I have just bought a new i5 Windows 8 Zoostorm Desktop from the Argos eBay shop (£250) to replace my ancient and dieing unit which must be at least 8 years old and it certainly flies in comparison.
I currently have an even older 4:3 LCD monitor which seems to function ok with the new unit but the little voice inside my head is shouting that I also ought to be replacing it for a super duper new one.
Should I listen and if I did am I likely to notice any benefit with a widescreen LED one ?
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Two benefits.
More room to work, so you can very easily switch between a couple of windows without sacrificing size.
Much better to watch videos on, should you do such a thing. (I do).
I have a 32" screen and on the occasions I use someone else's normal size screen I find it very frustrating.
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>> I currently have an even older 4:3 LCD monitor which seems to function ok
I replaced my failed 4:3 monitor last year for a 19" 16:9 one. A relatively cheap Philips one (£75) delivered from ebuyer. Far better the 4:3 it replaced. Colours are more vivid for starters. Having stared at the 4:3 monitor for a number of years I hadn't noticed the slow deterioration of the screen resolution and colours.
Replacement monitors these days are generally inexpensive and it makes sense to change it.
I just need to persuade my employer to replace my aging 17" 4:3 monitor at work as well.
Last edited by: VxFan on Fri 28 Mar 14 at 13:56
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>> Should I listen and if I did am I likely to notice any benefit with
>> a widescreen LED one ?
Yes, do it. Whats the point at having a new pc with greater graphical abilities, and then peering at it through a goldfish bowl.
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I tend to recommend 21.5" for new desktops, it makes a big difference to what you can get done. Personally on my main machine I use a 28" but for general web browsing 21.5" is fine. Just avoid the very cheap ones as the contrast is very poor.
Even in my workshop all the monitors are at least 21.5", although I do have a 19" as a spare if I have a flood of desktops.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Fri 28 Mar 14 at 14:24
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If you have the room, keep the old one and put a new one on as well.
Working with two monitors makes everything a whole heap better in my view (in fact I'm currently working with three). I hate having to go back to a single monitor. Things like leaving your email open on one screen, or working on two documents at once and so on is way better than just one, even if it's wide screen.
But as I say, you need the real estate to do it.
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oooh - like this idea especially when working from home. How do you connect two monitors to the same Desktop ?
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Depends on the PC, many fairly basic machines have a displayport connection or similar.
How to do dual monitors in Win 7 for example:-
support.microsoft.com/kb/976064
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If you have two video cards already, sorted.
Or if you have a spare slot in the PC, you can pick up a second cheapy video card.
Or if you prefer, then you can get a USB to video box (I'm using one). It's not much cop for games or anything that needs a high frame rate on that monitor, but for normal use such as web browsing or whatever, works fine.
I have two video cards and a USB device for three monitors, the central one of which is widescreen. I'm displaying Excel on the left, my web browser in the middle and my email on the right, all maximised of course.
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Wont a new Graphics card conflict with or just replace the existing one ?
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They will all run separately, but make sure your power supply can handle it. Generally a cheap £20 will be fine and won't draw too much power.
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You might have to do some minor poking about but whenever I've added a second card it just worked.
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>> Wont a new Graphics card conflict with or just replace the existing one ?
>>
You might well not need another graphics card, many machines these days have HDMI and/or Displayport output on the motherboard as well as VGA.
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>> I tend to recommend 21.5" for new desktops, it makes a big difference to what
>> you can get done. Personally on my main machine I use a 28" but for
>> general web browsing 21.5" is fine. Just avoid the very cheap ones as the contrast
>> is very poor.
>>
Agreed, unless all you use a PC for is watching videos I'd go for at least that size: my very nice Dell 23" widescreen is the same vertical height as my 17" 4:3 monitor. When I've got the room I'll set the old 17 incher up in extended desktop mode.
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Presumably you are going for a 'full-HD' 1920x1080 resolution display? Most 21.5" monitors are, but some are less (eg. 1680x1050).
I would go for a 24" at that resolution - you can pick one up for £120:
www.ebuyer.com/store/Computer/cat/Monitors/subcat/24%22-Monitors
Last edited by: Focusless on Fri 28 Mar 14 at 15:46
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My four-year-old Dell meets this standard...
What's more, it's four years old.
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>> My four-year-old Dell meets this standard...
>> What's more, it's four years old.
Which is why I'd want a QHD 24"
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If the PC is using inbuilt graphics (no external/extra video card) then how many monitors are supported depends on the motherboard. The motherboard in my PC has output for HDMI, DVI, VGA and Display Port. I'd have to check how many of those will work at the same time - I'd assume a few would.
But that's disabled on mine as I have a discrete card (Nvidia GTX 660) which has a number of outputs too and supports multiple monitors.... so if I reenabled the inbuilt card as well I'm sure I could have quite a few monitors :-)
Back to the original question, I'd recommend a new monitor if you've got a 4x3 ratio one of that age. Maybe not go higher than a 22" one for general use. And unless you pay a lot extra, most 21.5" to 27" monitors are all going to offer full HD 1920x1080 (some will be 1920x1200). One reason I hold off getting a new monitor for my PC.... I want higher resolution but don't want to pay silly money. Ideally I'd like a QHD (2560x1440) 24" monitor at a reasonable price.
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Thanks Guys - thats a pretty conclusive YES and just what i wanted to hear :-)
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Another vote for multiple monitors- makes work and play sooo much easier!
I have been known to watch multiple video streams and have a couple of docs open at the same time.
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This looks pretty good if you've got the room for it:-
tinyurl.com/nefqvey
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...and quite a few 24"-ers under £120 with reviews in the ebuyer link above.
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New Desktop - new monitor ? - No FM2R
