Anyone go from a 19" to 22" computer monitor?

Early B.

Is there any value in "upgrading" from a 19" monitor to a 22" widescreen monitor? Many of the 22 inchers are less than $300. Is it worth it? If so, what features/specs are most important? Thanks.


FWIW, I currently have an Optiquest Q9. Here are the specs:

Tech Specs
Type: 19" color TFT active matrix SXGA LCD
Display Area: 14.8" horizontal x 11.9" vertical; 19.0" diagonal
Optimum Resolution: 1280x1024
Contrast Ratio: 700:1 (typ)
Viewing Angle: 150 horizontal, 135 vertical (CR>5:1)
Response Time: 8ms (typ)
Brightness: 300 cd/m2 (typ)
Light Source: Long life, 50,000 hrs. (typ)
Panel Surface: Anti-glare
Video: RGB analog (75 ohms, 0.7 Vp-p)
Sync: H/V separated (TTL)
Frequency: Fh:30~80kHz, Fv:55~75Hz
Speakers: 2x1-watt
PC Compatibilty: VGA up to 1280x1024 non-interlaced
Mac Compatibilty: Power Mac G3/G4/G5 up to 1280x1024
Analog connector: PC 15-pin mini D-sub
Power connector: 3-pin AC plug (CEE22)
Power Voltage: AC 100-240V (universal), 50-60Hz (auto switch)
Power Consumption: 36-watts (typ)
Power Management: Meets MPR II and ENERGY STAR standards
Regulations: UL, cUL, FCC-B, NOM, ENERGY STAR, BSMI, MPR II, RoHS
Dimensions (WxHxD): 16.5" x 16.1" x 7.2" (with stand)
Operating Temperature: 32-104F (0-40C)
Humidity: 10-90% (non-condensing)
Weight: Gross 12.8 lb. (5.8 kg) (with stand)

Sherardp

Very well worth it, I have a Samsung 226 BW that I use as my daily. Also went from Sony 19inch. Never turning back. Thinking of even going 24. Samsung makes nice LCD monitors.

WilliamM2

I suppose it depends what you use it for.

I use both at work, and I prefer 4:3 when it comes to computer monitors, I see no real use for wide screen, especially when running dual monitors. The 22" widescreens we have have horribly small text, and the 19" 4:3's actually seem bigger

Now if you watch HD video content on your computer, widescreen would probably make more sense.

ben62670

WilliamM2 wrote: »

I suppose it depends what you use it for.

I use both at work, and I prefer 4:3 when it comes to computer monitors, I see no real use for wide screen, especially when running dual monitors. The 22" widescreens we have have horribly small text, and the 19" 4:3's actually seem bigger

Now if you watch HD video content on your computer, widescreen would probably make more sense.

Same here. I much prefer 2 19's. Like Bill said text, (and docs) are way better.
Ben

Early B.

WilliamM2 wrote: »

I suppose it depends what you use it for.

I use both at work, and I prefer 4:3 when it comes to computer monitors, I see no real use for wide screen, especially when running dual monitors. The 22" widescreens we have have horribly small text, and the 19" 4:3's actually seem bigger

Now if you watch HD video content on your computer, widescreen would probably make more sense.

You have a good point. I do a lot of word processing. I'd like to have two documents open simultaneously. I thought about running dual 19 inchers, but would prefer a single monitor.

ben62670

I guarantee once you go dual you will never go back. I run calc's, and spreadsheets on one, and look up data on the other. My second is only a 17, but I will not go to single display again;)

Airplay355

I used to work with dual and triple monitor setups at work and they are definitely useful, especially when using 3 or 4 banking websites/credit card gateways. It helps a lot to not have to flip back and forth from a website to a spreadsheet or between 2 or three websites.

Though it's one of those things that you won't really know you're missing until you go back to it.

My mac has the ability to simulate separate monitors by essentially creating different blank desktops. It's not the same at all, but when things start to really get cluttered and confusing I might switch to an empty space. Though I don't really ever use more then two.

I'd rather have two smaller monitors then one large one.

Erik Tracy

This is really a 'human factor' type of question and directly relates to the type of work you are doing.

I use a 24" LCD at work and have to mine out data from spreadsheets that have LOTS of columns - horrible if I had to use a single 19" monitor - and I appreciate the extra contiguous display space.

And I do alot of CAD work as well with diagrams - the 24" is a blessing.

So, it depends on what data/displays you work with.

fwiw,
Erik

tugboat

ben62670 wrote: »

I guarantee once you go dual you will never go back. I run calc's, and spreadsheets on one, and look up data on the other. My second is only a 17, but I will not go to single display again;)

Not true. I recently went from three 18.1" LCDs to one 32" LCD (Sharp Aquos). My resolution was 3840x1024 with the triplehead on my Matrox Parhelia and now it's 1920x1080 and I like it better. For one, you don't get the breaks in the screen going across three screens and the 32" gives me enough room for multiple applications without much (if any) overlap. I had tried setting up each monitor as a seperate screen, but I grew tired of that pretty quick. :D

ben62670

tugboat wrote: »

Not true. I recently went from three 18.1" LCDs to one 32" LCD (Sharp Aquos). My resolution was 3840x1024 with the triplehead on my Matrox Parhelia and now it's 1920x1080 and I like it better. For one, you don't get the breaks in the screen going across three screens and the 32" gives me enough room for multiple applications without much (if any) overlap. I had tried setting up each monitor as a seperate screen, but I grew tired of that pretty quick. :D

Come on now. Apples and oranges.

tugboat

ben62670 wrote: »

Come on now. Apples and oranges.

I can wait until they perfect video eyeware. What they have now doesn't provide enough resolution. Once they can provide true HD resolutions, they'll be perfect for computers as well as video. If they think people are having more accidents (walking and driving) because of cell phones and mp3 players, wait unit they start walking around with the video glasses on. :eek:

shadowofnight

Just be careful buying 22" screens....they use TN ( Twisted Nematic ) screens and have very poor off axis performance and wont do 24 bit True color.

If you move your head side to side and the lcd darkens or fades out it can be really annoying...and the dithering they use to mimic true color looks terrible.

Now you know how Dell can give them away with PC's nowadays....


" They are also the ONLY panels currently being used in 22" widescreen monitors "

TN Panel Technology
TN (Twisted Nematic) panels are the most widely used panel type as they are cheap and offer excellent response times, making them perfect for fast paced gaming. The response times of current TN panels range from 2ms to 5ms. However, color reproduction, viewing angles and contrast ratios of TN panels are the worst of any LCD panel technology. Unlike most 8-bit S-IPS/S-PVA/MVA panels, TN panels are only 6-bit and unable to display the full 16.7 million colors available in 24-bit true color. They can mimick the 16.7 million colors of 8-bit panels using a technique called dithering, but the results are unimpressive. TN panels have become popular with the average user because they are very inexpensive. They are also the ONLY panels currently being used in 22" widescreen monitors, a very popular size. Many of these 22" TN panels are around the same price or cheaper than other 20" monitors with different panel types, so it is easy to see how how they gained popularity. Afterall, the average user buys a monitor based on price and size.

goingganzo

dues your comp hade dual monotor outs? if it dues i say get a seccond 19 in monotor. or 2 and have 3 monotors

VR3

I went from a 16" monitor to a 50"

Fongolio

I went from a 19" 4x3 lcd to a 24" 16x9 Samsung 245bw. Even though the Samsung is a tn it's still pretty awesome with everything from text to gaming. A few bucks more for the extra real estate a 24 gives over a 22 was well worth it in my opinion.

Face

Vr3MxStyler2k3 wrote: »

I went from a 16" monitor to a 50"

Almost the same thing here, 21" to 56".

Fireman32

I run dual 19" at work. At home I have a 19" widescreen.

PhantomOG

I went from a 19" 1280x1024 LCD to a 22" 1680x1050 LCD at home. Although nice, it didn't help as much as I'd hoped for. At work, I have dual 20" 1600x1200 LCD's and it is by far the best setup for me as far as productivity goes.

Early B.

OK, based on my computing needs, a dual monitor would probably work best for me. Thanks for the input, fellas.

Serendipity

Vr3MxStyler2k3 wrote: »

I went from a 16" monitor to a 50"

Same here, except I went from a 16" monitor to a 100" :eek:

Phasearray

do it! World of difference when I went from 19" to 22" widescreen. I tried two 22" widescreen, 1 works better. Those new 26" ones they sale, I don't know how people deal with it. When I have to start moving my head to view the entire screen, that becomes a pain. 22" is the sweet spot I think

goingganzo

the nice thing about dual screen is you can watch sothing/play games in one screen and do work on other screen

ben62670

goingganzo wrote: »

the nice thing about dual screen is you can watch sothing/play games in one screen and do work on other screen

Amen!

Early B.

Update: I purchased an LG 22" monitor on sale at BB over the weekend, so now I'm running dual monitors. I like the new monitor -- larger screen, better color and slightly better PQ for typical surfing.

Fatbrando

Couldn't be happier with my HP w2207h 22" Monitor. IT also has a HDMI connection so if I get tired of using it as a computer monitor I can actually hook it up as a tv....

FB

cfrizz

I just got one for my job. I WANT ONE FOR HOME!!!!! It is so nice not to have to scroll across to read pages!

petrym

I went from a 20" CRT (frakkin' 80 lbs) to a 28" LCD 1920x1200 16:10 widescreen. I spent/wasted the first day finding wallpapers for it -- found a sweet hott pic of Hayden Panettiere -- but am using a mountain scene in case the wife pops in. The new screen gives me better control over windows, though some still overlap; I wish I could get a second one to do the dual monitor thing.

Early B.

My new 22" monitor has a slight humming sound. Is this normal? I've never noticed it on any other monitor I've owned.

Thanks.

leroyjr1

Early B. wrote: »

My new 22" monitor has a slight humming sound. Is this normal? I've never noticed it on any other monitor I've owned.

Thanks.

No hum on mine

Sherardp

no hum here, using Samsung SyncMaster 226BW

bigaudiofanatic

I loved having a 22 inch screen for my monitor is was great there are some websites out there for backgrounds widescreen backgrounds just google for it. AWSOME