[zybar]

This is a highly related monitor with full HD resolution, lots of connections, an integrated webcam, and other goodies.

Normally it is over $300, but it is on sale now for $209 + free shipping at Dell home.



http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?sku=320-7641&cs=19&c=us&l=en&dgc=SS&cid=39715&lid=1003763

George

[lowtech]

Looks like a good deal.  This monitor has 2048 x 1152 resolution, unlike most of the "value" ones being sold for the same price.

[zybar]

A pair of them would look real nice on my desk at work...   

George

[srb]

A pretty good deal.  So it is a 23", not a 24".
 
Steve

[Daedalus Audio]

looks great on paper, anyone bought one?
 I'm finding monitors are like audio, specs are only part of the story. I recently bought a 23" HP and returned it for the 21.5"HP, specs were very close but the 21.5" is way better! compares very well to my Apple displays. 

[Lyndon]

George,
I don't know, but if this is a TN panel, I would hold out for the Ultra-sharp series.  My friend got that last November, and the clarity blew me away.  Some of our more knowledgeable members may chime in.
Lyndon

[zybar]

A pretty good deal.  So it is a 23", not a 24".
 
Steve

Corrected.

Thanks,

Steve

[zybar]

looks great on paper, anyone bought one?
 I'm finding monitors are like audio, specs are only part of the story. I recently bought a 23" HP and returned it for the 21.5"HP, specs were very close but the 21.5" is way better! compares very well to my Apple displays.

Lou,

I haven't seen one in person, but the reviews on it are consistently very good.

The Apple displays are killer, but very expensive.

George

[zybar]

George,
I don't know, but if this is a TN panel, I would hold out for the Ultra-sharp series.  My friend got that last November, and the clarity blew me away.  Some of our more knowledgeable members may chime in.
Lyndon

I have no doubt that the Ultra-Sharp series are excellent, but they are 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 times the cost of the model I listed.

Given my demands, I am not sure if the improvement in quality is worth the cost difference.

George

[John151]

What are the pros and cons of the 2048 x 1152 resolution?

[Lyndon]

Given my demands, I am not sure if the improvement in quality is worth the cost difference.

That's the key, George. Depends on what you are using it for.

I am not happy with my TN panel Asus, which I bought in November.
And the "key" to me is reading print.  It is not as crisp as the other panel.  I think he got the 22"
Ultra-sharp for $275, which is more expensive, granted.
Lyndon

[jqp]

Yes quality is worth the price, and you should learn what quality you require. I have a couple of nice Samsung 22" monitors which were a bit better than the average monito4r at the time, and cost a bit more also.

Now I also have a Dell 30" which is much higher quallity in color as well as resolution and other things. It was shockingly expensive, yet there are 230" monitor that cost 2 to 5 times as much as mine! I use mine for photography and video which take full advantage.

I would say the ultra-sharp versions are probably worth it in the long run, even just to surf the web - there is a lot of reading and focusing on images even with that "basic" application. Another application is gaming, which requires higher refresh and contrast than normal users would need.

As far as resolutions like 2048 x 1152, they allow for sharper screens. You have more pixels to work with. For example in Windows, if you set your resolution to 2048 x 1152 instead of 1650x1050 you get smaller icons by default and more screen real estate. You can see more of your photos and spreadsheets. The same sized text (font)  would be that much sharper.

Screen resolutions are always creeping up, but as with pixels in cameras, bigger is not necessarily better. Screen quality is as important as pixel resolution.

[John151]

As far as resolutions like 2048 x 1152, they allow for sharper screens. You have more pixels to work with. For example in Windows, if you set your resolution to 2048 x 1152 instead of 1650x1050 you get smaller icons by default and more screen real estate. You can see more of your photos and spreadsheets. The same sized text (font)  would be that much sharper.

Do you have to have a super fast computer and video card to process so many pixels?  Also, are the smaller pixels an issue for displaying text?  I had a small pixel panel years ago, and had to mess with Windows to get everything scaled larger.  For my needs (business apps), it really was more trouble than it was worth.  Perhaps this would be easier with a Mac?

This does sound like a killer monitor.  I have a cheap 24" LCD that has a decent PQ.  I would love to see how much better this monitor would perform. 

[jqp]

For a 23 or 24" monitor you would be fine with a $50 graphics card from NewEgg (such as a nice Saphhire Radeon HD 4550 with 512MB DDR3) 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102819&Tpk=sapphire%204550

This one is a low power card, and will fit in half-height cases. Amazing value can be found at this point for many cards. This is not a card for "gamers" but will allow you to play many games. It will also drive two monitors if you wish - one digital and one analog, or two digital if you use an HDMI - DVI adapter (make sure it is a thin one), or two analog with a DVI - D-Sub adapter.

Your current video card is probably fine for a new monitor - just replace the monitor (assuming you have purchased a better quality monitor) and possibly adjust some of the settings.

You don't need to use the higher resolution on the monitor. It should still display in higher quality if the panel is a better quality panel, and the pixels have a better dot-pitch. If you do want more screen real estate, you can adjust font size/ icon size in the Windows control panel if font size is too small.

Mac monitors and cards these days are the same technology, and even brands, as you see on PCs (Mac's are PCs). From what I see, Dell offers better monitors than Apple, for Apple computers.

Here is a good generic article on options for an LCD monitor.  http://www.pchardwarehelp.com/Monitor.php