After quite a hiatus, here we are, back with the monthly “Which monitor to buy”. Here we discuss monitors that are popular, worth buying and don’t completely suck in every imaginable way. You may think these displays don’t live up to your expectations, which is absolutely fine. IPS panel displays just don’t cost little enough to go absolutely mainstream as long as cheap TN panels can be had. Also, TN panels are alright for everything but graphics design.
Again. This monitor consistently snatches #1 position month after month. Its strong points are size, the number of connectors and the fact that it’s cheap as chips.
Given that it’s a decent sized unit for not very much money when compared to the competition, it’s a recommended pick. Well, if you don’t do heavy graphics editing on it, that is, in which case none of the displays in the top 10 are for you. (Did I say it’s LED backlit? Yeah, it saves you money on electricity.)
It’s the same display as the one above. Seriously, it’s the exact same thing except for 2″ off the diagonal size. Oh, and it costs $149.99 at the moment, $30 less than the big brother, which is not a bad price no matter how you look at it. For this kind of money, this option gives you the most monitor per dollar. Yeah, I just said monitor per dollar. Next.
3. Asus VH236H
The good thing about Asus’ runner up is that it’s a full-HD unit with a 23″ screen size. It also comes with HDMI, DVI and VGA inputs to satisfy all your input desires. It, however, doesn’t do LED backlight. Not advertised as such, but now that we’re in 2012, one would expect perks like low power-consumption. Costs $159.99 at the moment, for which you get quite a bit of TFT. Not a bad trade.
4. Acer S231HL
The fourth monitor would be Viewsonic’s VA2431WM if I didn’t manually fumble with the list. I’ve done so, because there is an almost identical monitor at the top already (two if you count the 22″ version) except that it’s not LED backlit, of which there is also one from Asus.
On to Acer S231HL. 23″ monitor with VGA, DVI and HDMI inputs, LED backlit and full-hd 1080P resolution of course. AND IT COSTS $139.99 ONLY. In all caps. That’s the main selling point other than the great number of inputs and a TFT panel comparable to those in monitors at the top of the list.
Enough of the TN galore already, here’s a cheap IPS TFT with LED backlight, 1920 x 1080, DVI and VGA inputs. Oh, and it works in pivot mode and costs only $239.99. Not too bad. Why IPS, though? Because it’s got better colors, wider viewing angles vertically and horizontally (makes sense when you put it in pivot).
This is the list for January, I hope you find something worth investigating. See you with another Top 5 list next month!