[Chuie]

Hi, I'm looking for a external monitor to use with my laptop. It's for work purposes so I would be looking for as good a monitor as I can get with the below specs:
1. Between €500 and €1000
2. 24" or more in size
3. Low Response time and high Contrast and dynamic ratio
4. Options to connect tv to as well

I've looked at different models of Dell, Samsung and LG monitors.

Does anyone have any advice or suggesstions?

Would I also need to buy a new graphics card to get full use of the new monitor?

Thanks

Simon

[Serephucus]

Dell U2711 or U3011.

They're both IPS monitors, meaning extremely high colour accuracy, very bright, excellent contrast ratios, and ~178° viewing angles. Not sure about the U3011, but AFAIK the response time for the 27 is 7ms. As good as you're going to get with a monitor that size.

At the moment, Komplett.ie have both these monitors at the cheapest I've seen them.

As for the graphics card, depends what you want to do with it. If you're running it off a laptop, chances are you'd need a new machine, as with 90% of laptops, you can't upgrade the graphics card alone.

[Chuie]

Thanks for your response!

As this will be used as an external display for a laptop I probably wouldn't want to go as big as a 30".

So would the Dell U2711 be much better than a Samsung P2770HD syncmaster or a LG M2762DP-OZ?
As the response time on the Dell U2711 is 6ms with a 2560 x 1440 resolution woud this be a good a picture as a 24" with a lower repsonse time and resolution?

What graphics card would you recommend to get the best out of these types of monitors?

[Serephucus]

It all depends, what are you going to be doing with this monitor?

Also, as I said, you can't upgrade the graphics card in your laptop (unlikely, but what laptop is it?), unless you have a desktop as well, that's a different story, but again, it depends what you're going to be doing with it.

[Chuie]

The main function will be for work purposes - writing documents, reading articles, watching learning materials, using development applications, etc.

My laptop is a dell studio, not exactly sure of the model but I will probably be looking into upgrading it as well or maybe getting a desktop computer.

For the moment I'm just looking into options for the best possible monitor?

[Chuie]

What would be the main differences between 27" monitors I listed above? And also the differences between the 27" monitor and a 24" monitor for my purposes?

Since I will be upgrading my laptop or getting a new desktop, what graphics card would you recommend I purchase with it to handle these types of monitors?

[Serephucus]

Both the monitors you listed are TN panels. This means they have slightly better response times, but lower contrast ratios, and much worse viewing angles.

Having said that, if you're only doing office work, I wouldn't bother investing in an IPS panel. If however you were doing a lot of Photoshop work, or even watching a lot of movies, then they might be worth the extra cost.

The only other difference really is with resolution. the U2711 has a higher resolution, and therefore able to fit more on-screen than the other two monitors.

[Chuie]

So the main difference between the Samsung and LG to the Dell is the Dell has slower repsonse time but higher resolution?

For my purporses would it be better to get a 24" - would they give a better overal display for a cheaper cost than the 27" available or would both be as good?

What graphics card would you recommend for these types of monitors?

[Serephucus]

I'd go with the LG, personally. You just don't need to spend €1,000 on a monitor for office work. LG does make 27" monitors though, if you want something a little bigger.

Again, if it's just for office work, any graphics card will do fine.

[Serephucus]

I'd go with the LG, personally. You just don't need to spend €1,000 on a monitor for office work. LG does make 27" monitors though, if you want something a little bigger.

Again, if it's just for office work, any graphics card will do fine.

[Chuie]

The Samsung P2770HD syncmaster and LG M2762DP-OZ are 27" monitors.

Ye probably best spending my money on a new laptop/desktop instead.

With the present available response time and resolution on these 27" monitors would it be better to go for a cheaper 24" with better response time and better resolution? Maybe the Dell U2410?
Would it better to go for the 1920X1080 (16:9) or 24" 1920X1200 (16:10) display rather than a bigger screen but not as good resolution or response?

[Serephucus]

Response time doesn't mean anything for what you'll be doing with it, so go with resolution. As to aspect ratio, it's up to you, but I generally prefer 16:10 for office work.

[Chuie]

Cool. So with that in mind (more of a focus on resolution and on a 16:10 ratio) would I be better off going for a 27" or 24" monitor or are there models at both sizes that meet this criteria?