Time for an upgrade!

[Zephik]

So I've been browsing around for a new monitor and I ended up stumbling across this one...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236007

Haven't bought it yet, still waiting for my paycheck this friday. But looks pretty good right?

[excited that I actually have money to spend on things I don't NEED for once.]

[crenn]

If you can afford it (and it fits on your desk), can I recommend this one?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236028

[Zephik]

If you can afford it (and it fits on your desk), can I recommend this one?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236028

Thats actually a pretty nice monitor, and I could probably fork up the extra money for it, but it doesn't have all the connections that I want like the one I listed, which is my main selling point because I wanted both a larger computer monitor as well as a flat panel TV. Granted, it doesn't have a coaxial cable input, but thats okay because I never watch TV anyways except online. ^_^

[mittelmeier]

I think that looks nice. I'm looking for a 22" but my wife has seen ads for blackfriday and I was thinking there were a few for $60 with a rebate or something insanely cheap. If you want I can have her find me the ad again and I can find links to the ones that'll be on sale and where.

[Zephik]

I think that looks nice. I'm looking for a 22" but my wife has seen ads for blackfriday and I was thinking there were a few for $60 with a rebate or something insanely cheap. If you want I can have her find me the ad again and I can find links to the ones that'll be on sale and where.

Thats okay, thank you for the offer though!

Most likely they won't be what I'm looking for anyways, and I really don't mind the price of the one I'm looking at, spending more just means I'll appreciate it more. :)

[SgtM]

Dude, go for a 22". Wait another 2 weeks if you have to for the extra cash. You'll be much happier. On one of the machines at work I have 2 20" monitors. At home I have a 22". I almost prefer my 22" by itself.

[Zephik]

Dude, go for a 22". Wait another 2 weeks if you have to for the extra cash. You'll be much happier. On one of the machines at work I have 2 20" monitors. At home I have a 22". I almost prefer my 22" by itself.

I would love to have a 22" monitor, that was actually the original size I was looking at when I started browsing around for a replacement, I even looked at a few 24" monitors.

But the only 22" monitor that offers what I am looking for in a monitor is this recertified one...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824113015

Its actually a pretty nice monitor, although I favor the looks of the other one (not really a big deal). But its recertified and its thirty dollars more, which I can afford, but then again, my next pay check goes completely towards rent and bills, so whatever I don't spend this paycheck ($350-ish minus $200 for the monitor) has to last me 4 weeks. It also doesn't have speakers or a line-in for speakers, which I'm going to need.

I'm also looking at a 4GB Creative Zen for work (minus another $100). Listening to music makes the day go by that much quicker and easier and I'm generally in a better mood. I also work harder when I'm happy, not on purpose, I just work harder naturally when I'm happy. (which is pretty much the only reason why my managers are letting me listen to music while I work).

Keep in mind that I've never owned a monitor larger than 17" before. Its what I'm using right now and have been using since forever. Its just some old Dell LCD monitor, nothing even remotely special. So I'm sure I'm going to notice a good bit of difference with a 20" thats more than likely at the very least on par with this one.

Thanks for the suggestion though! Its pretty much why I created this thread. But also, I'm just excited. lol ^_^

[Okele]

Can I suggest a monitor? I have a 07 version of this monitor and I love it still. Although it is missing a HDMI input because they werent standard yet. And the price isnt bad either, and Im sure they will be coming down too.


http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8894093&type=product&id=1211587387624

[crenn]

Such things don't bother me since I use an external device (like a DVR) connected upto a TV tuner to use it on my larger screen.

[Zephik]

Such things don't bother me since I use an external device (like a DVR) connected upto a TV tuner to use it on my larger screen.

You know, I actually didn't think about that. Do they make TV Tuner cards for laptops?

[Okele]

You know, I actually didn't think about that. Do they make TV Tuner cards for laptops?


http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380047%201685343278&name=Tuner%20for%20Laptop

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380047%201685342848&name=External%20Tuner

[Zephik]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236042

That would be pretty much my entire pay check... but...

*sigh*

It does have a hundred dollar rebate, which would make it only 40 dollars more than the other one. And I was planning on spending around 300 anyways for both a monitor and mp3 player, but this would be without an mp3 player, but I could always use my mp3 phone or my room mates ipod nano until the paycheck after next. Hmmm...

That thing on the back isn't just a snazzy looking weight balance btw, its a 15W Subwoofer, which is pretty cool since I've been using crappy stock laptop speakers for sound. Also, reviews around the net are all saying that the speakers and subwoofer in this bad boy are actually pretty good. Not good enough to replace a 7.1 sound system, but certainly much much better than stock speakers from a couple year old laptop. Probably comparable, but not quite as good, to your cheaper logitech's, which is awesome if so.

Decisions, decisions...

Update: Made my decision.

I'm so buying it!

Now all I have to do is convince my room mate! (aka my mother from another mother lol)

[Zephik]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236042

What is HDCP?

I looked up the definition but I'm not sure if I understand what it means. I thought it meant that the monitor is "HD ready"? Is that not so? /confused

Also, does anyone know what "WSXGA+" means? Never could figure those things out, is it not very important or is it something you should be looking at when looking around for a monitor?

One more thing; 2ms(GTG) response time? Whats that for exactly? And what is GTG? Good to go? lol

Hmmm... I lied. Question four (or five?); Is 2000:1 contrast ratio good? not so good? or somewhere in between? Not really important, just curious mostly.

[Zephik]

lol Sorry for all the questions. I've never bought a monitor before so I've never felt like knowing what it all means and stands for. I could look it up right now, but I'm off to work at the moment so this is easier. :)

+rep to whoever decides to explain it all to me!

[nevermind1534]

HDCP is the new digital protection required to watch HD movies.

WSXGA+ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WSXGA%2B) is a the resolution 1680*1050 and an aspect ratio of 16:10. You may want at least this.

GTG is a measurement that samsung uses. It measures the amount of time it takes for a pixel to change colors. BTB (used by pretty much everybody else) measures the amount of time that it takes to change from black to white, which takes much longer. I read that 2msGTG is close to 10msBTB.

And yes, I would say that 2000:1 contrast ratio is good for an LCD computer monitor.

[.Maleficus.]

Can I suggest a monitor? I have a 07 version of this monitor and I love it still. Although it is missing a HDMI input because they werent standard yet. And the price isnt bad either, and Im sure they will be coming down too.


http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8894093&type=product&id=1211587387624
I have that monitor (the new version with HDMI) and it dominates. I have my 360 hooked up to it currently and when I get my new motherboard and RAM on Monday my new PC will be hooked up as a well.

[Zephik]

Is the monitor I'm looking at HD? Like 720p or 1080i? Not that it matters, just curious because my room mate asked if it was or not and I couldn't tell.

Also, I think I just ran into a snag. I'm using a laptop currently, how can I hook up the audio part of the monitor to a laptop? Didn't really think about that...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236042

[nevermind1534]

Yes, that's HD. It would support 1080P, not i, though. It's reccommended resolution is 40*30 pixels short of 1080P. So, yes, it is HD.

[Zephik]

Yes, that's HD. It would support 1080P, not i, though. It's reccommended resolution is 40*30 pixels short of 1080P. So, yes, it is HD.

Sweet! I'll finally have an HD monitor then too! :D

**Just finished placing in the order**

Now we play the waiting game... :smoker:

As for the little snag I ran into, I read somewhere that you can plug external speakers into the headphone port on a laptop and they'll work just fine. Can anyone confirm this? Just want to make sure ahead of time so I don't have to wait another week for a USB speaker port adapter mahjigger.

[nevermind1534]

I don't see why that wouldn't work. I think I've done that before,

[billygoat333]

yes it works. You can even plug those ipod fm transmitter things into the headphone jack of your laptop for stereo movie sound in your car! :) (or anything that receives fm band radio)

[Zephik]

Holy mother of god.

If anyone ever asks me if its a noticeable difference going from a 17 inch monitor to a 22 inch widescreen monitor, I'll have to tell them IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE and shake them violently for some odd reason. lol

This. Monitor. Is. BEAUTIFUL!

Worth every penny, if only for the awesome aesthetics.

But thats not the only reason(s). I don't think I have ever seen such vibrant colors! Everything is so much more... idk? The black is BLACK, that was the first thing I noticed. The colors are just so much better looking now, I don't know how else to describe it?

As for the speakers: Better than stock, but not as good as a decent set of logitech's. For the most part? It was an upgrade for me, from using stock laptop speakers (it is a media laptop btw, so they aren't that bad).

Anyways, I'll try to write up a review sometime for you guys. But until then, i'm just going to sit back and be awe-struck. :)

[d_stilgar]

How is the sub on the back? Does it make a real difference?

[Zephik]

How is the sub on the back? Does it make a real difference?

It makes a small difference from what I can tell so far. Its better than nothing, but its not as good as say a logitech sub. (I've only ever used logitech, which is why I keep making comparisons to them). But it is definitely better than no sub at all. I'm also in an open space, there is no wall behind my monitor like in most desktop setups, so it might make more of a difference then. But as it stands right now, the sound waves have to travel about 12 feet before they start coming back to me, where-as in most cases it will probably be less than 12 inches, which would probably make a difference.

On another note: The webcam is pretty slick. Its on a swivel so you can move it up and down. The picture is better than any other webcam I have used before, pretty clear picture really.

Another note: The light bar on the bottom of the screen is not noticeable at regular desk length (arms length?) and is kind of cool because it will light up your desk a good bit, but from say 5 feet back you can see it and it is a bit irritating. It can be turned off however, thankfully. Because its distracting when watching movies. It also changes color either by user preference or by what mode you select (music, theater, gaming, etc etc).

Another note again: The touch panel works flawlessly in my hands. I heard people complaining, but they must not be very intelligent or something because I've had no problems with it. You just tap at it lightly and it works great. Took me about 2.3 seconds to learn how hard to tap to work it right. :p

One more note: The back panel is not aluminum. Its silver plastic. Kind of annoying, but what-ever, no biggie I guess. Just would of been nice for the price and just because. The rest is aluminum though and the base is brushed aluminum. (its also on a swivel which is kind of cool)

[nevermind1534]

That's good to hear. I think I will get that one next month, maybe.

[Zephik]

That's good to hear. I think I will get that one next month, maybe.

I would recommend it mainly to people who need either great aesthetics matched with great build quality or to people who need a good deal of connectivity options. or for people like me, who wanted the whole package. :)

By the way, it does come with a DVI to HDMI adapter. It doesn't list it, but you can see it in the picture section on newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236042). So if you were wondering what that particular cord was or if it did come with one or not, thats what it is and yes it does. :)

Also, I just learned today because I decided to read some of the manual, that you can connect all or any number of video cables at the same time without having any problems. All you do is hit the switch video input mode button on the touch panel and it switches over to DVI, S-Video, Component, etc etc.. I thought that was pretty cool anyway.

I also turned off the light bar today because of how far I sit back it gets irritating to see out of the corner of my eye. But if you have an actual desk, you won't see it except the light from it that lights up your desk a bit.

I'm also considering turning off the sounds the monitor makes. I like the turning off and on sounds, but late at night its too loud and I worry I'll wake my room mate or something. But the sound it makes every time you touch a button isn't that pleasant of a sound after the 5th time you've heard it in a row from scrolling through the menu options.