What is a good monitor size to utilize my hardware?

Question

I just built a new computer with a Core i7, GTX 275, and 12 GB of Ram and when playing games, they look pretty much the same as they did before, though I am getting a lot higher frame rates.

I'm currently using a DVI 19" 1440x900 monitor and a friend suggested getting a bigger monitor to see a bigger impact. Maybe even HD.

What are some suggestions? I'm looking for advice on size, brand, model, anything really. With my computer, I should be in utter awe by the graphics themselves, not the frame rates.

Answer 1

There are various 22-inch screens that are becoming more affordable (compared to the 30 inch Dell), and I'm not sure whether the 2-inch extra compared to 24 inch is worth anything extra.

On the other hand if you have the money to buy an i7 system with that video cardgo buy two 22 inch monitors. Probably worth more than one larger screen.

Answer 2

The Dell 30" monitors never fail to impress, and the price has come down recently as well. They're not what you would call cheap, but spectacular? Yes.

Answer 3

The dell 2408wfp is the way to go. 24 inches, 1900x1200, a nice (S-PVA) panel. It looks great, accepts lots of inputs, and can be found for around $400 during one of Dell's frequent sales. I think it's a good balance of dollars and size.

The 27-inch monitors typically have the same resolution as the 24-inch monitors, but with larger pixels. Fine if you like your type big, or you aren't sitting too close. But for the extra money, you aren't getting the ability to display extra information, so I'd skip them if I were you.

I'm currently struggling over whether to go with 2 24-inchers, or one 30-inch monitor. The price on that Dell 3008wfp is a bit hard to swallow, I agree ...

Answer 4

Firstly, you don't seem to understand what HD really means: Your current monitor, with its 900-line display, is HD. In fact, so were your last few monitor: by modern standards, everything with more that 720 lines, like 1024x768 is HD. In the late 90s, before 'HD' became a buzzword, even 800x600 was more than a standard definition TV, and thus 'HD'.

Next, system performance is a tradeoff between framerate, effects/quality, and display resolution. If you increase any of these three factors, the others will suffer. Game designers know this, and build their software around this.

• They know that a game needs to run fairly consistently at at least 30fps.
• They know what resolutions are popular for running games
• They know what level of PC performance they are aiming at

Thus, they alter the level of effects and detail in the game so that people get reasonable performance on reasonable PCs.

What does that mean for you? Well, your PC is far above what is targeted by most game manufacturers.

• You say the framerate doesn't matter to you
• The level of detail is limited by the games themselves (more detailed models, textures and effects means more work for the developers.)

So the only way you are going to improve the 'wow' effect of your graphics are:

1. Wait for a new game to come out with cool new graphics and effects
2. Buy a monitor with a much higher resolution. 1920x1200 or higher, and the biggest physical size you can afford. 27" is a good price / size point.

Answer 5

Or skip the extra 3" that cost $600 and go for a 27" LCD like this LG.

Answer 6

I am less a fan of monitor physical size, and much more impressed by pixel size.

My 15" laptop screen is 1920X1200 and I would like to get a desktop LCD for home, when docked, to use.

But I am having trouble finding a reasonable monitor with sufficient pixel depth to satisfy this need.

Why would I want to 'downgrade' my resolution when moving to a desktop monitor.

I miss having 2 monitors with 1680X1200 side by side! But hard to carry in my knapsack!

Answer 7

If you buy two Dell UltraSharp 2007FP monitors and rotate them to portrait view, it is almost the same size and resolution as a 30" widescreen monitor but for only $620.

Answer 8

I ended up purchasing an Acer H233H monitor.

It is 23" and has 1080i at 1920x1080. It is very attractive.

Answer 9

You'll basically be wasting hardware with anything less than a 30" display unless you are the type to obsess about Crysis framerates at really high settings.

I got a pair of Dell 3007WFP-HCs for $649 each shipped from the Dell outlet using a discount coupon when they had some deals at the end of last year. Not only a very dramatic gaming experience but the huge desktop is a game-changer for usability. It actually makes me get annoyed at how both OS X and Windows do not offer adequate tools for managing many applications and windows on a very large desktop. Once you have a 4' x 18" desktop they really show their historical roots as one application/one window interfaces.