Choosing a Monitor

No computer is complete without a monitor.  Seriously.  You won't be able to see what your computer is doing. So, it's time for you to pick a new monitor.  Maybe it's for your new custom machine.  Maybe you want to upgrade from your "Stone Age" screen.  Or you want to upgrade to an awesome multi-monitor setup (see Multiple Monitors FTW).

Nowadays, there are just so many different monitors out there.  So which one is the right one to buy?

There are 5 main things to consider in a monitor:

1. Resolution
• This is probably the most important thing to consider when buying a monitor because the higher the resolution, the more you can see on the screen at a time.  As of now, nearly all mainstream monitors are in the 16:9 aspect ratio, so bigger is pretty much better.
2. Dot-pitch
• This has to do with the size and resolution of your monitor.  It's how big each pixel on your screen is.
• If your monitor is bigger, the pixels will be bigger, so you can see stuff on it from farther away.
• If your monitor is smaller, the pixels will be smaller, so the images will appear sharper.
• Personally, I prefer higher dot-pitches so I can sit further from the monitor and have more things on my desk between me and my monitor.
3. User reviews
• You can find out a lot of useful things from user reviews.  You want to make sure that the monitor has a lot of positive reviews.  It's the only real way to tell how well the monitor actually works.  If it has a high fail rate, you may not want to buy it.
• You can find out how durable the monitor is -- that is, how long it will last before giving up.  Many of the really cheap ones can break in around a year, so if you're intending to replace it by then, then you might want to go for one of these.
• Make sure your monitor has minimal backlight bleed and color inaccuracy.  Backlight bleed is when there is too much light coming from the sides of your monitors, and it is extremely noticeable/distracting when you have a black background showing.  If color reproduction is important to you, many times the reviews will tell you how good the colors are.
4. LED vs. LCD  (see LCD vs. LCD)
5. Input
• Your monitor should be able to receive input from whatever signal you're outputting.  If you don't have any adapters and don't want to buy any and your monitor can't get your output, then it's basically useless.
• Most monitors come with all of the cables needed to connect them to your computer.  However, some try to cut costs by not giving you all of the necessary cables (not the power cord, of course), so you'd have to buy them yourself unless you happen to have spare cables lying around in your house.

The verdict (my choice): For under $160, highest resolution, largest size, very positive reviews, LED

Multiple Monitors FTW

(In case you didn't know, FTW stands for "For the Win")

If you have an old monitor just lying around gathering dust in your basement, you should put it to use!  It's so easy nowadays to attach an external monitor to launch you into the world of multiple monitors.  Even your fat, old CRTs can be used (even though they're bad for your eyes).

A long time ago, a friend first introduced me to the world of multiple monitors.  At first, I was skeptical of how useful it was.  Partly because I felt like I didn't need one and partly because I didn't exactly know how and didn't bother learning the few easy steps, I never bothered hooking up a second monitor.  When I did, I realized that I could never use single-monitor setups again (exaggeration -- but I feel cramped on a single screen and sometimes try to move my mouse onto the monitor next to mine when I'm working in the computer lab at school).  So, here's your warning: once you switch to multiple monitors, you'll probably never switch back.

Having a second or even a third monitor can drastically improve your productivity by providing you with so much more screen space.  A second one essentially doubles your viewing space while the third one gives you a central focus.  Personally, I think anything more than 3 monitors is overkill and can probably lower your efficiency by distracting you.

All you really need to know is the types of video output from your computer.  It's pretty simple, like putting together a puzzle -- connect the video cable wherever it fits.  You probably don't even need to read this post to figure this out, but I thought a visual might help some people.

The types of video output right now are: VGA (Video Graphics Array), DVI (Digital Visual Interface), HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), and DisplayPort.

• VGA is the oldest, and carries an analog signal.  Although it's beginning to be phased out in favor of digital transfers (which have no signal loss), it's still probably the most common interface around, especially in older monitors and video cards.
• DVI is next in line, and it carries a digital signal, as its name suggests.
• HDMI is probably the most popular right now because it can connect to most gaming consoles as well as computers.  It's also transfers data faster than DVI.  In addition to video, HDMI can also transfer audio.  The actual connector is also smaller.
• DisplayPort is the newest thing.  Made by AMD/ATI, it is very fast and can be found on newer ATI 5xxx (like a Radeon 5830) series cards and higher.  It allows the really high-end cards (the ones I don't encourage that you buy unless you're wealthy) to support up to 6 monitors each through their new Eyefinity.

You find the output from ports that look like these on your video card, which is located in the back of your computer.  If you're using a laptop, these ports can be found on the perimeter of your laptop, like near where your USB ports are found.  You'll also find ports that look the same as these on the back of your monitors.

To connect your monitor to your computer, simply find the correct cable and plug one side into your monitor and the other into your computer.  It doesn't even matter which side of the cable goes into the monitor and which goes to the graphics card.  These connectors can only go in one way, so if the pins don't line up, don't force it in because you could bend the pins.

Sometimes you won't have the right output from your computer to match the input on your monitor.  In that case, you'll have to use an adapter.  It'll look something like the picture below (which happens to convert DVI into VGA).  Using it is simple: just plug the correct side (the one with the pins) into your computer and plug your cable into the adapter.

So what are you waiting for?  Find that old monitor you have and plug it in!  Heck, buy a new one (see LED vs. LCD to pick the right one for you)!  You'll be amazed at how useful (and fun/awesome) it is to have multiple monitors!  You can have a super-cool setup just like this:

Not actually my setup (although I have  2 monitors)

LED vs. LCD

Actually, a more aptly named title would be LED LCD vs. CCFL LCD.  As Black Friday rolls by and prices are hitting the floor, consumers face the following question when buying monitors (maybe for a multi-monitor setup!): LED backlight or the standard CCFL? CCFL = Cold Cathode Fluorescent Light.  This is currently the standard and basically has lamps and a reflector inside the monitor. LED = Light Emitting Diode.  The most common type has LEDs are placed around the edge of the monitor and a special panel spreads the light evenly across the screen. If you want to find out how these monitors work, I recommend reading some Wikipedia articles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_crystal_display http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LED-backlit_LCD_television http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_cathode http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CCFL_inverter Anyway, the more important question is: How does this affect you, the consumer? In my order of least to greatest importance:

1. LEDs use less power.  A lot of companies use the fact that these new LEDs use less power to promote their product by saying that you're protecting the environment (and saving on power costs).  They're not wrong, but the magnitude is not that great.  You can save around 25% of the power (~15W).  It's really not that much.  I would say that it's better to remember to turn off your lights when you're not going to be using them.
2. LEDs have a faster response time.  Again, the manufacturers are right, but how much does it actually affect you?  Probably not that much.  Response time is basically what it sounds like: how long it takes the monitor to update the screen based on what you did.  Newer LEDs can usually have a response time of 2ms, a whopping 3ms faster than the normal 5ms monitors.  Most of them are gray-to-gray, meaning not complete changes of pixel color, and I don't think I can tell the difference in those 3ms.  Maybe if you were a totally intense gamer, it would matter.  But not to me.
3. LEDs are brighter than CCFLs.  Most LEDs are rated at 250 nits brightness, but CCFLs are rated at 300 nits.  However, the LEDs usually appear brighter.  The thing is, this extra brightness probably doesn't matter because most people don't even run their monitors at full brightness.
4. LEDs are skinnier than CCFLs.  CCFLs have to house those lamps, which take up some space in the back where LEDs have their diodes usually arranged around the edge.  This doesn't matter to me very much because I'm not a fan of great looks, but who wouldn't like a sleek monitor over a bulky one?  But hey, at least the CCFLs are way thinner than the old CRTs!
5. LEDs do not have a warm-up time.  This one is quite meaningful to me.  I have an LED paired up with an LCD in my dual-monitor setup.  The LED is instantly bright whereas the LCD takes around 30 minutes to reach full brightness.  It's quite annoying during this time to wait for the LCD to heat up its lamps and reach full brightness because it just bothers me that the brightnesses between the two monitors are just so far off.  As a result, I usually leave the monitor on, but it eats some power.  For those who do not use two monitors, it may not matter as much because your eyes would adjust gradually to the increasing brightness.
6. LEDs have a better contrast ratio.  Because LEDs are lit by the diodes, they can locally dim the screen to pretend to have a better contrast ratio.  The dynamic contrast ratio, or the local dimming, is partly a marketing gimmick.  I would say the static contrast ratio is around 1000:1 for pretty much all monitors right now.  I don't know if I would be able to tell the difference between dynamic ratios of 80000:1 in CCFLs to the 10000000:1 in LEDs.  The one thing that this does help, though is the sharpness of the text.  In my LED-CCFL side-by-side, I would say that the LED is much sharper than the CCFL.  Maybe it's because it has a smaller dot-pitch or maybe it's just better manufactured.  Either way, if the LEDs truly have better sharpness, I think it's much more pleasing to the eye to see sharp, well-defined text rather than slightly fuzzier/grayer text.
7. LEDs cost more than CCFLs.  You can't get all this good stuff for free (otherwise this post would be pointless)!  Manufacturing LED panels is more expensive, and it reflects on the consumer's side -- you have to pay more.  Currently, the difference is not too great.  Smaller LED monitors are still price comparable to CCFLs, but as you get larger (~23"), the margin increases.  Whereas normal CCFL 23" monitors cost ~$140-150, an LED might be ~$170-180.  This is around a $30 difference, which is 20% of the monitor's cost.

For those who have a tight budget, maybe it would be better sticking to a CCFL.  For others who have a little extra to spend, maybe it's worth it getting an LED.  It's up to you to decide whether that extra money is worth it for the benefits.  What will you choose?

Right now, there isn't a clear winner between the two, so "to each his/her own."  (I added the "/her" part to conform to the increasing emphasis on gender equality =P)