Widescreen Gaming Forum

Hi guys,

I've been out of the PC hardware loop for a few years now. I'm looking to get a few widescreen monitor for a few different reasons. I need it for work, play, and movies. I'll likely be spending a lot on it because my school work (programming and writing) depends on it, and also my part time work. Since I'll be using it a lot, I want to go with something that has great picture quality.

Poking around, I found that Dell Ultra Sharp monitors are pretty much the best in class (but I'm certainly open to suggestions!). However, I don't know which stats I need to pay attention to. Is a resolution that can do 1080 pretty necessary? How high of response time can I go before it will effect my gaming - I don't want any of that! What about contrast ratio?

Also, the monitor needs to be able to flip 90 degrees, to have a portrait picture. HDMI is a plus for the ability to hook up my PS3 if I decide to.

My budget is pretty slim ($~250), so I realize that puts the Ultra Sharps out of my league. I've been calling Dell, but they won't give me a killer deal that I can't say no to yet. I also saw they have the ST 24" on sale (down $70) which puts it to $190, but I went to Best Buy today and wasn't impressed with the picture. I don't want to skimp out on quality. I'd like to stay in the 20"-22" range if possible.

If you have any questions, please ask! I just need any help I can get. Also, my sig is far out of date, so please ignore it :)

With the specs that you want, you have to pay more than $250. None of the TN panels (cheap) rotate 90 degrees. You have to get the Dell Ultrasharp (On sale right now).

Yeah, I've been looking at some of the ultrasharps. Which are on sale though? I don't see any from their website on sale, aside from a 27".