Changing my old tube screen

maxivz

Hello guys, i am saving up for a new screen for my computer as mine is almost 8 years old and its getting a load of errors and will probablly die soon. So i have been seeing all kind of screens and i am pretty lost at the moment as i read there are screens that are better for 3d and 2d stuff. I was looking for a led monitor, 19 inches which was cheap enough, links to an ebay from my country, conversion is 5 pesos (the curency we use here) to une dollar.
Heres some monitors i have been checking out, i would like to see your thoughts and recomendations as i dont really have a static budget, once i upgrate i like to buy something that would last over the years and its good enought
http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ar/MLA-439782367-monitor-led-19-samsung-widescreen-5ms-dvi-vga-nuevo-modelo-_JM

ivanzu

Screen doesnt really matter much its the color calibration that makes a good screen.

Richard Kain

As a general rule of thumb, you want a screen with as high a resolution and contrast ratio as you can afford. These are both factors that are better the higher they are. I would personally be concerned with power consumption. A plasma screen is going to gobble electricity like a hippo in a kelp forest. LCD and LED screens won't be as bright, or have as high a contrast ratio, but they will be much kinder to your power bill.

At this point in time it really is a matter of balancing strengths and weaknesses with value. I would look for a reasonably priced LED in the $200 - $300 range. A higher resolution would be nice, but if you aren't too particular a standard 1080p screen will do. 3D support would also be a plus, but would probably tack an extra $100 onto the price. Definitely more of a luxury feature. Aside from that I would stick to a nice stable brand, like Dell or Asus, and read on-line reviews to see which screen seems to perform well over time.

Angry Beaver

What Richard said, I've had a good history with the Samsung brand as well.

Justin Meisse

Yes the screen does matter, read this whole thread:
Time to buy a new monitor

EarthQuake

Yes, check Justin's link

To sum it up:

Contrast ratio doesn't really mean anything(different companies calculate it differently, its moot), it also has nothing to do with color accuracy contrast ratio is mostly a bullshot marketing stat. Its like cameras and megapixels, more doesn't really mean better.

LED is just the back-lighting. LED usually consumes less power than CFL, which is the main reason it is used. LED has little/nothing to do with screen quality. Exception would be AMOLED screens, which is something completely different, these are still way expensive and not common for monitors(mostly phones and smaller devices).

PANEL TYPE is the biggest factor in screen quality, common panels, in order of best-est-ness:

H-IPS/S-IPS, high end panels you will find in NEC, Apple and Dell's best monitors. Best color accuracy, view angles, etc though often slower refresh rates than other panel types
M/P-VA, Similar to higher end IPS
e-IPS, Very good but not as good as high end IPS or *VA, usually 6-bit panels so color accuracy isn't the same, but view angles are still very good
TN, Low end panels for gamers/grandmas. Poor color reproduction, poor view angles ranging from unusable to very bad. Not recommended for any sort of art work, though usually has the best refresh rates.

In addition to panel type, bit depth is also a factor if you need color accuracy. Low end panels provide 6 bit color, which means they have to dither to show you all the colors your video card can display(8 bit), mid-high end panels have 8 bit, and super high end panels have 10-12 bit and you may need special video cards to get the most out of these panels.

8-bit panels are usually 98% gamut correct or around there, which means they have very good color accuracy, or more accurately the ability to display colors accurately. You still may need to calibrate your monitor for accurate colors. 10-12 bit are even better.

Resolution: The big thing to watch out for here is resolution vs screen size. You will find inexpensive 24", 27" displays that only do 1920x1080, which means you've simply got bigger pixels. a good 24" screen has 1920x1200, and a good 27" has 2560x1440.

The Samsung monitor you linked to has a TN panel, so I would avoid it. Dell U2212HM has a decent e-IPS panel and is 21.5" and about $220 USD, good choice if you're on a low budget.