Casual LCD

[baze]

Hey guys,

I'm in the market for a new monitor, and I'm overwhelmed by the amount of choices available. I've been reading reviews for the last week trying to catch up on the current state of displays.

I need a monitor for super casual use - I don't game. I mostly will use it for surfing, documents, and coding. Some movies and TVs here and there, but nothing too crazy.

At most, I can drop $300 on something. I don't know how badly I'd need something with an IPS panel, which seems to be the best for colors from what I've read in the last few days.

Essentially, I want more desktop real estate for my notebook -- I'm a college student, so my laptop is my holy grail.

Something 23" or 24" would be nice. I see many cheap LCDs on Amazon, lots of different brands with LED backlit ones and others ranging from $180-$250. I don't want to buy a POS monitor, but I don't need to drop a lot of money on anything too crazy.

The only thing that would be nice would be some adjustment for swivel/pivot/rotate. But not exactly a must.

Any ideas?

 

[MauveCloud]

Please fill in the template: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/59847-3-template-monitor-advice

If your budget is $300, the e-ips Dell U2311h would only be a small stretch - Amazon has it for about $305. If you are willing to settle for TN, why stop at 24 inches? You can find 27 inch monitors, like the ViewSonic VX2739WM or Samsung P2770FH, for under $300.

 

[baze]

Please fill in the template: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/59847-3-template-monitor-advice

If your budget is $300, the e-ips Dell U2311h would only be a small stretch - Amazon has it for about $305. If you are willing to settle for TN, why stop at 24 inches? You can find 27 inch monitors, like the ViewSonic VX2739WM or Samsung P2770FH, for under $300.

My bad, I'll do it right now.

How big is the picture quality difference between IPS and TN? For reference, I use a Macbook pro (2009) for my daily computer stuff, and I think the picture quality on that is just fine for what I do.

27 sounds nice. I sit very close to my screen most of the time; would that be overkill at all?

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Approximate Purchase Date: The next week or 2

Budget Range: Around $300

Monitor Usage from Most to Least Important: Surfing, Writing primarily, TV movies second. No gaming.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon, if Prime shipping applies to the model. If not, doesn't really matter.

Country of Origin: United States

Brand Preferences: Whatever. As long as it's good.

Physical Size (Diagonal): (e.g. 23 inch, 27-32 inch)

Resolution(s) You'll Consider: 1920x1080 or above.

Inputs Needed: Something that'll work with a Macbook pro from 2009. I'm assuming I'll need to buy an adapter of sorts for whatever screen I end up with.

Panel Type(s) Desired: IPS seems to be better, but is it worth it for my needs?

LED Backlight: Indifferent...if it's good, cool. If not, no big? Unless I'm missing something.

Speakers: Indifferent

Wall-Mount: Indifferent

Stand Functions: Rotate/pivot/swivel would be nice but in the end it's not a huge deal.

Additional Comments: Basically, the best bang for my buck for casual use. As long as it looks nice...for reference, I think my Macbook's screen is just fine for my uses.

 

[memadmax]

You know, when I'm looking for a monitor, I tend to ignore specs and just look at the thing while it's being demo'd, like at best buy for example.

I take the one that is easiest on my eyes, and fits my budget.