Good WS LCD for desktop work

[twoeyes]

I've currently got myself a nice comfty FW900 24" CRT, its great for gaming and overall general use but as its a CRT there is some eye strain involved when not gaming. If I were to purchase an LCD however the color reproduction would have to be as good as possible, so that I wont be screwing up in photoshop

I know there are several types of panels, some better for colors than others, would someone mind filling me in on those? As for things like response time, it really isnt an issue, since for gaming I will be using my FW900 anyway. Also after being with a widescreen monitor so long I dont think I can go back, so WS is a must!

In my head i've gotten the idea from somewhere that the viewsonics have decent color reproduction, anybody concur?

Thanks guys!

 

[si0dine]

How much do you want to spend, what size do you want, and do you prefer glossy or matte anti-glare coating?

My initial recommendations though:
Nec 20WGX2
Dell 2007FPW
ViewSonic VX2025wm

The Nec and Dell are pretty even as far as color reproduction, the Viewsonic is a bit worse though (still good). Also, the Nec is a glossy screen and the dell and viewsonic are matte. The Nec is also more of a gamer's monitor than the rest, but has more inputs and a built-in tv tuner. Both the Nec and Dell are IPS panels, which generally have the best color reproduction and viewing angles.

They're are some professional level screens that have better color reproduction, but they're $1000+

For reviews:
http://www.behardware.com/articles/619-1/updated-survey-13-lcd-20-5-6-8-16-ms.html (the crap they say about glossy panels is entirely their opinion, yours may varry so I suggest checking out a glossy panel in person at best buy or somewhere)

and

www.widescreengamingforum.com

 

[animasaki]

How much do you want to spend, what size do you want, and do you prefer glossy or matte anti-glare coating?

My initial recommendations though:
Nec 20WGX2
Dell 2007FPW
ViewSonic VX2025wm

The Nec and Dell are pretty even as far as color reproduction, the Viewsonic is a bit worse though (still good). Also, the Nec is a glossy screen and the dell and viewsonic are matte. The Nec is also more of a gamer's monitor than the rest, but has more inputs and a built-in tv tuner. Both the Nec and Dell are IPS panels, which generally have the best color reproduction and viewing angles.

They're are some professional level screens that have better color reproduction, but they're $1000+

For reviews:
http://www.behardware.com/articles/619-1/updated-survey-13-lcd-20-5-6-8-16-ms.html (the crap they say about glossy panels is entirely their opinion, yours may varry so I suggest checking out a glossy panel in person at best buy or somewhere)

and

www.widescreengamingforum.com

I dare say that was the most concise, useful post on this overly-discussed topic yet. Well done, sir.

While I personally haven't used the NEC, I have used the Viewsonic, and have the Dell coming soon. Being a graphic designer, I honestly can't recommend it. While being largely an excellent monitor, the VX2025wm has pretty poor viewing angles (I believe due to its type of anti-glare coating), which caused the right and left sides to be brighter and more washed out than the middle. This turned out to be a big pain for color uniformity. In addition, the DVI port has been known to fail, something that I have experienced personally, and Viewsonic's customer support on the issue has been among the worst I've encountered.

All in all, I say get the Dell if you want to save some cash, or the NEC if you want the extra options.

 

[twoeyes]

Sorry this has been discussed so much, when I searched I found mainly topics for people wanting gaming monitors, or monitors for general use (gaming and work use). Plus there is always the risk old topics may miss newer monitors that have come out with better features.

I'm not looking to break the bank here, meaning I think $650 would be about the most i'd spend. This means a 2405/2407 could be had but I'm not so sure about their color reproduction as i've heard they are made using cheaper panels.

Size wise I'm open to anything in the 20.1-24" range, obviously price would scale with the size, I dont think i could bring myself to go for a $600 20", etc.

I too do a lot of photoshop/3D work and also do a lot of webdesign, so thats why color is important...

Thanks guys!