Help, buying new monitor

[kmatthews24]

im currently in the market for a new monitor especially with the holiday deals here i am thinking i could find a good monitor for a decent price.

i use my computer mainly for email,surfing,streaming videos,and games.

my budget is in the vicinity of $150 canadian and looking for a monitor 20" and up.

here are a few that caught my eye so far, any input would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=69,70,330,3735&webid=916625&affixedcode=WW

http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=69,70,330,4139&webid=814862&affixedcode=WW

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product...spx?path=f77f2c907477e87787a2ad068a207385en02

im currently leaning towards the asus because of the integrated speakers, size and a 3 year warranty for the price but am not very familiar with asus monitors does anyone have experience with asus brand?

 

[brucethetech]

for what you're looking to spend and use it for, a monitor is a monitor. be aware that a screen too large may require a beefier video card than you have in your PC. youre probably safe with a 20". Dont get too caught up in brand but if 2 comparable models are priced the same definately go with the warranty. more than likely you will never use it but the option is nice.

 

[Route44]

I don't know about brucethetech but the links did not work for me. They requested a Canadian postal code.

Anyway, tell us about the video card you will be using.

 

[brucethetech]

i didnt even click the links.

 

[brucethetech]

fyi I didnt bother looking at the specific monitor because for casual use there isnt enough difference in the $150 models to advise unless once is marked way down. having said that I cant click either but I see that there is samsung that Ive use the 22" model until it broke

 

[kmatthews24]

NVIDIA GeForce 7025 / NVIDIA nForce 630a i didnt realize a weak vid card was a factor i know mine isnt very strong i listed the actual names of the monitors below so you can find them in google.

Samsung SyncMaster 21.5" LCD Monitor

HP X22LED 21.5" LED Monitor

Asus VH242H 23.6" LCD Monitor

these are just the ones im considering so far i am open to any suggestions.

 

[kmatthews24]

i hate to rush this but most shops are already coming off their deals if i could get a response soon that would be awesome.

 

[captaincranky]

Just for the record here, the Video card is NOT an issue, provided that;

(1) you intend on using a single monitor. Even today's integrated graphics, (Intel Core "i" & latest AMD) will serve for Blu-Ray playback, or other type of Hi-Def content, up to 1920 X 1080P @60Hz If this much capability is not present, then a mid line, (well under $100.00), add in card will suffice.

and (2) You are not interested in high performance gaming.

These are all TN panels. I would recommend IPS at twice the price. However, Asus screens get mostly good reviews, as do Samsung, and Hewlett Packard. With playing field as it is, I would buy the largest screen. However, I would also consider the warranty period as a factor, but not an overriding factor.

The monitor I have that I am most thrilled with is an HP, but it's also $400.00, and IPS tech. I have a 22" Samsung that I';m rather ambivalent towards, it's a TN panel, and I've never been able to get acceptable color balance from it. With that said, I have a critical eye, and I'm more interested in imaging work, than anything like gaming.

If you insist on having someone tell you directly what to buy, I'm not your guy. If you'd like someone to tell you what to look for, I'm a bit better suited to that.

 

[kmatthews24]

thanks cranky that's exactly what i wanted to hear.