New monitor

neilmcl

I use an external monitor with my laptop at home but my ancient Dell monitor has given up the ghost. Can anyone recommend a half decent, but cheap monitor for a replacement. It doesn't have to be huge, 21.5", full hd is fine.

A.Penny.Saved

What do you use it for most? ie Gaming, Movies, Office stuff and Internet browsing, Photo editing?
What connections do you need? HDMI, Displayport, VGA, DVI?
https://www.tftcentral.co.uk/selector.htm
That selector does not list any screens below 23.5".

Specific requirements such as Gaming will rule out certain screen types and things like blurring. I despise blurring and cannot tolerate it even when Internet browsing which shows it up something terrible with my preferred colour choices ie easy on the eyes. I returned a VA panel to Amazon which had terrible blurring, even the best show some blurring with certain colour transitions. VA never again for me.

The surface coating will dictate what conditions that you can use it in and how images appear on the screen. People tend to have a preference and tend to stick to it. Glossy coatings will reflect light.

Some of the DELL monitors are pretty decent so any cheap monitor might seem worse. Getting it from Amazon might be a good idea so that you can return it without question if it does not meet what you wanted. Some screens can have terrible back light bleed. Some IPS panels have a glow to them that some people dislike. VA type panels have very good contrast ~3000:1 and very good black levels, compared with 1000:1 with IPS and TN panels but they blur like crazy and I will not tolerate them. TN panels can give higher refresh rates ie 144Hz but the colours are poor and vertically have relatively poor viewing angles.

Then there is dead pixels.......

I have outlines some of the things to be aware of and remember that this is the primary way that you interact with your computer so should not be overlooked or underestimated IMO. Spend some time and choose wisely. Your eyes will thank you or complain with headaches and eye strain.

If you want to take pot luck then.......

I entered a few things into that selector and it came up with a Dell U2417H. It 's a good screen with some good reviews but it might be above your budget.

debitcardmayhem

Depends on whether you want TN or IPS , I would go for IPS everytime this is not a recommendation but it gives you an idea https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-VZ249HE-Monitor-Ultra-Slim-Certified/dp/B07281PZWK/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2VJ6SGZICN1DM&keywords=ips+monitor&qid=1573242184&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&sprefix=ips+monitor%2Caps%2C229&sr=8-2


There is a 21.5 one strangely more expensive than the 24"

neilmcl

I just need it for office stuff and general browsing.

A.Penny.Saved

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews.htm
https://pcmonitors.info/reviews/
https://www.prad.de/

BTW A low price does not give anyone any idea of how much you are willing to pay. £5000 might be a low price for a millionaire whereas £20 might be a lowish price for a poor person. Many 24" are around the £100 mark but there are still many choices of panel type and quality at that price. Buying a PC monitor is a lottery because you do not know what you are going to get. Despite reviews saying it is excellent an individual monitor quality maybe a lot lower than that.

Also Black Friday is towards the end of this month so it might be worth waiting for sales after you decide on a monitor or monitors.

You still have not answered my question. What connections does it need to have to support your laptop? Any recommendations are pointless without that information.

neilmcl

£100 and below, VGA, hdmi or Displayport.

EveryWhere

neilmcl wrote: »

£100 and below, VGA, hdmi or Displayport.

I would go for nothing less than 24".

You can obtain a basic 27" IPS monitor for £120. https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/lenovo-thinkvision-s27i-10-led-monitor-27-27-viewable-1920-x-1080-f-61c7kat1uk/version.asp

Always better to be able to sit further back from the screen. Better for your eyes and posture.

So if £100 is your budget, go for 24" as a minimum.

GDB2222

When my Dell screen went bang quite loudly, I opened it up and found that the PSU board had blown. The board had a part number on it, and I used that to find a replacement board for £10 on eBay. That was a couple of years ago, and it’s been working perfectly since I fitted the new board.

neilmcl

Is this any good - https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/philips-243v7qjabf-238-inch-ips-full-hd-monitor-with-speakers-hdmi-vga-black-7999-delivered-at-amazon-3324410

I know you can get the 27" version for around £100 but tbh I just don't want or need a monitor that size, sorry.

GDB2222

That looks good.

cajef

Having had Dell monitors in the past I bought one of these recently, very pleased with it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-SE2219H-21-5-LED-backlit-Monitor/dp/B07HS74H5P/ref=sr_1_3?crid=98ASLWU8OKAA&keywords=dell+monitor&qid=1573300539&sprefix=Dell+m%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-3