opinion(s) on this 22" LCD monitor for PC ?

[SNAAKE]

YET ANOTHER !

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7802577&ref=39&loc=01&st=westinghouse+22%22+lcd&type=product&id=1142292834310
bestbuy will have this for $200. anything on this monitor I should be concerned about ?? I want this for everyday computer use like web browsing,photoshop,etc.

[ChadTower]

Contrast ratio is a little low but that probably matters less for PC applications than for TV viewing.  Quite versatile and big for $200.  Seems like it would be a great console gaming monitor too.

[AtomSmasher]

Wow, that is a great deal on that monitor.  I really shouldn't be spending extra money right now, but that deal is really looking good to me.  Right now I'm using a 20'' flatscreen that has a really high response rate (something like 13ms) so I get pretty bad ghosting in games.

A quick check online and there aren't too many reviews on this monitor, but the few there are say its really nice.  Heres the PC Magazine review: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2032426,00.asp

[SNAAKE]

uh..got it. looks good but text is still fuzzy 

I have a crappy ati rage fury pro now. is getting a better video card gonna make any difference ?? also should I consider a video card with dvi output since the monitor has DVI ?

[boykster]

I have a crappy ati rage fury pro now. is getting a better video card gonna make any difference ?? also should I consider a video card with dvi output since the monitor has DVI ?

Yes and yes.  I recently upgraded to a pair of 19" Princeton LCD's and initially text was fuzzy and I had some ringing using my dual analog vga output with the onboard video.  I put in a recent Nvidia dual DVI output card and its razor sharp.  I'm sure a newish card with DVI output will look great...

[ChadTower]

Just in case, are you using the VGA input?  I don't see why you'd use anything else from a PC but you never know.

[SNAAKE]

yeah VGA but this is giving me headace..I turned the sharpness all the way up but still eh

any video card recomendations ?

[ChadTower]

Check the monitor's independent reviews... maybe it is addressed there.

[PedroSilva]

This brand (Westinghouse) has very good material from what I've been reading on reviews sites ... but it's Sold Out ...

[boykster]

yeah VGA but this is giving me headace..I turned the sharpness all the way up but still eh

any video card recomendations ?

Any recent ATI or NVIDIA card with DVI will be good.  You should be able to get a decent card for anywhere from $50-80 if you have a fry's nearby. 

[AtomSmasher]

Make sure you have clear type enabled, it makes a huge difference.  (Display Properties/Appearance/Effects/"Use the following method to snooth edges of fonts")

I got to best buy at midnight last night figuring I should have no problem getting the monitor.  Turns out that there were already at laest 200 people in line, but I was already there so I was going to wait and see if I got lucky.  Turns out the monitor was one of their hot items when they were handing out the tickets and was gone within the first 50 people, I didn't have a chance.

Once the tickets were gone I decided to go to staples and get the harddrive, which they had plenty of.  I probably could of gotten there a couple hours after they opened and still got one. 

The amazing thing is, when I left staples (around 6:30), the line for best buy was still going into the store.  They had been opened for an hour and half and the line was moving pretty good, but it was still going.  That line must have had around 2000 people in it when they first opened.

[AlanS17]

That monitor was a popular item at the Best Buy here, too. Back on topic, though. I think the DVI is going to make more difference than the stats of the card. Unless you intend to use the PC for intense gaming, I'd go with the cheapest DVI card you can find. (I personally prefer ATI cards.)

[SNAAKE]

allright my brother has 2 computers and both has dvi ports..will try and post result. I still dont understand the idea for widescreen computer monitors. everything is out of proportation 

I like the monitor but I might have to use it for something else

[AlanS17]

allright my brother has 2 computers and both has dvi ports..will try and post result. I still dont understand the idea for widescreen computer monitors. everything is out of proportation 

I like the monitor but I might have to use it for something else

First of all, make sure you're using a specific widescreen resolution so everything isn't stretched. If you're just not used to the whole wide thing, all I can say is that you get used to it.

You probably won't want to be maximing a lot of windows, though. Text is always easier to read in narrow columns. That's why newspapers don't print text all the way across the page.

Wide screen comes in most handy for those apps that throw a lot of info at you at once like MS Visual Studio, web development, and graphics tools. For web browsing, and MS Office apps, it's less useful.

[ChadTower]

It's also good for having 5-6 windows open at once.

[drunkatuw]

I got this monitor at best buy for $199 (they didn't hand out tickets for it at the best buy I was waiting at).

I have it hooked up via DVI connection and it's rock solid so far.  Great for movies and also gaming.  Took a while to get all my games to be configured for widescreen, but now everything is great.

I was reading reviews for this monitor and people were saying it was a bargain at the sale price of $399 (best buy's normal price is $499), so I figured it was a no brainer to pick it up at $199.

I chose to get this one over the 19" at best buy and the 20" at staples because this one has component and s-video hookups so I can hook up my xbox 360 or any other video device in a pinch.

[ChadTower]

The reviews must be old.  We're getting 32" monitors for just over $500 now.  $400 for a 20" isn't a bargain anymore.

[shmokes]

allright my brother has 2 computers and both has dvi ports..will try and post result. I still dont understand the idea for widescreen computer monitors. everything is out of proportation 

I like the monitor but I might have to use it for something else

Whoa whoa whoa.  Snaake, that's your problem.  You've got the resolution set wrong.  If you use 1280x1024 or 1600x1200 it's going to look all wrong cos stuff is stretched.  You need to be using a resolution like 1920x1200 or something.  Check the manual.  I use widescreen monitors and nothing is out of proportion.  I have more screen real estate, and I suppose if I were to watch a 4:3 TV program on it and stretch it across the screen it would look out of proportion, but MS Word and Internet and stuff look completely normal.

My guess is that you've got the wrong aspect as well as the resolution set too low.  Did you ever change that stuff after replacing your old monitor?

[AlanS17]

I'm totally kicking myself for not taking advantage of this deal. I had accepted a new job, but was noy working at the time. I just started this job, and now I'm really wishing I'd just gotten this monitor. 

I'm just not findind any similat deals online anywhere anymore. What's everybody else finding?