Advice on monitor and/or card

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jim Bailey
  • Start date Start date
J

Jim Bailey

Perhaps the wrong group, but this could end up with a discussion on ATI
cards anyway. I'm not hardware savy and need some advice. I have been trying
to pick up as much as I can on the net, reading, but still need real expert
advice.

Current hardware is a Dell Dimension 2400 celeron 2.4 Ghz 1Gb memory. Using
the On board video and sound. 19" tube monitor at 1024 x 768 (51 year old
eyes !), but I notice I also have available: 1152x64, 1280x720, 1280x768,
1280x1024, 1600x900. I run developer tools like VS.NET, SQL Enterprise
Manager etc mostly, for apps - no gaming.

I would like a larger monitor - maybe 23-26 ", and Cable TV capability (need
a break from work sometimes). While I'd love to see the additional screen
size translate into additional desktop work area, that doesnt really seem to
be the case in what happens. I guess you'd need much higher resolution on
the larger screen for that to happen.

Went over to Dell direct and looked at their 26" and 23" LCD TV, then went
to COMP usa and looked at the 19" Sony LCD TV/Monitor (around $850) and the
Apple Cinema. The Sony (Xbrite) is really cool - seems to do everything I
want but I'm still at 19" with that. When the guy said it was a bit more
work to hook up the Apple to a PC (and pricey too) I left that alone
(although it sure is pretty). When the DELL guy showed me the 26" at
1280x768, I didn't feel like I was gaining any 'real estate' with the larger
screen and it got a bit 'grainy' looking as a monitor.

Should I assume there simply isn't a way to easily do TV and PC Monitor that
large, and do a really good job with each ?

Thanks a lot for any advice and education.

jim
 
Jim said:
Perhaps the wrong group, but this could end up with a discussion on ATI
cards anyway. I'm not hardware savy and need some advice. I have been trying
to pick up as much as I can on the net, reading, but still need real expert
advice.

Current hardware is a Dell Dimension 2400 celeron 2.4 Ghz 1Gb memory. Using
the On board video and sound. 19" tube monitor at 1024 x 768 (51 year old
eyes !), but I notice I also have available: 1152x64, 1280x720, 1280x768,
1280x1024, 1600x900. I run developer tools like VS.NET, SQL Enterprise
Manager etc mostly, for apps - no gaming.

I would like a larger monitor - maybe 23-26 ", and Cable TV capability (need
a break from work sometimes). While I'd love to see the additional screen
size translate into additional desktop work area, that doesnt really seem to
be the case in what happens. I guess you'd need much higher resolution on
the larger screen for that to happen.

Went over to Dell direct and looked at their 26" and 23" LCD TV, then went
to COMP usa and looked at the 19" Sony LCD TV/Monitor (around $850) and the
Apple Cinema. The Sony (Xbrite) is really cool - seems to do everything I
want but I'm still at 19" with that. When the guy said it was a bit more
work to hook up the Apple to a PC (and pricey too) I left that alone
(although it sure is pretty). When the DELL guy showed me the 26" at
1280x768, I didn't feel like I was gaining any 'real estate' with the larger
screen and it got a bit 'grainy' looking as a monitor.

Should I assume there simply isn't a way to easily do TV and PC Monitor that
large, and do a really good job with each ?

Thanks a lot for any advice and education.

jim
Click to expand...
You could consider a graphics card with dual outputs (even budget models
nowadays offer this), and then just hook up a second monitor to your
system. I'm sure this would be the ideal solution.
 
Jim said:
Perhaps the wrong group, but this could end up with a discussion on ATI
cards anyway. I'm not hardware savy and need some advice. I have been trying
to pick up as much as I can on the net, reading, but still need real expert
advice.

Current hardware is a Dell Dimension 2400 celeron 2.4 Ghz 1Gb memory. Using
the On board video and sound. 19" tube monitor at 1024 x 768 (51 year old
eyes !), but I notice I also have available: 1152x64, 1280x720, 1280x768,
1280x1024, 1600x900. I run developer tools like VS.NET, SQL Enterprise
Manager etc mostly, for apps - no gaming.

I would like a larger monitor - maybe 23-26 ", and Cable TV capability (need
a break from work sometimes). While I'd love to see the additional screen
size translate into additional desktop work area, that doesnt really seem to
be the case in what happens. I guess you'd need much higher resolution on
the larger screen for that to happen.

Went over to Dell direct and looked at their 26" and 23" LCD TV, then went
to COMP usa and looked at the 19" Sony LCD TV/Monitor (around $850) and the
Apple Cinema. The Sony (Xbrite) is really cool - seems to do everything I
want but I'm still at 19" with that. When the guy said it was a bit more
work to hook up the Apple to a PC (and pricey too) I left that alone
(although it sure is pretty). When the DELL guy showed me the 26" at
1280x768, I didn't feel like I was gaining any 'real estate' with the larger
screen and it got a bit 'grainy' looking as a monitor.

Should I assume there simply isn't a way to easily do TV and PC Monitor that
large, and do a really good job with each ?

Thanks a lot for any advice and education.

jim
Click to expand...
I would stick with monitor over TV, I still prefer CRT over almost
any LCD anyway, and TV are way too grainey up close. But a CRT that
large may cost some bucks, however I did find an old IBM with a
trinitron tube 20 inch for 60 bucks, DVD looked awesome on it, but it
was fixed frequency. I am just not too much on LCD, colors can look
washed out, no depth, has a sterile look to it, blah. Viewsonic makes a
decent one, good luck dude.
 
Jim Bailey said:
Perhaps the wrong group, but this could end up with a discussion on ATI
cards anyway. I'm not hardware savy and need some advice. I have been
trying
to pick up as much as I can on the net, reading, but still need real
expert
advice.

Current hardware is a Dell Dimension 2400 celeron 2.4 Ghz 1Gb memory.
Using
the On board video and sound. 19" tube monitor at 1024 x 768 (51 year old
eyes !), but I notice I also have available: 1152x64, 1280x720, 1280x768,
1280x1024, 1600x900. I run developer tools like VS.NET, SQL Enterprise
Manager etc mostly, for apps - no gaming.

I would like a larger monitor - maybe 23-26 ", and Cable TV capability
(need
a break from work sometimes). While I'd love to see the additional screen
size translate into additional desktop work area, that doesnt really seem
to
be the case in what happens. I guess you'd need much higher resolution on
the larger screen for that to happen.

Went over to Dell direct and looked at their 26" and 23" LCD TV, then went
to COMP usa and looked at the 19" Sony LCD TV/Monitor (around $850) and
the
Apple Cinema. The Sony (Xbrite) is really cool - seems to do everything I
want but I'm still at 19" with that. When the guy said it was a bit more
work to hook up the Apple to a PC (and pricey too) I left that alone
(although it sure is pretty). When the DELL guy showed me the 26" at
1280x768, I didn't feel like I was gaining any 'real estate' with the
larger
screen and it got a bit 'grainy' looking as a monitor.

Should I assume there simply isn't a way to easily do TV and PC Monitor
that
large, and do a really good job with each ?

Thanks a lot for any advice and education.

jim
Click to expand...
For the computer stuff, a single large monitor wouldn't do for me. I do
have a 26" widescreen HD LCD TV in the living room. I have two 19" LCD flat
panel displays on my computer. I LIKE this arrangement. Get tired of
working, put a movie on. Watch that on one monitor and keep working on the
other one :)
Get two 21" Samsung 214T monitors and put em side by side. I don't think
you'll gripe about the real estate problem any more :) That's a very good
display too.
McG.
 
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