Looking for a new monitor

[nanoflower]

My old CRT (Hitachi 19inch) is slowly starting to die so I'm in the market for a new monitor.

Currently I'm looking at either the Dell U2312HM which goes for around $240 or the VS247h-p which is currently on sale at about $160. Both are highly rated on Amazon and Newegg. My own uses are mainly for web browsing, programming , watching TV shows and the occasional game playing (mostly strategy and RPG like Skyrim/Oblivion and Diablo/Starcraft/Warcraft.)

Can anyone give me some comments on which monitor might be the best for my usage. From what I've read it seems like either one will be okay from a viewing perspective since I sit right in front of the monitor so the potential problems of a TN panel when viewed from the side shouldn't be an issue. It seems like the Dell would be a better overall choice but at $80 more (and even $60 more when the VS247 isn't on sale.) It doesn't hurt that the 247 has an additional 0.6 inches diagonally. Both monitors are LED-Backlit so there's no real advantage there.

What drawbacks (if any) would there be for the ASUS monitor given my uses?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

[JustAnEngineer]

I would probably choose the e-IPS LCD panel.

[ordskiweicz]

Bought a dell 2412 m from the egg last week . Looks great - no bad pixels and games well. Did take some adjustment but no big deal. Nice e-ips .

[DancinJack]

What drawbacks (if any) would there be for the ASUS monitor given my uses?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

You look at the monitor all the time. Why not get something that has better colors, viewing angles, more inputs, and better ergonomics? If you consider the lifetime of a monitor you should be happy to pay the extra 80 bucks for a far superior product. The stand on the Dell is height adjustable as well as having tilt and swivel. Big selling point for me is the height thing. Love that about Dell Ultrasharp monitors. The Dell doesn't have HDMI. I don't know if that's an issue for you.

[nanoflower]

The features of the Dell are pretty nice. The lack of HDMI is a bit of an issue for now as my current video card doesn't support Display Port so I would have to use DVI. Not a deal breaker but something to consider.

[Chrispy_]

Sitting in a room full of Dells right now. Most of the monitors are Dell TN panels with height/tilt/rotate stands. Got a few MVA Samsungs, a few IPS Dells and a few Asus Asus TN screens that we bought as an experiment to see if they were any nicer than the more expensive TN Dells.

In terms of build quality, get the Dell.
In terms of user-interface, get the Dell.
In terms of outright panel quality, it doesn't matter - all TN screens are lame compared to IPS.

I used to disagree with this last statement, but TN screens typically only run at 6-bit colour with dithering to make up the intermediate shades, resulting in noise (yes, that stuff you used to get with analogue screens and really lousy cheap cables)They also all look crap in portrait mode.

[nanoflower]

Chrispy, I understand what you are saying but keep in mind that a Dell like the one I'm looking at is also a 6bit panel with dithering to get up to that 16 million color mark. You have to step to the Dell U2410 at $529 to get a true 8 bit panel. That's a big step up. E-IPS panels (those 6 bit panels that you will find on the $200-$300 monitors) are supposed to shine in their ability to hold up when viewed from wide angles or above/below the monitor.

I wish that I could find a place that had these (or something close to them) on display so that I could see them. I went by Best Buy and while they had a bunch of TN panels on display they had them all being fed a loop of images. I didn't see any major problems with them when viewed from the side. The only IPS monitor that they had on display was that huge Apple monitor which looks nice but there's no way I'm buying something that large to sit right in front of me. I can't imagine trying to play any sort of game on that monitor. Even solitaire would give you a sore neck if you played the game in full screen.

[Chrispy_]

E-IPS panels (those 6 bit panels that you will find on the $200-$300 monitors) are supposed to shine in their ability to hold up when viewed from wide angles or above/below the monitor.

I mostly agree with that statement; I take issue with many TN screens where vertical viewing angles suffer a gamma shift resulting in a nonexistant "sweet spot"

• Sitting "typically" with your eyes level with the top of the screen, the bottom of the screen will start to wash out with grey blacks if the top of the screen looks perfect.
• Tilting the screen slightly so that the bottom of the panel is perpendicular to your line of sight often means that the darkest parts of the image start to invert at the top of the screen.

This effect is worse on cheap TN panels, and only actually distracting for dark images but it exists in all TN panels to some extent. At 3 feet (arms length) the effect isn't usually noticeable but it's an important consideration if you like to sit closer to your screen (increasing the viewing angle).


The Dell U2312 is my recommendation - regardless of whether you care about IPS or TN, the extra $60-80 is worth it for these features:

• Better stand with height/rotate adjust. (Rotate is actually usable because of the panel type)
• Better OSD with more options and scaler/overdrive/input lag choices
• Displayport > HDMI
• Matte bezel instead of glossy
• USB 2.0 hub (useful if you have your PC under a desk)

Having e-IPS instead of TN is just icing on the cake really.

[Airmantharp]

I agree with Chrispy_, as I think most of us would. While there are many good TNs (don't hate), if you can afford IPS, get it. If you can afford a Dell with their very nice stands, get one. The only time I wouldn't recommend a Dell is when their circuitry adds measurable amounts of input lag (such as on their 30" model), and for that I recommend an HP, and even then only if the user would benefit from it, like I do with BF3.

I don't think HP has a competitor to that Dell, and I don't think it has significant input lag either; you can look for reviews that test for input lag, but I doubt it'd be an issue for you based on your game list.

[ordskiweicz]

Whatever you get, it will look better with good calibration. If you lack equipment (best borrowed), check onlines sites for guidelines.

[texaszman]

Check out the Auria 27" 2550x1460 Monitor at MicroCenter for $399 - screen made by LG - same as in the Apple monitors.

I also own a Samsung sa850 ($820) and this monitor gives it a BIG run for the money. Best deal out there IMHO. No issues, no dead pixels, color shifts or bleed through. Best monitor on the market for the price - and they sell like hotcakes.

Long 10 page thread on this monitor at HardOCP forums.

[ordskiweicz]

Hello again. The Dell has shown no issues with many current games - Crysis 2 for example. The side viewing issue is minimal for most real world purposes - are you planning to have a crowd looking on?

Dithering no apparent issue. My only gripe is the on-edge USB ports are very tight (I put a short dongle on one since I use it a lot).

I bought mine to replace a 24" TN Benq that was highly recommended about 4 years ago. The Benq has a fast refresh but the colors looked dull. Even at 6 bit this one's fine. It looks little different from my 2409 dell with greater bit depth.

It's a fine product at a good price.

[DPete27]

Have you looked at the ASUS VS239h-P? Same $190 price tag, but e-IPS, and low 5ms response. Granted you're back down to 23" but that's something you'll have to weigh. Personally... it's on my wish list. Last week it included a $20 newegg gift card which technically brings it down to $170.

[Airmantharp]

Hello again. The Dell has shown no issues with many current games - Crysis 2 for example. The side viewing issue is minimal for most real world purposes - are you planning to have a crowd looking on?

Dithering no apparent issue. My only gripe is the on-edge USB ports are very tight (I put a short dongle on one since I use it a lot).

I bought mine to replace a 24" TN Benq that was highly recommended about 4 years ago. The Benq has a fast refresh but the colors looked dull. Even at 6 bit this one's fine. It looks little different from my 2409 dell with greater bit depth.

It's a fine product at a good price.

Most Dells have measurable input lag greater than one frame and many times closer to two, with frames being measured at 16.7ms for a 60Hz panel. It won't affect games outside of shooters for most people, but it's something to keep in mind. The lag comes from OSDs and scalars for analog and non-native inputs, both of which are unnecessary when using a DVI, HDMI, or DP connection at the panels native resolution. Look to HP for nice panels (S-IPS) without all that crap, or ASUS for fast budget panels.