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Seeking 24" LCD Advice

A

agwilson

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 5, 2008
26
0
I am looking at purchasing a 24" LCD monitor to replace two 17s I've had for awhile. I do light gaming (WoW), some programming, very light video editing, watch movies, and general computer usage. I would like to spend closer to $500 but can go up to $600 if the monitor is outstanding.

I've been debating between the Dell 2408WFP for $599 (has $100 discount right now) or the Samsung 2493HM (usually around $500). Both look like very good monitors but I'm not sure which to get. I believe the Samsung is a TN panel and the Dell is S-PVA? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
The Samsungs a good monitor, you should save some money too instead of getting the dell, i replaced a samsung with 2 x 24" dells but will be replacing them with a 30" monitor, and I might get the Samsung, But do Not install samsung supplied software, get a good calibration kit instead, I found the spyder works great with samsung monitors, good luck ;)
 
I too have a Samsung and am happy with it, but for more options, check this out, as the reviews are usually pretty good. If a TN panel is fine, you may be able to save even more money.
 
agwilson said:
I am looking at purchasing a 24" LCD monitor to replace two 17s I've had for awhile. I do light gaming (WoW), some programming, very light video editing, watch movies, and general computer usage. I would like to spend closer to $500 but can go up to $600 if the monitor is outstanding.

I've been debating between the Dell 2408WFP for $599 (has $100 discount right now) or the Samsung 2493HM (usually around $500). Both look like very good monitors but I'm not sure which to get. I believe the Samsung is a TN panel and the Dell is S-PVA? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

I have the Dell 2408WFP and it's amazing. I do not play any games so I can't comment on that aspect, but it has great photo and video quality and has a ton of great features. Wish I could have gotten the $100 discount. :)
 
I just ordered an HP2408 from Hewlett Packard. I have been looking at 24" and 30" monitors for a while now, but saw one of the HP's in Fry's the other day and really fell in love with it, and then found it was $50 cheaper on Amazon. I was planning on getting two, but my new macbook pro seemingly won't run two of them. So I will have to settle for one for now.
 
I am getting the Samsung monitor you mentioned (maybe two?), after see it at Best Buy, I then understood the benefit of a 10000:1 aspect ratio could do. You can also rotate it for a vertical view which is awsome for web browsing and reading long documents. I'm not sure if the Dell does that.........
 
@ButtUglyJeff - I saw the Samsung in the store the other day and it did look pretty. The ability to find the buttons for adjustment should be interesting but most of the time it is a feature that they are so well hidden. I have had monitors that can turn, but I find that I never use that feature.

@Mr.Noisy - What type of calibration would you recommend? I have thought about buying a Spyder2 but unsure if I want to put that much money into it.

@Hatchet - How was the Dell when you first got it? Did it need to be calibrated?
 
agwilson said:
I am looking at purchasing a 24" LCD monitor to replace two 17s I've had for awhile. I do light gaming (WoW), some programming, very light video editing, watch movies, and general computer usage. I would like to spend closer to $500 but can go up to $600 if the monitor is outstanding.

I've been debating between the Dell 2408WFP for $599 (has $100 discount right now) or the Samsung 2493HM (usually around $500). Both look like very good monitors but I'm not sure which to get. I believe the Samsung is a TN panel and the Dell is S-PVA? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

If buying one for movies, you must get full high def screens which is a
must have for blu-ray. Anything less than 1080p is a waste of money for
playing video on. Samsung are the only ones doing a 3 year dead pixel warranty. Here in oz the warranty is 3 year onsite where if one pixel dies they'll replace the screen with a new one. Some other brands allow for a
fair few dead pixels before they'll replace the screen.

Samsung 2493HM 24" Full HD Support (1920x1080p) 10000:1 Dynamic Contrast, Dual input, speakers and hdmi.

Oz price about $700, US price ought to be about $400.
 
I'm in the same boat, so I've spent the last week obsessively learning all I can about 24" LCDs. It might help your decision process if you know a few things about LCD tech. Here's what I've gleaned (probably more than you wanted to know)...

The Samsung 2493HM uses a TN-type LCD panel, as do most laptops, the 20" iMac, and most inexpensive LCDs. Of the LCD types, TNs are generally the cheapest to manufacture, fastest (good for gaming), and the worst in color reproduction and viewing angle, especially vertical viewing angles. They produce 6-bit color and can natively reproduce hundreds of thousands of colors - a fraction of IPS displays - but have processes which simulate 16.2 or 16.7 million colors. Contrast is inferior to other display types.

The ACDs and 24" iMac I believe are all IPS-type, meaning slower response time, good contrast and true 8-bit color reproduction (natively produce 16.7 million colors). The only real downsides are that they're more expensive to produce and slower, which is a negative for hardcore gamers, but won't likely be noticeable to most casual gamers on a good S-IPS or H-IPS display. If color accuracy is important for you, then an IPS display is probably a must.

The Dell 2408WFP is a PVA panel. These are sort of a compromise between IPS and TN. Better color and viewing angle than TN, but not as good as IPS. Best contrast of the three, so best black levels, but also slowest response time which gamers won't like. "Magic Speed" on the 2408WFP is supposed to speed up that poor PVA response time, making this an S-PVA, but I don't know how well it works in practice. A couple gamers reviews have said that it's pretty good.

I recommend you go to an Apple store (if possible) and take a good look at the 24" iMac (H-IPS) and the 20" iMac (TN). This should give you a good idea of whether or not you'll like a TN like that Samsung. Some Best Buy stores have the 2493HM too so maybe you could see it in person. Some people really dislike the TN vertical viewing angle, other always sit right in front and could care less. Some people (like me) notice the difference in color quality and don't care for TNs, but others really don't seem to notice or care.

All that said, all I really know is that my current LCD is a S-IPS and looks fantastic and has worked great with my Xbox 360, so I'll probably be getting another S-IPS monitor, but I'll be careful to get a relatively fast S-IPS because from what I've heard, Samsung's current S-IPS offering is pretty slow.
 
I got my Gateway FHD2400 for $492 out the door at CC when it was on sale this pass week. If it is not on sale, it going to be around $550.
 
I have the Dell 2407 and it is a fantastic monitor. Plays DVDs, games and graphics beautifully. And for the price, you can't beat it for value..
 
btw, how do i know that the panel is TN/IPS/PVA???

im also interest on buying 22 lcd monitor,...
 
I have a Dell 24" at work but while it's fine when going, on waking up it takes about 10 seconds or so to flicker-up, and it goes through different colors in the process. Very odd for an LCD.
 
7-request said:
btw, how do i know that the panel is TN/IPS/PVA???

im also interest on buying 22 lcd monitor,...
Click to expand...

First of all, I'm not sure I've ever seen a 22" LCD in anything other than TN, though I could be wrong about that. I've just been looking the various LCDs up in the really geeky forums to find out what tech they use. I think there may be PC programs which can detect it too.
 
xparaparafreakx said:
I got my Gateway FHD2400 for $492 out the door at CC when it was on sale this pass week. If it is not on sale, it going to be around $550.
Click to expand...
I got the same monitor a while back and love it. The HP2408 and the Gateway were the only 2 choices for a glossy 24", and the Gateway had every input imaginable (DVI, HDMI, VGA, Component, Composite, S-Video), which sold it for me. The HP has only DVI and VGA.
 
I've decided to go with the Dell and placed my order this morning :) I thought a lot about it and coming from monitors that have a refresh of 16ms anyways the speed will not be an issue at all. I like the increased viewing angle and the color ability. The deal breaker though was my awesome sister being able to get a little extra discount on the sale price.

Thank you all for your advice. :)

I did order a Spyder2 to calibrate the monitor when it gets here and I will also calibrate my laptop display as well. Nothing better than seeing colors the way they are everywhere else. :)
 
I'm in the same boat as far as looking for a 24" monitor. For some reason, 24" monitors seem to be in something of a dead zone as far as quality. There are great 20" monitors, and great 30" monitors, but 24" are hit-or-miss. It's maddening because that's really the size that works for me. However from what I've personally seen in working with them, and the dearth of S-IPS monitors available, it seems like 20" is the way to go, unless you can jump to 30", which in my opinion is a little too large to work with effectively on a desktop.

Now, if you are just using the monitor for screen real estate (word processing, internet, etc) then get the cheapest one available and be happy with your increased workspace. But when color fidelity is important, it pays to be choosy. I'm still undecided between the ACD 23", Dell 2408 (although you still have the panel lottery as to what kind of panel you get), and LG.

Dave
 
Dave00 said:
For some reason, 24" monitors seem to be in something of a dead zone as far as quality.
Click to expand...

Yep, you nailed it. I was thinking about this... see, while I'm very happy with my 20" S-IPS display, I always wanted a true HD monitor, but never thought they'd be within a reasonable price range. Then some inexpensive offerings caught my eye. I think that's why there's such a dirth in quality 24" LCDs - most manufacturers are using TN screens to cut costs, sell cheap, and get noticed.

On paper they look great - a 24" LCD which does 16.7 million colors and has a 3-5ms response time for $399... too good to be true? Sort of. 99% of consumers are impressed by the specs and just pull the trigger, never having heard of S-IPS, H-IPS, TN and S-PVA. They don't realize that on their cheap TN screen, those 16.7 million colors are really simulated and fairly inaccurate, drawn from a pool of more like 166,000 colors (I forget the exact number). They don't realize that the viewing angle will be relatively poor too.

And truth be told, they won't even notice. Most of them won't require color accuracy or notice the more difficult to quantify differences in screen quality. They'll adjust themselves to the viewing angle or just think "it's an LCD thing".

For me, it so happens that the first LCD I purchased blindly was a S-IPS display, so TN is out of the question for me, especially considering my 24" LCD will live next to this one, making the difference much more obvious. As much as I want a 24" monitor, I may just wait a few months and see what the next round of offerings brings. S-IPS and H-IPS should get a tad cheaper and faster.
 
yadmonkey said:
Yep, you nailed it. I was thinking about this... see, while I'm very happy with my 20" S-IPS display, I always wanted a true HD monitor, but never thought they'd be within a reasonable price range. Then some inexpensive offerings caught my eye. I think that's why there's such a dirth in quality 24" LCDs - most manufacturers are using TN screens to cut costs, sell cheap, and get noticed.

On paper they look great - a 24" LCD which does 16.7 million colors and has a 3-5ms response time for $399... too good to be true? Sort of. 99% of consumers are impressed by the specs and just pull the trigger, never having heard of S-IPS, H-IPS, TN and S-PVA. They don't realize that on their cheap TN screen, those 16.7 million colors are really simulated and fairly inaccurate, drawn from a pool of more like 166,000 colors (I forget the exact number). They don't realize that the viewing angle will be relatively poor too.

And truth be told, they won't even notice. Most of them won't require color accuracy or notice the more difficult to quantify differences in screen quality. They'll adjust themselves to the viewing angle or just think "it's an LCD thing".

For me, it so happens that the first LCD I purchased blindly was a S-IPS display, so TN is out of the question for me, especially considering my 24" LCD will live next to this one, making the difference much more obvious. As much as I want a 24" monitor, I may just wait a few months and see what the next round of offerings brings. S-IPS and H-IPS should get a tad cheaper and faster.
Click to expand...
My first widescreen display was a 20" Dell 2005fpw with an IPS display. Yes it looked good, but my 24" Gateway (with a TN display) looks good too. The colors aren't quite as good and the viewing angle is not quite as good, but I am the sole owner and the size, brightness, slew of inputs, etc. are more than adequate for my use. I use a 24" Aluminum iMac at the office, and the IPS display is beautiful, but the Gateway is also beautiful. Unless you really need the color accuracy or wide viewing angle of an IPS display I think most people would be very well served by a good TN display, and for some people a TN display is actually preferable (gamers in particular). So don't buy into the "IPS is better" claims blindly; take a look at both to see what fits your needs.
 
danny_w said:
Unless you really need the color accuracy or wide viewing angle of an IPS display I think most people would be very well served by a good TN display, and for some people a TN display is actually preferable (gamers in particular). So don't buy into the "IPS is better" claims blindly; take a look at both to see what fits your needs.
Click to expand...

I agree that many people - maybe even most people - will find TN displays to be good looking and won't know/won't care what they're missing. However I like to bring it up because there are inevitably people with more discerning eyes who get a TN panel and then see a beautiful IPS and learn a little too late about what they were missing.

I'd offer the same caution about blindly believing that TN displays are the only way to go for gamers. I'm a gamer, maybe a hair shy of hardcore, but way above average. I play some of the fastest 360 games on a 20" S-IPS display without a hint of input lag. A relatively fast IPS display will perform great for all but the most finicky gamers, but won't come cheap.

However you can't take tech specs too seriously. There are some IPS which perform horribly for gamers and some which are great, yet both will have identical response times on paper. Be wary of specs which quote gray to gray response times, as this tells you next to nothing about actual response time.
 
yadmonkey said:
I agree that many people - maybe even most people - will find TN displays to be good looking and won't know/won't care what they're missing. However I like to bring it up because there are inevitably people with more discerning eyes who get a TN panel and then see a beautiful IPS and learn a little too late about what they were missing.

I'd offer the same caution about blindly believing that TN displays are the only way to go for gamers. I'm a gamer, maybe a hair shy of hardcore, but way above average. I play some of the fastest 360 games on a 20" S-IPS display without a hint of input lag. A relatively fast IPS display will perform great for all but the most finicky gamers, but won't come cheap.

However you can't take tech specs too seriously. There are some IPS which perform horribly for gamers and some which are great, yet both will have identical response times on paper. Be wary of specs which quote gray to gray response times, as this tells you next to nothing about actual response time.
Click to expand...
Yes, I do what you mean. As I said I have had good S-IPS panels (the 2005fpw and 24" iMac) and TN panels, and I know the difference. But for me the TN Gateway is quite good enough. I switch between IPS during the day and TN at night. I'm just suggesting that not everybody that sees a good IPS panel gets as "spoiled" as others. Look at them both and judge for yourself.
 
danny_w said:
Yes, I do what you mean. As I said I have had good S-IPS panels (the 2005fpw and 24" iMac) and TN panels, and I know the difference. But for me the TN Gateway is quite good enough. I switch between IPS during the day and TN at night. I'm just suggesting that not everybody that sees a good IPS panel gets as "spoiled" as others. Look at them both and judge for yourself.
Click to expand...

Quite true. TN displays have certainly come a lone way. They'll never be good at extreme viewing angles, but that shouldn't bother many users. As with many technologies, people seem to hold onto prejudices about old shortcomings, even when the technology has been vastly improved.

Again, I think people on the fence should compare the 20" TN iMac to the 24" H-IPS iMac. Assuming accuracy of color isn't an issue for them, that should give them enough to see if they have a strong preference one way or another.
 
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