PC monitors of all kinds.
#5515
Hey there folks,

I'm a n00b to the world of displays. I freely admit this. I've used laptops exclusively for the last 9 years (when I started college) and haven't had a monitor until a month or so ago when I dug up an old CRT from a closet at my parent's house because the display on my Thinkpad gave out.

I've done a lot of reading lately on what I want to buy and I've come to the conclusion that for most things IPS > VA > TN, but that TN shines in the world of online gaming. I'm open to anything.

My monitor will be used for various things. Most notably a lot of work in Microsoft Office and Web Surfing, but I do also play games (SC2, WoW, Oblivion). I do not consider myself to be a hardcore gamer but a monitor that has bad "ghosting" or whatever would hardly be ideal given that I do play games often enough to want a good monitor for it. I'm building a new computer soon-ish and figure it's finally time to buy a monitor.

I've been looking primarily at the Dell U2211h, the Dell U2311h, and Dell 2209WA. These are all IPS panels (I think) that have great reviews and apparently reasonably good performance in games. However a few things have come up and I wanted to get the advice of the awesome people here.

(1) Can you really tell a difference in how an IPS vs. a TN panel looks just using the naked eye? I don't do serious photo work or anything, but if it's noticable in more than just viewing angles for games/movies/whatever then I will continue considering them. Otherwise I might be able to find a Dell P-series for cheaper.

(2) If I get a refurbished unit I can get a Dell U2311h for $200 it looks like -- but what kinds of risks are you likely to be taking going that route instead of new?

(3) I've been told twice now that a high resolution (1920x1080) in a monitor <24" is going to be a pain in the butt b/c things will be too small to see properly. That's why I was considering the 2209WA -- it has 1680x1050 instead, but I think I might regret not having HD in the future? Anyway I am looking in the 21.5"-24" range but is 1080p going to strain a normal person's eyes?

(4) I want to keep this under $250 if possible.

(5) If I go the TN route to save money what do you all think about LED backlighting? I tend to think it looks better but I don't really know about the pros and cons, and the internet is a hotbed of conflicting information.

(6) I've been looking at Dell because I like all the swivel options the monitors have as well as the matte display and bezel. I am open to other options but would slightly prefer Dell (they have so many "series" of monitors, from ST to SX, S, E, U, P, and whatever else, and I can't find a good comparison tool to tell me the difference, so if anyone can give me a rundown there of specs that'd be amazing).

(7) Help me pick a monitor? I know that most folks aren't going to want to go through all of those questions and help me out, but anything anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated.

I hope that was everything I needed to ask, hah!

Thanks in advance guys,
CT