Best 25" monitor for ~$250

[livebriand]

Currently I'm using an acer s231HL, and it's a POS. Viewing angles, bad color, yuck! I'm thinking about selling it and replacing it with a 25" screen around $250 max. Acer is NOT an option. I prefer matte screens, though I guess glossy is ok. I was thinking about the ASUS VE258Q (matte, prefer integrated power adapter) or maybe HP 2511x (glossy, external power adapter), but if you guys have any other suggestions, feel free to tell me. I prefer integrated power adapters, but it doesn't really matter. I don't care about integrated speakers. I don't have much of a preference between LED and CCFL backlighting - whatever gives better color. (I'm starting to wonder if ccfl is better though, as led seems to have some color issues. My 6 year old CCFL-backlit samsung looks pretty good compared to my led acer, and the samsung was a cheap model, $200 at the time.)

 

[azeem40]

There is nothing you can do about viewing angles. All TN monitors are the same in that regard.

 

[livebriand]

OK, but anyway, in terms of general color and stuff, what do you think would be better? For instance, my older samsung is probably TN, and although viewing angles aren't great, like an IPS screen, they're acceptable, and don't bother me too much. (I put my monitor on something to prop it up to eye level anyway.) However, color shifting is more noticeable on the acer than other TN displays I've seen (business HPs, Samsungs), and this really bothers me. Typing this post, it's obvious that the top of the page has a very slight red tint, while the bottom has a slight yellow one.

By the way, I don't want to get a Dell either. I know people who have had issues with dell stuff, and therefore want to avoid them if possible.

The reason I want to go for a 25" monitor is because the higher dpi of a 23" one (96) is a little too small for me. A 25" one is 88dpi, my 19" 1280x1024 samsung is 86dpi, and that's perfectly acceptable for me. I think 27" might be a bit too big for me (I'm not using it for tons of movies or anything. Also, I might have to get rid of that crappy 17" 1280x1024 secondary monitor I have, though I very rarely use it anyway and would likely be fine without it. Fyi, the samsung is on a different computer.)

I know that I can get a 23" IPS dell for $300 or so, and I might be able to talk them into giving me a lower price, but again, it's a dell, and it's a bit small. In general, IPS ones cost too much for me.

 

[azeem40]

The u2312hm is a 23" ips monitor and is just under $ 240.

 

[livebriand]

The problem is that, as I said, due to past experiences, I don't want a dell and especially not an acer. Also, I want a 25" monitor because 23" is a bit too small in terms of text size, and dpi scaling doesn't always work too well and I need all the screen space anyway. It doesn't have to be IPS - as I said, my older TN Samsung looks just fine in terms of color and color shifting. So... any thoughts?

 

[azeem40]

Here are two that I found under $250:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824002554
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236123

 

[livebriand]

The NEC is only 23". The ASUS is one of the 2 models I said I was looking at, and I was wondering how the quality of their monitors is. I can't find any professional reviews, and I think many of the reviewers may not be as sensitive to little things as me. My Acer got pretty good ratings on amazon and newegg, but I think it's not very good. (color, for instance, bothers me quite a bit) However, several people said the acer's color is not great (and professional reviews agree), and reviews say the asus's color is pretty good OOTB. (I wish I had read the reviews on the acer before - I saw that one but didn't look closely, intending to get an asus, and then I went to a store to check them out and the acer was on sale, so I got that. I figured I could adjust the color from the crappy default settings, but that's turned out to be a bit of a PITA in the end.

 

[azeem40]

Here's another one: http://www.amazon.com/HP-2511x-25-Inch-LED-Monitor/dp/B004G8QO8E

 

[livebriand]

That's the other one I originally mentioned. Which one do you think will be better in terms of color? Those are the only two 25" monitors I've found that look reasonable btw.

 

[livebriand]

Also, some say that LED-backlit monitors have better color, others say CCFL-backlit ones are better. Which is it? I haven't see any 25" CCFL-backlit monitors, but the ASUS VE276Q is CCFL and just a tiny bit more expensive than the VE258Q. (I wonder if 27" might be a bit too big though...)

 

[azeem40]

From ergpower:

Both CCFLs and LEDs are good technical
solutions for the most common LCD backlighting
requirements. For today and for some time to come,
CCFLs are significantly more cost-effective for all but
the smaller displays (cell phones, MP3 players, etc.).
Therefore, CCFLs will continue to be used to backlight
the majority of medium to large industrial displays.
However, LEDs are on a declining price track, and it is
expected by many experts that LED backlighting costs
will eventually reach parity with CCFLs, but not for
some time yet. When that does occur, LEDs can be
expected to assume a dominant position in
backlighting.
There are many applications today where the features
of LEDs may justify their higher up-front cost. LEDs can
provide higher brightness than CCFLs. When properly
integrated into a system, LED backlights have a longer
lifetime than CCFL backlights. LEDs can be operated
efficiently over a wider temperature range, particularly
at the low end, than CCFLs. In applications where the
high voltage required for CCFLs is an issue, such as
explosive environments, the ability of LEDs to operate
at low level DC voltages can be a distinct advantage.
Other advantages of LEDs include increasingly higher
light output per electrical power input, and the ability
to optimize color gamut. Finally, the wide range
dimming capability of LEDs can be a valuable advantage
in some applications.

 

[livebriand]

But in terms of color which is better? Also, along with the ASUS VE258Q and HP 2511x, what do you think about the VE276Q? (it's bigger, ccfl, and not much more than the others)

 

[azeem40]

LED has deeper blacks, better contrast ratio, energy efficiency, less eye strain, and a wider color gamut.

 

[DV2]

i'm aiming for the VE258Q for gaming and colouring basic stuff on Photoshop,yet NOT in a professional way,eh...lookin for people's opinions because IPS is not good for gaming and there's nothing much else out there with a DVI interface...

 

[livebriand]

Lots of stuff has DVI! The thing is, for games, I doubt color really matters, and the response time seems good enough on most monitors.

 

[DV2]

some stuff does NOT have DVI (like some of the newest Samsung Monitors of the S##A350H and above monitors,wich just has HDMI and VGA only.

But what about colors used for photoshop,youtube,videos,web browsing?...i'm NOT lookin for IPS due to they're bad for gaming (Ghosting/Tracing)

 

[azeem40]

Whoever told you that is feeding you bs. Before giving a label to something, base it off facts and not assumptions.

 

[DV2]

I've checked the Samsung monitors i've got at job and they dont have DVI,so i checked first..those are S22 and S23A350H monitors btw

 

[livebriand]

Some of the Samsungs I looked at online only have DVI-I and HDMI OR HDMI and VGA. (never DVI and VGA or HDMI, DVI, and VGA... man, and that asus has those 3 AND Displayport!)