Monitor for MBP

[lilmitchmitch]

I've searched the forums for a bit and haven't found much on recent monitors. I'm looking for a monitor to play some games here and there, watch some movies, and just have for extra space (multitasking). I'm looking for something 20-24 inches and at a decent price.

I looked at the DELL ULTRASHARP 2408WFP selling for $600 and was wondering if anybody has purchased it recently or had a recommendation on another monitor. The ACD's are an option, but I'm a little hesitant to buy them since they are so old and an update to them could be coming in half a year.

Thanks

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

hey,

I just bought the samsung 24" from costco, and the price $350 USD plus tax, etc. It's a great monitor and looks very slim, the dell monitors are good too, but a little fat-ish. And the samsung controls at the bottom are touch sensitive so less buttons and the bezel looks seamless.

 

[lilmitchmitch]

hey,

I just bought the samsung 24" from costco, and the price $350 USD plus tax, etc. It's a great monitor and looks very slim, the dell monitors are good too, but a little fat-ish. And the samsung controls at the bottom are touch sensitive so less buttons and the bezel looks seamless.

Thanks, I didn't even think about looking at Costco/Sam's Club. Just checked the Sam's Club site and they have both dell and samsung monitors... guess I'll be making a trip there sometime to give them a look.

 

[lilmitchmitch]

I'm starting to look into a Gateway monitor now... the Gateway FHD2401 (Link Here)

It's decently priced for 24" and I've read a few reviews that it has great color and perfect for gaming and videos. It's a TFT monitor (read a bit about TFT), but I'm wondering if there is any advantages or disadvantages compared to another type like MVA? All I could find was with MVA you get a slightly better viewing angle. Also on the BestBuy site it says that it's PC compatible, whereas some are saying PC and Mac. I don't see why it wouldn't be compatible, but does anyone know any problems with this?

Any help would be awesome... Again, I'm looking to get a monitor for my MBP for gaming, videos, and just extra space for homework and such. I would like there to be added USB ports (which this gateway has) and I would like it reasonably priced ($500 is starting to push it).

Thanks!

 

[iwuzbord]

look on tigerdirect.com they have great deals on monitors.

heres an example

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3877465&CatId=3774

 

[Xander562]

I've searched the forums for a bit and haven't found much on recent monitors. I'm looking for a monitor to play some games here and there, watch some movies, and just have for extra space (multitasking). I'm looking for something 20-24 inches and at a decent price.

I looked at the DELL ULTRASHARP 2408WFP selling for $600 and was wondering if anybody has purchased it recently or had a recommendation on another monitor. The ACD's are an option, but I'm a little hesitant to buy them since they are so old and an update to them could be coming in half a year.

Thanks

I have this exact monitor and I absolutely love it. I also have a macbook pro hooked up to it. Be warned as the colors are extremely vibrant and the display is very bright. (My brightness and contrast are both only set to 40/100) It took me a while to get used to and for a long time I thought it was defective, but I now realize it's just a bit more vibrant than my MBP's display. Not anything to be concerned about though. Also the pixel density is different on the MBP vs the Dell display so windows will appear bigger on the Dell. (Not a problem for me because I use my MBP in clamshell mode most of the time anyways.) Also remember that playing games on an external means a LOT more pixels than on your regular MBP screen, so performance will be compromised a bit. For this reason I usually game on my MBP's display. Again none of these things are minuses, just things to be aware of when buying ANY display.

I love the SD card slot and the TONS of inputs. 24" is a bit big for me though and i probably could have gone for a 22 or a 20" without any significant loss. But that's just me.

Overall the Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP is a superb monitor and I would recommend it. Also try looking at Dell's Refurb store for some pretty large discounts.

 

[lilmitchmitch]

look on tigerdirect.com they have great deals on monitors.

heres an example

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3877465&CatId=3774

Thanks, they actually have the Gateway monitor that I linked, but last years model... only for $30 cheaper though. And they have the Gateway at BestBuy here in town which I would prefer. That way I can buy and have it right then and there (I'm impatient with technology), and I'd like to have it for school which starts really soon!

 

[lilmitchmitch]

I have this exact monitor and I absolutely love it. I also have a macbook pro hooked up to it. Be warned as the colors are extremely vibrant and the display is very bright. (My brightness and contrast are both only set to 40/100) It took me a while to get used to and for a long time I thought it was defective, but I now realize it's just a bit more vibrant than my MBP's display. Not anything to be concerned about though. Also the pixel density is different on the MBP vs the Dell display so windows will appear bigger on the Dell. (Not a problem for me because I use my MBP in clamshell mode most of the time anyways.) Also remember that playing games on an external means a LOT more pixels than on your regular MBP screen, so performance will be compromised a bit. For this reason I usually game on my MBP's display. Again none of these things are minuses, just things to be aware of when buying ANY display.

I love the SD card slot and the TONS of inputs. 24" is a bit big for me though and i probably could have gone for a 22 or a 20" without any significant loss. But that's just me.

Overall the Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP is a superb monitor and I would recommend it. Also try looking at Dell's Refurb store for some pretty large discounts.

Thanks for the info. The Dell 2408 might be a bit expensive for me now, but we'll see soon. I think I'm going out tomorrow and looking at a few monitors. When dealing with gaming and pixel differences, what are we talking about here with compromising performance? I'm not too into gaming, but might pick up Spore when it comes out, and heaven forbid, if I start playing WoW again or CS:S. Otherwise gaming would be like hooking up an Xbox or something of that nature.

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

I'm starting to look into a Gateway monitor now... the Gateway FHD2401 (Link Here)

It's decently priced for 24" and I've read a few reviews that it has great color and perfect for gaming and videos. It's a TFT monitor (read a bit about TFT), but I'm wondering if there is any advantages or disadvantages compared to another type like MVA? All I could find was with MVA you get a slightly better viewing angle. Also on the BestBuy site it says that it's PC compatible, whereas some are saying PC and Mac. I don't see why it wouldn't be compatible, but does anyone know any problems with this?

Any help would be awesome... Again, I'm looking to get a monitor for my MBP for gaming, videos, and just extra space for homework and such. I would like there to be added USB ports (which this gateway has) and I would like it reasonably priced ($500 is starting to push it).

Thanks!

dell has some nice tft flat panels. the ultrasharp series for 24" is 600 USD, but the regular series is half as expensive.

 

[Xander562]

Thanks for the info. The Dell 2408 might be a bit expensive for me now, but we'll see soon. I think I'm going out tomorrow and looking at a few monitors. When dealing with gaming and pixel differences, what are we talking about here with compromising performance? I'm not too into gaming, but might pick up Spore when it comes out, and heaven forbid, if I start playing WoW again or CS:S. Otherwise gaming would be like hooking up an Xbox or something of that nature.

Pixel Differences So lets say that the MBP has a pixel density of 50pixels per inch (not saying it does, just making up a random number) and the Dell display has a pixel density of 25 pixels per inch (again making it up_. That means that the same (lets say 100x100 pixel) window will appear larger on the dell than on the MBP. It doesn't make a difference when windows are entirely on one screen or another but when dragging a window from one monitor to the other one will appear a few cm larger than the other one and will not align exactly. Again any monitor with a different pixel density than the MBP will have this problem. (So if you're OCD and flip out about this kind of stuff do some research on the display before buying it.)

Gaming Performance So the same GPU that is powering your current MBP display will be powering this new Dell display. The MBP has fewer pixels (1440x900 for example for the 15.4") than the Dell display because well, it's a smaller display. The Dell 2408 has 1920x1200 pixels (because it is larger). So running a game at certain settings at 1440x900 will get higher FPS than the same game at the same settings but at 1920x1200. This is because of all the extra pixels that the GPU has to calculate for. Again, you will run into this problem with any display that has a higher resolution than your MBP. However if you are connecting an Xbox or other gaming system to it, it will look just as good as it does on any other display or TV.

 

[Xander562]

dell has some nice tft flat panels. the ultrasharp series for 24" is 600 USD, but the regular series is half as expensive.

You also do not get some of the extra features such as the additional inputs/SD card slot/USB etc.

 

[lilmitchmitch]

Pixel Differences So lets say that the MBP has a pixel density of 50pixels per inch (not saying it does, just making up a random number) and the Dell display has a pixel density of 25 pixels per inch (again making it up_. That means that the same (lets say 100x100 pixel) window will appear larger on the dell than on the MBP. It doesn't make a difference when windows are entirely on one screen or another but when dragging a window from one monitor to the other one will appear a few cm larger than the other one and will not align exactly. Again any monitor with a different pixel density than the MBP will have this problem. (So if you're OCD and flip out about this kind of stuff do some research on the display before buying it.)

Gaming Performance So the same GPU that is powering your current MBP display will be powering this new Dell display. The MBP has fewer pixels (1440x900 for example for the 15.4") than the Dell display because well, it's a smaller display. The Dell 2408 has 1920x1200 pixels (because it is larger). So running a game at certain settings at 1440x900 will get higher FPS than the same game at the same settings but at 1920x1200. This is because of all the extra pixels that the GPU has to calculate for. Again, you will run into this problem with any display that has a higher resolution than your MBP. However if you are connecting an Xbox or other gaming system to it, it will look just as good as it does on any other display or TV.

So, it looks like my 15.4" monitor has a pixel density (PPI) of 110. Lets say I get the Gateway 24" with a 1900x1200 resolution which equates to 94 PPI. So when you say the images won't line up exactly, you're just saying that on my laptop it will be a different size than the screen because of overall size and resolution of the screens. So this shouldn't be a problem unless I'm looking to have the screen right next to my laptop screen (which I'm not since they are totally different sizes and don't quite match ) right? It's really only be a problem if I'm doing like a side by side monitor with different PPI?

Sorry for the confusion, I'm obviously new to this, but am trying to do my research before buying!

 

[CWallace]

II looked at the DELL ULTRASHARP 2408WFP selling for $600 and was wondering if anybody has purchased it recently or had a recommendation on another monitor.

I am very pleased with mine. At the default settings, the reds were way too intense, but a bit of fiddling with the settings and the color profile on my MacBook Pro has returned very nice results.

 

[Xander562]

So, it looks like my 15.4" monitor has a pixel density (PPI) of 110. Lets say I get the Gateway 24" with a 1900x1200 resolution which equates to 94 PPI. So when you say the images won't line up exactly, you're just saying that on my laptop it will be a different size than the screen because of overall size and resolution of the screens. So this shouldn't be a problem unless I'm looking to have the screen right next to my laptop screen (which I'm not since they are totally different sizes and don't quite match ) right? It's really only be a problem if I'm doing like a side by side monitor with different PPI?

Sorry for the confusion, I'm obviously new to this, but am trying to do my research before buying!

I think you've got it there. You will only notice a difference when using the two monitors side-by-side in a dual monitor setup. And no worries about the confusion, thats why you, and we, are here.

 

[lilmitchmitch]

I think you've got it there. You will only notice a difference when using the two monitors side-by-side in a dual monitor setup. And no worries about the confusion, thats why you, and we, are here.

Sweet, well I'm hopefully going to check them out tomorrow so that I could get a better idea of what I'm about to buy. Thanks for all the advice!

If anyone as other suggestions or advice, I'm still open for ideas!

 

[mikenike192]

I've been eyeing the SAMSUNG ToC T220HD Rose Black 22" it also comes in 20" and 24" flavors. The real selling point for me is the ammount of inputs you get

2 HDMI
1 DVI
1 VGA
1 Component
Plus coaxil input for hooking up your cable so you can watch tv in all 1080p gloryness
and it also has toslink out for surround sound.

Great monitor who maybe is moving into a dorm or small apoartment and want their monitor to double as a tv. Plus it has a rediculous 10,000:1 contrast ratio

 

[lilmitchmitch]

I've been eyeing the SAMSUNG ToC T220HD Rose Black 22" it also comes in 20" and 24" flavors. The real selling point for me is the ammount of inputs you get

2 HDMI
1 DVI
1 VGA
1 Component
Plus coaxil input for hooking up your cable so you can watch tv in all 1080p gloryness
and it also has toslink out for surround sound.

Great monitor who maybe is moving into a dorm or small apoartment and want their monitor to double as a tv. Plus it has a rediculous 10,000:1 contrast ratio

That's me I think I saw this on the BestBuy site as well. I'll just have to wait and see what I can get my eyes on tomorrow!

 

[UFO212]

im using Samsung SyncMaster2693HM

 

[MrFrankly]

Overall the Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP is a superb monitor and I would recommend it. Also try looking at Dell's Refurb store for some pretty large discounts.

I also had the Dell Ultrasharp 2408WFP. But I decided to exchange it. I first had one with a manufacturing defect, dust between the backlight and the pixelgrid, so some blobs of pixels looked defective. This first screen also had pretty strong backlight bleeding on the left side, a pinkish glow on white areas of the screen and banding in gradients (like a 6-bit screen).

After I got my replacement the screen was perfect pixel-wise. However the backlight bleeding on the left side was even worse on this screen, the pinkish glow and banding was still present as well. After this I had enough of this screen, luckily Dell had no problem with providing a complete refund.

This 86 page thread on the Dell community forum deals mostly with the problems I described above (a lot of unhappy people). Of course this is the support forum, so unhappy people concentrate there but it says something that it's one of the largest threads on the entire forum.

Also keep in mind that the Dell screen has a wide-color gamut but that screens are still driven by an OS and videocard output of 8-bits per color per pixel. So in essence all colors will just be stretched to more extreme values while the color resolution stays the same. Red and green will look fluorescent. Especially in the unfortunately color-managed Safari this is quite awful since all untagged image will become unrealistically vibrant, especially skin tones will look too red. This is more of a problem with Safari than the screen, but it is still quite annoying if you require accurate color. This page has a more detailed explanation of the problem with wide-gamut screens..

 

[Brianstorm91]

What are the pros/cons of using a TV as both a monitor and for say a PS3 or just watching TV?

I always imagined that monitors would be better suited than TVs to a MBP in clamshell, for example. (Just wondering as I'm looking at the moment)

 

[cluthz]

Eizo has some nice 22/24 inch screens.

The lowends 2201/2401 is a standard TN panel (like most others) which gives the fastest response times (2/5ms). the 2231/2431 is S-VPA screens, they have a bit worse response times (8 ms) but superior color accuracy and viewing angles.

I have the 2201 and I'm really satisfied.

The Eizos have really good ergonomics, you can height adjust them, tilt and swilel. You can also flip the screen 90deg to use it as a "high-screen" which is really nice for posterwork in f.ex Photoshop.

 

[lilmitchmitch]

So, I went out today with my mom after she said she'd buy me a monitor. We looked around and ended up at Circuit City where I saw a nice samsung and then a nice gateway. The gateway was cheaper and was HD ready and was more appealing to me. We took a trip to Best Buy to see their selection and saw the same gateway and I was set. Ended up going with a 22" HD2201.

Using it for the last few hours has been pretty amazing. I love it, I think I made the right decision. Colors seem great, it's bright and vibrant, and I like the brushed metal look the stand and bottom of the screen has to match my MBP. And then the sleek black around the rest. It doesn't have the 4 USB ports built in, like it's larger 2401 predecessor has, but I got a Belkin swivel hub to do basically the same thing.

Thanks for all the help and comments guys!

 

[lilmitchmitch]

1 question I have is... Since it has VGA, DVI, and HDMI connections, which should I be using? Will it make a difference? The MBP has DVI, and they sell DVI to HDMI, and I'm currently using the DVI to VGA adapter that the laptop came with. So is there any reason why I should be using 1 over the other?