Originally posted by: nullpointerus
Hi, xtknight!
Hey, I remember you, I think.
I need a new monitor for Christmas, but I cannot find what I have been looking for.
(Did monitor prices rise substantially since this summer?)
Not really. They have fallen by a slight amount since August.
DisplaySearch: LCD Monitor
What I want is a 20+ inch LCD with relatively large dot pitch, DVI/HDMI, 8-bit color, very good text display, and acceptable response times for gaming. Nothing else matters much.
Maximum Price: $399 (but lower would be MUCH better )
BTW, glossy screens (not bezels!) interest me...would be worth an extra $50 (just to play with).
I would have been recommending you the
20WMGX2 but it has recently, to my knowledge, been discontinued and it of course does not offer HDMI and has small dot pitch.
Ditto for the
215TW whose dot pitch is a little bigger.
The price will kill your options for 24" panels, and since no 22" panels are VA/IPS (8-bit) right now (at least for the price), that leaves you with 20.1" and 21".
Here we have only a couple displays not guaranteed to be true 8-bit, including the 2007WFP, 2007FP, and HP LP2065. And, none of these has HDMI either. These all have the among smallest dot pitch of LCD monitors as well. So these aren't really options.
What you're left with are some 22" TN panels like the LG L226WTQ, ViewSonic VX2255wmb, and HP w2207. The HP w2207 is glossy, it's below your price point, but it's not 8-bit and it has no HDMI hook-up. (You can convert DVI->HDMI but I'm not sure if you needed dual DVI+HDMI inputs or not.)
The w2207 would provide good gaming performance and as far as I know fine text rendering too but you can research that more in-depth if you'd like. I can't see any problems with it though. If it has problems with text it has problems with graphics too; the LCD doesn't know text from graphics.
If you can find the 20WMGX2 in-stock anywhere or on eBay/NEC clearance or wherever else then that may be the best option for you. The Samsung 215TW is another great option if you can find it anywhere.
The last and probably best option would be to raise your price point and take another look around.
The
HP w2408h offers HDMI on a glossy, wide gamut panel and got a "very good" rating from PRAD.de. Of course, that means it has its caveats too, including no other DVI input and lack of true 8-bit color. And it's around $550. To make matters worse it doesn't look like the HDMI model is available in the US yet. HP w2408 has DVI only.
But, it offers great gaming performance. Its dot pitch isn't really big but not real small either. It's an option for you, but obviously not exactly what you were looking for. I don't know of a single display that meets all your criteria that is under even $800. There's 24" but these all have relatively small dot pitch anyway and they are way over your price point. 27" offers everything except HDMI but the price point would give you a stroke.
So, I believe for now your best option is to get an
HP w2207 then wait it out for something better later? Either this, or spring for the
HP w2408 if you don't mind slightly smaller dot pitch for bigger size and better color performance.
Large dot pitch is hard to accommodate at >20.1"/8-bit, <$400 so you may reconsider your criteria or get the above HP LCDs.
I guess as long as I'm mentioning the HP w2408 it would be blasphemy to not mention the
Gateway FHD2400 which actually does offer HDMI (in US, even) and for a slightly lower price.
$550 MSRP but quite a good deal:
http://www.gateway.com/retail/fhd2400.php
I don't think true 8-bit color should be that much of a concern for you. It's mainly the viewing angles that differ between the panels, not so much color with the better TN panels out there today. Details and nuances in pictures can matter but this isn't really such a big deal when you're sitting back watching movies or playing games. It would probably be a horrible photo editing monitor though because it's wide gamut, TN, and glossy (can make a difference in bad conditions). The Gateway offers both DVI and HDMI, along with several other video inputs. Keep in mind that smaller dot pitch results in better text display. At 24", dot pitch is reasonably small. So only desire big dot pitch if you have trouble seeing.
I guess my ultimate recommendation though is to wait it out until the holidays and see what kind of deals come around. Either this or make sure you know what you want and what you can get.
The fundamental problem with your current criteria:
a) 20.1" and 21" screens have small dot pitch, and few are 8-bit.
b) 22" monitors are not 8-bit. Upcoming ones that are have very small dot pitch (Lenovo 1920x1200) or are very expensive (Eizo). Current 22" LCDs have a medium dot pitch but not big like 19" or 27".
c) 23 and 24" screens have small dot pitch (and soar way over your price point).
There are no exceptions at all to these rules.