Decent 20" for £150ish? (plus a question on glossy screens)

Hi all,

I'm looking to get a new widescreen TFT, and have a budget of £150. I need some advice! Some things that've caught my eye:

The HP 20.1" w2007v (£156 at MicroDirect) Cnet said it was good for it's price, and I've seen it at Tesco: looks very sexy indeed.

Acer - P203W for £119 inc delivery, has great customer reviews and seems a steal in comparison. Is there any particular reason for the Acer's cheapness - do they have a bad reputation?

Asus VW202S for £148 at Scan.

LG L204WS for £135 at Scan - review in this very forum says it's a good monitor for its price.

Which should I go for? All are almost indentically specced, except the stated contrast ratios which are all above 1000:1), but I'm not sure how much I should trust those (?). None have DVI - is there much of a difference in DVI? :confused:

I like the look of the glossy coating on the HP and Acer that makes everything more vivid, but I wondered if this would be bad when I'm editing photos and doing graphics stuff? I'm not a pro designer or anything so I don't care about 100% colour reproduction, but I'm interested in photography so it'd be annoying if everything was really saturated all the time. Does anyone have any experience with glossy monitors?

I'd really appreciate some advice in which of the monitors to go for, as well as any other suggestions anyone has!

Thanks,

At that resolution, DVI would probably not make much of a difference, though some have argued it produces a sharper image.

With regards the glossy finish - my laptop's 1680x1050 tft (15.4") has the same coating, and if I'm honest unless I'm in direct sunlight its fine. Photos come out clear and vibrant, and when placed next to a matt screen there is a noticeable difference. That said, if you sit in a really bright room, then it may not be the choice for you.

Is £150 the max budget? Personally I would seriously consider looking at a 2005fpw or the new 2007fpw, and the samsung 20s, as they are meant to be a cut above the rest. If budget is a limiting factor however, then I'd pick the LG or the HP.

Thanks for the advice dave87, i'll definately be looking for a glossy screen then! £150 is pretty much the budget: I definately can't afford the Dell you suggested. When you say they're a cut above the rest, do you think it would be better to go for the 19" Dell, which is more affordable?

From what you've said I'm leaning towards the HP, although you didn't mention the Acer? Is there any reason I should go for the HP instead of the Acer?

Thanks, I really appreciate the help!

Not a problem, it can be a bit of a minefield out there. (to steal a Bond quote)

Regarding the dell - I wouldn't sacrifice screen size for the dell branding, it just happens that their 20 & 24 screens are some of the best on the market. £150 however, will still buy you a good screen.

The reason I recommended the HP and LG Screens is because I've seen/used/had models by both, and they have both impressed me. I've had or used other kit off the other two manufacturers, but never their monitors, so don't feel I can comment on what is good/bad about them. Plenty of other people on this forum will be able to give you an honest appraisal of them though.

I'd be a bit more cautious with regards to the HP screens, I've seen some of them in display in PC World and the colour balance was completely out compared to the rest of the demo monitors and I couldn't correct it via the OSD menus (even trying reset in case someone had mucked it up on purpose).


My recomendation is to pop down to PC World (or similar) near you and take a look at the monitors in action, you can still purchase online afterwards so as to not pay the silly prices :)

The L204WT has DVI if you otherwise liked the WS.

>> The L204WT has DVI if you otherwise liked the WS.

meant to be a very good monitor too, though it's been around a while. if i could get one for around £150 thats what i'd do, though check this thread for info on setting it up; it'll prolly apply a lot to the ws too.

Widescreen Gaming Forum :: View topic - Review: LG 20.1" Widescreen LCD Monitor L204WT Lots of

Thanks for the replies! I'm going to go into PC World tomorrow and fiddle around with the monitors, hopefully will order something tomorrow evening.

Thanks again for everyone's help.

I messed up by not getting the glossy-screen Samsung 22" 2232gw (didn't know it existed!) when I bought my 226bw. :( Ah well, when I upgrade my monitor, I'll give the 226bw to my girlfriend and get a 2232gw for myself... :D

My father in law just upgraded from a 17" tft to a 22" Cibox widescreen, made a huge difference as he does a lot in photoshop.

CIBOX C2201 22'' Widescreen TFT 1680x1050 1000:1 300cd/m2 5ms inc speakers 3 Years Warranty - Ebuyer

£150 spot on and it has dvi/vga inputs, however you will need to buy the dvi cable separately.

It's this one with the dvi i think, the other one says it only has d-sub

Cibox C2201D 22" TFT 1680x1050 300cd/m2 1000:1 5ms DVI/HDCP 3 Years Warranty - Ebuyer

Scan have the Cibox DVI verson and it comes with a DVI cable included. I bought it for my Dad and it seems fine:

Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK