All-in-one pc?

[Konrad]

eBay, craiglist, pawn shop, local auction, local recycler, family; you can get broken ones at low prices, provided you're able to fix them of course.

[x88x]

/\ This. You're not gonna find a 1920x1200 display under ~$200-250USD anymore now that everyone is going over to 16:9 panels. You could find a pretty cheap (ie, ~$150USD, iirc) 1920x1080 panel if you're willing to compromise.

If you do get the 30" panels, make sure you have at least a mid-range GPU in it. Running dual 2560x1600 displays really puts pressure on a GPU, no matter what you're doing on it. The biggest problem is that most cards on the market atm are designed with a max resolution per display of 2560x1600, and in turn, the frame buffers are designed with that as the max...so running dual displays at 2560x1600 you're really at the limit of what it can do. Also, if you do anything with OpenGL, I found out recently that it has a max display width of 2048 pixels....anything wider than that and weird stuff happens (artifacts, stuff doesn't display, etc).

[Konrad]

1920x1080 is a compromise? Works well enough for me, lol

[x88x]

1920x1080 is a compromise? Works well enough for me, lol

It works fine for me too, but I know a lot of people who simply refuse to use a 16:9 monitor. *shrugs*

[Konrad]

I'd go with pawn shop ... as long as you can test the unit and negotiate a little (not usually my thing but it's expected and saves you money, easier to do if you just pay cash up front) and can get a receipt (hopefully with a short-term return-if-defective promise) ... it's all good. Every miniscule scratch on the plastics will save you ten bucks, pick a big battered working beast and take it home to mod out imperfections.

[davbren]

I only think 1920x1080 is a compromise because I'm on 1440x900 currently on a 19". So I'm only gaining 180px for 5" it doesn't seem right. Maybe thats just what I'll have to do though.

Whaddya think?

[Konrad]

I think whatever you think is best, lol.

I personally prefer 22-24" widescreens myself, having a pair of LG 23s. They initially seemed huge and cumbersome and took a while to get comfortable with ... now anything smaller just seems wimpy and frustrating.

It's all your preference, but I'd say a single up-to-30" wide is fine (bigger is better, to a limit). Don't go bigger than maybe 20" wide for multi monitors, unless at least one is locked into portrait. You'll probably get different opinions from everybody you ask.

My two screens take up all the space on my desk, though. There's not even enough room to put much more than a coffee cup and paper notepad (my laptop sits on a nearby chair when I'm using both computers). Also, the combined brightness of both these screens can sometimes fry your eyeballs and make it seem like you're suntanning.

Had I thought about these issues before then I would've purchased somewhat smaller screens.

[davbren]

Hmmm yh all very good points.I found a 24" panel for £35 which seems like a good price. The problem is that it doesn't have the inverter and what not. Do you know where I can get these parts? Also, do you have any idea on how much the full set will cost?

As far as I can fathom, an lcd needs an inverter, controller board and a power supply. Is this correct?

[Konrad]

I'm unsure ... inverters are used to convert DC voltages to AC waveforms, so I can't really see why a display would need one unless it's expected to share a DC power supply with something else. Most monitors I've ever seen will plug into an AC wall receptacle; if they need AC power levels or frequencies that are different from mains power, then they'd would use transformers or switching power supplies or embedded microcontrollers running pulse modulation methods. In any case - I would expect these sorts of parts would normally be integrated into the appliance (as an internal power supply), especially since displays typically need a fair amount of RFI/EMI shielding to pass regulatory standards; if an inverter (or something else) is misssing then maybe somebody's taken the thing apart. If the owner has identified this one particular part as missing or bad then why hasn't he repaired or replaced it so he could sell the fully working display at a much higher price?

I think what you found might just be a replacement LCD panel. Usually the most expensive single part of a monitor, but not able to function without a ton of other electronics. If that's the case then you could use it to build your own monitor from scratch (it would be an involved electronics project) or buy all the other components (or a compatible monitor with a dead panel) ... any way you approach it it will probably end up costing more than just buying a complete working monitor instead. Repairing a dead monitor can be cost effective if you know how and if you only have to replace some cheap parts.

You could hunt around with the model number, get the specs, and see what the full unit originally came with or what compatible parts are available to replace any missing components.

I wouldn't personally buy a used display unless it was demonstrated to be fully working. It could suffer from any number of problems. It might even work perfectly but not look all that great as it's faded and aged over the years.
For that matter, I wouldn't buy a new one unless I could see exactly what it looked like while working, ideally to compare it against any other working models nearby.

Your find might still be a good deal. Apparently your £35 is worth about $50, an excellent price for a 24". I almost wonder if you've actually found a 2.4" display unit, lol. I don't know how much more you'll need to spend to make it work. Brand and Model #?

[davbren]

Thanks very much for the advice. You're right in saying that it is a replacement panel. Its made very clear that it is so in the advert. It is marked as in perfect working order as it is brand new and not at all refurbished. I'm trying to find the components needed to get this to work but I'm struggling as I'm not really sure what it needs. I don't think it would require much electronics work as it all seems pretty straight forward i.e. plug this here and plug this there.

I've watched some disassembly vids for other monitors and it looks easy (I'm sure it probably isn't) I just need to find the right parts. I'm a bit wary that the parts may indeed be much more expensive than firs thought so would end up spending more than if I bought an off the shelf model with maybe a 1080p screen and not the 1200 of this panel.

On a slightly different note, I bought an Acer Revo keyboard for my build. It's so pretty!