LCD Monitor Shopping

[Darthwing Teorist]

I am looking to buy a 22" LCD monitor for home (gaming, programming, interwebs and maybe some movie watching). The 22" format is because of space and budget limitations. I am basically hesitating between Samsung and Viewsonic. From what I read online, Samsung is better, especially the 2253BW:

Samsung 2253BW
ViewSonic VX2240w
ViewSonic VP2250wb
Acer P223WAd
LG W2242TQ-BF
LG W2242P
BenQ X2200W

I am basically looking for good video, good colors and durability. I saw a still from a Samsung 226BW and it was very crisp, no ghosts. Apparently 2253BW replaces the 226 having an even better contrast ratio, that's why it is my first choice but I can't find the link to the site though. Most of the above have a 2ms grey to grey (GTG) response.

[nianfong]

I have an acer. Acer, westinghouse, dell, etc, are actually all OEM monitors made by chi-mei of taiwan. my buddy who is actually in the LCD biz says their monitors are pretty damn good bang for the buck. samsung reliability/quality has gone down since they moved mfg to china. sony makes the best LCD screens because they are more selective with their QC. but you pay for it.

[ashe]

i have an envision which i'm quite happy with so far (only had it about 6 mos. paid ~$400).

[Dmitri]

I'm all about resolution... I use 1600X1200 and when I was shopping I was looking for monitors with that particular native resolution. (If you're using an LCD screen in non-native resolution -- it will suck, in case you didn't know. Beware!)

So in my case, with that in mind, I've owned two of these for several years now. One has only one dead pixel, the other one doesn't have any (I didn't notice anyway.)
The only problem was that in one of them the radiator fell off inside the box, so when I had to move it it was making a weird rattling noise. (It was WORKING in spite of that, I've no idea how!) So I opened it up and glued it back on, and it's fine.
So both have been working great for several years now.

My model is unavailable now, I guess... The reasons I bought them back then were the price and the great reviews. The prices on them are still very good, so I would check the reviews everywhere -- who knows, it's been many years, they might have changed for worse, but if reviews are good -- I would suggest a Sceptre.

Hmm, looked at this one and the reviews are rather mixed...
Well, maybe I got lucky (with TWO of them), or maybe they got worse, I dunno man. Might be worth a shot -- if it doesn't work, return it and get a more expensive one...

FWIW, I would check out other sites too, like e.g. this, which happens to be one of my favorite sites on computers and electronics. Note the specs on that model, 1080P, 2ms, 2000:1 contrast, 170 viewing angle...

Also, here's a search for 22" monitors sorted by best reviews/ratings:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi ... der=RATING
You can narrow that down further by other specs. Newegg.com rules.

Good luck.

[Darthwing Teorist]

Thanks to all for the info! I did not really use LCDs before my current job (and we all agree that LCDs at work are really cheap). I am looking to run games at a maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200.

The Samsuns 2253BW received a Customer Choice Award from New Egg and I can order it for $299 from Futureshop over here. So I think that we have a winner!

[Dmitri]

But it's 1680x1050, is that OK with you? That means it'll extrapolate from 1050 to 1200, which might be ugly... OTOH in games it's probably OK.

[Darthwing Teorist]

Hmmm... I already ordered it. This does not really worry me. I am sure that my video card supports that mode too, it's a quite recent VisionTek Radeon 3850 with 512MB.

Thanks for all the help guys.

[Darthwing Teorist]

Update: I got it. It cost me 75$ less ordering it from Futureshop than from TigerDirect. It is also much easier to see them if there is a problem.

I installed it last night and briefly tested it. My first impressions: it looks great on my desk, much better than the previous grey 17" Hanson CRT monitor. For daily use, my video card supports the 1680x1050 mode with no problem. It also has a digital output, so that it is good. The monitor has a MagicColor preference, letting you quickly adjust the colors, contrast and luminosity, depending on what kind of application you use (text, interwebs, games, movies, sports).

I tested it with Half-Life 2: Episode 2, at the max settings for my card. HL has a video mode for 1680x1050 LCD screens, but the image does not take advantage of the wide screen format. The image is very good, very crisp and clear. The colors are bright and I observed no ghosting so far. I tried the 1680x1050 widescreen mode from HL, but for some reason, it did not work. It may be either a game or a video card issue.

I am happy with it. Seems to be a very good quality while not very expensive (it cost me $323 with taxes).


Thank you all for your input.