Mrs. Mecomber's Scrapbook

I am very, VERY fussy about my computer monitors. For one, I spend all day in fron the of computer. Two, I have sensitive eyesight, and dim or unclear monitors cause strain and pain. I had an HP Pavilion laptop (well, I still have it) with a failing monitor and I would go to bed with SUCH eye pain after sitting in front of it all day. So I like my monitors big and I like them very bright and clear. In my younger years, I really didn’t care what kind of monitor I had (I was just so happy to have a computer!!), but now I am quite fussy. I will pay a little extra for the uograded, higher-end “Harley parts” monitor than a cheaper, name-brand monitor. I don’t know if it’s just old age or refining tastes!

Well, anyway, I was very happy with my Toshiba laptop monitor until my daughter got an HP laptop. The HP monitor is SO much nicer! It’s clearer and brighter. I am not too crazy about HP computers, but I was pretty impressed with their monitors. So I decided to check them out at various stores, to see if HP really measured up.

They do! I’ve been keeping my eye on monitors and quality for several months (more like a year now). I’ve seen the Acer, Dell, Gateway, Westinghouse, HP, and Samsung brands. I’ve been to various computer stores, read online reviews, and surfed the Net for specs. Here’s what I found:

HP monitors are consistently high quality. And they aren’t paying me to say that (although I wish they were). They are vivid, crystal-clear, and although they cost more than the “generic” models, I think you get a great deal for your dollars. The HPs often have a glass-like surface. It’s glossy and extremely clear. The Dells and Acers I saw were dull in comparison.

As far as monitors go, there are some qualification you should look for. Most monitors worth their weight in salt have a good refresh rate, 5 milliseconds or so. 5ms is as high as I would go; like I said, I’m fussy. Some monitors have 8 milliseconds and that’s OK if you are not fussy. But once you get in the 10ms or higher, you’re going to have a lower response rate. If you view a lot of videos or do gamng, you really want a 5. I’ve even seen some at 2, which is very good (the one I saw at 2ms was an HP one).

Another important thing to consider is contrast ratio. To me, something like 300:1 or 500:1 is excellent. But you can still get something with 1000:1 and still do well.

LCD monitors now come with speakers, I see. You can probably guess that the speakers aren’t anything to write home about; after all, speakers are extra. The HP monitors get low marks for their speaker quality (I think almost all LCDs do??), but the quality is OK if you’re doing everyday computing. If you want to fill your room with the chordant swells of Beethoven, use your regular speakers. A monitor speaker just isn’t going to cut it.

Finally, size is a big issue when choosing monitors. In my opinion, anything smaller than 17″ isn’t worth getting. LCD monitors re just gorgeous– why get a mini one?? I have a 19″ and I just love it. A 22″ would be nice, too, but anything larger then 22″ is too large, in my opinion. I’ve seen the 24″ and I just can’t imagine sitting in front of it all day– it would be like watching tennis– back and forth, back and forth. It’s probably good for work, when you can use all that real estate for a billion open windows… but a 17″ to 19″ is just right for a personal computer, I think. By the way, here’s a little reminder– if you have a computer desk with immovable shelving, measure the inside of the space and take it with you to the store. This will prevent you from accidentally getting a great, but huge, monitor that won’t fit in your desk!

I hope this information helps somewhat, should you find yourself looking for a new monitor. We sure have come a long way with them! I couldn’t ever imagine going back to a Cathode-Ray-Tuibe monitor!