Which Monitor to get????

[Dangals]

Yet again I turn the many wise and experienced people on these forums for some help...

I have been saving up to get a new monitor....currently running a 19" wide samsung LCD and wanted something bigger and better. I have been thinking to go all out and get the Samsung 305T for pure high res goodness. But today while out helping a family member buy a new TV I saw a 37" Hitachi 1080P LCD which would actually be cheaper than the Samsung.

Over here in Aus there are not alot of options for large monitors....the Samsung is about $1700 - $1800 AU while I can pick up the Hitachi for $1500 due to Hitachi pulling out of the TV market here in Aus and all the retailers trying to get rid of their stock....

What do you think I should do....for reference the PC is a Q6600, 4GB ram and will be running either 4870 crossfire or if I can wait long enough probably the 4870X2 in either by itself or in tri-fire with a 4870.

thanks in advance for all your advice...

[adamsleath]

so; are you going to be able to use a home theatre screen as a pc screen? serious question.
if so i think youd have to get used to sitting abit further back from the screen :D

it's really a personal choice. do you want 1 massive all purpose screen or a separate pc screen and a home theatre screen?:shrug:

i think option one is more versatile and probably more enjoyable (and more cost effective, if you want to watch hd movies and play games on a big screen)....but im a little iffy on the question of sitting at my pc feeling as though im at a drive in...:hehe:

[Nazu]

Like adamsleath said you better have some distance between display that big and you. Better choice would be a normal wide 22-24" lcd display. I would recommend Lenovo L220x which has a 1920 x 1200 resolution and a S-PVA panel, hence a very sharp and color rich image quality. If you want something bigger the Samsung 2493HM is a worth looking for. Big 32"/37" lcd or plasma displays are better suited for home theatre use where your not watching the display close.

[Dangals]

ok - I guess the Hitachi is probably a little too big for use just as a PC monitor then...i just got a bit carried away with the whole bigger is better thing...

So the 30" Samsung is the better choice then as it supports the higher res plus is smaller in size? I would love to see some photos of some setups with the samsung monitor

[Eniqmah]

Having used a 46" samsung HDTV as a monitor for about a month, I can tell you it's great for gaming, but normal usage becomes a pain because a resolution of 1920x1080 is actually not enough when the screen is 46". So similarly, a 37" TV would not be enough @ higher res.

[miahallen]

I disagree...I've been using my 32" 1080p Sharp daily for almost a year, and I'd never go back. I just mounted it on the wall behind my desk, and it's about 3 feet away from my eyes, it's very relaxing to use. I don't think a 37" is out onf the question in the future.

Check out the link in my sig!

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/miahallen/wallhanging2.jpg

[Anemone]

I'd take the 305T myself. I like a nice dense pixel count because it gives better definition to text and games. I won't disagree that it is a preference, but my next monitor will be a 30, where I can fit more (via more pixels) on the screen, rather than just expanding a 24" resolution to a larger frame size.

You seem to be polling preferences, so I'd take the 305.

[miahallen]

I like the idea of being able to run any game maxed out at the monitor's native res...which becomes extremely difficult to do with 4MP resolution...that's one of the bing reasons I stuck with a 2MP (1080p) display. BTW - my two new 4870s are on the way ;)

[Dangals]

That's a nice setup you have there miahallen....unfortunately as I am renting I am not able to stick anything to the walls let alone mount a TV screen :(

I have decided to go with the 305T - but now that I know it is the one I want nobody has it in stock and it will not be available till late July....typical for us here to be always waiting for something;)

[Pillo-kun]

I myslef has been using a 42" philips 7982/12 tv-set as a monitor a couple weeks and it was awsome i tell ya. 1080p is sufficient even if ya sit 15-20 cm from the screen. I only wish my girlfriend didnt force me to return the tv to the livingroom. I mean who on earth watch tv nowwadays. A pal of mine is using a hp 30" monitor and it is very nice indeed but the colors are not at the same lavel as a 10bit tv-panel. have not yet seen a 10bit pure computer lcd yet. correct me if im wrong. :P

[lowfat]

I also have a 32" Sharp 1080P as a computer display and love it do death. I find text actually easier to read than on the 24" monitor I had previously. I was doubtful on if i would like it or not when I purchased it, but I know I made the right choice. Mine sits on my desk, so not much further than 2 feet away. Until 30" displays become considerably better than they are currently, I'll be sticking with a TV as mine.

[Pillo-kun]

the other thing about tv panels is that they are wider and ya dont feel as trapped as when ya are using 4:3 or even 16:10 screens 16:9 is the shiiiiiiiiit. but beware of to expenisve tv sets with a lot of super duper picture enhancing functions that cant be turned on cus they only ad input lag and disstortion. Had the philips 9632/12 before and it sucked hard as a monitor.

[nissangtr]

I would recommend either the Gateway xhd3000 or the Dell 3008wfp over the Samsung 305t. The Samsung is a good monitor like all 30 inchers now, but there are a couple of drawbacks that I feel is a major detriment. The big thing for me is that the 305t doesn't have an internal scaler like the Gateway or Dell. You'll need a beefy graphic set up to run the latest games at the highest resolution. Granted, upscaling from 1920x1200 doesn't look as good as running at the native 2560x1600 resolution, but it's a very nice option to have. The other issue is that the 305t is not hdcp compliant. It's feature that I would recommend because you never know when it'll come in handy.

[lowfat]

Both the Gateway and Dell have input lag though caused by the Scaler. And from what I've heard it is quite the lag. The XHD3000 also has very poor QC from what I've heard. The majority of the displays have bad backlight bleeding. If I were to spend $1700 on a 30" display I would want it perfect. Not having to worry about its build quality.

[keiths]

Heretic pointed this out; what LCDs should have been from the start: http://www.digitalversus.com/article-365.html By this article's reckoning, the ETA is now; June/July. I'm willing to put up with my dying CRT a little longer for them to be released or more concrete news on ETA, pricing, and models. If not soon, I'll settle and waste money on current best of breed.

[adamsleath]

i think a 32" lcd tv is best value; it's made for video (10bit?, 100hz?, 176degree viewing angle?)...but where is the 32" 1080p lcd in australia?

http://www.lmc.com.au/products/LCD_Monitors_and_TVs/Sharp/564523/Sharp_32%5C%22_LC32D53X_LCD_TV_with_Built-in_HD_Digital_TV_Tuner
this ones only 1366x768

http://www.sharp.net.au/product-catalogue/products/LC37D63X/
LC37D63X...1080p...37"

i assume there is an lc32d63x somewhere which is 1080p

[Anemone]

I believe the new 305T is coming in July, which might be why it is out of stock atm. The new one is going to get displayport and multiple inputs and a scaler chip, so not much to worry there.

[nissangtr]

Both the Gateway and Dell have input lag though caused by the Scaler. And from what I've heard it is quite the lag. The XHD3000 also has very poor QC from what I've heard. The majority of the displays have bad backlight bleeding. If I were to spend $1700 on a 30" display I would want it perfect. Not having to worry about its build quality.

I have the Dell 3008wfp from their latest re-release in June. I didn't notice any input lag with the PS3 connected via HDMI. I tested Resistence: Fall of Man, Ratchet and Clank, GT5 HD, and Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Ninja Gaiden is a fast action game that demands critical timing on your attacks and counter, and I didn't notice any lag that would be detriment to the gaming. Dell must've fixed some issues when they temporarily stopped selling the 3008wfp in April. Some earlier models may have had noticeable input lag problem, but I can tell you from first hand experience my revised one does not.
I chose the Dell over the Gateway because of the better panel and outstanding warranty with their 3 year premium panel guarantee. Overall, I would recommend the Dell for it's myriad of connections (including 2 DVI ports and the future proof Display Port), superb picture quality, and warranty.
The Gateway is a good monitor, but the 1 year warranty is paltry for the money. Plus, getting a good panel from the xhd3000 is too much of a crap shoot with their poor quality control.
You can get the Dell for a much less than their msrp.

[Xcel]

I just bought a HP LP3065 myself, same panel as the Dell 3007WFP-HC. I wouldn't buy anything with a higher input lag.

I can tell you one thing, it's definetly not too big. 2560*1600 looks incredible while gaming, the only bad thing is how pixelated dvd movies look ;) Full HD movies look nice though. The normal text without any DPI change, is small but really crisp and thus easy to read.


The big thing for me is that the 305t doesn't have an internal scaler like the Gateway or Dell. You'll need a beefy graphic set up to run the latest games at the highest resolution. Granted, upscaling from 1920x1200 doesn't look as good as running at the native 2560x1600 resolution, but it's a very nice option to have.

If you didn't know, you can use any resolution with any 30" out there as long as the video card supports 2560*1600, it does all the scaling for you. No need for a scaler on the monitor as long as it's connected to a computer!