Which screen to choose (pretty specific)

hj2k_x

hj2k_x

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Hello everyone.

My last thread asking which laptop to choose was a great success. Thanks to all the awesome feedback I ended up getting the awesome EEE PC which I am loving!

I am hoping that there will be a similar response to this thread. I know that there are tons of threads out there asking similar questions but mine is once again quite specific and different to anything I could find by searching or googling ;)

Anyway, going to upgrade my contract at Incredible Corruption in early April and get R3800 in vouchers (R150 upgrade fee of course).

So I am looking to use these vouchers to upgrade my screen.

I currently have this 20" LG one here :http://www.prophecy.co.za/204wtbf-wide-screen-with-engine-25mm-1680x105-p-20960.html

It is a really good screen and has given me zero issues. I just want something a bit bigger. I will use it for browsing, watching movies, typing out documents and playing the very occasional game. There is almost never direct sunlight shining on the screen so a glossy screen will not be an issue :)

So, my options are the following:

Samsung Syncmaster 2232GW

Code: 
#  22" wide Magic Glare LCD
# 1680 x 1050 maximum resolution
# 300 Nits brightness
# 3000:1 contrast ratio
# 2ms response time
# Analogue and DVI inputs
# 3 Year warranty 

[B][SIZE="3"]R3299[/SIZE][/B]

All in all seems to be a very popular monitor with a lot of good reviews. Also, it looks great. Just comes in at R200- R500 more than some of the competition.


Lenovo 22" Wide

Code: 
#  22" wide VibrantView LCD
# 1680 x 1050 maximum resolution
# 300 Nits brightness
# 700:1 contrast ratio
# 5ms response time
# Analogue and DVI inputs
# 3 Year warranty 

[B][SIZE="3"]R2899[/SIZE][/B]

I like the price on this one and have been hearing good things about Lenovo recently. Not the sexiest screen though...


PACKARD BELL MAESTRO 220W

Code: 
#  22" Wide LCD with DiamondView technology
# 1680 x 1050 maximum resolution
# 300 Nits brightnes
# 700:1 contrast ratio
# 5ms response time
# Analogue & DVI inputs
# 1 Year warranty 

[B][SIZE="3"]R3199[/SIZE][/B]

I loved the look of this one in the shops but I have read some average reviews about it, and it's almost as expensive as the Samsung.


ACER X243W 24" WIDE LCD
Code: 
#  24" wide LCD
# 1920 x 1200 maximum resolution
# 400 Nits brightness
# 3000:1 contrast ratio
# 5ms response time
# Analogue and DVI inputs
# 3 Year warranty 

[B][SIZE="3"]R3999[/SIZE][/B]
24" seems like a nice idea to me and this one isn't bad looking either. Wondering if it's worth spending the whole voucher on this one.

http://www.incredible.co.za/services/catalog/moreinfo.asp?sku=60935

Code: 
#  22” wide LCD
# 1680 x 1050 maximum resolution
# 300 Nits brightness
# 700:1 contrast ratio
# Analogue and DVI inputs
# 2ms response time
# Microsoft Vista certified
# 3 Year warranty 

[B][SIZE="3"]R2999[/SIZE][/B]



Another one here. 22" Acer
http://www.incredible.co.za/services/catalog/moreinfo.asp?sku=62798

Code: 
#  22" wide CrystalBrite LCD
# 1680 x 1050 maximum resolution
# 300 Nits brightness
# 2500:1 contrast ratio
# 5ms response time
# Analogue and DVI inputs
# 3 Year warranty 

[B][SIZE="3"]R2999[/SIZE][/B]



So there we go. I'd love to hear from people who actually have these monitors. But any feedback is always appreciated :)

PS- How much do you think I could get for my current 20" monitor? It's just over a year old and was R2500 when I bought it...

Cheers

:)
 
Last edited:
I would go for the 2ms monitor which appears to be the Samsung.

Also the contrast Ratio is good vs the others barring the Acer one which is pricey but then has a better resolution.

so I would say it is between the Acer and the Samsung. Choose a number between 1-10 and i will tell you which monitor you have chosen to purchase :P
 
halicon said:
I would go for the 2ms monitor which appears to be the Samsung.

Also the contrast Ratio is good vs the others barring the Acer one which is pricey but then has a better resolution.

so I would say it is between the Acer and the Samsung. Choose a number between 1-10 and i will tell you which monitor you have chosen to purchase :P
Click to expand...

Also the Acer is 24"....
 
PostmanPot said:
Samsung or Asus. Probably the Asus as it isn't much more!

www.pcint.co.za have the 2232GW for R2299 excl. VAT...

IC = rip! :mad:
Click to expand...

Yeah, that is what I was thinking. Can find the Samsung at a lot of other stores for less than R3k :(

The 24" does look tempting...

What you think I could get for my current 20" LG?
 
Samsung all the way!

I've had the samsung 22 inch for about 4 months now and from what I've experienced so far, I can strongly recommend it! Brilliant clarity, good response time, I play Counterstrike Source on it, and barely notice the difference between this lcd and normal CRT screens. - Also awesome to watch movies on!

Got mine from pczone in pinetown for R2499 incl. Vat - www.zones.co.za

Never looked back :cool:
 
Savage152 said:
I've had the samsung 22 inch for about 4 months now and from what I've experienced so far, I can strongly recommend it! Brilliant clarity, good response time, I play Counterstrike Source on it, and barely notice the difference between this lcd and normal CRT screens. - Also awesome to watch movies on!

Got mine from pczone in pinetown for R2499 incl. Vat - www.zones.co.za

Never looked back :cool:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback. :)

That really is a good price you paid- nearly a grand less than damn IC!
 
If you are only going to be playing the occasional game, I would suggest staying away from the TN range of panels, normally seen by the very low response times (2ms).

At the end of the day you are looking for a high quality monitor from the sounds of it, so the Lenovo might be the way to go.

Have a look at the monitor reviews on www.trustedreviews.com and also do a bit of background research into the types of panels used.

The following is a Monitor Buying Guide from CNET:

http://reviews.cnet.com/monitor-buying-guide/


I have also been doing a bit of hunting as I am looking at either getting a 24 or 2X22 wide LCD's (Price wise works out pretty similar, pay a lot more for those 2inches more) so have learned a fair bit in the last month or so.
 
ebe9 said:
If you are only going to be playing the occasional game, I would suggest staying away from the TN range of panels, normally seen by the very low response times (2ms).

At the end of the day you are looking for a high quality monitor from the sounds of it, so the Lenovo might be the way to go.

Have a look at the monitor reviews on www.trustedreviews.com and also do a bit of background research into the types of panels used.

The following is a Monitor Buying Guide from CNET:

http://reviews.cnet.com/monitor-buying-guide/


I have also been doing a bit of hunting as I am looking at either getting a 24 or 2X22 wide LCD's (Price wise works out pretty similar, pay a lot more for those 2inches more) so have learned a fair bit in the last month or so.
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks for advice. I'll check it out. I have done some hunting myself already. At the moment I would be leaning towards the Samsung if it weren't for the fact that IC want a R500 premium for the pleasure of buying it from their wonderful shop :rolleyes:
 
My 226BW has light bleeding, (check my user photos here) so that might be something to consider.
 
n1hilist said:
My 226BW has light bleeding, (check my user photos here) so that might be something to consider.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I checked out the pic. It does not look to good. I guess as long as you don't play very dark games or movies it is not noticeable? But it is not great either.
 
I'm still debating taking it back, my boss has the same panel, my friend too, and we all have a similar issue. But it seems to be a date issue, the two are Dec 2007 models and my friends is July 2007, so I think if I take it back I will just get the same factory run, with the same problem.

I've been playing lots of Crysis on it, its very very sexy, it's only dark areas, really, really dark areas that show it.

If you do get the monitor, make sure you spend a bit of time calibrating it, adjust the RGB - because the default settings are a bit off.
 
Oh ya, and it should be said that I am running an 8500GT right now (which is not the best), so I am hoping that would be good enough to run all the 22" ones fine and even the 24" or am I mistaken?
 
Sure, but maybe not Crysis at 1680x1050

I'm running it everything on max, with the DX10 for XP modded cvars (makes it look much sexier) at 1440x900 and I get about 25-30fps and still looks stunning.
 
n1hilist said:
Sure, but maybe not Crysis at 1680x1050

I'm running it everything on max, with the DX10 for XP modded cvars (makes it look much sexier) at 1440x900 and I get about 25-30fps and still looks stunning.
Click to expand...

Yeah, well I am not going to be gaming hardly at all so it should be fine :)
 
http://www.incredible.co.za/services/catalog/moreinfo.asp?sku=62798

Another one here. 22" Acer

Code: 
#  22" wide CrystalBrite LCD
# 1680 x 1050 maximum resolution
# 300 Nits brightness
# 2500:1 contrast ratio
# 5ms response time
# Analogue and DVI inputs
# 3 Year warranty 

[B][SIZE="3"]R2999[/SIZE][/B]

Also, I see the PB only has a one year warranty which pretty much writes that one off...
 
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