[Martyn]

This is a bit of a follow-on from my "Not Another Music Server" post.

I've now got my old machine (the one with the dead HDD) working again. For anyone who's interested, a friend showed me how to use Acronis Disk Director to isolate the damaged part of the disc and to set up several new partitions. I can now boot my old XP OS which it seems I need for a few applications that don't like Windows 7. As a bonus, I can also boot Ubuntu off the same HDD. This was all what is sometimes called "a learning experience" for me - it took a lot of learning, but now I'm looking forward to experimenting with Linux apps and eventually escaping from the clutches of the evil MS.

Anyway, to the point. Since I've got this old machine working again, I'm now a monitor short. I'd like to buy a new one for use with my super-duper new machine which is based on the Asus M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 motherboard. I'm thinking that a 24" model would be about right. I also wondering whether a monitor is the right choice, or whether I should get a 24" flat screen TV instead. I don't actually have cable or satellite TV (gasp), but a TV might give me some extra flexibility.

Does this sound like a good idea? I'd look for something with HDMI and D-sub, a VESA wall mount, and a top quality image. Anything else I should think about? Any suggestions for models?

Thanks in advance, as usual,

Martyn

[JohnR]

Have you looked into using VNC for accessing the "old machine" - ?

[Martyn]

Interesting idea...I hadn't thought of this - thank you. If I understand correctly, it's like running two computers (albeit one at a time) from the same keyboard/mouse/monitor. This is attractive for several reasons, not least because it would please my wife by reducing the clutter in our living room (the old PC could be somewhere else). I'd be interested to hear anyone's opinions on how efffective VNC is, and what its weaknesses are.

I'm still interested in the monitor/TV question, because I would like to go up a little in size and image quality...

[woodsyi]

I use this cheap 28" LCDmonitor at work and love it.  I won't go down in size.  26" at home seems small now.  Paired with Radeon HD5700, I got no complaints about web surfing or reading documents.

The 26" Sammie at home is a TV but the TV function is wasted since I have separate speakers and don't watch TV.

[Martyn]

Thanks, Woodsyi. I agree that bigger is usually better with monitors, but I have limited real estate on my desk. I'll check the specs, but I think it will be too wide.

[mcgsxr]

I would think that any tv or monitor that you buy will have VESA compatibility, could you not wallmount the 26?

[srb]

I like 23" as a minimum, as that diagonal size in a widescreen format will display an 8-1/2" X 11" page full size.
 
Steve

[Martyn]

I would think that any tv or monitor that you buy will have VESA compatibility, could you not wallmount the 26?

The wall mount requirement is for two purposes, both some way in the future. The first is for when my desk moves out of the living room into my study, but that's still a couple of years away. The second is that I find the idea of hanging an Atom-based box off the back of a monitor to be quite appealing. I have no need to do this at present, but I've already tossed two perfectly functional CRT monitors just because they were no longer current. I hate throwing good stuff away, so I'm thinking of when this next monitor will be relegated to workshop duty!

[JEaton]

Is this computer going to be used as a second desktop PC, and located at your desk next to your current desktop PC? If so, I'd get a small KVM ("Keyboard/Video/Mouse") switch instead of a second monitor. VNC might also work, but a KVM would allow you to access things like the BIOS interface, which can't be accessed through a remote desktop session that only loads after the operating system has loaded.

Many LCD monitors also have two inputs, with both digital and analog inputs that can be switched by a source button on the monitor. Then you'd only need to switch the keyboard and mouse, but a KVM would still be more convenient.

[jamesdb]

I would say get a monitor instead of a small flat screen tv especially since its not primarily for tv use. They are usually more price competitive for the size, you can get great deals online from online sites many with free or minor shipping. I have a large 1080p tv but occasionally I watch tv series for episodes I miss on my PC & HD monitor, and HD tv shows or movies on the monitor look great. A lower response time is better, 5 ms is good, 2ms is better/best. Here is a 1080P 23inch LED with 2ms response and 10000000:1 Dynamic contrast ratio HD Monitor  with HDMI on sale <$200 , better act quick!
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5571783&CatId=4420

[jamesdb]

Plus here's a 24 inch that looks great, on sale
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7059353&CatId=5469

[Martyn]

Is this computer going to be used as a second desktop PC, and located at your desk next to your current desktop PC? If so, I'd get a small KVM ("Keyboard/Video/Mouse") switch instead of a second monitor. VNC might also work, but a KVM would allow you to access things like the BIOS interface, which can't be accessed through a remote desktop session that only loads after the operating system has loaded.

Many LCD monitors also have two inputs, with both digital and analog inputs that can be switched by a source button on the monitor. Then you'd only need to switch the keyboard and mouse, but a KVM would still be more convenient.

It's actually going to be a third desktop PC if we count my wife's machine, but really a second PC for me. It will have to live in a different room (I'm under increasing pressure to reduce the number of audio/visual boxes in the living room), so a KVM won't work (good idea, though - I didn't know they existed).

[Martyn]

Plus here's a 24 inch that looks great, on sale
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7059353&CatId=5469

Good suggestions, but the 23" isn't VESA and the 24" (which I thought was going to be "the one") has HDMI and DVI outputs. At this point I should explain another wrinkle: I too have a large screen HD TV, and I'm starting to use it as a second monitor with my new PC so that we can watch slide shows and video clips as a family without having to huddle around the PC. I run this TV from my new PC's HDMI output on a long HDMI cable. Here's the catch, the motherboard in my new PC will not support dual monitors from HDMI and DVI - only from HDMI/D-sub or DVI/D-sub combinations. Ain't life wonderful!

Keep 'em coming while I check the rest of the Asus line...

[Martyn]

Just to close this thread...

I had more or less decided on an Asus monitor, but the best prices seemed to go with the highest shipping charges. To cut a long story short, I finally ordered a ViewSonic VP2365wb LCD monitor from NewEgg. It was a little more expensive, but it's one of their "graphics" models and has been getting good reviews from the photographic guys. I looked briefly at 27" models, but couldn't make them fit on my desk. This one measures 23" - I suspect that anything bigger would be difficult to look at at close range anyway! It's 1920 x 1080 WUXGA native resolution which it will deliver over VGA and DVI. It also has four handy USB ports. Strangely, it came with DVI and USB cables, but not with a VGA cable.

It's definitely a step up from my old 19" LG, both in width and in resolution (although the image height is only about 5/8" bigger). It arrived in three days flat with barely a mark on the original ViewSonic packaging. It comes with calibration software that is rather hokey, but better than nothing. The picture was good out of the box, but I think calibration provides some improvement. Lots of people seem to say that their new monitors are too bright...I suspect that this is just a reaction to looking at a lot more illuminated real estate. It is bright, but if you wind it down you lose shadow detail, so I guess it's a question of whether you work mostly with text or with images. The blue power LED on the front is certainly too bright, but that's an easy fix.

So with only three hours of use it maybe a little too soon to be jumping to any conclusions, but so far I like it and think it will be fine for my needs (and I've had ViewSonic gear in the past and been happy with it). As usual, my thanks to all who contributed their suggestions and wisdom - it's much appreciated!