Dell UltraSharp 24" recommendations?
in Computer Peripherals ·
Greetings. I’m looking for some advice, an explanation, and perhaps a bit of your patience.
To those who actually know their stuff—please, help me work through this dilemma. I’m currently a student living in Pittsburgh, and while there are plenty of tech shops around here, this Genelec store () happens to have the most reasonable prices. Their service isn't bad either, so I usually check a few places out and end up finishing my business with them.
My current 21" CRT monitor (it's a Miro brand—never even heard of it before, honestly) has been running non-stop for five years. I shut it down for Christmas, Easter, and the whole month of August when I head home, but lately, it’s started acting up. It keeps shutting itself off, similar to the way it looks when you hit the degauss button. It’s happening more frequently now; maybe twice every ten minutes, but then it ramps up to five times a minute. It’s making gaming nearly impossible. I think it’s on its last legs. Honestly, it's getting harder to stop people from smashing it. One 19" CRT I had last year was smashed by roommates who were thrilled to toss it off a balcony—I even have it on video if anyone cares to see. And personally, I lose my cool when I'm mid-battle in World of Tanks and the screen goes black. By the time it reboots (anywhere from 4 to 14 seconds depending on how many times it "degausses"), I’m usually dead or heavily damaged. At that point, our long history together is the only thing keeping me from cursing it out, let alone breaking it. But I won't touch a hammer until I buy a replacement. So, I went to check out what's available: 22", 24", and 27" models. I'm leaning toward a 24". Looking at their stock, these two caught my eye, so if you could spare a moment...
1- The first one is a Samsung
2- The second is a BenQ
Starting with the Samsung,
it looks nicer to me, but once I sit down to work—which is mostly gaming and movies—you wouldn't even know what kind of monitor I'm using. I only care about the image. I never look at the bezel or the plastic casing; that means nothing to me. I don't care about the "this looks sleek" talk girls say; my room looks like Fukushima and I don't have a girlfriend to look at it anyway. It's a bit pricier than the competitor, but I can live with that. One thing though: somewhere it says it's 23.6", and elsewhere it says 24" (http://www.lg.com/rs/monitori/lg-24EN43TS-led-monitor). That's a problem. Who's lying? Can someone clarify? Everyone seems to agree the other one is a true 24".
Also, could someone give me a brief but clear explanation of this "LED" screen type? While searching online, I ran into terms like IPS, TN, LED, TFT, and color gamut (and how high the value should be)... I'd love to clear the fog on this. If it's too much trouble, don't worry about it; I don't want to be a nuisance since I'll need your help with other things later. Both of these are LED, so it won't be the deciding factor, but I'd like to understand so I don't look like an idiot. And what about these other specs? For instance, the Samsung lists a contrast of 5 million, while the other one says 12 million. I'm thinking the second one is better based on this page http://www.benq.com/product/monitor/gl2460hm and this one http://www.itsvet.com/proizvod/benq-...onitor/21/3973, but they also mention 1,000:1, which sounds like a disaster! (Maybe that's why the BenQ is cheaper? Or because it's a "weaker" brand? In my mind, Samsung feels like a "stronger" brand—correct me if I'm wrong.) To me, branding only matters if it translates to quality; the name itself doesn't matter. Like that Miro monitor—I can say nothing but good things about it, even though nobody has ever heard of it. I don't care what the logo says, just the quality. Regarding the contrast: it mentions a "dynamic contrast" of 12 million. That sounds better than the Samsung's 5 million, but I have no idea what dynamic contrast actually is. Does it really have that 1,000:1 ratio mentioned elsewhere, or is this "dynamic contrast" just a marketing gimmick? Is it actually 12 million, making it superior to the Samsung, or is it just fluff? I need your insight on this.
Next question for you all. Take your time, no rush. A Samsung has a 5ms response time while a BenQ is at 2ms. I figured I should probably list what I actually do with my setup so you can give me a real answer. Call of Duty 2 (some days I'm playing games all day long, other days just half a day depending on how much loading takes). Battlefield 1942, Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth—the first one! The second one has units with hair like Tom Hanks in *Cast Away*, total disaster. I played OGame day and night for six years, but right now I'm under a ban until 2041, so I won't be touching that until the sentence is up. By then, this monitor will probably be dead anyway and I'll have a different one, so it doesn't really matter, but I had to mention my old love (or addiction). Then there's that unfortunate World of Tanks; since last month's patch, it’s hard to even run (demands a beefier PC) and the game is such a money pit that since I'm broke, it's just not fair to me. They basically charge you to play, so I'm skipping it. I only grinded it to buy a Tiger tank before my buddy Mario could outmaneuver me like a Russian beat a German to the punch. Also Cossacks: Back to War (strategy), the occasional Dota match—mostly because I'm mediocre and my other friend Ante is way too good. Just kidding, if I'm going to play a game, I want to be good, and learning every hero and item in Dota would take a year, which sounds exhausting. Generals C&C Zero Hour, and a few others briefly. Brothers in Arms is mostly just when I'm playing with the guys. Most of these are old titles, so maybe response time only matters for those FPS games? You decide. I'm a decent COD and Battlefield player, so if there's a noticeable difference, it would mean a lot. For movies or series, I watch a couple a day. I'm not some snob looking for supersonic visuals, but I do like a clear picture. YouTube documentaries too, several a day, but that depends more on the video quality than the monitor, so you can probably ignore that. Schoolwork involves Word docs and PowerPoint presentations, nothing fancy. However, when I'm studying online, I spend about 3 to 4 hours a day reading various texts for school, plus a few more hours reading other stuff on forums. Thankfully, no eye strain issues so far. Space isn't an issue for me; I have plenty, so I don't care about people saying they need to mount monitors on walls or whatever. Stand type doesn't matter either; I'll make anything fit. All I care about is the image quality.
I read somewhere that BenQ has built-in speakers and maybe the other doesn't. Honestly, I'd prefer if it didn't. It just drives up the price for nothing since I already have speakers. I'd actually prefer no speakers at all because I worry they cut corners elsewhere to include them, and adding extra components just increases the chance of something breaking. I just want something that works.
You probably need to know my GPU to give a solid opinion, so here it is: ATI Radeon HD 5670.
As for power consumption, I couldn't care less. My utility bills are a fixed rate, so whether one monitor pulls power like a Japanese handheld or a welding machine, it makes zero difference to me.
If anyone feels like helping and doesn't want to type it all out, I can hop on Skype so you can explain it quickly.
To those who actually know their stuff—please, help me work through this dilemma. I’m currently a student living in Pittsburgh, and while there are plenty of tech shops around here, this Genelec store () happens to have the most reasonable prices. Their service isn't bad either, so I usually check a few places out and end up finishing my business with them.
My current 21" CRT monitor (it's a Miro brand—never even heard of it before, honestly) has been running non-stop for five years. I shut it down for Christmas, Easter, and the whole month of August when I head home, but lately, it’s started acting up. It keeps shutting itself off, similar to the way it looks when you hit the degauss button. It’s happening more frequently now; maybe twice every ten minutes, but then it ramps up to five times a minute. It’s making gaming nearly impossible. I think it’s on its last legs. Honestly, it's getting harder to stop people from smashing it. One 19" CRT I had last year was smashed by roommates who were thrilled to toss it off a balcony—I even have it on video if anyone cares to see. And personally, I lose my cool when I'm mid-battle in World of Tanks and the screen goes black. By the time it reboots (anywhere from 4 to 14 seconds depending on how many times it "degausses"), I’m usually dead or heavily damaged. At that point, our long history together is the only thing keeping me from cursing it out, let alone breaking it. But I won't touch a hammer until I buy a replacement. So, I went to check out what's available: 22", 24", and 27" models. I'm leaning toward a 24". Looking at their stock, these two caught my eye, so if you could spare a moment...
1- The first one is a Samsung
2- The second is a BenQ
Starting with the Samsung,
it looks nicer to me, but once I sit down to work—which is mostly gaming and movies—you wouldn't even know what kind of monitor I'm using. I only care about the image. I never look at the bezel or the plastic casing; that means nothing to me. I don't care about the "this looks sleek" talk girls say; my room looks like Fukushima and I don't have a girlfriend to look at it anyway. It's a bit pricier than the competitor, but I can live with that. One thing though: somewhere it says it's 23.6", and elsewhere it says 24" (http://www.lg.com/rs/monitori/lg-24EN43TS-led-monitor). That's a problem. Who's lying? Can someone clarify? Everyone seems to agree the other one is a true 24".
Also, could someone give me a brief but clear explanation of this "LED" screen type? While searching online, I ran into terms like IPS, TN, LED, TFT, and color gamut (and how high the value should be)... I'd love to clear the fog on this. If it's too much trouble, don't worry about it; I don't want to be a nuisance since I'll need your help with other things later. Both of these are LED, so it won't be the deciding factor, but I'd like to understand so I don't look like an idiot. And what about these other specs? For instance, the Samsung lists a contrast of 5 million, while the other one says 12 million. I'm thinking the second one is better based on this page http://www.benq.com/product/monitor/gl2460hm and this one http://www.itsvet.com/proizvod/benq-...onitor/21/3973, but they also mention 1,000:1, which sounds like a disaster! (Maybe that's why the BenQ is cheaper? Or because it's a "weaker" brand? In my mind, Samsung feels like a "stronger" brand—correct me if I'm wrong.) To me, branding only matters if it translates to quality; the name itself doesn't matter. Like that Miro monitor—I can say nothing but good things about it, even though nobody has ever heard of it. I don't care what the logo says, just the quality. Regarding the contrast: it mentions a "dynamic contrast" of 12 million. That sounds better than the Samsung's 5 million, but I have no idea what dynamic contrast actually is. Does it really have that 1,000:1 ratio mentioned elsewhere, or is this "dynamic contrast" just a marketing gimmick? Is it actually 12 million, making it superior to the Samsung, or is it just fluff? I need your insight on this.
Next question for you all. Take your time, no rush. A Samsung has a 5ms response time while a BenQ is at 2ms. I figured I should probably list what I actually do with my setup so you can give me a real answer. Call of Duty 2 (some days I'm playing games all day long, other days just half a day depending on how much loading takes). Battlefield 1942, Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth—the first one! The second one has units with hair like Tom Hanks in *Cast Away*, total disaster. I played OGame day and night for six years, but right now I'm under a ban until 2041, so I won't be touching that until the sentence is up. By then, this monitor will probably be dead anyway and I'll have a different one, so it doesn't really matter, but I had to mention my old love (or addiction). Then there's that unfortunate World of Tanks; since last month's patch, it’s hard to even run (demands a beefier PC) and the game is such a money pit that since I'm broke, it's just not fair to me. They basically charge you to play, so I'm skipping it. I only grinded it to buy a Tiger tank before my buddy Mario could outmaneuver me like a Russian beat a German to the punch. Also Cossacks: Back to War (strategy), the occasional Dota match—mostly because I'm mediocre and my other friend Ante is way too good. Just kidding, if I'm going to play a game, I want to be good, and learning every hero and item in Dota would take a year, which sounds exhausting. Generals C&C Zero Hour, and a few others briefly. Brothers in Arms is mostly just when I'm playing with the guys. Most of these are old titles, so maybe response time only matters for those FPS games? You decide. I'm a decent COD and Battlefield player, so if there's a noticeable difference, it would mean a lot. For movies or series, I watch a couple a day. I'm not some snob looking for supersonic visuals, but I do like a clear picture. YouTube documentaries too, several a day, but that depends more on the video quality than the monitor, so you can probably ignore that. Schoolwork involves Word docs and PowerPoint presentations, nothing fancy. However, when I'm studying online, I spend about 3 to 4 hours a day reading various texts for school, plus a few more hours reading other stuff on forums. Thankfully, no eye strain issues so far. Space isn't an issue for me; I have plenty, so I don't care about people saying they need to mount monitors on walls or whatever. Stand type doesn't matter either; I'll make anything fit. All I care about is the image quality.
I read somewhere that BenQ has built-in speakers and maybe the other doesn't. Honestly, I'd prefer if it didn't. It just drives up the price for nothing since I already have speakers. I'd actually prefer no speakers at all because I worry they cut corners elsewhere to include them, and adding extra components just increases the chance of something breaking. I just want something that works.
You probably need to know my GPU to give a solid opinion, so here it is: ATI Radeon HD 5670.
As for power consumption, I couldn't care less. My utility bills are a fixed rate, so whether one monitor pulls power like a Japanese handheld or a welding machine, it makes zero difference to me.
If anyone feels like helping and doesn't want to type it all out, I can hop on Skype so you can explain it quickly.