[bballe336]

But I can't quite find anything I like. I have a few requirements that must be met:
-8ms or less response time
-At least a 1000:1 contrast ratio
-At least 400 cd/m2 brightness
-Under $600 (I can take advantage of educational discounts if they are available)

I'd also like to have USB and FW hubs onboard. I can't find anything that I find to be "perfect". Does anyone have any suggestions?

Also I have absolutely no interest in any ACD's.

[Cold Warrior]

Have you looked at the Dells? I don't know their specs, but they are good. I own the 20" widescreen and am very happy with it.

[bballe336]

I really do like the dells, and they fit my exact specs, I'm just not sure if I want to spend the money if I could find a comparable display for less money.

[Cadaver]

I have an LG L246W on one of my machines. Fantastic display.

[bballe336]

Originally Posted by Cadaver 

I have an LG L246W on one of my machines. Fantastic display.

After a few searches it seems as if that monitor does not exist for purchase anywhere...

[OreoCookie]

I wouldn't really care about the contrast ratio, it's an irrelevant marketing figure these days (as the way they are measured is not, ahem, very telling) as is the response time (which is usually just black-white response time and not grey to grey which is a lot slower and much more significant in practice.

I recommend you have a look at LG screens or Samsung, Samsung in particular makes great screens. Take a look at Samsung's SyncMaster 245B. However you will find that $600 is kinda tight for a 24" display. All cheaper displays will use inferior TN (twisted-nematic) panels whereas the more expensive ones will use better panels such as PVA (patterned vertical alignment) or MVA (multi-domain vertical alignment) that offer a much larger viewing angles and better colors.

You might want to think about getting a slightly smaller display 22-23" with a better panel.

[pixelbaker]

I got my Dell 2407WFP using a coupon for $4 off ebay that gave me 10% off. That was a while back when they were still much pricier too, but $669 regular and possibly less if you use your student discount would be a pretty good deal I'd say. I love mine and it was definitely worth the $650 I paid.

[mduell]

$500 Newegg.com - SAMSUNG 245BW Black high glossy 24" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor with Height Adjustment 400 cd/m2 1000:1 (DC 3000:1) - Retail

$510 Newegg.com - DoubleSight DS-240WB Black 24" 6ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 500 cd/m2 1000:1 Built in Speakers - Retail

$510 Newegg.com - Westinghouse L2410NM Black 24" 8ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 500 cd/m2 1000:1 Built in Speakers - Retail

$550 Newegg.com - Acer AL2416WBsd Silver 24" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 400 cd/m2 1000:1 - Retail

And of course the Dell 2407FPW

[bballe336]

Thanks for those links mduell, I have seen all those monitors already. I decided I cannot justify the prices and am going to go with a 22".

[mduell]

A 22" is the same res as a 20"... may as well go with the 20" and save a few more bucks.

[bballe336]

I have a feeling that the 20" will simply be too high res for me. The 22" seems like a good fit after taking a look at a few of them.

[Laminar]

I got a ViewSonic VX2235WM (700:1, 5ms, etc.) for $199.99 off of Buy.com. Keep your eyes peeled and you'll find good deals.

[bballe336]

That viewsonic looks really nice, I'm going to see if I can take a look at one in real life. Also I have another question, why are the larger 24" displays rated at a much higher brightness levels than the 22" and smaller displays on average? Such as most 22" displays being 300 cd/m2 and 24's being 500 cd/m2.

[OreoCookie]

I wouldn't pay much attention to marketing figures, as I've said before: contrast ratio, brightness and speed are all subject to marketing spin: increasing brightness to such levels that the display quality deteriorates is not useful at all for practical applications. It's particularly `confusing' when two companies use the same panels and give different specs.

I would say that pretty much all TFTs these days are more than bright enough for just about any useful environment. Even my ProBook's built-in tft display (which doesn't come close to 300 cd/m^2, I think its maximum brightness is about 150 cd/m^2) is usually plenty. In darker environments, I have to turn down the brightness even.

If you are in doubt of the quality of a display, have a look at it in a shop. Don't pay too much attention to marketing figures, though … Just one more thing regarding the speed of displays: the display types that have richer colors are usually slower and vice versa: one is better for video and games, the other is better for editing pictures.

[bballe336]

I will most likely go for a faster display. I do need good color accuracy but response time is equally important to me.

[OreoCookie]

It's not about color accuracy, but rather about how large the color spectrum is your monitor can display (in addition to viewing angle). Since cheap displays tend to be faster (as TN panels are cheaper), you won't have much of a choice anyway.

[bballe336]

I'm looking at some of the upper end samsungs with TFT panels, are those pretty decent?

[OreoCookie]

Yes, Samsung is a very good company. BTW, you'll notice that also Samsung has two classes of 24" models: one is cheap (around $600), the other one comes closer to what Cinema Displays costs. The difference is in the panels.

My father has a Samsung and is very pleased with it.

[CIA]

Saw this today on dealmac.com:
DoubleSight 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor for $480 after rebate
Buy.com offers the DoubleSight 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor, model no. DS-240WB, for $519.95. This $40 mail-in rebate chops the net price to $479.95. With $14.24 for shipping, that's within a buck of the lowest total price we've seen. It features a native resolution of 1920x1200, 500 cd/m2 brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 6ms response time, and both DVI and VGA inputs. Rebate ends July 31. Of note, new customers can use this $15 off coupon. Or, new Google Checkout users can get another $10 off.


Don't know if it helps, or how long the deal lasts, but for a 24" that's pretty good.
I have the Dell 2405 (2 of em, actually) and I love it. sigh, if only Apple made a cheap 1920x1200....

[Cadaver]

Originally Posted by bballe336 

After a few searches it seems as if that monitor does not exist for purchase anywhere...

I'm looking directly at the box. LG L246W. Bought it at CompUSA for $699.

Sorry... I think I misread your post. I bought it about 2 weeks ago at my local CompUSA for $699. They had a bunch in stock.

Highly recommended if you can find one. Uses the same P-MVA panel as the more expensive BenQ displays.

[Aegis]

^ I second that. I find LG's 24" to be the best of the 24's I've seen (Dell, Apple, BenQ).