Browsing with 24" 1920*1200 vs. 22" 1680*1050

I just got my 24" LCD with 1920*1200. It looks good but I was expecting that the extra resolution would make my use a lot more comfortable. So far I don't really feel an improvement over 22" 1680*1050.

My main use is browsing the internet and I always have my browser maximized. Now with the 24" there's just so much space that I don't use. And I need to move my head more often from the centre to the left.

It almost seems like 22" is a more comfortable size for just browsing online. Or even better would be 1600*1200 (4:3) on a 22".

I may just return the 24" and go back to 22". Thoughts?

 

Hard to say. I am happy when working on the iMac 24 in the office. Large screen is cool for me.

cheers ...

 

keep both and dual/triple screen?

i guess go with the cheaper one.... if you don't feel any difference... no point in having a larger screen if you don't like it, don't do bluray or video/image editing/anything_that_requires_higher_res_screen

you probably won't be able to find a cheap new 4:3 22"... maybe cheap used ones on ebay, but that's it

 

Yeah those tend to be expensive.

A site like NBR for example doesn't really look that good full screen on 1920*1200. So many empty spaces...

PS. Dual screen is not really for me.

 

Sit farther back? Why move your head just try your eyes? You have some very odd complaints Im not gonna lie. How close do you sit to it right now? I think viewing distance should be what 2-3ft for a monitor that size?

 

Well yes I'm moving my eyes. I think it is about 2 feet.

Not sure maybe it's something I need to get used to. Or maybe I'll just return it. I can decide on monday.

 

I dunno i LOOOOve my 24" samsung heh, I cant see myself ever going back smaller.

 

I quite like mine too. It's the Samsung T240.

But my 22" is really nice too, it's a HP 2207. Glossy

 

I would suggest not using the browser maximized. With my T500's 1680x1050 display, I have the browser window in a roughly 4:3 window - it's more comfortable reading that way.

 

i agree with midnight. there isn't really any reason to maximize yur browser with a big WUXGA screen. the whole point of havin higher resolution is so that u do have the extra real estate to do whatever else u like, while browsing. plus a site like NBR doesn't really have alot of stuff horizontal-wise. if u don't watch any blu-rays or photo editing, why don't u unmax yur browser, scale the browser window down, and add some other programs like a media player or temp monitor to fill in the extra space.

i will never ever go lower than 1920x1200 again. haven't for the last 4-5 years.

 

Try a 21.5" 1080P monitor. High resolution, smaller screen

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236051

 

Yeah, stop maximizing your browser, that's the real solution. Once you get used to working with windows side by side, you will wonder how you ever lived with everything stacked one on top of the other. I haven't used maximized browser or Office windows since... eesh, I don't even remember. I think before I even had my 1680X1050 screen.

 

I think it is a psychological thing and takes some time to get used to. I use a 17" with a resolution of 1280x1024 at home and use a 22" widescreen 1680x1050 at work. Since I am so used to low resolution screens I start using my work monitor like home with one window consuming the whole screen and still feel like I have 17" to work with. Then I ask myself why am I doing this when I have so much more screen real estate with the 22" and adjust my thinking. It is taking some time tough...
But in addition I think there is the law of diminishing return with the screen sizes. I think screen sizes of 22" or 24" would be my max. I do the same thing as you, moving my head/eys back and fourth and I don't like it..

PS - I love the HP glossy monitors and would love to have one. In fact when I build my new desktop that is the monitor I am looking at. WHy are moving away from the HP? Why didn;t you just get a 24" HP?

 

As far as fitting more on screen is concerned, resolution matters much more than the physical dimension of the screen. But as far as eye travel is concerned... well, there are people who do the math on that stuff, heh. It makes a big difference how far from your eyes your monitor is, for instance. I mean, I just did a simple test for myself, holding my 15" lappy up in front of me, and at arms length, it appears the same rough size as my 46" TV 5 feet away from me. Anyway, yeah. Stop maximizing your windows.

 

I think you guys are right, I should stop maximizing my browser.

Then the next question is what to do with the extra real estate. I have one idea: I will use some of the horizontal space for a bookmark sidebar. Now I'm using a horizontal bar which takes away vertical space.

Maybe I should start using a Vista sidebar like application. I'm in XP.

The glossy HP is so good!!! The contrast is unbelievable for a TN display.

The 24" HP is about 300 euro. While the Samsung 24" is only 210 euros. Also the HP is said to consume more power. This Samsung uses only 33 watt (measured myself), which is less than my HP 22".

You know something really strange, the reflection on the matte Samsung bothers me more than on my glossy HP. I'll upload some pictures to show it.

I've considered it but for my needs 1920*1080 is not so good. It adds more horizontal space that I don't really need.

By the way LG makes a similar LCD with amazing contrast. That would have been my pick.

 

Or open a second browser window for opening reference materials in. I mean honestly, how often would you actually look at a temp monitor? I suggest actually putting the extra realestate to use rather than just putting something on it to show off all this extra space you never use.

 

Phil,
I guess I am confused. Not being arrogant but just curious, why did you want to go with the 24" monitor in the first place? I would personally go for one for the multitasking ability I would get from it so that I could have multiple screens open at the same time. Also I would get it so that I could browse the web or type a document and watch a movie on the side at the same time. If I wasn't going to do these things then I would just save my money and stay with a smaller monitor.

PS - The HP caught my eye since I am using a Sony X-bright glossy monitor right now. It is only 17" in size and has a very low resolution but I don't want to give it up, the picture is that good on it.

 

I was hoping the extra resolution would increase my browsing experience. It does slightly, mainly by giving me 150 vertical pixels extra. But the contrast is a bit lower than my HP.

All in all the 'upgrade' would cost me 80 euros, at the expense of contrast. I decided I will probably return the 24" tomorrow. I'm working on my 22" now and it's good for my use.

 

I really like being able to view 1080p, which is why I ended up going with a new monitor. Although I went 22" 1680x1050 to 21.5" 1920x1080. I really like the high pixel density.

 

Bite the bullet and buy a 30" Then you go look at the 24" and it feels tiny.

 

I came very close to doing that not long ago, but since I got my monitor replaced under warranty (and for once the warranty replacement wasn't also defective), saving the $1000 by not selling my 27" and upgrading to 30" was worth it.

I've used a 30" on several occasions, but as much as I liked the high resolution, I came to realize I didn't like 2560x1600 for just Web browsing. Since I prefer to position the browser window at the top left of the screen, my neck has to go with it, and there's a lot of physical height to cover on a 30" screen. On the plus side, you can view the entirety of most Web sites with a browser window in portrait orientation and still have space for about 24 more applications on the side. You can do more with that space than the 2560x1024 I get from my dual 19" monitors at work.

1680x1050 is more than decent enough for Web browsing, but since my primary computer has been running at least 1600x1200 since 2005, I personally couldn't live with 1680x1050 other than on my laptop. I don't like stepping back down in resolution after getting used to a higher one, especially in the vertical plane.

 

I have a 24" 1920x1200 and a 15.4" 1920x1200 here, running as dual monitors, stacked vertically (laptop on docking station, 24" LCD elevated above it). Its a pretty nifty combo. I've set the dpi in Vista to be 196 dpi (or 200 dpi -- I forget), and most of my browsing is done in 150% zoom mode.

Internet Explorer 8 was a breakthrough in terms of usability of this setup, because IE8 has the facility to properly scale images (and not just text) on web pages so they render properly.

Usually I'll run with the browser maximized in the big LCD, and all my other stuff (email, MSN, etc.) spread about my little screen, also maximized. And having the resolutions on both screens matching is very nice as well. Used to have a 1680x1050 display for my external LCD, but upgraded when the resolution mismatch became too annoying.