels = Good color accuracy, more expensive, good black levels, text can look slightly blurry on some models due to how some of the newer panels controls brightness. It's a little technical, but is based on the shape of sub pixels; kinda hard to explain without a visual.

IPS Panels = Generally considered the best for color, image, and text quality. Good black level, but some say it suffers from "crushed blacks" where colors appears slightly darker than they should be. Before the HP LP2475w came into being, the only 24" IPS LCD monitor in the US was the expensive 2490WUXi (which has some extra electronics geared towards the graphics pro)


For the vast majority of people a TN panel is fine, but if overall image quality and viewing angles are important then go with MVA/PVA or IPS.

 

[chedderslam1976]

For the vast majority of people a TN panel is fine, but if overall image quality and viewing angles are important then go with MVA/PVA or IPS.

Thank you for the response.

The thing is, I am willing to spend the money for the best. I just can't figure out what that is. It seems like the IPS models all have high response times which make them unsuitible for gaming. Is this correct?

I would like to get an IPS panel if I can, and as long as the refresh rate is acceptable for gaming. If the HP is an IPS and has the 6ms response time that might be the way to go. How is it getting a 6ms response with an IPS panel? I thought IPS looked better but was too slow for gaming...

I was also considering the NEC MultiSync LCD2490WUXi-BK, but it has 16ms (8ms G to G). Will that be too slow for gaming? It is a bit more than the hp. Is it worth the difference?

 

[cjl]

I wouldn't worry so much about an IPS panel. Both IPS and VA panels look amazing, and are significantly better than TN. The HP looks like a decent choice, though I've never seen one in person. I wouldn't be worried about the quality of a good VA panel though, like the Dell or the NEC you mentioned earlier.

 

[chedderslam1976]

It looks like the NEC 2470WNX is discontinued and no longer available. When I called cdw to ask about it, they said the NEC EA241WM-BK is its replacement. Any one know what kind of panel it uses? It's a bit cheaper which makes me think it's a TN...

Thanks again for all the help.

 

[cjl]

The easiest way to tell is to look at the viewing angle - anything less than about 175 degrees, and it's a TN (typically, both VA and IPS panels are listed at 178 degrees).

Edit: it appears that you're right - the only specs I can find on viewing angle for the 241WM-BK state 160/160 degrees (horizontal/vertical), which is the typical spec for a TN panel. I'd probably go for the Dell in that case (actually, I did go for the dell - I recently ordered a 2408 ultrasharp, and it should be arriving either this Friday or next Monday), or try for the HP for a bit more money. Looking at some reviews, it appears that the Dell has better color gamut and contrast ratio, while the HP has more accurate colors out of the box (both are extremely good when calibrated though, if you have the equipment to calibrate the monitor). Also, the HP appears to have less input lag, though I'm hoping that the input lag was fixed on the A01 revision of the dell.