Re: PC screens

Personally, if budget allows I recommend the Dell UltraSharp series. IPS
panels w/accurate colors. Many of them pivot so you can do portrait mode.
Most have numerous options for inputs. Some have USB hubs & card readers.
3 year warranty w/panel replacement for a single bad pixel.

The 24" model - to me it offers the best bang/buck - offers
better-than-1080p resolution at 1920x1200. So you'd have a little more
resolution on your desktop.

I'm using a U2410. It lists @ $549 but can be found on sale for closer to
$450 (I got mine a year ago for ~$440). The U2412M update has fewer inputs
and some other differences but is much cheaper @ $369.

If 1080p is sufficient or if budget is more of a concern, my preferred
brands are Acer, Samsung, and recently HP. I've never had one fail before
it was several years old - well beyond warranty.

You can go to a retailer to see the monitors in person, but beware that the
image they present may not reflect reality. For one, it'll most likely be
an image split across many screens so quality will only be as good as the
splitter & cabling they use. For another, if they're displaying "demo"
materials, realize the text quality is probably false as it's actually done
in graphics (i.e. text as part of a JPG, not text as Word or Firefox would
display it).

Ideally, sample monitors that are connected to actual PCs that you can use
to browse. That way you can get a better picture for how well text is
rendered.

I'm intentionally ignoring options like 3D, touch, embedded speakers, etc.
IMO touch on a laptop can potentially make sense but on a desktop it makes
the ergonomics just plain dumb. 3D is too new and probably won't have
value unless you're a gamer. Embedded speakers can be OK, but they're
never better than just OK. External speakers will probably always sound
better.

On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 3:30 PM, Booth Martin <booth@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

What are the benefits & features to look for when purchasing new PC
monitor? Prices seem to be all over the place, and as I read the specs
I realize that I understand the words but I am not sure on how that all
translates into information I need to know to buy the monitor I want.

Also, are there any brands, gotchas, or other hints I should pay
attention to? I ask that because this HANNspree monitor is less than 2
years old and it looks like it will need to be replaced soon.

Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks.



--
Booth Martin
802-461-5349
http://www.martinvt.com

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