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Looking for recommendations for PC monitors.
I need a 22" HDMI monitor, audio preferred but not essential. If audio is included, an output jack is required to plug in external speakers. (Monitor speakers are universally crap.) HD (1920x1080) required, 4K is not desired.
I am not a gamer, so uber-high refresh rate is not required. I probably wouldn't be able to tell with my eyes, anyway.
My primary concern is viewing angle. Because my monitor sits so close to my face (4"-6" away), cheaper monitors show significant color distortion at the edges. I need a monitor that shows almost no color shift at all, at this distance.
Also, good color/contrast/brightness controls would be a real plus. My current monitor seems to be very washed out, and no amount of adjusting has fixed it.
I'm willing to spend money, but I'm not gonna break the bank over a monitor, so nothing crazy, please...
So... thoughts?
Eric Storm
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I don't have a specific brand to recommend. But, for the LCD and LED monitors you want to get an IPS monitor. I am unsure if any OLED monitors are based on IPS technology. Anyway, there are three technologies TN, VA, and IPS. TN is the cheapest with the fastest refresh rates while IPS has the best color and viewing angles and is used extensively by people that deal with professional graphics applications. IPS monitors used to be way too expensive for most people. However in the last three or four years, the price has come down enough for most people to be able to buy them and they've even made it into the computer gaming market in the last few years.
I'm not sure the VA based monitors are made anymore, but I don't know for sure. They were kind of a middle ground between TN (the most popular type) and IPS (best color and viewing angle). I might look for reviews on Tom's Hardware or on Anandtech as well as any other tech sites you know and trust.
Last edited by Barbarian3165 (2020-09-05 10:33:16)
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I am asking a tech site I trust! Besides, if YOU guys steer me wrong, I can burn you in virtual effigy in my next book!
But thanks for the info.
Eric Storm
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You mean you haven't already burned me in effigy somewhere in the last few chapters of way8?
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From my experience, I would have to agree that IPS would be your best bet for the performance you're looking for. I'd recommend Asus, Acer, or BenQ personally - they tend to be the most reliable from what I've seen for the price that you'll be paying. Some Dells are decently cheap, as well as ViewSonics, but the failure rate after about a year is a bit too high for my liking from my personal (work) experience.
Looks line Amazon has monitors fitting what you're looking for between $110 and $120 right now. Not great but not horrible pricing.
Just my 2 cents, from an IT tech perspective. Good luck with whatever you end up deciding on!
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Thanks for the input, Kerensky. I have several ViewSonics, and have never had problem with them failing... but they're probably not IPS (the ones I have, I mean), as there is definite color shift at the edges. ('course, when you have to turn your head to see each side of your monitor...) But these monitors are kind of old.
And I wouldn't consider $120 to be a high price for a monitor. I was expecting something more like $150 each.
Eric Storm
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Never looked into this market segment before, but i know that an IPS display panel has the best viewing angles. I see the HP VH240a on Amazon for $110 (23.8" though) . You should be able to get a decent one for around or under $100.
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I usually buy Samsung, Dell or HP monitors with TN panels and I'm very happy with them - and I do work for 12+ hours a day while looking at them.
Currently I'm using 3x HP LA2405wg (that is 24"). Being 12 cm away from the monitor feels weird for me, but I tried it and the colors aren't distorted much when I turn my head around at that distance.
Also, I would recommend a 16:10 aspect ratio i.e. 1920x1200 resolution, that allows you to fit full-hd application/graphic/whatever and still have a taskbar or other toolbars on screen.
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crypticbyte wrote:
Being 12 cm away from the monitor feels weird for me
Try being legally blind. It'll feel less weird.
Also, I would recommend a 16:10 aspect ratio i.e. 1920x1200 resolution, that allows you to fit full-hd application/graphic/whatever and still have a taskbar or other toolbars on screen.
Two things: First, this would make everything on the screen smaller. This would not be helpful: there's a reason my monitor is so close. Second, the only things I view in "full HD", I also view in fullscreen, meaning there are no other toolbars or taskbars wanted on the screen. The only thing I need "Full HD" for is watching videos. Don't need anything onscreen to do that. Not to mention, the monitor I watch videos on (I also use three of them), doesn't even have my taskbar on it.
Thanks for the input.
Eric Storm
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No problem Eric, but just to clarify 16:10 aspect ratio doesn't make anything smaller - that's the point. It's as wide as 1920x1080, but it's a little bit higher - 120 pixels to be exact.
At home I'm using a setup where I have central 16:10 and two 16:9 at the sides, but that is mainly cause I'm cheap - the two at the sides I got for free, and I recently replaced the central cause it finally failed.
Still, you might not need it or you might not know that you need it Personally I didn't realize the huge difference this 120 pixel addition made until I tried it , but my usecase is quite different than yours probably.
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A quick look on Amazon shows that 1920x1200 monitors are about twice the cost of a standard 1920x1080 monitor. I don't care how useful those 120 pixels are, they aren't worth the cost of an entire other monitor.
If you apply a 1920x1200 resolution to a "normal" monitor, you're back to making things smaller.
Eric Storm
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