So, I'm a senior in high school getting ready for college, I love movies and I'm looking to make the move to a wide screen monitor from the letterbox ViewSonic VX924 that I've had for a few years now. I started looking around at the 22" screens looking at a range of <$275 and came up with a few options that I've put some thought into, but can't seem to make up my mind.
The video card I'm using now is an old XFX 7800GT, which was beast when I bought it, aha, but I'm gonna be selling in a few months and buying a MacBook before I go away to school in the fall, and probably giving this 19 to my little sister if I go ahead with this purchase. Thanks in advance for any help.

Dell SP2208WFP
My parents just picked up the 20" version of this monitor and I liked the quality and the price on the 22" seemed fairly decent for the amount of included features, thought none of them excessively important.

Acer AL2216Wbd
Lot of good reviews on this one and it's got the cheapest price, that's always a plus for a student, but I've never used an Acer panel before so I'm not sure of it's quality compared to the others.

Westinghouse LCM-22w2
I noticed this one through name recognition as I started looking at it, I noticed the extra input features and I started thinking that it'd be great for my dorm room because it'd kill two birds with one stone, double as a monitor when I needed the extra space and a nice TV, but that would include having to buy a tuner and I started thinking about it more and it just wouldn't work out using it as a TV with a roommate.. I talk like I'll have time to watch TV.


Besides these, I'm not really sure what else to look for, it's been a while since I was in the market for a monitor so any advice from you guys would be very much appreciated. Including any tips towards different brands or monitors that are proven better, or anything to stay away from even.

And actually, writing this I'm wondering if I should even bother with a new monitor or not.. but I'll probably buy it anyway.

Thanks a lot!
RRW

Quote: Originally Posted by RedRozeWolF So, I'm a senior in high school getting ready for college, I love movies and I'm looking to make the move to a wide screen monitor from the letterbox ViewSonic VX924 that I've had for a few years now. I started looking around at the 22" screens looking at a range of <$275 and came up with a few options that I've put some thought into, but can't seem to make up my mind. The video card I'm using now is an old XFX 7800GT, which was beast when I bought it, aha, but I'm gonna be selling in a few months and buying a MacBook before I go away to school in the fall, and probably giving this 19 to my little sister if I go ahead with this purchase. Thanks in advance for any help. Dell SP2208WFP My parents just picked up the 20" version of this monitor and I liked the quality and the price on the 22" seemed fairly decent for the amount of included features, thought none of them excessively important. Acer AL2216Wbd Lot of good reviews on this one and it's got the cheapest price, that's always a plus for a student, but I've never used an Acer panel before so I'm not sure of it's quality compared to the others. Westinghouse LCM-22w2 I noticed this one through name recognition as I started looking at it, I noticed the extra input features and I started thinking that it'd be great for my dorm room because it'd kill two birds with one stone, double as a monitor when I needed the extra space and a nice TV, but that would include having to buy a tuner and I started thinking about it more and it just wouldn't work out using it as a TV with a roommate.. I talk like I'll have time to watch TV. Besides these, I'm not really sure what else to look for, it's been a while since I was in the market for a monitor so any advice from you guys would be very much appreciated. Including any tips towards different brands or monitors that are proven better, or anything to stay away from even.

One big issue: All 22s use TN panels (with the exception of one $500 Lenovo). This means generally poor off-axis viewing.

My boss has two different Westinghouse 22s on his desk; they're nothing special visual-wise, but the extra inputs are sort of nice.

You might also check out the Soyo Topaz S-- it's a 24" monitor that sometimes sells for $300. It doesn't have a TN panel, but it also lacks HDCP, a nicely adjustable stand, and a long warranty (only one year). I like mine very much though for its size and image quality.

24 is a nice luxury over 22, because it buys you noticably more resolution (when I compared with a 20" widescreen, the same resolution as most 22s)

I just got this one, I think its super nice for the price, view angle is 170 degrees and picture is sharp.

I use it for...

Movies
School
Games
Wii

Besides its Windows Vista Certified... Don't ask me how a monitor can't work with Vista...

I have two acer displays.

Al2216wbd. Nice screen, bright colors and a fast responce time (5ms if I remember right). Downfall seems to be the low contrast ratio (800:1). I have watched a couple hd-dvd's on my system and the dark scenes get funky. The screen has a hard time with the subtle shades of blacks and very dark greys. For bright environment gaming/movies it rocks, after getting the colors set up in windows it looks incredible. Mine showed up with zero dead/malfuntioning pixels, it does have a very small amount of light bleed through from the backlight lamps on the bottom edge and right side. Not noticable in day to day viewing but shows ever so slightly when viewed against a solid black screen.

Just picked up Sunday.
Acer P223WAd still a 22" widescreen, they upped the contrast to 2500:1 and gave it a 2ms responce time. Setup took a while to get the colors and brightness the same as the AL2216, but I am running dual monitors now and it's a pet peave to have the color the same on both screens. Watched "The Mummy"and some of "transformers" on Sunday night in hd-dvd and it looks awsome. I'm hoping today at some point today to watch "Pitch Black" in hd and see how it does with a dark movie. This screen also showed up with zero dead/malfunctioning pixels, doesn't seem to have the issue with backlighting bleed through that the al2216 did. I haven't really had this one long enough to give any more info

Hope that helps some.

P.s. I picked up the second screen not because I don't like the al2216. Due to the fact that while putting the new video card in my computer I dropped the side cover. It fell sideways and dinked the front of my monitor. It has a crack in the screen about 1/8th inch long with three pixels stuck on full white under it. Roughly centered and 2 inches up from the bottom edge. Dang if the gods don't spite me.

Quote: Originally Posted by Hak Foo One big issue: All 22s use TN panels (with the exception of one $500 Lenovo). This means generally poor off-axis viewing. My boss has two different Westinghouse 22s on his desk; they're nothing special visual-wise, but the extra inputs are sort of nice. You might also check out the Soyo Topaz S-- it's a 24" monitor that sometimes sells for $300. It doesn't have a TN panel, but it also lacks HDCP, a nicely adjustable stand, and a long warranty (only one year). I like mine very much though for its size and image quality. 24 is a nice luxury over 22, because it buys you noticably more resolution (when I compared with a 20" widescreen, the same resolution as most 22s)

HaK Foo is right, manufacturers are using very bad quality panels in all of their lines and really that is why you see a monitor from the same manufacturer, same screen size, and same features with a much different price. Truthfully you usually get what you pay for...no matter how many people complain of dead pixels or bad customer support if you buy a nice monitor from respectable companies you will walk away with something you can easily enjoy for years to come.

That being said I agree totally...22" is kind of a dead zone right now as most companies haven't moved to the higher quality panels in any of their 22" models. Make sure to read reviews on the individual models because I've seen respectable manufacturers like Samsung switch the panels mid line just to increase profits and the quality of a long standing UPC from a respectable company just drops out from underneath itself. Pay attention to what people are saying about where the LCD element itself was produced. It doesn't matter if the electronics were made in Japan if the crappy LCD element was produced in South America to save a dime. If you see a monitor with a base price of 200 bucks and it has 1900xN resolution and 3ms response time with a 2500:1 contrast ratio something is probably wrong....it may all match specs but you'll notice that you can't fix a certain problem with the monitor that you find later or even worse they fudged the specs using proprietary measurement formats.

I know graphics designers that still swear by the old 23inch sony that was out for 5 years, and I know video editors and game enthusiasts that will never buy a Gateway or Acer or Dell monitor because the only reason those companies are producing their own LCD's is to cut corners, and make a few extra bucks off Granny who assumes you have to have an acer monitor for your acer computer. I personally still try to find out as much as I can about an individual model instead of branding a specific company a loss or a win. I rarely stick with the same brand over and over again and I think it's worked out well for me because very rarely is a single brand "the ****" over and over again.

If the old adage, "your entire system is only as strong as its weakest link", still goes then the same can be said for your graphics line: if you spend 500 bucks on a motherboard and ram combo and 300 - 500 on a graphics card why do you want a 200 dollar monitor just because it's large when you can get a smaller 200 dollar monitor that shines for all its worth.

I have a 22" Belinea Artistline and its superb, no complaints what so ever. Just giving you another brand to put on the "ok" list

LG L226WTQ here. Cheap price but not cheap looks.

LG L226WTQ 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver

Wellmont makes some very good points. Panels not only vary in the same brand name, but in the same model.

In your price range, you'll be getting a TN panel. Which isn't all bad. TN is cheaper by hundreds of dollars, TN is fast so it's good for gaming and movies and TN has viewing angles far in excess of what you'll actually use.

I got a Samsung 226BW, which comes with at least 3 different panels in the same model. Samsung got a lot of flak for this since the model containing the Samsung panel was superior to the other two. Truth is, in your price range, you're not going to get a great panel capable of high end graphic work. I'm a graphic artist and I still use a high end CRT for my job.

You don't need a great panel. You need a cheap one that will fit your needs. And there you're in luck, there are lots of 22" panels at bargain prices.

The two hundred dollar Acer will probably work for you, the three hundred dollar Samsung has a 3 year warranty on parts and labor.

A 3000/1 dynamic contrast ratio works out to about a 700:1 actual contrast ratio. 500:1 is good very good. Many manufacturers claim a 2ms response time when the panel is rated at 5ms. Neither will ghost in games or movies.

Look for good connectivity. HDMI isn't necessary if it's got a DVI port. But a panel that supports both analog and digital gives you much more to work with. And look for warranty and dead pixel policies from whoever you buy from.

I have two acer monitors, the 22 you mentioned above with is perfect quality and a 24 acer which I would rate an 8 out of 10.

The 22" acer is by far a great monitor and can be comparable to a samsung display.

I know this is a little late, got caught up in school and stuff, but thanks for all your help guys! I decided to dish out a little bit more money and I went with the Samsung SyncMaster 226BW, picked it up today and I love it.



Thanks again to everyone.