Hi All
I've ordered my system (spec below) but I didn't order a monitor as I didn't like the look of the ones currently available from pcspecialist (sorry, guys).
I don't buy monitors very often
and wouldn't claim to be either up to date or knowledgeable. So, would be interested in any recommendations.
I'm not really a gamer, but I do some video editing (HD) and would expect to be watching some films in Blu-ray. I do some still photography also. This machine will also be my general purpose workhorse for email, web browsing, accounts, family history, some web development, Excel VB applications etc etc.
So, here's what I think I need. Multiple HDMI inputs with HDCP support. I will probably attach non-HDMI kit occasionally, so DVI/VGA would be useful but not essential (I do have a spare monitor). I've got separate speakers so I'd prefer my monitor not to have those. Ditto webcam. Obviously I need full HD resolution and genuine widescreen. In view of the fact I have a GTX480 I reckon I should be looking for an IPS monitor with 2ms speed, even if I don't game. It would be nice to have something that could be wall mounted (VESA), but I would live without. But in the latter case I'd prefer a small footprint so as not to cover up any more of my desk than I have to and to get the monitor far enough back to allow me to get the benefit from a 22/23/24 inch screen. If not wall mounted then some degree of adjustability would be good, but I don't especially need it to rotate. Tilt is essential and height adjustment would be a bonus. I think that LED is a better choice than LCD these days? Reliability and longevity are essential, but of course the main thing is that I get a good image - bright, clear, no ghosting. I will be sitting fairly straight on, so 180 degree viewing angles are less important. Accuracy of colours important but does not have to be 100%. Budget is ca. £200-£250.
Looking around, I haven't yet found anything that leaps out at me. My preference right now is an LG W2486L but I see some reviewers find the stand very flimsy and the colour accuracy poor.
As I say, would be interested in any recommendations.
Thanks in antiicpation and apologies for the long post.
Simon
COOLERMASTER COSMOS 1000 SILVER SILENT CASE (£159)
Intel® Core?i7 Processor Extreme Edition i7-980X (3.33GHz) 6.4GTs/12MB
ASUS® RAMPAGE III EXTREME: 3-Way SLI & CrossFireX, SATA 6.0GB/s, USB 3.0
12GB SAMSUNG DDR3 TRI-DDR3 1333MHz (3 x 4GB)
1536MB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX480 GDDR5 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11
240GB OCZ VERTEX 2 SATA II 2.5" SSD (upto 285MB/sR | 275MB/sW)
600GB WD VELOCIRAPTOR® SATA 6-Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (10,000rpm)
600GB WD VELOCIRAPTOR® SATA 6-Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (10,000rpm)
600GB WD VELOCIRAPTOR® SATA 6-Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (10,000rpm)
10x BLU-RAY RE-WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW (£99)
10x BLU-RAY RE-WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW (£99)
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)
CORSAIR 1000W MODULAR PSU (HX1000) 80+ ULTRA QUIET (£175)
COOLIT ECO A.L.C (ADVANCED LIQUID COOLER) (£62)
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
1 x IEEE 1394a FIREWIRE PORT ONBOARD
Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£148)
Microsoft® Office Pro 2010 (Incl Disc & 1 License for 2 devices) (£339)
MICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS - Free Basic Protection
LOGITECH Z-5500 Digital 5.1 THX-certified digital surround (£252)
Logitech® Webcam Pro 9000 - 2.0Mp, AutoFocus and Carl Zeiss Optics (£55)
Logitech® ClearChat PC Wireless? Headset High-performance & wireless (£84)
I've ordered my system (spec below) but I didn't order a monitor as I didn't like the look of the ones currently available from pcspecialist (sorry, guys).
I don't buy monitors very often
and wouldn't claim to be either up to date or knowledgeable. So, would be interested in any recommendations.I'm not really a gamer, but I do some video editing (HD) and would expect to be watching some films in Blu-ray. I do some still photography also. This machine will also be my general purpose workhorse for email, web browsing, accounts, family history, some web development, Excel VB applications etc etc.
So, here's what I think I need. Multiple HDMI inputs with HDCP support. I will probably attach non-HDMI kit occasionally, so DVI/VGA would be useful but not essential (I do have a spare monitor). I've got separate speakers so I'd prefer my monitor not to have those. Ditto webcam. Obviously I need full HD resolution and genuine widescreen. In view of the fact I have a GTX480 I reckon I should be looking for an IPS monitor with 2ms speed, even if I don't game. It would be nice to have something that could be wall mounted (VESA), but I would live without. But in the latter case I'd prefer a small footprint so as not to cover up any more of my desk than I have to and to get the monitor far enough back to allow me to get the benefit from a 22/23/24 inch screen. If not wall mounted then some degree of adjustability would be good, but I don't especially need it to rotate. Tilt is essential and height adjustment would be a bonus. I think that LED is a better choice than LCD these days? Reliability and longevity are essential, but of course the main thing is that I get a good image - bright, clear, no ghosting. I will be sitting fairly straight on, so 180 degree viewing angles are less important. Accuracy of colours important but does not have to be 100%. Budget is ca. £200-£250.
Looking around, I haven't yet found anything that leaps out at me. My preference right now is an LG W2486L but I see some reviewers find the stand very flimsy and the colour accuracy poor.
As I say, would be interested in any recommendations.
Thanks in antiicpation and apologies for the long post.
Simon
COOLERMASTER COSMOS 1000 SILVER SILENT CASE (£159)
Intel® Core?i7 Processor Extreme Edition i7-980X (3.33GHz) 6.4GTs/12MB
ASUS® RAMPAGE III EXTREME: 3-Way SLI & CrossFireX, SATA 6.0GB/s, USB 3.0
12GB SAMSUNG DDR3 TRI-DDR3 1333MHz (3 x 4GB)
1536MB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX480 GDDR5 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11
240GB OCZ VERTEX 2 SATA II 2.5" SSD (upto 285MB/sR | 275MB/sW)
600GB WD VELOCIRAPTOR® SATA 6-Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (10,000rpm)
600GB WD VELOCIRAPTOR® SATA 6-Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (10,000rpm)
600GB WD VELOCIRAPTOR® SATA 6-Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (10,000rpm)
10x BLU-RAY RE-WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW (£99)
10x BLU-RAY RE-WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW (£99)
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)
CORSAIR 1000W MODULAR PSU (HX1000) 80+ ULTRA QUIET (£175)
COOLIT ECO A.L.C (ADVANCED LIQUID COOLER) (£62)
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
1 x IEEE 1394a FIREWIRE PORT ONBOARD
Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£148)
Microsoft® Office Pro 2010 (Incl Disc & 1 License for 2 devices) (£339)
MICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS - Free Basic Protection
LOGITECH Z-5500 Digital 5.1 THX-certified digital surround (£252)
Logitech® Webcam Pro 9000 - 2.0Mp, AutoFocus and Carl Zeiss Optics (£55)
Logitech® ClearChat PC Wireless? Headset High-performance & wireless (£84)
