need input for monitor purchase

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mrh3138

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I'm close to having enough money saved to finally replace my old 17" CRT monitor (which has a slight flicker because it's dying) with an LCD monitor. In my research for a replacement, I have the Samsung T240HD on my short list. It seems to be a good balance of good PC display, built-in tuner, and size.

The problem is, the more I research, the more confused I get, so any helpful input you can give would be great. I went to a few stores to get an idea of how the current Samsung displays look, but all the monitors were playing demo DVDs in non-native resolution. Not very helpful.

For reference, my wife has a Samsung SyncMaster 712N, and the display on it looks to be acceptable. I don't use my PC for any gaming and would be using it mostly for surfing the web, using office applications, and other similar activities. My biggest concern is getting a monitor that will give less eye strain than my current monitor.

I've read great reviews about the Dell U2410, but it's about $250 more than I have saved. If it's more monitor than I need, I don't see any sense in putting up with the old monitor while I keep saving.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice.
 
You won't be doing an graphics work like photos? If not, then a TN based panel would suit your needs. What would be the max budget on the monitor?
 
Any photo work I'd be doing would be for personal photos, so nothing critical. My main concern is that the the monitor have a smooth picture that's easy on the eyes for long periods of work. I've had Dell monitors at work and a Lenovo monitor, and the quality of the Lenovo was well below that of the Dell monitors. I just want to make sure that the look of the screen is still good. Perfect color accuracy isn't necessary.

I'd say that the upper limit of my budget is $300, though if I could keep closer to $250 that would be even better.
 
Thanks. I'll look into that as well.

I really do like the built-in tuner on the Samsung. I don't mind paying a bit more for that either. I just want to make sure I'm not going to be sacrificing anything in the way of picture quality compared with other TN displays if I get it. This would be much easier if someone carried it locally so I could see one in person.
 
In my continued research, I've seen good things about the Asus VW246h. How does that monitor compare quality-wise with the previously mentioned Hanns·G HH-251HPB?

I'm really wanting to get the best-quality 24" TN display that I can. I'd prefer a 16:10 aspect ratio over 16:9, but it's not a deal breaker.
 
Basically, the Samsung T240HD is a TN panel and like most TN panels out there, they all suffer the poor viewing angles and the colors aren't as accurate as an 8 bit Panel. Some TN panels have a blueish tint while other are more reddish. The ASUS monitor I notice on mine is not blueish. The HP as well as the Samsungs have a blueish tint to it. I think the BenQ line like the G2400WD 24" falls more on the reddish. The main thing is that the TN panel doesn't have really bad backlight bleeding and dead pixels on the monitor. The issue with the Samsung T240HD and T260HD 26" is that they are known for having noticeable backlight bleeding on these displays. I use to see these in Best Buy and the view angles is terrible. I know all TN suffer from poor viewing angles but the colors really shift on that Samsung models. No offense man and this is just my opinion but, I didn't like those Samsung models. I was more impressed with the Samsung 245BW 24" and the Samsung 2493HM TN monitors.
 
Thanks for the input on the Samsung monitors. Like I said, I haven't seen them in person. There's certainly no offense taken. I'm just trying to get the best monitor I can. I'd rather find out about any brand/model flaws now before I spend the money.
 
mrh3138 said:
In my continued research, I've seen good things about the Asus VW246h. How does that monitor compare quality-wise with the previously mentioned Hanns·G HH-251HPB?

I'm really wanting to get the best-quality 24" TN display that I can. I'd prefer a 16:10 aspect ratio over 16:9, but it's not a deal breaker.
Click to expand...

You do realize that the Asus VW246H is a 16:9 monitor, right?

I consider Hanns-G to be a crappy tier 3 company as opposed to a tier 2 company like Asus.

Here's my review of the Asus VK246H (VW246H with built-in webcam), if you are interested:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/54250-3-asus-vk246h-review-final-update
 
I would say the ASUS VW246H 24" 1080P display for $215.99 w/free shipping. Or, if you want 1920x1200 Res or get the ASUS VW266H for $299.99 ($30 MIR) w/free shipping Since you are willing to go $300, I would get the larger ASUS VW266H with the higher resolution. I feel the extra 120 pixels in height would come in useful for office application like spreadsheets and also, the fact that it's 1.5" larger than the 24", the text would be a little bigger to read as well.
 
pojut said:
You could go with a Hanns·G HH-251HPB...good value for the price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254040
Click to expand...
You can get the same monitor from Tiger direct for $195 shipped with 15% Bing cashback. OP if you're interested in this deal then let me know and i'll post instructions for the 15% Tiger Direct discount.


Otherwise some of the other ideas posted sound like good alternatives, especially anything with a 16:10 ratio (imho)
 
HardwareGuru said:
or get the ASUS VW266H for $299.99 ($30 MIR) w/free shipping Since you are willing to go $300, I would get the larger ASUS VW266H with the higher resolution. I feel the extra 120 pixels in height would come in useful for office application like spreadsheets and also, the fact that it's 1.5" larger than the 24", the text would be a little bigger to read as well.
Click to expand...
Tiger Direct has the Asus VW266H 26" for $233 shipped after a $30 mail in rebate and 15% Bing cashback ;)

I'll just go ahead and post the instructions.

- Go to Bing.com and type in "tiger direct" and click enter.

- On the next page look for the Tiger Direct 15% cashback banner ad and click it.

- Once you're on the Tiger Direct site, navigate to the Asus VW266H and add it to your cart, you should see the 15% cashback discount posted in your shopping cart.
 
HardwareGuru said:
Wow! That's a good deal. OP buy this thing!
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I can't remember the last time i seen that Asus go anywhere near that price. The price always seems to hover at the +$300 mark, consistently. Even if you never get the mail in rebate, who cares, you still got a hot deal ;)

OP the 15% Tiger cashback discount always disappears fast. If you are seriously interested, then buy it tonight, because that discount won't last long i guarantee it, i'd almost bet that it'll be gone tomorrow.
 
Yup, it normally hovers around $300 range. I normally seen it priced at $309-$319. So, $299.99 with a $30 MIR is already a deal. But, $233 is crazy. Where can you find another 1920x1200 display at this size for that price?
 
Crap. I didn't see these recent posts until this morning, and as you mentioned, the 15% discount is gone. It's good to know how to get the bing discounts though, so I'll definitely keep my eyes open for that when I'm ready to pull the trigger on a monitor.

It seems the more I read about monitors, the more confusing it gets. I'm going to go take a look at some monitors again today to get a better idea of what some look like in person (yes, I'll be writing model numbers down).
 
mrh3138 said:
Crap. I didn't see these recent posts until this morning, and as you mentioned, the 15% discount is gone. It's good to know how to get the bing discounts though, so I'll definitely keep my eyes open for that when I'm ready to pull the trigger on a monitor.

It seems the more I read about monitors, the more confusing it gets. I'm going to go take a look at some monitors again today to get a better idea of what some look like in person (yes, I'll be writing model numbers down).
Click to expand...

Hey make sure you dont have any ad blocking programs installed.

I went to bing and searched and didnt see it. I then disabled AdBlockPlus and it showed up!

I just bought one, Ive been looking for a new screen and this seemed too good to pass up.
 
I was reading the thread about the HP ZR24w today, and I may hold out to see what it sells for. I know that MSRP is above my current budget, but if I could keep saving and get one under MSRP in 4-6 months, I think that would be the best way for me to go.

I've lived with this crappy monitor for enough years that a few more months won't kill my eyes.
 
mrh3138 said:
Crap. I didn't see these recent posts until this morning, and as you mentioned, the 15% discount is gone. It's good to know how to get the bing discounts though, so I'll definitely keep my eyes open for that when I'm ready to pull the trigger on a monitor.

It seems the more I read about monitors, the more confusing it gets. I'm going to go take a look at some monitors again today to get a better idea of what some look like in person (yes, I'll be writing model numbers down).
Click to expand...
The 15% bing cashback discount is still alive, here's another thread with related details: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1500283

As Sean mentioned above, make sure you have Firefox's, or any other adblocker software disabled, otherwise the banner ad will never appear.

Edit: or you could go with that HP ZR24w you mentioned of course.
 
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