Need a new monitor, should I go widescreen?

mastag

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I only really use my PC for browsing and watching videos nowadays, so is it worth it to go widescreen?

Thanks.
 
Yeah.

My dad recently got a wide screen for his computer, and that's all he does; and it looks fantastic.
 
Everyone I know gets widescreens. They're useful for everything, really.
 
It wouldn't stretch photos or anything?

sweet.
 
The difference getting a new widescreen TFT from a standard old CRT / TFT is incredible. It really is something special...
 
A big fat Yes.

I was a bit skeptical before I purchased one, was worried everthing would look messed up, after I bought one, it changed my life :)
 
watch out for the bending... like an inch or two of the edges of some widescreen displays - it's compacted pretty badly. I've seen it a bunch of times like at stores, and unfortunately, my TV.

like if you had stripes on your Tv, it's supposed to look like this:
l l l l l l l

but it ends up a little like this:
ll l l l ll


I'm just using stripes as an example. It affects everything
 
Absolutely. It will make your life much easier when you can read a lot more content with less scrolling.

But keep in mind that a 19" widescreen monitor actually looks quite a bit smaller than a standard 19" monitor. So don't be shocked when you pull it out of a box and its smaller than you thought it would be. Personally I would recommend going with a 22". They aren't that much more than 19" screens. Tiger Direct has a 22" acer on sale for $209 with free shipping.
 
This is like asking whether to sleep with Jessica Alba or that cheerful fat lady at the bakers. With Jessica Alba being the widescreen in this situation.
 
Not exactly. Widescreen may be Jessica Alba but non-widescreen isn't a fat lady. In fact the best LCDs ($$) are not available in widescreen. (I don't recall many widescreen LCDs that are something besides TN panels)

I'd still pick up a widescreen LCD though. And Acer is a good all around brand for not much cash. There are a little better screens from Samsung and Viewsonic but you also pay more.
 
Absolutely. It will make your life much easier when you can read a lot more content with less scrolling.

But keep in mind that a 19" widescreen monitor actually looks quite a bit smaller than a standard 19" monitor. So don't be shocked when you pull it out of a box and its smaller than you thought it would be. Personally I would recommend going with a 22". They aren't that much more than 19" screens. Tiger Direct has a 22" acer on sale for $209 with free shipping.

That's all fine and good, but I'm sort of on a budget right now. heh heh.

Thanks for the replies guys! hl2.net comes through again.
 
I have one of those 22" Samsung monitors. 1680 x 1050 goodness. :D
 
I've been using widescreen for a while now and it's definitely the way to go for both work (room for two windows side by side) and play (games and movies are much better in widescreen).
I could never go back to 4:3.
 
That's all fine and good, but I'm sort of on a budget right now. heh heh.

Thanks for the replies guys! hl2.net comes through again.

Yeah, but you have to look at this long term. You will be using this monitor for what? At least another 3 years, probably longer? What's an extra $50 when spread out over such a long period? If you don't have the $50 now save up for a little longer before you make the purchase (unless you absolutely have to buy now). I know waiting sucks but in the end it will be worth it. 19" widescreen monitors are just too small in my opinion.
 
Yeah, but you have to look at this long term. You will be using this monitor for what? At least another 3 years, probably longer? What's an extra $50 when spread out over such a long period? If you don't have the $50 now save up for a little longer before you make the purchase (unless you absolutely have to buy now). I know waiting sucks but in the end it will be worth it. 19" widescreen monitors are just too small in my opinion.
Yeah, they are small. About the height of a regular 17" screen but just wider.
 
Yeah, they are small. About the height of a regular 17" screen but just wider.

We have someone at work that uses one 19" widescreen and a regular 17" flat screen. Like you said they are virtually the same size in height, which is too small IMHO.
 
Yeah, but you have to look at this long term. You will be using this monitor for what? At least another 3 years, probably longer? What's an extra $50 when spread out over such a long period? If you don't have the $50 now save up for a little longer before you make the purchase (unless you absolutely have to buy now). I know waiting sucks but in the end it will be worth it. 19" widescreen monitors are just too small in my opinion.

Well the reason I needed a new monitor in the first place is because my old one no longer works. I'm posting from a 5 year old laptop.

And, while you do make a good point, I went ahead and ordered that monitor yesterday. I realize how small it is going to be, but I don't think it will bother me that much. My PC is only used for browsing nowadays. I plan to get a better PC when I move out after I graduate.

/is a stupid teenage tech n00b.
 
22s are the ones to get. my friend bought a samsung model and the quality of the screen was crisp. we watched Sarah Connor Chronicles in 720p and it was so clear
 
^ If you are going to watch HD content 24s (1920x1200) are more future proof as they support 1080p.
 
I think I'll be getting the Benq V2400W to go with my future PS3 after summer. Based on the exclusive [H] user reviews, it seems like the best option for an affordable HD gaming monitor. I looks sexy too, and is hailed as the thinnest LCD on the market:

benq-v2400w-1-scaled.jpg
 
I don't see why people think 19" is so small. Maybe I'm weird, but I don't sit more than a foot and a half from my monitor, and it takes up about 75% of my viewing angle. It's also 17", and not even widescreen.
I don't think 19" screens are small. Just '17 inch screens' with extra space on the side (aka 19" widescreen). Also I don't sit that close to the screen (~2 feet). I actually like to lean back in my chair a lot too (3 feet?). The distance might be the reason for the difference in opinion on what is small.
 
YES!

Go mutha ****in widescreen. I use to have a 21" crt, but when I got my new comp I had to upgrade.

I eventually went with a Dell E22wfp (Got it at wal-mart, when I saw it, I took that mofo because it was $279). There is really no ghosting that "I" (keyword) can see of, viewing angles as well as colors seem good. So I'm happy. :D
 
yes
widescreen is better for everything
you won't be able to go back
 
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