Need advice on hardware? Ask questions and share your opinions here.
#44683 by Dick Eades
Tue Oct 06, 2009 11:38 am
Agreeing with Nick on this one.

There is one drawback when using two monitors. I have been using a Wacom Bamboo tablet for a while now and asking it to spread its resolution over 3520 pixels is a bit much and makes for a more nervous cad experience. I can set it to just one monitor for better precision but that hurts when I need the symbol browser to be on the second screen. An ideal situation would be a hot key that would allow me to switch the Bamboo from one screen to the next and keep the resolution for single monitor work. As far as I know, that doesn't exist.
#45181 by Neil Blanchard
Fri Nov 20, 2009 9:51 pm
Hi,

I'm replying to a PM here, in case other folks are also interested:

any suggestions on replacing my old CRT(s)[?]
I am running [dual] monitors and one CRT has turned yellow.

I think it is time to look at two new LCD screens. I have been looking at the power search on new egg but am not sure what to look for. Probably go with low 20 something inch size but what do I look for in terms of Manufacturer, minimum resolution, pixel pitch, contrast ratio, response time and such. I am running the latest DataCAD on Win XP and may migrate to Win7. I like Viewsonic, Samsung and I heard that LG was good. We just got two Samsung TVs for the house and they are really nice.


Yes I think that the 22" size is in the price sweet spot, so I'd look at 20-24". Things that I would look for are a DVI input (which is digital and looks better), so if your video card has a DVI output (or two, or a future video card has them) then you can take advantage of this.

The second most important thing for me, believe it or not is the viewing angles; especially the vertical angle. The ratings are often quite optimistic, but when they say it is 160 degrees, it may mean that some colors will appear differently at the top of the screen than they do at the bottom; especially if you sit close to them. In other words, with the narrower angles, some monitors will make it hard to tell is two blue lines are the same, or that two green lines are the same, when one is at the top and the other is at the bottom of the screen.

Another key thing is whether the screen is matte or glossy -- matte is definitely better (you do not see reflections in it), but glossy is much more commonly available. You should take a look at a monitor and judge for yourself whether this is something you need to worry about.

I use dual monitors, too, and having the width of the bezel around the screen be as narrow as possible is also helpful; so the two screens can fit close to each other.

Most screens sold these days are wide screen ratio -- usually 16:10, and as such I like having 1200 (or more) vertical pixels. Many 20" and 22" screens will have ~1000 though, and this makes things a little "pinched" when you are used to a 4:3 aspect screen (like most CRT's and older LCD's). Higher resolution is almost always better.

And with LCD's you should always rung them at their full (aka native) resolution, so things are as clear as possible. If text or icons etc., are too small for you, then you need to use the Appearance settings to increase their size; leaving the resolution at it's maximum.

That's what I can remember at the moment -- I hope it helps. Oh yes, Samsung is a good brand, as is ViewSonic. You may also find that Acer and others are pretty good as well. Try looking at a number of different monitors and you will start to notice differences -- and once you narrow the possibilities, I'd ask folks here on the forum about your best options.
#45209 by fsoliver
Mon Nov 23, 2009 2:14 pm
I am down to between two, I think they are very comparable:

The Viewsonic VX2433wm for $199.00 at New Egg. This 23.6” wide screen has an optimum resolution of 1920x1080 WUXGA. Brightness is 300cd/m2, contrast ratio is 1000:1(typ.); 20,000:1 (dynamic), viewing angle 170d (H), 160d (V) at 5:1 c/r, 2ms response time with 1 DVI-D and 1 HDMI 1.3.

or

The Samsung 2343BWX for $199.00 at New Egg. This 23” wide screen has an optimum resolution of 2048x1152. Brightness is 300cd/m2, contrast ratio is 1000:1(typ.); 20,000:1 (dynamic), viewing angle 170d (H), 160d (V) at 5:1 c/r, 5ms response time with 1 DVI-D and no HDMI .

So one has HDMI and a slightly quicker response time and the other had 2048x1152 resolutions. I am thinking of going with the Viewsonic with the faster response time and HDMI. Anyone have any thoughts on these?
#45210 by Neil Blanchard
Mon Nov 23, 2009 3:33 pm
Hi,

I think HDMI is only useful if you have a Blu-Ray player? I like the higher resolution.

Are both of them glossy? If either one is matte, then that is a strong point in its favor.
#45215 by fsoliver
Mon Nov 23, 2009 4:57 pm
The Viewsonic (1920x1080@ 2ms) has a Anti-Glare, Hard Coating (3H).
The Samsung (2048x1152@ 5ms) has what they call MagicClear, The hard, clear screen coating to deliver true colors and perfect detail without diffuse refraction. I am not sure of the anti-glare but my Samsung TV’s (screens) are not shiny. I may need to stop by Best Buy to see if they have these and take a look.
#45244 by fsoliver
Thu Nov 26, 2009 5:57 pm
I am glad that I went to Best Buy and looked at monitors. The 23” is huge. I didn’t realize how large they are and hey I was going to get two. I have now narrowed my search to the 21.5” models. The two that look good are the Samsung 2243SWX and the Samsung 2233SW. They look pretty much the same spec. I am trying to find some differences in the two models, at this point the cabinet is the only difference that I see. Does anyone know of any major differences in these?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6824001319

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6824001308
#45245 by Nick Pyner
Thu Nov 26, 2009 6:48 pm
I have a 2243 BW and I'm very happy with it. It has a matt black "cabinet" with thin surround. Both the Samsungs you allude to proclaim they have a glossy surround. I don't think this is a good idea. I don't know what the differences are for your $10, or indeed how different they are from the 2243BW, but I wouldn't have either of them.
#45246 by Neil Blanchard
Thu Nov 26, 2009 6:53 pm
Hi,

I think the one with the control buttons on the front (2243) would be the one to buy! The 2233 has them on the edge where they are hard to see and use and they might be bumped with the two monitors sitting side by side...
#45264 by joshhuggins
Sun Nov 29, 2009 2:35 am
Yup buttons up from is the way to go if all else is equal. I have the T24HD which has the buttons on the side, and just today I was fumbling around trying to remember which button was which. The monitor is in a deep corner so it's a little hard to lean around to read the labels.

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