Is 27-inch too big?

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mis3

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I have been using the Dell Ultrasharp 19-inch for the past 1-2 years and I must say that this is a great monitor.

I am thinking to upgrade my monitor and I have yet decided on the size. The pixel size of the 24-inch will be too small for my eyes. This leaves me with 22-inch and 27-inch.

I do not game much and I do not usually watch movies with my PC. Is the 27-inch too big for browsing and general office applications? Typically, I sit 2.5 ft in front of the monitor.
 
I dont think it will be too big, after you get used to it. I have a 22in now and I think its too small.
Thanks
 
nobody_here said:
how often does any one stare at one pixel?

i dont get the pixel size statement
Click to expand...

Take 17-inch and 19-inch, because the native resolutions of both panels are 1280x1024, the pixel size of the 17-inch is 0.264mm while the 19-inch will be 0.294mm. So, the font size if the 19-inch will be bigger than the 17-inch. The font size can be adjusted but unfortunately this does not work in many applications.

22-inch 0.282mm
24-inch 0.270mm
27-inch 0.303mm
 
elec999 said:
I dont think it will be too big, after you get used to it. I have a 22in now and I think its too small.
Thanks
Click to expand...

How does this work? Do you usually open 2 applications (eg: 2 browsers) at the same screen?
 
mis3 said:
Take 17-inch and 19-inch, because the native resolutions of both panels are 1280x1024, the pixel size of the 17-inch is 0.264mm while the 19-inch will be 0.294mm. So, the font size if the 19-inch will be bigger than the 17-inch. The font size can be adjusted but unfortunately this does not work in many applications.

22-inch 0.282mm
24-inch 0.270mm
27-inch 0.303mm
Click to expand...

ok, but i still dont get it....you're telling me .021mm, just over two hundredths of a mm will make a difference? and thats for one pixel...how often do people need to look at one pixel?:confused:
 
I've got the Dell 2407 24". It's great, but I'm ready for something bigger. I think 37" is too much for me, so I'm looking at the 27" - 32" range. The Samsung 275T 27" gets a lot of praise, but some say the input lag is maddening. I'm looking at a lot of monitors/LCD TVs before pulling the trigger. I don't want to make a $1000 mistake.
 
I think the pixel size you mean is the pixel pitch. This is the distance between the pixels. with a 27" monitor the resolution is the same as a 23" (1920 x 1200) the increased size is gained with a larger pixel pitch. for example: 23" Apple Cinema display @ 0.258 mm verus 0.303mm on a 27" Samsung 275T. So, you don't see more, what you see is larger.

I believe the pixel pitch of a (1280 x 1024) 19" lcd is about 0.25mm

Really what all this means is the greater the pixel pitch the more likely that you will notice a screen door effect almost like a graininess or dirty look, mostly noticable in white and light areas. I went from a 19" crt at .25 pixel pitch to a 0.2865 on a 26" lcd. I can notice a difference. It's not enough to bother me, but generally a 23 or 24" will appear to have a cleaner more clear look than a 27" because its a finer pixel pitch, imo. Distance from the screen helps, but it's not about looking at one pixel it's more about seeing the space between pixels, like a mesh almost
 
I have a 24 and at first it felt GIGANTIC but after about 2 weeks or use I actually thought that a 27 or 30 would've been perfect.... so no, a 24 inch won't be too big at all. it also has a lot to do with how close you sit to the monitor, though, so take that into consideration as well. I would say a 27 or 30 would be the perfect size for most people.
 
To make it simple, put it like this. (the 17" vs. 19" is the easiest example so bare with me)


A 17" screen and 19" screen both run at the same resolution (1280x1024). This means no matter what you will get that resolution and you will be able to display that much stuff.

Now this is resolution, but not the actual size of what you see on your screen. For example the smilies on hardforum (which happen to take up 15 pixels by 15 pixels) in real life measurement on my 19" monitor are about 1/4" tall. Now on a 17" monitor that runs at the same resolution, they may only be 1/8" tall. Same resolution, same amount of stuff shown on the screen, but on the 19" things will be bigger cause it is a larger panel still showing the same resolution (number of pixels) 1280x1024.

This is why resolution is so important not just monitor physical size. Another good example is most LCD TVs (up to 1080i) are at a resolution of 1367x768. So you may have a 37" LCD, but my 14.1" laptop screen that has a 1440x900 resolution is actually showing more things on the screen, but they are physically smaller.


P.S. Not 100% sure on the real life sizes, just using them as an example. The theory still holds true.
 
27" is not too big and the pixel pitch is fine. I've owned 17" and 19" monitors and it's really not the same thing at this size. In fact i've owned the 2707 for a week now and I wouldn't mind bigger but I don't want a higher resolution display. My friend has a 24" and is incrediably jealous and says that even with the same resolution he'd really enjoy the extra 3"
 
For gaming, 22" is max for me. I'm actually thinking about getting a 20" instead. I've got a 47" LCD 1080p monitor and it's good for movies and games like guitar hero and even youtube but for casual browsing, work, and gaming I think around 20" is best. From there spend money on quality and stop increasing size.
 
I want something bigger, but I invested a lot of money in my 2x 19" just a bit ago it seems like so I cannot justify an upgrade yet.

Pretty sick as I paid the same price for my 19" as the 22" - 24" are going for right now.

Still, having dual 19" makes me not lack too much in the space department :cool:
and having dual monitors is better than one large one for working and school work and such. (Makes having multiple windows up at the same time much easier as you can just maximize them and not have to try and resize them side by side or something).
 
I dunno, but my ex thought my 24" was pretty big, then she left me for a guy with a 30". What a ho bag.
 
go big or you will regret it. Just get the largest monitor for your budget, trust me , you will adjust to it, then it will feel small once you see something bigger.

i went from a 17in CRT to a 37in Westy, then 40inch Sony XBR. I will say 37 is perfect if you got the desk, otherwise 32inches, all at 1080p of course :)
 
How far are you viewing distance for a 30"+ since it is recommend at least 6ft away. I don't know of any home office desk that big.
 
daveswantek said:
Here is an artical that gives a graphical representation:
http://www.behardware.com/articles/661-1/the-new-30-inch-monitors-dell-and-samsung.html

I am using a Dell 2407WFP and I am trying to decide between a 27 and a 30, cause the 24 is not quite big enough for me.

Dave
Click to expand...


thanks for the link, interesting analysis

i LOL'd when they mentioned watching movies "on the big screen" in reference to the 30 incher....LOL....who the hell wants to watch movies on a 30 monitor at a PC three feet away when they can watch them on a real big screen TV from the couch 15 feet away or more??
 
I never have such a large monitor (27-inch) before.

Let say you open Internet Explorer, does it fill up the whole screen? Do you usually have 2applications opened side-by-side on the same screen?
 
mis3 said:
I never have such a large monitor (27-inch) before.

Let say you open Internet Explorer, does it fill up the whole screen? Do you usually have 2applications opened side-by-side on the same screen?
Click to expand...

You could fill the whole screen with your browser window but I don't like reading all the way across the screen on my 2707. I usually fill the left side of the screen with the browser and the right half has movies, apps, whatever going on as I browse.

I remember going from a 17incher to a 24" and I got used to it pretty quickly - and would never go back :D
 
Actually I am going from a 19-inch to either 22-inch or 27-inch.

Same as you, I would not want to read across the screen as well. So, if you open only the browser, you will have black screen on the other half of the screen.

How far do you sit in front of the monitor? I measured, I have only 2.5 ft distance.
 
mis3 said:
Actually I am going from a 19-inch to either 22-inch or 27-inch.

Same as you, I would not want to read across the screen as well. So, if you open only the browser, you will have black screen on the other half of the screen.

How far do you sit in front of the monitor? I measured, I have only 2.5 ft distance.
Click to expand...


don't get too worked up about the distance - i am about the same distance away from a 30in and things look fine.
 
I'm getting 2 x 30" next week, and I'm also sitting 2.5 ft from the LCD. So you tell me if 27" is too big.

The dot pitch of 27 is very poor, in for a penny, in for a pound. Get the 30", much sharper screen for around the same price range
 
considering this is hard forum and not average joe forum the answer is definitely no

personally at that size and price range, i'd rather look at hdtv's.

I had a 42" TX, and now have a 4066f. There is screendoor if you lean in, but at 2.5ft -3ft its great. You really appreciate the size for video games and movies. Trust me on this.
 
Happy Hopping said:
I'm getting 2 x 30" next week, and I'm also sitting 2.5 ft from the LCD. So you tell me if 27" is too big.

The dot pitch of 27 is very poor, in for a penny, in for a pound. Get the 30", much sharper screen for around the same price range
Click to expand...

What do you mean by poor dot pitch of 27-inch?

The pixel pitch of a 30-inch is only 0.25mm. Watching movies and gaming will be fine but the characters will be too small in surfing and office applicaitons.
 
So you guys are saying its "ok" to sit 2-3ft away from a 30"? I am just curious about the long term affect on the eyes sitting so close to a big monitor. What about a 40"-46"?
 
mis3 said:
I have been using the Dell Ultrasharp 19-inch for the past 1-2 years and I must say that this is a great monitor.

I am thinking to upgrade my monitor and I have yet decided on the size. The pixel size of the 24-inch will be too small for my eyes. This leaves me with 22-inch and 27-inch.

I do not game much and I do not usually watch movies with my PC. Is the 27-inch too big for browsing and general office applications? Typically, I sit 2.5 ft in front of the monitor.
Click to expand...


is it too big...!?!?!?! you sound like a chick!
 
junglicious said:
So you guys are saying its "ok" to sit 2-3ft away from a 30"? I am just curious about the long term affect on the eyes sitting so close to a big monitor. What about a 40"-46"?
Click to expand...

i'm sure we'll find out in a few years :D it's never a good idea to stare into ANY size monitor for hours and days on end...that said, most home brews have desk restrictions - so putting monitors farther away doesn't fly.

font size is about the same as my old setup - difference is i can have more open windows visible at the same time w/o all the shifting around to see everything.
 
mis3 said:
Actually I am going from a 19-inch to either 22-inch or 27-inch.

Same as you, I would not want to read across the screen as well. So, if you open only the browser, you will have black screen on the other half of the screen.

How far do you sit in front of the monitor? I measured, I have only 2.5 ft distance.
Click to expand...

I sit about 16" from the LCD (short width table) doing graphics work.

Like zentech said, I'll find out soon enough if this was a bad idea :D
 
I went from a 19" 1280x1024 regular lcd, to a 21" widescreen 1680x1050, to my current 1920x1200 24" display.

The 24" is nice, but does not seem "big" anymore, but I do not want to, nor could deal with, a smaller display.

My next display is going to be a 37", period.
 
mis3 said:
What do you mean by poor dot pitch of 27-inch?

The pixel pitch of a 30-inch is only 0.25mm. Watching movies and gaming will be fine but the characters will be too small in surfing and office applicaitons.
Click to expand...

Not really... Depends on your vision I guess. But generally it doesn't.
 
For gaming, I find my Samsung 275T to be perfect, but when browsing and watching vids, it's a little bit big. I sit 2 1/2 feet away from the monitor, so I think at 3 feet away, it would be just right, though I don't have the desk space to place it that far away yet.
 
wow who are you guys? must have some good genes. here I thought 7" was pretty damn big. 27"???? 22" is too small??? :confused:
 
The last ergonomic study I read about said farther back is less physical strain than having the monitor closer.

And a 27 inch display is easier for many to read.

(The 30 inch would actually be better for everyone if Windows was better at scaling fonts. Actually Vista supposedly is or was supposed to be. But I'm not sure what the situation actually is there...)
 
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