VGA (D-SUB) Question (and new monitor recommendations)

Hey guys,

I'm about to get a new place after finding my first job after university. My current setup is 26" LG TV/Monitor (1080p) as primary with a 20" Benq (1080p) secondary.

My current plan is to get the 26" off my desk and in front of a sofa, leave the Benq at my mums for when I'm back there with my reserve pc!

I really like having a dual monitor system, and so I am looking for two new monitors. I have no real problems with 1080p as that is what I am used to but I was intrigued by the Dell/Samsung 2048x1152 screens as I reckon they would be fine for 1080p content but have that higher res when browsing etc as well.

Funds are still quite tight and so I was delighted to see http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/23-Sa...ness-5ms-10001 on Scan, two of those £280, job done! However they are VGA only and the only other thing I can find is the Dell on amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0031U1AG...SIN=B0031U1AGY for £100 more!

So my question is this. What are the disadvantages of VGA / D-Sub, the Benq I have at the moment is VGA only as well incidentally. Why do people avoid them? I dont really need multiple inputs as the Xbox will be connected to the living room 26". HDCP is an issue I suppose (my PC does have a Blu-Ray drive, but again I would suggest that the living room TV would take most of the Blu-Ray responsibilites. In those situations is there any real drawback to the Analog Connection?

I thought about the NEC EA231WMi which seems a really nice screen, but two off them would be very expensive and also seems a waste if the second screen isnt to be used so much.

Of course If you had any other ideas that would be great too - my budget is flexible in that I can stretch it if there is something really perfect, but under £400 for both screens would be ideal. Hope You can help

On the Samsung screens, an NW suffix indicates D-SUB only, whilst a BW suffix indicates D-SUB + DVI-D. I'm currently using a 2343BW.

Opinion re: D-SUB vs DVI seems to be fairly mixed. I think, ultimately, in the right circumstances you won't notice the difference.

But at work I had a laptop that had the D-SUB output right next to the power supply input, and there were horizontal lines flashing all over the place - a real mess of a picture. So I would always avoid it, but that's not to say it can't produce a good picture, it's just that DVI is more likely to.

Still having trouble deciding on anything! So far on the shortlist (criteria being higher than full HD resolution)

16:9 2048x1152

Dell: SP2309W
Samsung: SM2343BW, SM2343BW

All of these are TN but the Dell is supposed to be the best picture out of the three, I cant find the Samsung 'B' version for sale anywhere, the Dell is priced at £250 from Dell.co.uk at the moment, which is a bit of a kick in the teeth as its listed in alot of reviews at £180 (I know Dell's pricing especially on monitors can be a bit unpredictable)

16:10 1920x1200

Dell: U2410 (IPS)
Samsung: 2443BW (TN)
HP: LP2475, ZR24W (IPS)

OK so the IPS 24" are budget stretching to say the least, but they dont look bad compared to the Dell at £250! Also they compare well to the NEC EA231WMi which is just Full HD and is something I've looked at before. Even so my only chance with one of these would be to pick one up on the bay or something I think.

Are there any other 16:10 (ie higher than Full HD) 24" TN Panels around, that Samsung was the only one I could find really, and stock seems to be limited of that too.

Please if there are any other suggestions, or if you spot a bargain on any of the monitors listed let me know. I think the VGA Samsung (NW) could well end up being the second monitor at Apx £140, with something a bit nicer for the primary (maybe one of the 24" IPS). Although it will displease my very mild OCD to not have matching monitors!

I do wonder if the Samsung 2048x1152 panels are going end of life, as Ebuyer is now doing the VGA only version for more than I paid for my last higher end one (which came with DVI input and portrait mode swivel screen).

Shame, as it was a lovely panel for the money. I can only hope they are bringing out a new version.

If twitch gaming is important to you, Anandtech would recommend you keep saving until you can afford a 120Hz Asus panel. Ignoring 3D ability, they say that 120Hz is quite an advantage.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3842/a...-look-at-120hz

VGA is analog and DVI/HDMI are digital.
DVI and HDMI are the same, both digital, it's just HDMI includes both visual and audio while DVI only has visual. HDMI or DVI will usually produce better pictures. Especially if you will be playing with some sort of photo editting, color rendering, or you purely love to see true colors, use HDMI or DVI instead of VGA

If you want to do a dual monitor setup viewing angles should be thought through. IPS or VA panel monitors should be your choice.

Check this:
http://www.benq.com/products/product...ltag=3&ptag=11

It will have viewing angles like IPS panel monitors, 3000:1 contrast ratio, 8 bit color, and 8ms response time. And on top of all it will use LED backlighting. LED backlighting is always better than CCFL as it's easier on the eyes. Less eye fatigue. And the colors will be more brilliantly lit due to the true 3000:1 contrast ratio (it's not DCR = dynamic contrast ratio)

Also, for higher pixel rates (bigger resolutions) you need a decent VGA cable. A poor VGA cable will show ghosting because it can't handle the higher frequencies involved. Often these are comparatively thin cables. For DVI/HDMI, it's digital so any cable that works should be the same as any other working cable.

With analogue you might also have difficulty getting the monitor to sync if you drive it at a resolution it doesn't know about. That's not a problem if you always run at max.

If you are a student you can get approx 3% discount, while I know its not much, its better than nothing
http://www.dell-sci.co.uk/