Budget Friendly Monitor for MBA (2013)

[bertness]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking into buying an external monitor (perhaps 20"-27") for my MBA (2013), preferably below $200. I'm a tad confused on which to buy since I'm not sure which monitors are well suited for the MBA aspect ratio. I've checked the forums, however, most of the answers seem a bit dated. Any recommendations?

 

[brentmore]

I'm a big fan of Dell monitors. In fact, I just picked up 2 24" for my mini. If you don't mind refurbished, there's a 30% off promotion from the Dell store right now.

 

[motrek]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking into buying an external monitor (perhaps 20"-27") for my MBA (2013), preferably below $200. I'm a tad confused on which to buy since I'm not sure which monitors are well suited for the MBA aspect ratio. I've checked the forums, however, most of the answers seem a bit dated. Any recommendations?

Don't worry about aspect ratio. The MBA will use any monitor's native resolution and thus aspect ratio.

You can really use any monitor with the MBA, up to 1080p. You will need a Mini-DisplayPort cable adapter though since the monitors will have DVI or HDMI connectors. These cable adapters cost maybe $8 though, so no big deal.

If you want a higher resolution than 1080p, you will need a monitor with a DisplayPort input.

As for which monitor to buy, you can just go to Best Buy and buy whatever looks good to you. I would definitely recommend getting an "IPS" display. This is an LCD technology that gives you excellent viewing angles and usually more accurate colors.

If you want to step it up a notch, I would recommend this display, which is the same size and resolution as a 27" iMac:

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-K272HUL-...ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1420663576&sr=1-6

Although it is a bit outside of your price range. Depends on how much screen real estate you want.

 

[mangomind]

From my experience, I recommend this 24in one, around $150: http://www.amazon.com/Asus-VS247H-P-23-6-Inch-Full-HD-LED-Lit/dp/B005BZNDS0/ref=zg_bs_1292115011_3

 

[motrek]

From my experience, I recommend this 24in one, around $150: http://www.amazon.com/Asus-VS247H-P-23-6-Inch-Full-HD-LED-Lit/dp/B005BZNDS0/ref=zg_bs_1292115011_3

Looks like you can get an almost identical model with an IPS panel for about $13 more:

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VS239H-P...UTF8&qid=1420708178&sr=1-1&keywords=1080p+ips

 

[mangomind]

Looks like you can get an almost identical model with an IPS panel for about $13 more:

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VS239H-P...UTF8&qid=1420708178&sr=1-1&keywords=1080p+ips

Ok interesting. Looks like IPS monitors have really dropped in price the last few years.