

Ask HN: What sub-$400 2nd monitor should I get for coding? - dsifry

I'm looking to get a large monitor to use as a second monitor for coding projects. After doing some research, I've been blown away by how 23"+ monitors have come down in price. Ideally, the monitor should be large, responsive, and sharp, and something that doesn't need a dual-head video card to drive it. It should be reliable and have a decent warranty, so I'm leaning towards name brands, but I'm willing to get something else if it is really great or promised a significantly improved value. I'll be plugging in laptops and/or a 24" iMac into it.<p>What is your recommendation for an excellent sub-$400 monitor primarily used for coding?
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joshu
I like using a 30" plus a rotated 22" screen.

[http://blog.domaintools.com/2007/12/quad-
monitors-117-millio...](http://blog.domaintools.com/2007/12/quad-
monitors-117-million-pixels/)

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msb
Great idea on the rotation. I just flipped my 22in. I have an Asus VH242H 24"
as my main display and like it quite a bit. Just under $200.

I also use a rig of 3/4 in. natural gas pipes and some cheap VESA wall mounts
that let me position my monitors however I like.

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chow
I bought my 2408WFP specifically because it can be rotated, but I never
actually ended up using it in portrait mode. I figured a portrait display
would be better for viewing code, but in practice I couldn't get used to such
a tall display; it was too much strain on my neck.

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joshu
I have an ancientish 2405WFP. 24" monitors are too tall when rotated, but 21"
ones aren't.

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jff
For $400 you could get about 8 of these 19-inch Sun CRTs I'm using. I know LCD
is all the rage but if you have the desk space, these Trinitron screens are
really sharp and have excellent picture quality. Max resolution is 1600x1200,
so it's not a 200:5 aspect ratio or whatever the kewl kidz are using these
days. I wish I had a second one instead of the crappy Viewsonic LCD I have as
my secondary monitor.

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lanstein
Dell's 24" 2408WFP can usually be found either new on eBay or refurbished
through the Dell outlet for < $400. It's got a great VA panel, I have two at
work and bought my own for home. It also has a million different inputs (HDMI,
DisplayPort, etc.) and support for SDHC, which the predecessor (2407WFP) did
not.

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lanstein
Let me also just advise you to stay far, far away from any TN panel at any
cost. I figured I'd just get the 22" UltraSharp at first, had to send it back
because it's just not good enough for writing code.

~~~
noonespecial
Second on the TN type panels. Buy a panel type, not a manufacturer. Some
shoddy ones like "AOC" or even Visio may use different (whatevers cheaper)
panels over time and sell them as the same model number. I've got 2 AOC's I
bought about 6 months apart. Both exactly the same model, one is great, one
terrible.

Here's some good info: <http://www.pchardwarehelp.com/guides/lcd-panel-
types.php>

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noonespecial
In case my other comment gets buried, there are many panel types. I'd suggest
an IPS type panel from the following list for coding or graphics work.

<http://www.pchardwarehelp.com/guides/s-ips-lcd-list.php>

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ethank
Samsung 2343BWX

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amandle
I recommend the Asus VW266H 25.5" 1920x1200 and about 300 dollars. Plenty of
space for code.

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dnsworks
I'm pretty in love with my Gateway FHD2401 24" laptop. It's 1920x1200, and so
bright I don't bother with the screen on my MBP anymore. It's specs came in
comparable with >$500 monitors, and it had quite a number of good marks in the
various sites that reviewed it. I think I paid $360 with shipping.

