Help picking out a new LED monitor for the parents

[Interitus]

Did some quick google work and looked through a few pages here but didn't really see anything that caught my eye. I'm admittedly way out of the hardware loop these days due to school and other things, so I would appreciate anyone's input on some models to look into. Even a site with a current comparison of monitors would be a great help. I didn't seem to find anywhere that had a good comparative roundup of monitors that met the criteria desired.

Here's a quick bit of info that might help

Budget: Somewhere under $250 but the lower the better as long as quality isn't sacrificed.
Uses: General browsing & video/multimedia. No gaming other than flash games or similar.
Wants: IPS panel, matte screen, 20" or larger (22-24" would be great).
Connections: Not terribly important. Currently using a Sandy Bridge CPU's integrated GPU.
Orientation: Will sit on the desktop. VESA not needed. Simple backward tilt is probably enough.

This is basically just going to be a budget IPS monitor for general use. Their current monitor is an old Dell 17" LCD so size is the biggest part of the upgrade here. A 22-24" at 1080p is going to be night and day difference from before and they would probably be extremely happy with it.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read and pitch in with any advice

 

[n0x1ous]

Dell Ultrasharp U2412M

 

[MeldarthX]

dell Ultrasharp U2414H

Got a bunch of them for work and they are awesome.....they were like 185 pounds; but they only have hdmi or dp... I think the 12m has DVI - can't see much difference between the two either

 

[Interitus]

Thanks guys. Look like solid choices. HDMI only isn't a problem either. The board has HDMI out for the IGP.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

Actually was just debating this last night as well.

Aside from the U2412M and the U2414H on Amazon Warehouse for around $230 each, I also considered and eventually ordered this LG 25" 21:9 2560x1080 monitor for a family member. Got it for $225 shipped, and apparently Costco has it for $210 or $220. 2xHDMI, 1xDVI-D, 1xDP.

Might as well use my family member as the guinea pig for this aspect ratio instead of the usual Ultrasharps I buy. If you're interested I can give you a heads up once I get the thing up and running.

If you live near a Microcenter and if your folks are older and would be fine with 1920x1080 on 27" then you might be able to find some decent deals there. There's a Samsung refurb with an MVA panel for $200 and an NEC (AOC?) IPS for $230 at the MC where I live.

 

[Interitus]

That LG 21:9 looks really nice. I really like it but I will have to run it by them and see what they think. Their desk isn't huge so it may pose a problem there. Other than the space, I hope their poor SB i3 integrated GPU can cope with such a high res on a monitor like that. I have zero experience with Intel's IGP's so I'm not real sure what they're capable of.

Would love to hear what you think when you get it though.

I will have to check out Microcenter. I'm close enough to the Brentwood, MO store to drive down and take a peek at what they have.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

That LG 21:9 looks really nice. I really like it but I will have to run it by them and see what they think. Their desk isn't huge so it may pose a problem there. Other than the space, I hope their poor SB i3 integrated GPU can cope with such a high res on a monitor like that. I have zero experience with Intel's IGP's so I'm not real sure what they're capable of.

Would love to hear what you think when you get it though.

I will have to check out Microcenter. I'm close enough to the Brentwood, MO store to drive down and take a peek at what they have.

I'll see if I can get it hooked up to the G3220 HTPC in my sig before I give it away. That's currently hooked up to a 1080p 52" TV and it's doing just peachy with typical streaming/youtube/xbmc stuff.

Your MC has quite a selection of 23" to 24" with IPS for $140 and up... not too bad for standard run-of-the-mill monitors. It's also got this LG 27" 1920x1080 and the aforementioned 21:9 25" LG for $250 if you wanna check it out in person.

 

[Interitus]

I'll see if I can get it hooked up to the G3220 HTPC in my sig before I give it away. That's currently hooked up to a 1080p 52" TV and it's doing just peachy with typical streaming/youtube/xbmc stuff.

That's reassuring. They don't do much more than youtube/streaming and the occasional time waster $5 special games so it sounds like the IGP would do just fine.

 

[tweakboy]

IGP wont help in games right now.