Help me choose a computer monitor
July 29, 2022 10:07 AM Subscribe
So it appears that my secondary computer monitor is dying. How do I choose a new one?
I need to replace a a 24" Dell monitor. It's at least 7 years old, and has worked fine for a while, but it's been flickering, and today it's very dim (and not brightening with any adjustments). So I think it's telling me that it's ready to go to the great motherboard in the sky.
In the tradition of overthinking a plate of beans, I'm having decision paralysis; please hope me.
Dying monitor and primary monitor are both Dells. Primary monitor (still alive) is this 24" Dell 4K. I imagine that I should probably get a new 4k monitor, as I'm working on design and graphics all day. I don't want to give Jeff Bezos my money, so I'd rather buy from somewhere else (Dell directly? B&H? Best Buy? Costco? Circuit City?). I can't find any 24" Ultrasharp monitors on Dell.com - they're all larger. I could go larger, but really don't need to. Best Buy has this one that's also 27".
I find it so hard to compare specs on monitors. What are the data points I should be aware of? It needs to be compatible with a Mac, but I don't think that's much of a concern. Bonus points for a monitor that comes with a webcam - I saw that some of the Dells have 'videoconferencing' built in. This would be a plus for me, but I don't see any of those that are also 4k.
What would you buy with a budget of $400-$600? Stick with Dell? Go with another brand?
I need to replace a a 24" Dell monitor. It's at least 7 years old, and has worked fine for a while, but it's been flickering, and today it's very dim (and not brightening with any adjustments). So I think it's telling me that it's ready to go to the great motherboard in the sky.
In the tradition of overthinking a plate of beans, I'm having decision paralysis; please hope me.
Dying monitor and primary monitor are both Dells. Primary monitor (still alive) is this 24" Dell 4K. I imagine that I should probably get a new 4k monitor, as I'm working on design and graphics all day. I don't want to give Jeff Bezos my money, so I'd rather buy from somewhere else (Dell directly? B&H? Best Buy? Costco? Circuit City?). I can't find any 24" Ultrasharp monitors on Dell.com - they're all larger. I could go larger, but really don't need to. Best Buy has this one that's also 27".
I find it so hard to compare specs on monitors. What are the data points I should be aware of? It needs to be compatible with a Mac, but I don't think that's much of a concern. Bonus points for a monitor that comes with a webcam - I saw that some of the Dells have 'videoconferencing' built in. This would be a plus for me, but I don't see any of those that are also 4k.
What would you buy with a budget of $400-$600? Stick with Dell? Go with another brand?
I went from a dying Dell monitor to a 4K UHD 32" monitor by LG (model 32UN880). I got it from Costco 6 mos ago for ~$750 . Looks like it could be yours now for only $499, you lucky duck. It works perfectly with both a late model Dell laptop (Latitude 5410), and my M1 MacBook Air . It does not come with a webcam. When I was in the buying process I thought both 32" and $700+ were a bit much, but I'm not getting any younger and my eyes are not getting any better. I have been very happy with this monitor... I hope it will be my Forever Monitor LOL.
The stand is boss, has great cable management, allows swivels and tilts, all the things.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 11:30 AM on July 29, 2022
The stand is boss, has great cable management, allows swivels and tilts, all the things.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 11:30 AM on July 29, 2022
I bought a 34" ultra wide Philips 346E2CUAE monitor and it's really been mind-blowing how much better it is to have one giant monitor than two large-ish ones.
No webcam but it comes with decent speakers.
I can't really tell if it's 4k. It seems close but not precisely. It's 3440 x 1440 resolution Quad HD and something I found says 4K is 3840 x 2160. If that's true it might not work for you BUT I encourage you to consider going ultra-wide rather than keeping a dual monitor situation now that I've had a few weeks with the former arrangement.
This one also has USB-C with power delivery and a basic hub integrated into it. If you don't swap laptops like I do, you could have just the one usb-c cable connecting to it, which is added convenience.
It also has a four year warranty and is about $425 right now.
posted by crunchy potato at 11:48 AM on July 29, 2022
No webcam but it comes with decent speakers.
I can't really tell if it's 4k. It seems close but not precisely. It's 3440 x 1440 resolution Quad HD and something I found says 4K is 3840 x 2160. If that's true it might not work for you BUT I encourage you to consider going ultra-wide rather than keeping a dual monitor situation now that I've had a few weeks with the former arrangement.
This one also has USB-C with power delivery and a basic hub integrated into it. If you don't swap laptops like I do, you could have just the one usb-c cable connecting to it, which is added convenience.
It also has a four year warranty and is about $425 right now.
posted by crunchy potato at 11:48 AM on July 29, 2022
Some Dell displays are MST, which is handy for daisy-chaining multiple monitors if you use DisplayPort.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 12:22 PM on July 29, 2022
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 12:22 PM on July 29, 2022
Response by poster: I was just about to buy the refurbished model that box recommended when I compared it to Dell's non-refurbished offerings, and saw this one for a similar price, and it has speakers, which are a plus for me. So I stopped overanalyzing and got it for just $399. Plus 6 free months of Disney+. Next question: what's good on Disney+?
I'm intrigued by the MST daisy-chaining because lord knows I have too many wires on my desk, but that definitely sounds like a lot of hoping and praying that things work right (which they often do not for me).
posted by hydra77 at 2:33 PM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'm intrigued by the MST daisy-chaining because lord knows I have too many wires on my desk, but that definitely sounds like a lot of hoping and praying that things work right (which they often do not for me).
posted by hydra77 at 2:33 PM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
I had my eyes on the UltraSharp 2417 in 2020 for 180+dpi 3840x2160 in 24" but it was 2020 and they quickly became unavailable. I bought LG 24UD58 instead, still available, but without HDR-type range of dark to light.
posted by k3ninho at 3:55 PM on July 29, 2022
posted by k3ninho at 3:55 PM on July 29, 2022
FWIW, the LG mentioned above does have speakers and they def do the job
posted by armoir from antproof case at 7:12 PM on July 29, 2022
posted by armoir from antproof case at 7:12 PM on July 29, 2022
Oops, just noticed your purchase. Congratulations!!!
posted by armoir from antproof case at 7:13 PM on July 29, 2022
posted by armoir from antproof case at 7:13 PM on July 29, 2022
All of my monitors come from dumpsters and free piles.
If you can't wait for one to turn up, try a thrift store or see if there's a computer reuse/recycling place near you. That'll limit your options AND the amount of stuff going into the landfill.
posted by sibilatorix at 3:51 PM on July 30, 2022
If you can't wait for one to turn up, try a thrift store or see if there's a computer reuse/recycling place near you. That'll limit your options AND the amount of stuff going into the landfill.
posted by sibilatorix at 3:51 PM on July 30, 2022
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posted by box at 11:08 AM on July 29, 2022