We'll I've gotten a new job as a software engineer (junior but w/e).
I am currently working from home, and if things go well and the plan
stays as it is I'll be given an allowance to help set up my "office" at home.
I have the i7 machine, which is plenty fast for me and will be just fine to go
ahead and perform the development on. Most of the stuff will be done on a
VM that I VPN into anyways. The point of this post is that I am looking to upgrade
my monitor situation.
I WAS using my 47" Sony Bravia HDTV as a monitor before I moved out of my parents house
in January. It's now my living room television and there is no easy way to use it for my needs.
I'm currently working with a gateway FPD1810 which is a very lame 4:3 18" monitor. Yes,
you read that right... 18". At any rate it was given to me, because it's damaged and has
dark splotches on the screen as well as an annoying problem that makes it freak out if you turn
the brightness up too much.
I'm thinking I want to go dual monitor? Maybe two monitors in the 24" range, although I'm not
entirely sure. The BIGGEST I want to go is 27" each, but I also don't want to blow a lot of cash
on just the monitors as I'd like to get a nice desk and a very good chair since I'll be sitting it in
quite a lot.
Any very good recommendations in the 23-24" range? I'd like to keep the cost down, say to around
$100-$150 each and I realize to do that I may have to wait for sales or promotions but if say going
as high as $200 each would really be worth it I might want to do that.
Pros/Cons of two monitors vs one really big monitor? Which setup would you go with and why?
Monitors
Moderator: victimizati0n
Re: Monitors
Thanks.
I don't really watch a lot of TV shows or movies on my computer, and if I
do then I just run the HDMI cable to my 46" Sony Bravia HDTV.
I mostly am considering this setup for gaming, and for being able to multi
task while working from home. So that I can have one "space" free to google
stuff while I have the other "space" occupied with work or games or whatever.
Newegg has some really good deals on 23" and 27" monitors. They have an
ASUS VN248H-P for $135 after $20 MIR which I feel is a pretty good deal
on a 24" 5ms IPS panel with HDMI/MHL and VGA connectors.
No DVI isn't really a con as there are adapters available, and most computers
that have DVI also feature a VGA or an HDMI. My card has HDMI.
I may pick up two of the VN248H-P's and I'll also shop around to see if I can find
a good price on the screen you linked.
I don't really watch a lot of TV shows or movies on my computer, and if I
do then I just run the HDMI cable to my 46" Sony Bravia HDTV.
I mostly am considering this setup for gaming, and for being able to multi
task while working from home. So that I can have one "space" free to google
stuff while I have the other "space" occupied with work or games or whatever.
Newegg has some really good deals on 23" and 27" monitors. They have an
ASUS VN248H-P for $135 after $20 MIR which I feel is a pretty good deal
on a 24" 5ms IPS panel with HDMI/MHL and VGA connectors.
No DVI isn't really a con as there are adapters available, and most computers
that have DVI also feature a VGA or an HDMI. My card has HDMI.
I may pick up two of the VN248H-P's and I'll also shop around to see if I can find
a good price on the screen you linked.
Re: Monitors
I was just thinking of that sale for the VN248H-P (which the rebate allows the purchase of 2 
) when I saw this thread. Go for that one if you haven't already.
Congrats on the new job! I too found a new job and moved back to silicon valley (from San Diego).
) when I saw this thread. Go for that one if you haven't already.Congrats on the new job! I too found a new job and moved back to silicon valley (from San Diego).
For computers, buying cheaply and often will only leave you constantly in a world of shit.
Re: Monitors
I think I am going to pull the trigger now on a pair of the VN248H-P's for $135 each.
It really does seem like a great deal on a very good monitor. From the reviews I've
read, the biggest problems are some backlight bleeding which are only visible on
computer posting. According to the reviewer, once the screen is filled with colors
you can't really see it. The next problem is the flimsy stand, but I'll probably be buying
a dual monitor stand anyways. The last problem is lack of a DVI connector, but I see that
as no big deal... adapters are available.
Seems like a good deal to me, a pair of these on sale is just about what you'd pay for a single
decent quality 24" IPS panel to begin with.
It really does seem like a great deal on a very good monitor. From the reviews I've
read, the biggest problems are some backlight bleeding which are only visible on
computer posting. According to the reviewer, once the screen is filled with colors
you can't really see it. The next problem is the flimsy stand, but I'll probably be buying
a dual monitor stand anyways. The last problem is lack of a DVI connector, but I see that
as no big deal... adapters are available.
Seems like a good deal to me, a pair of these on sale is just about what you'd pay for a single
decent quality 24" IPS panel to begin with.
Re: Monitors
Bought two of the NN248H-P's last night and ordered a lorell high back executive chair
from amazon. The reviews state that it's a VERY good chair for $150, and is in the
tiers with chairs that easily cost two or three times as much.
Supposed to easily accommodate several hours of sitting and hold up very well.
Gonna pick up a few more items as well, such as a proper (and much larger) desk,
speakers and maybe even upgrade my hardware a bit if they give the $1000-$1200
for upgrades.
Stuff should be here thursday, I can't wait to try out the monitor!
from amazon. The reviews state that it's a VERY good chair for $150, and is in the
tiers with chairs that easily cost two or three times as much.
Supposed to easily accommodate several hours of sitting and hold up very well.
Gonna pick up a few more items as well, such as a proper (and much larger) desk,
speakers and maybe even upgrade my hardware a bit if they give the $1000-$1200
for upgrades.
Stuff should be here thursday, I can't wait to try out the monitor!
Re: Monitors
Got my chair and speakers, monitor should be here tomorrow.
What I forgot was that my card, a HIS Radeon 5870 only has one HDMI port.
It has two DVI ports though, maybe I'll just drive the monitors through those.
IIRC it's exactly the same thing, minus the capability for audio.
Speakers are nice for a $30 set, Logitech Z200's. I got them in white.
Very good sound, nice clarity and quality. A lot of bang for your buck in a $30
set.
Cant wait to get the monitors in.
What I forgot was that my card, a HIS Radeon 5870 only has one HDMI port.
It has two DVI ports though, maybe I'll just drive the monitors through those.
IIRC it's exactly the same thing, minus the capability for audio.
Speakers are nice for a $30 set, Logitech Z200's. I got them in white.
Very good sound, nice clarity and quality. A lot of bang for your buck in a $30
set.
Cant wait to get the monitors in.
Re: Monitors
Got my chair and speakers, monitor should be here tomorrow.
What I forgot was that my card, a HIS Radeon 5870 only has one HDMI port.
It has two DVI ports though, maybe I'll just drive the monitors through those.
IIRC it's exactly the same thing, minus the capability for audio.
Speakers are nice for a $30 set, Logitech Z200's. I got them in white.
Very good sound, nice clarity and quality. A lot of bang for your buck in a $30
set.
Cant wait to get the monitors in.
What I forgot was that my card, a HIS Radeon 5870 only has one HDMI port.
It has two DVI ports though, maybe I'll just drive the monitors through those.
IIRC it's exactly the same thing, minus the capability for audio.
Speakers are nice for a $30 set, Logitech Z200's. I got them in white.
Very good sound, nice clarity and quality. A lot of bang for your buck in a $30
set.
Cant wait to get the monitors in.
Re: Monitors
Monitors are VERY nice. I'm sure they need calibrated, which I had found some great sites with in depth coverage
of how to get a pretty professional calibration without having to buy anything and for the life of me I can't find
the sites any more.
At any rate, they look very good and work well in a dual monitor setup. They come supplied with DVI to HDMI
cables so no worries in using my current graphics card. I did have one small issue with one of the monitors
occasionally flickering, but it since has seemed to go away on its own? I would think if anything, it would be
a fault of the GPU or it's drivers. They worked perfectly when used one at a time even when the one was
still flickering.
The chair is excellent as well, I can easily sit for 3-5 hours and not know I had sat for more then 10 min.
It has adjustments for seat angle, backrest angle, height and the arm width. After being in it for 8 hours
yesterday I was a tad tight and every so slightly sore, but I don't think any chair out there would stop
that. 8 hours in a chair is just a long long time.
of how to get a pretty professional calibration without having to buy anything and for the life of me I can't find
the sites any more.
At any rate, they look very good and work well in a dual monitor setup. They come supplied with DVI to HDMI
cables so no worries in using my current graphics card. I did have one small issue with one of the monitors
occasionally flickering, but it since has seemed to go away on its own? I would think if anything, it would be
a fault of the GPU or it's drivers. They worked perfectly when used one at a time even when the one was
still flickering.
The chair is excellent as well, I can easily sit for 3-5 hours and not know I had sat for more then 10 min.
It has adjustments for seat angle, backrest angle, height and the arm width. After being in it for 8 hours
yesterday I was a tad tight and every so slightly sore, but I don't think any chair out there would stop
that. 8 hours in a chair is just a long long time.
Re: Monitors
It appears the screen flicker has NOT corrected itself.
If I'm running both screens, my left screen flickers. It appears to be trigged by certain things... won't happen if the machine is idle.
At the same time, if I use the left monitor in a single monitor setup and shut the other display off... the left monitor never flickers.
I've updated to the latest Catalyst Beta Drivers.
I'm using two HDMI to DVI cables, one on each display. I'm going to try swapping the cables around to see if the problem follows
the cables.
Any other ideas?
If I'm running both screens, my left screen flickers. It appears to be trigged by certain things... won't happen if the machine is idle.
At the same time, if I use the left monitor in a single monitor setup and shut the other display off... the left monitor never flickers.
I've updated to the latest Catalyst Beta Drivers.
I'm using two HDMI to DVI cables, one on each display. I'm going to try swapping the cables around to see if the problem follows
the cables.
Any other ideas?
Re: Monitors
Oh man, I need to check this forum more frequently lol.
And yes, sounds like a driver issue.
My speaker setup is just lulz. Too lazy to take some real speakers out of a box so I just have my Sennheiser HD280 on a shelf behind my monitors so I have audio.
As for chair, I have this thing in leather.
http://www.humanscale.com/products/prod ... thHeadrest
And yes, sounds like a driver issue.
My speaker setup is just lulz. Too lazy to take some real speakers out of a box so I just have my Sennheiser HD280 on a shelf behind my monitors so I have audio.
As for chair, I have this thing in leather.
http://www.humanscale.com/products/prod ... thHeadrest
For computers, buying cheaply and often will only leave you constantly in a world of shit.
Re: Monitors
Switched the DVI plugs around on the back of the video card and the left monitor still flickers
Switched the HDMI cables around on the monitors themselves and the left monitor still flickers
Checked AMD Overdrive and it is disabled
Will double check, but I'm pretty sure the left monitor never flickers when used by itself
Somewhat at a loss here?
Switched the HDMI cables around on the monitors themselves and the left monitor still flickers
Checked AMD Overdrive and it is disabled
Will double check, but I'm pretty sure the left monitor never flickers when used by itself
Somewhat at a loss here?
Re: Monitors
Looks like that might be my problem, I'm going to try reflashing
the cards BIOS today and hopefully that fixes it. I was just reading
up on the display itself to see if it could be related to a known issue
in this model but I found nothing wrong with the VN248H-P itself.
I also was doing some generic searching on dual monitor flickers
but nothing was providing to be useful. I was just about to start
researching for known defects in the card itself when I decided to
come here to check for replies!
Thanks Drag!
I just hope this fixes it, I just want my displays to work. I have
a nice desk setup coming and I found a decent dual monitor
mount.
Newegg has the VS238H-P on sale for $119 after $20 MIR.
It's .8" smaller, and no IPS.... but for the price it's a good
deal IMO
the cards BIOS today and hopefully that fixes it. I was just reading
up on the display itself to see if it could be related to a known issue
in this model but I found nothing wrong with the VN248H-P itself.
I also was doing some generic searching on dual monitor flickers
but nothing was providing to be useful. I was just about to start
researching for known defects in the card itself when I decided to
come here to check for replies!
Thanks Drag!
I just hope this fixes it, I just want my displays to work. I have
a nice desk setup coming and I found a decent dual monitor
mount.
Newegg has the VS238H-P on sale for $119 after $20 MIR.
It's .8" smaller, and no IPS.... but for the price it's a good
deal IMO