I am thinking of buying a new PC soon from Dell (because I’m too much of a n00b to build one myself). They offer a wide range of monitors, from 17 inches to around 24 inches (you can go even higher if you are willing to pay limbs). All of the PCs that I’ve owned so far have had the usual 15 to 17 inches. Although I have a decent amount of money handy, I still do not wish to waste money on this purchase, so I feel fit to ask: how much does having a larger monitor enhance one’s experience? If you own one, are you glad that you payed for one, or would you rather that you had saved your money and stuck to the usual 17-summat inches?
Must… resist… Merrimack joke…
We just bought a Dell PC with a 24 inch wide screen monitor in August. My husband just loves it. He’s a gamer, so it does seem to enhance his enjoyment of the games. The picture and clarity is pretty darn nice and seems so much better than our other monitors (we have two other PCs, in addition to this one)
To be honest, I had a bit of a time getting used to it, but I like it now.
I’ve got a 22" widescreen and a 19" set up in portrait mode that I’m using right now, and they are worth every penny. For writing and doing research, it really helps me be productive. I can display two .pdf files that I’m working from, as well as the document I’m writing. For less serious purposes, I can have a web browser open on my main monitor, and I can put IM conversations and random widgets over on the second.
If I had the money for a 30" or two, I wouldn’t hesitate to grab them.
Something to consider, look at the price point and look at what you are doing.
Example:
I have a customer who is a full on makes his living day trader type guy. His setup looks like something straight out of the matrix. 4x 19" flat panels driven by 2 different computers, stock tracking software all over with one monitor on his brokerage site. If you regularly are working back and forth between multiple apps, look at what you are buying and look at what multiple smaller monitors can 17 for you as well. A decent 19" LCD monitor can be had for $150-$170. If you are looking at paying $300-$400 for a huge monitor consider looking at multiples if it will better suit your needs. Dual monitors can have a window on top on each one, a 24" can still only have 1 window on top. So if you are a gamer, you probably want the “Bay Window of Azeroth” , a true multitasker, 2,3,4 monitors might be the way to go.
A full-wall-sized monitor is an absolute necessity, if you plan on entering the supervillan trade. World leaders won’t take your extortion threats seriously without one.
IIRC, two 19" monitors gives you the same amount of screen space, at approximately the same resolution, as a single 24" widescreen. There’s no reason you can’t have two windows open side-by-side on the same screen (though they can’t both be maximized). Also, a pair of 19" monitors cost about the same as a single 24" (around $300). So, if you ever intend to game or watch movies on that computer, the bigger widescreen is the better choice.
I would never go back to a 17-inch monitor for a desktop. Hell, my laptop’s monitor is 15", why would I possibly want my desktop to have one the same size or smaller? I have a 23" now, and it feels small to me, since I don’t have it in a dual-monitor set-up like I used to. I have my eye on either the Dell or Apple 30-inch monitor. I’ve worked on 30-inch monitors and I love them. Then again, for the type of work I do – photography and design – the extra screen real estate is awesome.
A cheaper way to do this:
I have set up 2 17" monitors right next to each other, plugged into a video card that allows dual monitors. This works very well, giving a 34" wide monitor. There is a about a half-inch black border around each screen, which leaves a gap in the middle, but I found that I soon adjusted to this. Besides, I generally don’t extend the screen across both monitors, but keep different windows open in each.
It’s a much cheaper way to try out a big monitor, and see how much difference it makes for you.
I’ve got a 20" CRT which I picked up used and which my cat snoozes on (I call him a monitor lizard) but the damn thing is bulky and the 20" LCTs now bundled with computers at Future Shop are looking interesting…
I have a 22inch widescreen LCD monitor, one of the best things i have ever brought I havn’t found a bad thing with me using it yet. So god having extra work space and being able to view more stuff at once.
One thing i could see being a problem for some people is gaming. If you don’t have a gaming pc and you try run a game on a 22inch monitor at at high res you could run into some problems. But if your getting a pretty decent computer i couldn’t see any problems.
Dont buy it if you wont use it. I am an IT and in my line of work nothing pisses me off more to see some guy with a 24" monitor having it set at 1024x768. I would not bother getting anything you cannot use to its full potential
If you just surf the web or type in a word processor, a smaller monitor should be fine. But if you use something like InDesign or Photoshop (or any of their families of competitors), it’s really great to have more space to put all the wacky but necessary palettes.
Though I don’t use a dual-monitor system, my grass-is-greener sense tells me it would be even better than a single large monitor. Looks like those that do use duals agree with my little green envy-monster. I’ve really got to pry open my wallet and get one of those set-ups.
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Let’s move this over to IMHO.
GQ > IMHO
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I like large standard dimension monitors. 19" LCDs are cheap. 21" would be much better. Even the 19" is a huge improvement in size and gets you back a lot of desk space just going to any LCD monitor from a CRT. A nice bonus is the LCD will use less energy.
I definitely second the views of other posters and suggest that you get a dual screen setup rather than a single big ass monitor. You can do a lot more and it is more productive. Just think about the orientation and GUI of every program you use, it has legacy landscape design built in and minimizes to a short rectangle. Sure, everybody likes big, accessible windows, but outside of the graphic design world, usability vs screen real estate tends to taper off after 1024x768. Now think about this: Even with a big 1900x1200 display you still can’t have two 1024x768 windows sitting next to one another. Sure you can go portrait and get a good look at a couple of documents, but then everything else is covered up. With a pair of smaller monitors you can comfortably run two applications easily and have room for other stuff like sidebars and acces to your desktop icons.
Plus, most LCDs have both DVI and VGA inputs, so as long as you have one DVI out from your tower, you can plug your laptop into one of the twoLCDs, add a cheap KVM switch, and now you have two workstations available!
I have a pair of 19s at work and a single 22 at home, and I’m way more productive with the work setup.
BTW, it is definitely worth looking into info available on the net about Dell sales and pricing. There are ALWAYS deals to be had, but you have to constantly look back and forth btw the Dell website, the Dell small business website, and deals pages like fatwallet and dealspl.us. Lately there have been a couple of Vostro core 2 duo combos with 19" LCD for ~$400-$500, depending on options. I would go that way and then either get another Dell screen or check online for deals. Come Black friday, there will be 20" LCDs for $99.00
A single 17" is too small for most semi-power users. I am working on a 19" LCD here at home and I don’t feel too impoverished. However, I have a 19" LCD and a 15" laptop screen in a dual setup at work and it makes all the difference in the world. I would love to have dual monitors at home but it is tough to make the desk space reasonable that way. My recommendation is to go for a 19" LCD at the least and maybe a 21". 17" is crap for people that use their computer a lot.
I think 21" is the “sweet spot” for monitors right now. I prefer non-widescreen, because you get lots more real-estate for about the same price.
I wouldn’t recommend anything smaller than 19", given the cost of things right now. At home I’m using an old 21" CRT; when I replace it it’ll probably be with a 22" widescreen, the better for gaming and the point at which getting “bigger” starts to really hit your wallet.
At work everyone has 2x19" monitors, so you can have your browser and DB manager on one window, your code and terminal session on the other, etc.
I guess it depends on how much you’re going to use it. If you play games at all, I’d say go for the biggest. If you’re just working, 19" is probably fine. If you only use it to check email and have Google Maps tell you where the nearest dry cleaners is, you may as well get whatever is cheapest.
Of course, you could be like my brother, who likes to hook his laptop up to his LCD TV, kick back in his faux-leather lounger, and play WoW at 47" across, 1920 x 1080. Lousy jerk 
Screw dual 19’s. I have a 23" monitor and a 20" monitor, side-by side. It’s quite nice. The 23" monitor also doubles as a 1080p HD screen. Movies on it are glorious, as is HD XBox 360.