I’m planning to replace my old 5-year-old, 22-inch Samsung with a new monitor, something larger with a higher resolution. I was looking at either 24" or 27". I don’t follow the latest developments in display technology, so I’m not sure what to look for or avoid. Recommendations? Assume I have no budget; I’m curious what’s out there, both cheap and expensive. Links to product pages would be awesome.
Cnet.com has good monitor reviews
Their top rated monitor for the past few years has been a 27" Dell UltraSharp for about $950. However, it uses the same IPS panel as the 27" Apple iMacs, which are available at the Apple store, refurbished, for about $1420.
So you can get one of the nicest, prettiest computers available (Quad-Core i5) for under $475 additional. CNet prefers the Dell monitor, because it has more connectors and the height can be adjusted, but eh… unimportant factors most of the time.
CNet also has some lower cost monitors they recommend.
I have the Dell Ultrasharp U2711 from Baal Houtham’s link and it’s by far the best monitor I’ve owned. It’s also by far the most expensive monitor I’ve owned though.
The primary reason I bought it is it was the cheapest monitor I could find with > 1920x1200 resolution but I’ve been quite pleased with it beside that as well. The 180° viewing angle is very nice, the colours are more vibrant and true then any other monitor I’ve owned and even its stand is easier to adjust and sturdier than any other monitor I’ve owned.
The only downsides to it are that it puts out quite a bit more heat than any of my other monitors and the blacks/darks can be a bit shimmery, though only if you sit very close to it (less than half a meter or so from eye to screen).
The features/qualifications I’d look for are:
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IPS panel, which has much better view angle than TN panels used on budget monitors
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DisplayPort input, in addition to DVI and HDMI. Some laptops have DisplayPort output but not DVI, and going through a converter can limit resolution.
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At least 1920x1200 native resolution.
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LED illumination (more energy-efficient)
I believe HP and Dell make monitors that fit these specs. I’ve been pleased with monitors from both of these brands.
That’s a nice monitor and it’s $899 on Dell’s website now. For a lot less than that, though, you can buy two 1900x1200 24" Dell Ultrasharp monitors.
I went through a similar search not long ago, rejecting those uber-nice Dell panels because they’re just too expensive.
I found 23" and 24" monitors were a lot cheaper, and the bigger ones didn’t offer significantly increased resolution (just the same pixels stretched out over a wider physical area).
There’s also a subcategory of IPS that’s called “eIPS” or something, kinda a budget IPS that still offers pretty much the same viewing area and slightly worse colors, but not noticeably so to my eye.
For about $200, I got a 23" IPS LED-lit 1920 x 1080 panel (which I preferred because I watch movies and play games) by LG which has one of those adjustable, swiveling stands for reading long documents. I love this thing to death, especially considering its value for the price. This particular one is the LG IPS231; I’m not sure what it was replaced by, if anything.
Also, if you measure out a 27" diagonal, that’s actually a pretty big area. I decided to go smaller not only because of the price but because of the amount of desk space that it’d occupy (I was using it as a computer, not a TV) and the amount of neck, eye, and wrist strain it takes to move from one corner to another.
This particular model is discontinued, but maybe the criteria will help you a little bit.
Not quite true - 24" monitors only go up to 1920x1200. Most 30" monitors are 2560x1600, which is 78% more pixels.
That said, you and Dewey Finn make a good point about cost-effectiveness. You can get two very good 24" monitors for less money than one 27" monitor. You can probably get three for the cost of one 30" monitor. (Though not many PCs are set up to handle 3 monitors…)
But for most other applications (esp. web browsing), it’s nice to have as tall a display as possible. 1080 lines feels very cramped to me. Even 1920x1200 is too wide for my taste - it’s wider than a 8.5x11".
Whoa that Dell’s pricey. I’ve read more reviews about it, and really like the high resolution. But other than that, what makes it better than other monitors to warrant the high price tag? The IPS panel?
The IPS panel is known for better color than cheaper TN panels (right?), but is the difference noticeable? I have a Samsung 226BW right now and it’s fantastic. I just want something bigger. I don’t mind paying for quality, but if it’s not that significant of a jump and I couldn’t tell the difference with my own eyes, I’d rather go for the cheaper technology.
Really? I didn’t know such beasts existed. Guess I’m out of the loop.
I was concerned about the same thing, so that’s where the rotating stand comes in. Webpages look great in 1080x1920 (portrait). You can pretty much see the whole page on one screen, and IPS means it’s still readable in that mode 
Thought it was worth the $400+ savings.
Missed edit. This is what I mean by the rotation.
