Looking for a HD 1980x1080 monitor on a tight budget. £110.

[Jayfunk]

Hi All,

I'm looking to upgrade my sons PC monitor from a 19" TV screen but on a pretty tight budget of £110.

I realise anything bought will be a major improvement but am looking to get the most bang for buck.

Intended use in order of importance:
1. He is looking to progress next year into A-level's with a focus on graphics design so could IPS vs LCD be a factor?
2. General PC shenanigans
3. HDMI link to PS3

Hardware connecting:
2nd gen i3 with HD5670 (VGA, DVI-D or HDMI)
PS3 (HDMI or Composite / svideo / component)

I feel I need a VGA and HDMI as minimum.

Monitor musts:

Must be 1980x1080
Must be 22-24" (21.5 acceptable)
Must have a VESA mount 100x100 or 75x75 (I think it would be 100x100 on this size monitor) not everywhere specifies VESA so often it's checking the photos of the product manually!

Currently I am at either:

Lower end:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/215-a...-20m1-speakers

In description VESA = 75mm but in specs it's 100x100 - either is fine but I think it's 100.
Also will need a HDMI to DVI-D lead for the PS3

Higher end of budget:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/LG-22EA53VQ-.../dp/B00BWOJ35G

This is IPS has all needed connections but has an external power block and one worrying review of bleeding in the corner but I assume that would not be for everyone and would be under warranty anyway


I would realy appreciate it if I could have some critique on the choices or a gentle push towards something better suited.

Thank you in advance

[jim]

1. He is looking to progress next year into A-level's with a focus on graphics design so could IPS vs LCD be a factor?

Not quite. I'm not an expert by any means, but my understanding is this (it's also worth bearing in mind that technically the acronyms may not mean what they do in the context of manufacturers):

You can choose between LCD (meaning CCFL) and LED backlighting. LCD screens use a CCFL, LED screens use LEDs. The latter is usually thinner, runs cooler and uses less power. I'm not sure whether it is considered to have any image quality benefits. I've not seen anything off the top of my head to suggest that CCFL is the better choice.

Then you can choose between different types of panel technology. Cheapest are TN, then IPS, PVA and others seem to pop up now and again. TN is much cheaper, but tends to be faster. IPS/PVA on the other hand have much better colour accuracy, hence the link with photography and graphic design (although for serious graphics use you'll want to manually adjust the colours with the appropriate device) and the viewing angles are much better. If you look around on the web at some viewing angle comparisons between TN and IPS you'll see what I mean.

Some people select TN panels for gaming purposes because they want the speed, more often they buy them because they're cheap. Having moved from TN to IPS, I would never go back. The difference is fairly pronounced, and the price gap now is negligible. At one time, it cost a fortune more than TN to get an IPS/PVA panel, but now that's not really the case. For the difference you're looking at, I would definitely pick the LG.

I have no experience of that panel in particular, but I do recall it being a bit of a bargain for the specs compared to other models. As for bleeding, well, any monitor could have that problem. It's not limited to certain models. In short, I would say if you can get an IPS LED within the budget, then definitely do it - it's well worth the extra in the long run, especially considering how slight the difference is in terms of cost these days.

[Jayfunk]

Thanks Jim,

That's excellent detail. Thanks for breaking down the backlighting and panel technology for me.

Beyond anything else for me (as a Dad) the extra benefit he may recieve with the Graphics Design is the clincher.

I think if you asked my son and said the TN has a better game output he'd go the other way but in all honesty after gaming up to now on a TV/DVD combo number I doubt he would register a difference betwen them in the time it took his jaw to hit the floor.

IPS it is then. Thank you again Jim.