Need help deciding on an External Monitor for my MBP

Hi everyone,
I'm looking at getting an external monitor (22"-24") range to compliment my MBP. I'm presently in India which is severely debilitating my options - the electronics market has a long way to catch up. Anyways, I wanted a monitor that I'll be using for
1. a bit of gaming (fifia, crysis, battlefield, need for speed)
2. watching movies, shows (some in HD print)
3. and being able to have a multitude of windows open all over the screen and not be very restricted by screen real estate.

options i've looked at


Samsung T220 Features

Samsung T220 Specs

and

Samsung Series 4 la22a450 features

Samsung Series 4 la22a450 specs

Unfortunately, the apple cinema displays out here are grossly overpriced and are hence out of my range.

Other issues:

The one thing I'm wondering about is whether 1680x1050 resolution is good enough for a 22" or whether 1920x1200 is a better resolution for such screen sizes.
The other thing is, the T220 is doesn't have an HDMI, while the la22a450 does. What are the disadvantages of not having the HDMI port? I've heard that the HDMI is basically in rudimentary terms - the DVI along with the audio signal, while the DVI doesn't carry audio? Is this the case?

Of the two monitors, which one would you recommend me to take ?
Do you think the two i've mentioned above are good monitors?

 

I personally would pick the 22a450; better resolution and hdmi support. But i recommend if you can see the 2 side by side in person and decide

cheers ...

 

no they are not. the mainstream display (the one you originally suggested) are TN display. the ACD is part of high quality PVA/IPS display.

 

ahmm... if you read my post carefully, i said the apple cinema displays OUT HERE (meaning in India) are overpriced... why ... because they charge 55K INR .. equivalent to 1300USD for the 23" model... would you call that reasonable or overpriced.. with the knowledge that the 23" ACD in the US is 900 a pop? ...

 

ahmm... did i miss something? to my knowledge, both the t220 & 22a450 have 1680x1050 res. There ofcourse is the hdmi part to consider, but mainstream HD TV realisation in India for TV viewing is still in a very nascent stage.

As for the audio bit, don't you think it's a better option that the audio is hooked up to my 5.1 rather than the monitor?

 

Well, you're not going to game well on any monitor above 1440*900 with an MBP. So, that really means that you're buying an external monitor for productivity or movies so see if u can get a half decent 24".

Looking at those specs, i don't see any reason why not to get the second option. You don't need the rapid response time. the Conrast i'm not so sure of the difference.

 

Look beyond resolution and screen size. What matters most is the type of LCD panel the screen uses. Most of the cheaper LCD screens use TN panels (and I think this includes every single 22" 16:10 screen). While TN panels generally have good pixel response times, they have horrible viewing angles and color reproduction. If you want a good screen, look for an LCD display with an S-IPS panel.

 

any recommendations for starters? there won't be an awful lot of models out here that will have S-IPS panels; any idea how sony bravias fare? there just aren't too many dedicated high end displays available at the market here right now. I'm willing to spend upto $400-450, but at that price, there are only HDTV's (falling under the consumer electronics range rather than the computer accessories range) and not dedicated LCD's for computer oriented work.

 

Uh... actually I just got a Dell SP2208WFP (22", 1650X1080) and it plays Oblivion quite decently on my MBP.

To the OP: HDMI is nice if you want to connect it to a gaming console and, as was said, it carries audio. Then again, there are adapters to convert DVI to HDMI and if you are serious about sound you'll probably connect it to a separate system anyway.

If possible, try to see them in person and find as many reviews online as you can.

I have heard very good things about the T220 (people on Newegg seem to love it) and I was considering it. However the lack of USB hub was a deal breaker for me.

The LA22A450C1 is being marketed as a LCD TV rather than LCD Monitor, so make sure you are going to make use of the extra features offered.

Last bit of info: gamers usually use TN panels as a) they have faster response times and b) they don't usually look at it from a 150 degrees angle.

If you are not a professional graphic designer I'd say TN panels are more than enough.

Good luck!

 

did you check out Dell Ultrasharp 22". I have one and they are just amazing!

 

Thanks for the pointers.... a couple of things.. as far as ur dell 22" goes.. is it this model? Is it an ultrasharp?

I think as far as my usage will go, a good TN panel should do the job... I won't be requiring crazy viewing angles and would mostly just want correct colour representation more than anything else.

I was looking at the 22" dells available in India, unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be an ultrasharp model available -
Dell Monitors
what's the model number of the monitor you have?

I'm going to take a look at a couple of the HP's around. HP 2275w seems to be quite a nice monitor as well. It's a li'll over my budget, but it does seem to have really nice specs... any feedback on this model?

Has anyone got the dell 20" ultrasharp model/ any feedback on it? Is a 20" significantly smaller than the 22"? (as in .. is the difference between 20 & 22" as palpable as the difference between 14.1 & 15.4"?)

 

Yep, it's the first one (SP2208WFP). When I was buying it, I was undecided between the SP2208WFP and the Ultrasharp (2208WFP). Basically the SP (mine) is glossy, and has a few extras (webcam and HDMI input) compared to the Ultrasharp (which is matte).

I think the ultrasharp is meant more for office tasks (being matte, no hdmi, no webcam), but I develop software on the SP2208WFP all day long without any issues, although during the afternoon the reflections can bother somewhat (I just close the windows curtains).

I don't think you'll get "correct color representation" out of the average TN panel (as in graphic designer quality), but for gaming/multimedia tasks they more than enough (for me at least).

Hope it helps!

 

I have DELL ULTRASHARP 2208WFP

If you get the same resolutions for 20 & 22" lcd. I think it's hard to tell the difference.
Check out some Acer glossy, they also have very good quality also. Sorry I cant remember the name of it.