[JGZinv]

So while I was at LanWar, had some friends bring in their twin LCD setups and I
got that "eureka!" moment of playing around with Photoshop
without wanting to claw the toolbars out of the screen... and now I'm wanting to put
together a dual LED monitor setup myself.

Usage: Photoshop, very frequent web browsing, multi-tabeling, probably get more into design
and so forth. Gaming I haven't tried on a multi display, but I mostly play/use 1999 era games.
Newest stuff I play is BFBC2, and about twice a year TF2 and SC2. Just playing on one monitor
isn't a big issue with me. 8 folders, 12 FF tabs, Photoshop, 3 utilities, and chat programs all running
at once when I'm working on something is normal.

I've got a EVGA GTX275 w/768mb vram /dual dvi - which I'm not looking to swap out or expand
on due to funds. Current LCD is an old Sony TV/LCD MFD MFM-HT95 running at 1280x1024.
It's been on and off showing a dead pixel lately. System is a Core i3-540, dual boot XP/Win7.

So far I've been looking at Newegg and other places, took a trip to the only store in town
to see for myself what some monitors looked like. Here's what I've come up with...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236106

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/SKUSearch_v3.asp?px=DM&scriteria=AA97346

My observation was that 20" looked small, as in small as my 15.6" laptop small.
The one model the store had on the floor was a very minor revision step previous to
my first link, but it was hooked up via VGA (bleh) and no access to Windows to really mess with it.
The OSD was kindy funky to deal with, but not a big deal. Text was ok, really the screen just needs
calibration (and probably some DVI love). Was somewhat worried about the physical/ pixel height
compared to my current LCD.

Across from it however, was a identical LCD (not LED) 24" running on DVI that looked pretty nice.
What didn't look nice was the $250 price tag.

So doing some research, I find that folks complain of screen tearing / ghosting on high contrast areas
on pretty much all the Asus branded displays of late. They also complain of the OSD (non issue), speakers (no
surprise), and 1 in 25 buyers have dead pixels approximately.

Reason I started looking at 23's was the cost and resolution. 1080 fits what I've been using. There
I wouldn't be losing height, but I'd be gaining width (pixel wise). The cost is definitely stretching me, but if
I wait till there's a sale, could be digestible.


So what thoughts, observations, substitutions, or hindsight might HLP have for me? I know there's at least a handful
of people running around on multiple displays...

[Admiral LSD]

If I were in the market for a new monitor, I'd strongly consider one of the Dell UltraSharps, the 22" U2211 in particular (though they make in in 23, 27 and 30" sizes as well). It's IPS, which is good for colour reproduction and viewing angles, and fairly reasonably priced (AUD$250 or so locally, USD$279 on dell.com, but deals vary so keep checking). Failing that, I'd probably just buy another Samsung. My SyncMaster 2233BW hasn't missed a beat in the 3-4 years I've owned it.