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Best budget monitor for 2012 MacBook Air

B

Broseidon

macrumors regular
Original poster
Hi guys!

I've just got a 2012, 13" Air and want to get a decent external monitor for it.

In an ideal world I'd get an Apple display but that's too costly for me at the moment - could anyone recommend a good monitor at a good price?

Many thanks 🙂
 
If you can increase your budget, this dell 24 inch IPS 1900x1200 16:10 screen is a great bang for the buck.
Dell U2412M

If you have to stay under $300 The Dell U2312HM goes for $239
Dell U2312HM

Both are IPS screens which IMHO superior to the crappy TN panels that are the most common and cheap.
 
I second the Dells. I have a U2212HM and a U2312HM. They are currently selling on Amazon for £155 and £170 respectively.

Both are matte panels. Some dislike the coating on the screens. After a few days of use I no longer notice it.

I prefer the smaller model when dual screening with the Air.
 
I've hooked up my 2012 11" Air to a 21.5" Dell UltraSharp U2212HM LED Monitor that cost me £226 last October. I use a MiniDisplay Port to Display Port cable and have my XBox connected by HDMI to DVI, it is brilliant 🙂
 
Dell make some good monitors, but you do pay a bit of a premium for them. I have 2 Acer S211HLBD and they have served me very well. Incredibly even lighting and color (it is led), and a fantastic price. I bought them a bit cheaper but I wouldn't hesitate to purchase them or another acer product again.
 
asting said:
Dell make some good monitors, but you do pay a bit of a premium for them. I have 2 Acer S211HLBD and they have served me very well. Incredibly even lighting and color (it is led), and a fantastic price. I bought them a bit cheaper but I wouldn't hesitate to purchase them or another acer product again.
Click to expand...

It might be decent for the price but there's a huge difference between TN & IPS. Put them side by side and you'll never want to buy another TN panel again. Compare the viewing angles between the TN MBA vs. the IPS on the rMBP.
 
I bought a 24" Asus. Awesome image quality, thin led, mounted to a desktop arm. $185

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005BZNDS0/ref=oh_details_o02_s01_i00

A lot cheaper than dell's $370 24" ultrasharp with IPS. And a helluva lot better than Dells $200 budget 24". My colleague has one at the office, the color difference on my screen is like night and day.

Use the extra cash for other accessories or to spec out your MBA if you haven't bought it yet.
 
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nikot said:
I bought a 24" Asus. Awesome image quality, thin led, mounted to a desktop arm. $185

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005BZNDS0/ref=oh_details_o02_s01_i00

A lot cheaper than dell's $370 24" ultrasharp with IPS. And a helluva lot better than Dells $200 budget 24". My colleague has one at the office, the color difference on my screen is like night and day.

Use the extra cash for other accessories or to spec out your MBA if you haven't bought it yet.
Click to expand...

I would gladly spend the extra $40 and lose 1 inch to get IPS over a tn screen any day. I agree about Dells $200 tn 24 inch being a poc lol.
 
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Just to add you get 3 years warranty with a dell monitor too (in UK).

I've had a 22" dell ultra sharp for over 2 years with absolutely no problems. I'm looking to get the 27" to sit next to it soon!
 
magbarn said:
If you can increase your budget, this dell 24 inch IPS 1900x1200 16:10 screen is a great bang for the buck.
Dell U2412M

If you have to stay under $300 The Dell U2312HM goes for $239
Dell U2312HM.
Click to expand...

I've been considering the Dell U2412M too for my 2012 MBA, sounds pretty good for the money and would much prefer a 16:10 screen (i.e. like my MBA's ratio for its own screen) than a 16:9 screen, even though the Dell U2312HM is cheaper.

One minor thing, I also noticed that you can get the Dell U2412M (and probably the U2312HM) with a silver bezel, which would match my Mac setup better (everything is silver-coloured, apart from my Razer mouse, LOL!), though it seems all stores seem to charge a slight premium for this version!
 
magbarn said:
It might be decent for the price but there's a huge difference between TN & IPS. Put them side by side and you'll never want to buy another TN panel again. Compare the viewing angles between the TN MBA vs. the IPS on the rMBP.
Click to expand...
For what was a then $250 price premium I'll pass. Viewing angles weren't really a factor because anything more than 30 degrees is going to be hard to watch, regardless of how clear it looks on the screen.
It's also a desktop, and is primarily viewed while sitting right in front of it.
At any rate, a $400 monitor is hardly a budget model.

It's also worth noting that the viewing angles are only 8 and 18 degrees better (the Acer is 170°/160°).
 
Last edited:
Aniseedvan said:
Just to add you get 3 years warranty with a dell monitor too (in UK).

I've had a 22" dell ultra sharp for over 2 years with absolutely no problems. I'm looking to get the 27" to sit next to it soon!
Click to expand...

I'd actually prefer a smaller 21" or 22" 16:10 screen over a 24" one, as don't really need a *huge* screen, but there doesn't seem to be a 16:10 21" or 22" Dell IPS screen available - does anyone else produce a decent one?
 
oxfordguy said:
I'd actually prefer a smaller 21" or 22" 16:10 screen over a 24" one, as don't really need a *huge* screen, but there doesn't seem to be a 16:10 21" or 22" Dell IPS screen available - does anyone else produce a decent one?
Click to expand...

Not that I know of. Since IPS is considered a premium technology, most manufacturers don't want to delve in the $100-$200 market where 21" and 22" monitors reside.
 
oxfordguy said:
I'd actually prefer a smaller 21" or 22" 16:10 screen over a 24" one, as don't really need a *huge* screen, but there doesn't seem to be a 16:10 21" or 22" Dell IPS screen available - does anyone else produce a decent one?
Click to expand...

Mine's the dell 2209WA, it'll be dropped into being a portrait monitor for palettes if I get the biggie.
 
magbarn said:
Not that I know of. Since IPS is considered a premium technology, most manufacturers don't want to delve in the $100-$200 market where 21" and 22" monitors reside.
Click to expand...

Okay, I guess that makes some sense, I may have to go for the 24" Dell one...
 
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