Hard to pick

[ICIT2LOL]

Am gogin to treat myself to a decent monitor - not that the 24" BenQ has anything faults but am shortly going to givr iti to my partner as part of a build I ma doing for her.

Now I cannot make up my mind between these two
Dell UltraSharp U2412M 24in IPS LED Monitor [U2412M] - $319.00 : PC Case Gear &

Philips 278C4QHSN 27in Widescreen IPS LED Monitor [278C4QHSN] - $339.00 : PC Case Gear

The Dell is smaller but has DVI whcih I prefer and the Philips (I have a 24" TN panel one which is very good) but it only comes with HDMI and I really don't like the flimsy plugging system but the screen is bigger.

I really am not a gamer - just a surfer and emailer but have started to play with some graphical stuff plus I am limited to around $350 so any ideas??

 

[maxie]

Hi John ... When it comes to Monitors Dell is hard to beat IMO .. The only down side to it i see is that it does not have an HDMI connection ...

 

[z3r010]

I'm sat in front of 27" and 24" screens and there is a big difference, I'd go for the bigger screen every time.

 

[TVeblen]

I would not be afraid of HDMI. While it does not have the positive locking screws that most DVI connectors have there is very little danger of the connectors falling out, unless you are in the habit of moving your monitor around a lot. They connect about the same as a USB connector.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Hmm still not sure like the resolution on the Dell but the larger screen is tempting and the HDMI stuff well guess you are right TV I don't move them around a lot (monitors).

Suppose if money were no object the high res larger screen would be the choice but I cannot justify anything like $700 (or more) for that choice.

I'll have to reassess again.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Still cannot make up my mind I think I might just go with a cheaper choice and wait for the prices of the 27" ones to come down as I spend a lot of time away at my partners place now and use the laptop. But at some stage I might transport my main machine over there (if she will let me) and then I might check out the 27" stuff once again.

But thanks for the input everyone - one last thing I do have other brand choices such AOC, Asus, and Viewsonic and although I use Asus hardware have no real experience with their monitors and see that they are a bit pricier than the rest.

Again any thoughts??

 

[TVeblen]

When I was shopping 27" monitors I read up on the Asus monitors and combined with reviews had decided that they were one of my top choices. I ended up with my Acer monitor (S271HL) for 2 reasons: same basic specs, lower price, and no sound bar (the Asus I wanted at that time only came with one). I have not regretted my purchase.

One thing to note: specs on contrast ratios are pretty much BS. The issue is that there is not a defined standard of what is compared to get that ratio. So those numbers tend to be pretty arbitrary. When you start seeing contrast ratios going into the millions then you can definitely file that under marketing hooey.

My main purpose for getting the big monitor was working with AutoCad. I love having the extra real estate so I don't need to pan and zoom so much. Even though this is a TN display I have never had an experience where I say "damn this monitor! I can't see!". The image (to me) is great. I guess it's like fine wine vs boxed wine. You have to decide whether you want to impress people or just get a buzz on.

 

[Indianatone]

John, you MUST go look at the quality of the image on the display. I was going for Samsungs by spec and went to the store and saw an LG L227WTG-PF Black 22" 2ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 10000:1DCR with HDCP Support - Newegg.com and being the image nut I am I was blown away by this unit. So much so I bought 3 of them over a couple of years at around $300+ each. So it is in the eye of the guy who sits in front of the monitor. You know we all spend time and money on memory, CPU's, fans, different spec SSD and regular hard drives and don't realise to make your machine look its best you need to choose a monitor not by price but by how it looks to you.

 

[essenbe]

I agree that seeing it in person is a real test you can't duplicate by reading specs. I have 2 24" Asus Monitors an a 27" Asus and have never had a problem with any of them. They are all 3 excellent, as far as I'm concerned. But, I will have to say there is a major difference in a 27" and I can almost assure you, you will be pleased with a 27". Asus makes good monitors and are usually among my top choices.

The Dell monitors are among the best and are quite popular, but most are too rich for me. You'll find very few complaints about the Dell monitors, except for price.

Because you are not a gamer, don't shy away from an advertised 'gaming' monitor. They are really not any different than any other monitor except they usually have a preset you can choose for gaming mode. My 27" Asus is a 'gaming' monitor, but even when I game I don't use the gaming mode. But, again, a 27" monitor is a big difference than a 24".

 

[Mellon Head]

ASUS makes beautiful monitors, but they tend to run 10-20% higher in price to a similar Acer. I'm not saying the ASUS isn't worth it, but an Acer will also do the trick if you're trying to keep under a budget. I've had good luck with both brands. I have two Acers at home, and an ASUS on my desk at work. All of them old and fantastic still.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Ok 27" it is then and I came across this Dell S2740L vs Asus VS278H - Monitors Specs Comparison in my travels and when I dug into Ebay there is one store over here with this
Dell 27" Ultrasharp U2711 WQHD Widescreen Monitor 2560 X 1440 | eBay now at this price - am waiting fora shipping price I am sorely tempted to go with it.

The Dell in the first link was a new and not used one - Dell S2740L on Ebay and only $300 but by the time I had got back to it it had gone to the best offer or I would have got it.

So I am going to chug along and keep my eyes peeled for something nice. The Asus ones are quite pricey from my usual supplier hence my looking at other dealers in Ebay but must admit great screens.

The one I am using at present is BenQ GL2440H it is good and a TN panel and I must say not moments [problem with it.

 

[logicearth]

The Dell U2711 is a fantastic monitor, if you can snag it, get it. At $400 is a steal for that monitor.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

The Dell U2711 is a fantastic monitor, if you can snag it, get it. At $400 is a steal for that monitor.

Yes I realise that logic as I see other places are pricing it at a lot more than $400!! The store has two in stock and lie I said I am hoping the shipping will not kill the deal - out here it can be quite painful
Looking at my current BenQ and it is a TN and 1080 and it is no slouch - that res should be just something else and it comes with a good size to boot (nice pun??)
John

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Hmm lost my eye on the ball logic I see it is a used one hence the price I guess and looking at it the bezel is very wide suggesting it is quite old so to speak. The shipping I found was $42 on top so for that sort of money I would probably be better off with an IPS or good TN. Maybe even slightly less.

Mind you my searching around the Ebay site found me a bargain SSD - a Crucial MX 100 512GB for $292 which will come in real handy for my partners build

 

[z3r010]

I have 3 of those Dells and to surf I need to zoom my browser to at least 125% as at 2560x1440 everything is far too small.

 

[essenbe]

I have 3 of those Dells and to surf I need to zoom my browser to at least 125% as at 2560x1440 everything is far too small.

You're doing pretty good then. I have to zoom mine to 125% and I just have 1920 X 1080. I guess if I got one, I'd have to zoom it to 200%.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

OK Steve and John I think I shall have to stick to the 1080p stuff as I don't really understand that stuff and now find these monitors are ex company ones and frankly am not game to spend that sot of money on a device with unknown time usage - my guess is that they were hardly ever off and only three months warranty.
So it is going to have to be a good TN or try the IPS type but will stick to 27" even though though there were some 24" ultras. I might just be able to afford this one - Asus MX279H.

Having said that I did find some new Crucial 512GB SSD's at really good prices from a store out here - most unusual ($292).

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Ok bit the bullet this am and got a Samsung S27D390H (PLS panel) and while I like the size the colour I am a bit disappointed with and am having great difficulty with the white of the post screen looks a tad jaundiced and the brightness for a 300nits screen is no where near what my old BenQ (250nits - TN panel) was in fact with the brightness turned right up it is quite dull.

I've tried the monitor controls (very hard to work) and the Windows adjustment stuff but it is not what I expected it to be. I mean it is usable but my BenQ knocks spots of this one.

I can only think that maybe it needs to bed in or something or maybe I can use the NVidia control to get a nice bright picture.

 

[TVeblen]

That does not sound right. It could be the performance design of a PLS display, but the specs list 300cd/m2 brightness so I doubt that.

Could it be this?:

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Well I tieed it TV and it doesn't seem to make much diffrence. I have got quite used to it now but still it is a lot dimmer than the old TN BenQ which is now on the old tester machine and is dazzlingly bright.

I will try again though.

I have the GTX 650Ti and I thought I could adjust throughthat too nut cannot see how?