New monitor

[Druk]

How to choose one please? 20" would be fine.

What has 'resolution' got to do with what, and LED or LCD?

PC monitors Buy online | Currys




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[developer]

How to choose one please? 20" would be fine.

What has 'resolution' got to do with what, and LED or LCD?

PC monitors Buy online | Currys




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When you've decided, have a look at ebuyer.
http://www.ebuyer.com/

 

[Druk]

OK. How about this one?

LG E2211S-BN LCD/ LED 21.5" Monitor | Ebuyer.com

 

[LTD]

LG make the LED screens for the new iMacs and they are fine, fine screens.

Just make sure that your graphics card can support the new screen resolution on a 1:1 basis for best clarity.

 

[Druk]

Just make sure that your graphics card can support the new screen resolution on a 1:1 basis for best clarity.

If I'd wanted a lesson in Double Dutch I'd have asked you at Dirleton.

Have a quick stab at how much I know about computers?

 

[developer]

Have a quick stab at how much I know about computers?

A little *****

 

[Dryce]

OK. How about this one?

LG E2211S-BN LCD/ LED 21.5" Monitor | Ebuyer.com

Reasonable choice but only has a VGA connector so look at one of the next models up in that range if you want a DVI or HDMI connector as well.

I've also been looking for a compact 21.5in/22in monitor and the LG E2211, E2251, and E2281 look fine - they have a smaller screen bezel/surround which makes them physically a cm or 2 smaller. My preference is for the LG E2281 from Ebuyer simply because it offers DVI and HDMI connectors.

 

[markjay]

For future-proofing, you want a screen with HDMI and with this:

DisplayPort - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Said that, and standard VGA input should be fine for the next 2-3 years, so if the screen is well priced, it's a good buy.

 

[LTD]

Druk's head has just exploded ....

 

[Druk]

For future-proofing, you want a screen with HDMI and with this:

DisplayPort - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Said that, and standard VGA input should be fine for the next 2-3 years, so if the screen is well priced, it's a good buy.

Does this mean that if I need to buy a new PC in say three years or so then it wouldn't have a VGA port and wouldn't work with this screen? I don't 'do' gaming or watch movies so HD and it's HDMI requirement seems an extravagant extra I don't need.

 

[grober]

Doing a similar exercise myself at the moment. Its a very complex area as you have discovered. One thing to be aware of is the "technology trap" which others have hinted at. Upgrading individual computer components [ complete failure situations excepted] can mean you won't benefit from the improved performance because the "weakest link" in the rest of the system prevents it full exploitation. New large monitor might require a new graphics board which may in turn require a bigger computer power supply. The computer motherboard may not have the latest " socket" for the graphics board or the bios software to exploit it. I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that its best to upgrade everything at the same time hardware and software that way you get a "package" in which everything is contemporaneous.- cheaper too - since normally you get the latest operating system thrown in for free.

To return to monitors--- there are limited choices in the "budget range" sub £250. These are largely dictated by the manufacturers [ LG being a major player here] who seem to have settled on the 16:9 wide screen format for the larger screens often with a resolution of 1920x1080 which co-incidently is the screen format for small high definition TELEVISON SCREENS. This makes for a good monitor for watching movies and other internet video content but is not so good for word processing or surfing the internet as the old squarer 5:4 ratio screens. In other words the new larger 20" plus monitors give you a "wider" rather than a "bigger" picture. Your new super 16.9 20" monitor will give you a wider screen but "height" wise the picture wont be much taller than an old 5:4 15" So my advice would be if you want a 5:4 "square " picture don't go above 19" but if you can live with the new wide screen 16:9 ratio you will have a huge choice. The new larger "square monitors" 24" plus at 1920x 1200 or better [ notice the vertical pixel count improvement over 1080!] tend to be very pricy [ £200+] but worth it if you can afford it

 

[Druk]

In other words the new larger 20" plus monitors give you a "wider" rather than a "bigger" picture. Your new super 16.9 20" monitor will give you a wider screen but "height" wise the picture wont be much taller than an old 5:4 15" So my advice would be if you want a 5:4 "square " picture don't go above 19" but if you can live with the new wide screen 16:9 ratio you will have a huge choice. The new larger "square monitors" 24" plus at 1920x 1200 or better [ notice the vertical pixel count improvement over 1080!] tend to be very pricy [ £200+] but worth it if you can afford it

Will 'wider' allow me to view pics posted on this, and other, forums without having to scroll across to get the complete pic?

edit. where would I find which graphics card I've got so someone could maybe tell if it's compatible?

 

[grober]

YES you will get a wider picture but not a taller one so you will still have to scroll down but not across. try CONTROL PANEL > system> hardware > device manager> display adapter and read what it says. You may not have a "board" as such but what they call "onboard " graphics which is a chip on the main computer mother board rather than a discrete "plug in" board-- however that sequence should still tell you------ it will probably call it an " intel graphics adapter" or some such phrase. The bad news is that early onboard graphics tend to be the bare minimum spec to drive simple monitors and have limited upgrade capability- this does however depend on the overall age of the computer motherboard too.

 

[Druk]

Thanks. It says...ATI Radeon Xpress 200series. The date is 8/2005.

 

[grober]

I am led to believe that ATI Radeon Xpress 200 is a chipset for an ONBOARD motherboard graphics chip which unfortunately probably means its ability to drive today's big monitors may be limited. Xpress 200 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia It will for example only have the older analogue VGA type output port rather the newer DVI-I digital output port and limited output resolution necessary for today's big monitors. Tread warily!

 

[bolide]

Just make sure that your graphics card can support the new screen resolution on a 1:1 basis for best clarity.

This is really important. Unlike CRT monitors, which can switch resolutions with very little change in image quality, most flatscreen monitors have a "native" resolution at which the display is optimised. At other resolutions they can look awful

Obviously on all displays you're limited by the graphics card and the upper resolution & bandwidth of the display

As you may spend a few hours a day for the next few years in front of it I always recommend not economising on a display

Nick Froome

 

[grober]

video display aspect ratios

This is quite a good visual representation of how the various resolution figures translate into screen ratios. File:Vector Video Standards2.svg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[neilz]

One thing you may notice is distortion. I'm using an absolute bottom of the range Beko TV with my computer with an HDMI cable (certain computers and screens have an HDMI socket which lets you use the same type of cable you plug a Sky HD digibox into a TV with to plug your screen into your computer). I am using the HD 1080 resolution shown on the above diagram and what I find is that images are stretched badly horizontally, if I draw a perfect square in Microsoft Paint, it looks very much like a rectangle. This can happen especially as the two components of the resolution are further apart. Like 1024x768 which I use with a 1997 (!) CRT monitor on my other desktop is fine (not much difference) but 1920x1080 stretches things badly.

Long story short, check the new monitor's native resolution and make sure you can cope with a bit of distortion!

 

[Druk]

Thanks all for the assistance. However...I refer you back to post #5.




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[davidmi]

Thanks all for the assistance. However...I refer you back to post #5.




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Might help if you make it clear what you will be looking at on the monitor, i.e. I am sitting in front of a Dell U2711 calibrated for colour work but I prefer an older Samsung Syncmaster 2343BW for working with text because it was designed with that use in mind and (like the Dell) rotates 90° for page scrolling. Don't worry too much about connections because there is generally an adapter. Old stock monitors generally get cheaper although perversely the Samsung was getting more expensive last time I looked.