Hello, I just joined the forum after reading through some threads here and seeing a lot of helpful people.
A few days ago my PC monitor died. Or at least I think it did. Suddenly the screen went blank. The power light was still on and the computer itself was still working perfectly. I later visited a friend and he let me connect the monitor to his PC to test it. Still a blank screen.
Now I've asked some people if it can be fixed and the most common response has been "buy a new one".
If this is true I really need some help finding a good monitor. I've checked many websites, from tftcentral and flatpanelshd to techreport, cnet and the hardforums and, to be perfectly honest with you, it's still a bit too hard for me to decide.
My setup is actually about 4 years old and I know it's nearing the end of its life cycle. Especially when it comes to videogames.
Intel Conroe class Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz dual core
2GB of DDR2 RAM from OCZ
Radeon/Sapphire X1900XTX gpu
Samsung SyncMaster 940bw 19" monitor --> apparently RIP
At first glance I thought "Well I'll just buy a cheap LCD and be done with it, it's not like the gpu can handle most games at >1440x900 anymore."
But after reading some posts about how the monitor is supposed to be one of the most long-lived parts of a setup I'm starting to believe I should be thinking ahead.
I doubt I'm going to be upgrading my current setup. It's probably better to just build a new one at this point.
So maybe I should actually buy a monitor with some decent specs so I'll be able to integrate it with a new setup in the near future.
Is this a good idea?
Here are some of the things which appeal to me in a new, modern monitor:
-widescreen
-1920x1200 wuxga resolution or at least 1920x1080
-up to 24" in size
-an HDMI port (could be useful for attaching a console as I have no HDTV)
-a good response time as I do intend to play some FPS games such as Team Fortress 2.
-good image quality, black levels, input lag, colours, etc.
- > 500
I have been reading a few things about the TN vs IPS panels and checked the giant LCD sticky thread as well. I've seen many recommendations but I hope some of you wizards can help me find my one true... PC monitor.
Some of the screens I've seen mentioned quite a bit recently:
Dell u2410 --> At 600+ it's well out of my price range but I'm willing to shop online.
HP ZR24W
Dell u2311H
ASUS VW246H
Dell 2209WA
But feel free to mention recommend other screens as well. I'm certainly open to suggestions and questions.
A few days ago my PC monitor died. Or at least I think it did. Suddenly the screen went blank. The power light was still on and the computer itself was still working perfectly. I later visited a friend and he let me connect the monitor to his PC to test it. Still a blank screen.
Now I've asked some people if it can be fixed and the most common response has been "buy a new one".
If this is true I really need some help finding a good monitor. I've checked many websites, from tftcentral and flatpanelshd to techreport, cnet and the hardforums and, to be perfectly honest with you, it's still a bit too hard for me to decide.
My setup is actually about 4 years old and I know it's nearing the end of its life cycle. Especially when it comes to videogames.
Intel Conroe class Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz dual core
2GB of DDR2 RAM from OCZ
Radeon/Sapphire X1900XTX gpu
Samsung SyncMaster 940bw 19" monitor --> apparently RIP
At first glance I thought "Well I'll just buy a cheap LCD and be done with it, it's not like the gpu can handle most games at >1440x900 anymore."
But after reading some posts about how the monitor is supposed to be one of the most long-lived parts of a setup I'm starting to believe I should be thinking ahead.
I doubt I'm going to be upgrading my current setup. It's probably better to just build a new one at this point.
So maybe I should actually buy a monitor with some decent specs so I'll be able to integrate it with a new setup in the near future.
Is this a good idea?
Here are some of the things which appeal to me in a new, modern monitor:
-widescreen
-1920x1200 wuxga resolution or at least 1920x1080
-up to 24" in size
-an HDMI port (could be useful for attaching a console as I have no HDTV)
-a good response time as I do intend to play some FPS games such as Team Fortress 2.
-good image quality, black levels, input lag, colours, etc.
- > 500
I have been reading a few things about the TN vs IPS panels and checked the giant LCD sticky thread as well. I've seen many recommendations but I hope some of you wizards can help me find my one true... PC monitor.
Some of the screens I've seen mentioned quite a bit recently:
Dell u2410 --> At 600+ it's well out of my price range but I'm willing to shop online.
HP ZR24W
Dell u2311H
ASUS VW246H
Dell 2209WA
But feel free to mention recommend other screens as well. I'm certainly open to suggestions and questions.