What do all these fancy numbers mean (monitor buying thread)

[Devec]

So I've decided to set some money aside to buy a proper monitor for my pc and stop using my tv. However the thing is when I'm looking through the specs for monitors they vary wildly per brand. Dynamic contrast and static contrast somehow seem to be in a completely different order of numbers, reaction time is on the low side (read fast) for all yet seems to swing all over the place and I'm guessing led panel means some kind of assembly of your led lights. Which also leaves me wondering if there is a real difference to full led over side lid.

What I'm personally looking for is a monitor for around max 300 euros (~375 dollars) to up about 24"". I'm guessing the best way of going at this is going to the shop and seeing for myself, but I would like to know what kind of monitors I should be looking for in that price range, which are worth their bang for their buck.

[Bombcrater]

Monitor specs are deliberately written to confuse, they're often close to meaningless these days. The only real way to tell how good a monitor is is to try and find at least one (preferably more) professionally done review. Even looking at monitors in a shop isn't always useful because the lighting in that kind of environment makes quality monitors look bad, while crap ones with over bright backlights and mad colour saturation will look much better.

I think what you probably want is a decent quality IPS or S-PVA screen, with semi-aggressive overdrive so the response time is good. Screen coating is a personal preference, some people love glossy screens, some hate them and prefer matt anti-glare coating.

Dell's U2410 is a good IPS/anti-glare model but is generally €400+ so a bit beyond your price range. The U2412m is a bit less good, but still a very nice monitor and usually sells for less than €300.

[Zekk Pacus]

Ignore manufacturer quoted contrast ratios, they're a giant pile of bullshit n chips most of the time.

LED means that the screen uses LED backlights rather than CCFL, which makes them cheaper to run and improves contrast ratio IN IDEAL CIRCUMSTANCES. As you've already discovered there are all sorts of things out there like side or full, white or not, BG+R, etc. Would take too long to explain in this post, i'm posting via phone. Response rate is generally meaningless especially as most manufacturers quote gray-to-gray rather than colour to colour. Look for 2ms in a TN panel and 6ms or below in an IPS panel.

Panel type is massively important - TN makes up the majority of the market. It's cheap and has downsides, most notably colour shift. It is, however, the only way to make a 120hz panel so if active 3d is a big thing to you you'll need one of these - BenQ do a nice 24in 120hz panel. IPS is current top dog tech, best viewing angles and colour reproduction. Tradeoff is response time which you'll probably never notice, and cost. There are a number of low-cost eIPS panels out there which only do 6bit colour, you get the improved viewing angles but not the better colour. There's a few proprietary variations of IPS, best is Samsung's PLS as seen on their 9 series panels. Looks great, expensive though.

As for what to buy, your budget puts you squarely in 23" IPS territory. I can personally recommend the ASUS PA238Q, HP and Dell also make great IPS panels. Others here will know model numbers.

[Serious Bob]

I will recommend the Dell U2412m aswell. Bought it for my little sister, and it is very nice for that price. It also has 16:10 aspect which is way way nicer than 16:9 imo.

After my first non TN panel I would never want TN again. People who claim TN is better for gaming because it's 'faster' are retarded. (The 3d argument is valid though.)

If you look at modern cell phones and pads not one runs TN because it's shit.

[Aea]

You want IPS, LED (would be hard pressed to find IPS that's CCFL these days), and possibly fast refresh rate (again would be hard pressed, but his isn't really important in practice). Dell UltraSharps are a pro choice, the one Serious Bob mentioned is only $330 in the US but not sure how much it costs in Europe.

[balistic void]

This is the best value monitor around right now: http://www.dell.com/ed/business/p/dell-u2312h/pd (it's half the price of the 24" dell) Note it's IPS but not fuck-off IPS like the more expensive ones. This means you get awesome viewing angles, but not the full color gamut. Also it rotates to portrait which is very handy.

Prices go up by a lot for anything better.

Also worth checking out is the Yamasaki Catleap, which must be imported from Korea. Is 27" 2560x1440 IPS panel. Only bad thing is no DisplayPort.
More info on the YC (best name lol): http://www.overclock.net/t/1225919/y...p-monitor-club It's only $300 I think? Some people get raped on customs duty, some don't. Good trick is to ask them to put a label on package saying "returning repaired hardware".

[Serious Bob]

This is the best value monitor around right now: http://www.dell.com/ed/business/p/dell-u2312h/pd (it's half the price of the 24" dell) Note it's IPS but not fuck-off IPS like the more expensive ones. This means you get awesome viewing angles, but not the full color gamut. Also it rotates to portrait which is very handy.

Prices go up by a lot for anything better.

Also worth checking out is the Yamasaki Catleap, which must be imported from Korea. Is 27" 2560x1440 IPS panel. Only bad thing is no DisplayPort.

You're looking at the wrong 24" Dell. The 24" I recommended is around 10% more expensive here in Sweden, but well worth it for more pixels imo. ( You get 11% more pixels, 1200/1080.)

The U2410 is the one that's twice as expensive, and probably not worth it unless you're very serious about colour reproduction. As in you need it because it's your work and you know what it is. Not as in 'I like colours'. If you've ever felt a TN panel was fine then you would never need the 2410 for the colours.

[EntroX]

i have 3x of this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824260059

they are very very very very good value for money.

[balistic void]

This is the best value monitor around right now: http://www.dell.com/ed/business/p/dell-u2312h/pd (it's half the price of the 24" dell) Note it's IPS but not fuck-off IPS like the more expensive ones. This means you get awesome viewing angles, but not the full color gamut. Also it rotates to portrait which is very handy.

Prices go up by a lot for anything better.

Also worth checking out is the Yamasaki Catleap, which must be imported from Korea. Is 27" 2560x1440 IPS panel. Only bad thing is no DisplayPort.

You're looking at the wrong 24" Dell. The 24" I recommended is around 10% more expensive here in Sweden, but well worth it for more pixels imo. ( You get 11% more pixels, 1200/1080.)

The U2410 is the one that's twice as expensive, and probably not worth it unless you're very serious about colour reproduction. As in you need it because it's your work and you know what it is. Not as in 'I like colours'. If you've ever felt a TN panel was fine then you would never need the 2410 for the colours.

I haz 3xU3011 so don't talk to me about "worth it" Each one costs more than most peoples PC. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4436079/imag...2021.31.37.jpg
And yes I need coz I write high-end trading software - target market has massive hard-on for multimonitor setups.

When I went to buy monitors for office recently Dell UK were not selling any 1200p monitors AT ALL. I would have got those ones otherwise. Fuck 1080p.

[Bombcrater]

Dell UK still sell the U2410, although they're asking a loltastic £466 for it. I've seen them going for less than £300 from various dealers, less still for refurbs (which tend to be quite good value).

And yeah, fuck 1080p. Fuck TN too. Pisses me off that the monitor industry has spend the last few years going backward and no longer makes anything that can beat the 4-year old 2707WFP that's sitting on my desk right now.

[Serious Bob]

This is the best value monitor around right now: http://www.dell.com/ed/business/p/dell-u2312h/pd (it's half the price of the 24" dell) Note it's IPS but not fuck-off IPS like the more expensive ones. This means you get awesome viewing angles, but not the full color gamut. Also it rotates to portrait which is very handy.

Prices go up by a lot for anything better.

Also worth checking out is the Yamasaki Catleap, which must be imported from Korea. Is 27" 2560x1440 IPS panel. Only bad thing is no DisplayPort.

You're looking at the wrong 24" Dell. The 24" I recommended is around 10% more expensive here in Sweden, but well worth it for more pixels imo. ( You get 11% more pixels, 1200/1080.)

The U2410 is the one that's twice as expensive, and probably not worth it unless you're very serious about colour reproduction. As in you need it because it's your work and you know what it is. Not as in 'I like colours'. If you've ever felt a TN panel was fine then you would never need the 2410 for the colours.

I haz 3xU3011 so don't talk to me about "worth it" Each one costs more than most peoples PC. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4436079/imag...2021.31.37.jpg
And yes I need coz I write high-end trading software - target market has massive hard-on for multimonitor setups.

When I went to buy monitors for office recently Dell UK were not selling any 1200p monitors AT ALL. I would have got those ones otherwise. Fuck 1080p.

You are pretty bad at reading.

[balistic void]

Ok maybe I derped there. What I meant is they weren't selling any cheap 1200p monitors, only the u2410 which is expensive. Whereas 5 years ago you could buy a cheap 1200p no problem. So we end up with stupid situation where our new monitors have lower res than our old ones -.-

Irrelevant anyway: nothing comes close to that Yamakasi monitor for value.

edit: Just checked prices - you can fuck off. The monitor you recommended is double the price of the 23" 1080. 100% more not 10% more. I remember ringing dell up and getting quote for both with bulk discount etc. Yeah I would rather have the 24" but boss wouldn't splash out on them.

[Serious Bob]

Ok maybe I derped there. What I meant is they weren't selling any cheap 1200p monitors, only the u2410 which is expensive. Whereas 5 years ago you could buy a cheap 1200p no problem. So we end up with stupid situation where our new monitors have lower res than our old ones -.-

Irrelevant anyway: nothing comes close to that Yamakasi monitor for value.

edit: Just checked prices - you can fuck off. The monitor you recommended is double the price of the 23" 1080. 100% more not 10% more. I remember ringing dell up and getting quote for both with bulk discount etc. Yeah I would rather have the 24" but boss wouldn't splash out on them.

Ok I'm gonna try one more time, just for you. I recommend u2412m. Not u2410.

2412m is the exact same that you recommended, only it has 1920*1200 instead of 1920*1080.

I have a theory that it's always retards that start slinging insults first. You aren't proof, but it seems like it might be worth investigating.

[balistic void]

Dude I recommended the 2312hm which Is £150. Your one is U2412m which is £300.

Thanks for neg repping me tho I will refrain from returning the compliment because you seem to be having a bad day.

Oh, and "fuck off" is hardly an insult

[Serious Bob]

vov after three posts of you showing off your triple monitor setup and reading inability I was fed up. I don't have patience with dumb fucks. Maybe you should go buy a pc with LordsServant.

I gave the price range in Swedish prices. I'm very sorry that they're not the same wherever you live. I assumed the difference would be similar. From what I've seen after a quick check on pricerunner uk you could get a 23 for £140 from amazon, or a 24 for £210 from ebay. Funnily enough, I buy my things in Sweden and thus use that as a reference. I was even nice enough to type out that I compared swedish prices. But my bad, I just wrote it in my post and can't expect you to actually read any of it.

Edit: Removed because I was dumb and can't read my setting screen properly.

[balistic void]

Faceplant more?

[Zekk Pacus]

Dude I recommended the 2312hm which Is £150. Your one is U2412m which is £300.

Thanks for neg repping me tho I will refrain from returning the compliment because you seem to be having a bad day.

Oh, and "fuck off" is hardly an insult

Bro's budget is €300, should be able to get a 2412 for that.

[cillisia]

I've got a 22" dell ips screen and can confirm they are worth the money. I just want a 2nd one now

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2

[Devec]

Ok so having looked into all you guy's responses I Was left over with these two:

Dell Ultrasharp U2412M
Seems the value is very good, screen looks very decent. Price in EU is about ~260-270 euros including delivery.

HP ZR2440w
Somewhat over my budget but the screen seems nice, not sure if it is worth the price of 330 euros compared to the Dell.

Other screens are just way out of my price range and loads come with TN panels. What I still wonder about is what the benefit is of CCFL over LED lighting, if anyone could explain that.

[Zekk Pacus]

There's very little benefit to CCFL over LED assuming the LED backlight is done right. Colour is slightly less 'balanced' on LED but it's possible to tweak it out.

Also, best thing about expensive monitors is a proper stand. Sick of cheap monitors with fixed stands. I love my ProArt and even though the panel is excellent, the best thing about it is the fully adjustable stand.