Help me find a monitor

[Danoff]

I have a 20.1" 1600x1200 LCD monitor at the moment and would like to use it in conjunction with a widescreen monitor. I'm looking for a monitor that has a similar screen height and similar vertical pixel count so that the desktop transition is as seemless as possible.

Screen height on my monitor:

20.1*cos(atan(1600/1200))=12.06"

Screen height on a theoretical widescreen 23" monitor:

23*cos(atan(1920/1200))=12.2"

I was looking at this as a possible solution:

http://accessories.dell.com/sna/pro...l.aspx?c=ca&l=en&s=dhs&cs=cadhs1&sku=320-7641

...but it has a glossy screen, which I detest.

Any ideas? I want something from a reputable brand. I trust dells, which I own 4 of at home and have another 3 at work. I've never had any trouble with them - but I recognize that they're rebranded versions of other monitors (BenQ, Samsung,... ?).

 

[TB]

If you're trying to fit both the 23" and the 1200 vertical res criteria, you might be out of luck as my quick glance around newegg didn't look promising. The 23" monitors all looked to be 1080 and the 1200's were all 24"+.

And you're right about the "TrueLife" screen. I have it on my laptop (didn't know any better when I bought it) and while it looks great most of the time, if there is a light source behind you, either direct or ambient, forget reading what's on the screen and don't even attempt to use it outside.

 

[Danoff]

It doesn't have to be 23" if it has more horizontal pixels, but even though a 24" 1920x1200 is 0.6 inches too tall, that's not terrible.

 

[Omnis]

I have a Dell U2311H and it's great. https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=128099#post3910997

 

[Casio]

Yeah, 23s are extremely rare in find in the 1200 Vertical form, I'm not even sure if they make them any more (One of note was the old Apple HD Cinema Display). And you're getting more and more hardpressed to find a 24" in 1200 (Though they exist and still made), as everyone is going for the 16:9 format of 1920x1080 rather then the 16:10 format of 1920 x 1200

I have a 23.6" LG 2340V LED Monitor, which has a pretty non glossy screen (Though not pure matte), and I have no problems with it.

As far as brands go, Dell are pretty decent, as are Samsung and LG. I personally am swayed to LG as they have a 3 Year Perfect Pixel Warranty (No Darks, No Brights). Benq used to be a quality brand, unfortunately both it and another previously good brand, Viewsonic, have dipped from the heights they once were, and I would no longer recommend them. HP also do great monitors though they can be slightly more expensive.

But yeah, remember a lot of 24" Widescreens are technically 23.6" (Like the Samsung 2494H and Acer V243HQ), so I don't know if that changes your calculations.

EDIT: Forgot to add, if you didn't make a (relatively) strange choice of a 20" 4:3 monitor, and gotten a 19" like everyone else, you could of got a 22" 16:10 which almost sizes up perfectly

 

[Danoff]

This one looks like it's leading the pack

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/hp_zr24w.htm

Don't know if it has an actual 24" screen, but it claims it does - which gives me about a quarter inch difference at the top and bottom. not bad. I may purchase by the end of the day.

 

[Danoff]

Sorry for the double-post, just spotted this.

EDIT: Forgot to add, if you didn't make a (relatively) strange choice of a 20" 4:3 monitor, and gotten a 19" like everyone else, you could of got a 22" 16:10 which almost sizes up perfectly

Yea but the 19" had fewer pixel rows. My wife had a 19" 4:3 with 1024 rows, and I got her a 24" 1920x1080 that stacks up almost perfectly (within 0.1 inches of height). The only difference being 56 pixel rows, which isn't bad.

I bought this LCD back when 4:3 was still en-vogue, and I wanted 1200 rows. 20.1" was the smallest monitor I could find that had that much resolution.

The more I read about that HP that I linked above the more I want it. The pixel rows are a match, I'll just have to put up with ~a quarter inch difference at the top and bottom of the monitor. Hopefully it's actually a 23.6" diagonal, that would get me closer to a match.

 

[Tornado]

How acceptable would 1156 be for vertical resolution? I know of a couple 23" monitors that are 16:9 with 1156 height (besides the Dell you posted in the OP). They were available back in February, though I'd have to check if they still are.

 

[Danoff]

How acceptable would 1156 be for vertical resolution? I know of a couple 23" monitors that are 16:9 with 1156 height (besides the Dell you posted in the OP). They were available back in February, though I'd have to check if they still are.

Yea, 1156 rows is close enough for me. I'd be very interested if you can find those - soon if possible, I don't want to lose the price on the HP I'm looking at.

 

[Omnis]

What kind of price are you getting on that HP? I was able to get my Dell for $<250 with the small biz discount. Don't know if they're running that coupon anymore though.

Can't go wrong with either monitor. Both are eIPS, and will look great at any angle except when you have a black screen and get the tinting at extreme angles.

 

[Danoff]

The HP (1920x1200) is $400. That's $200 cheaper than the 1920x1200 24" dell. I haven't seen another 24" 1900x1200 priced even similarly to $400 - let alone one with good reviews.

 

[Omnis]

Oh, because 1080p is not enough for you and therefore my U2311 doesn't count? Didn't see that part and figured 1920x1080 would be close enough. Good luck.

 

[Tornado]

I checked, but the Samsung model that I was thinking (2343bwx) of isn't available anymore.

 

[Danoff]

Yea, that's kinda what I've found. Thanks for the help everyone (and sorry for the confusion Omnis), I think now that I've found a semi-reasonably priced 1920x1200, I'll snag it. I'll post again to let you know how it works out.

 

[Azuremen]

I've used slightly different sized monitors for a while now, a 22" and 20" that both run at 1680x1050. While the slight difference in size is a bit odd at first, having the vertical pixels be the same is far more important I've found, as it will impact mouse movement and how wallpapers look. I'd suggest going with a 1920x1200 24" because they will be easier to find.

Also, last I checked (Which was a bit ago) Dell displays were often rebranded Samsungs, which are of excellent quality in my experience.

 

[kikie]

Aren't there any monitors of which you can change the aspect ratio?

 

[Azuremen]

Aren't there any monitors of which you can change the aspect ratio?

Wut?

You can change aspect ratios but you will have black bars from un-used pixels and rather awkward resolutions...

 

[kikie]

Never mind. It's not the aspect ratio. I meant something else. Not all monitors have what I meant.

 

[Danoff]

There are many resolutions that LCDs can handle, by they typically look pretty poor at non-native resolutions.

 

[Danoff]

Well, I've got my new 24" 1900x1200 monitor sitting next to my old 20.1" 1600x1200 monitor and it looks pretty good. It's actually my second panel, the first one died within 2 days of use (HP sent me a replacement). We'll see how long this one lasts.

As expected the screen is a bit taller than my old monitor. I've got it centered so that half of the height difference extends past the top and half of it extends past the bottom. It's close enough though, as close as anything I found on the market. I was getting more concerned that I wouldn't be able to find a 1200 line monitor to match up with my old one than anything else.

I'll take a photo later to show off.