20" vs. 22" LCD

JohnJSal

JohnJSal

Active Member
::sigh:: I remember asking a question about this issue a very long time ago, and still I'm torn between these two choices. I even went to the store today and looked at both, and I just can't decide which I would like better. It's hard to actually use software or see what a game looks like with the in-store displays.

I'm deciding between the Samsung 206BW and 226BW. My worry with 22" is that the screen will just be too large, almost unnecessarily so, and I don't know how this will affect everyday usage like programs like Word, Firefox, etc. Even for games, I wonder if the screen will be too big. Granted, playing games on a large TV would be nice, but since I sit so much closer to a monitor than I would to a TV, I don't want to actually have to move my head around to see different parts of the screen!

As for the 20", it seems nice, but then I worry that I might wish I had chosen the bigger one.

One interesting point someone had said was when the choice is between two monitors with the same resolution and the only difference is screen size, you should choose the smaller one since the bigger monitor doesn't mean you get "more" on the screen, since the resolution is the same. Sounds reasonable.

Thoughts? Personal experiences?
 
JohnJSal said:
::sigh:: I remember asking a question about this issue a very long time ago, and still I'm torn between these two choices. I even went to the store today and looked at both, and I just can't decide which I would like better. It's hard to actually use software or see what a game looks like with the in-store displays.

I'm deciding between the Samsung 206BW and 226BW. My worry with 22" is that the screen will just be too large, almost unnecessarily so, and I don't know how this will affect everyday usage like programs like Word, Firefox, etc. Even for games, I wonder if the screen will be too big. Granted, playing games on a large TV would be nice, but since I sit so much closer to a monitor than I would to a TV, I don't want to actually have to move my head around to see different parts of the screen!

As for the 20", it seems nice, but then I worry that I might wish I had chosen the bigger one.

One interesting point someone had said was when the choice is between two monitors with the same resolution and the only difference is screen size, you should choose the smaller one since the bigger monitor doesn't mean you get "more" on the screen, since the resolution is the same. Sounds reasonable.

Thoughts? Personal experiences?
Click to expand...

i would get the bigger one, but i have a bigger one and it's great. it's not too big. i don't think you can ever have a monitor too big. if you're not looking at the whole screen you just pull items down into view into the position you want. but games are great on a bigger screen.
 
I just got a 22 and made a thread about it a couple of days ago. At first I was all "Its Massive!!!" Now I'm used to it and it's a lot better than a CRT screen. I'd go for the larger one.I sit fairly close to the screen and don't have to move my head.

That point made is reasonable but the advantage of having a bigger screen is that things will be bigger and easier to read and see.

If it is too big and you don't like it you can always take it back.
 
shenry said:
That point made is reasonable but the advantage of having a bigger screen is that things will be bigger and easier to read and see.
Click to expand...

Well, currently I have a 15.4" widescreen at 1680x1050 (the same resolution as these big screens!), so I wonder how weird it might be to use a 22" monitor in this same resolution! On my screen, everything is fairly small and sharp, which I like. On a 22" screen, everything will be so much bigger and not as sharp.
 
ETSA said:
I have a 22 and it is great.
Click to expand...

Heh heh. Can you elaborate on what you do with it? Normal internet surfing? Word processing? Any gaming?

EDIT: I have the bad habit of thinking of how all my component-related decisions will affect Oblivion when I finally get to play it. So I wonder how it would look on these two screens as well.
 
I have a 20" inch and I love it, but ive never really used a 22inch. I was actually faced with the same decision as you and I chose the 20" just for budget reasons, but if you dont have a budget, bigger's usually better, and games always look better on a bigger screen.
 
JohnJSal said:
Well, currently I have a 15.4" widescreen at 1680x1050 (the same resolution as these big screens!), so I wonder how weird it might be to use a 22" monitor in this same resolution! On my screen, everything is fairly small and sharp, which I like. On a 22" screen, everything will be so much bigger and not as sharp.
Click to expand...

I could barely read 1024x768 on my 15" inch CRT screen!!
 
shenry said:
I could barely read 1024x768 on my 15" inch CRT screen!!
Click to expand...

lol, yeah i was worried about this resolution before i first chose it 3 years ago, but it's never really been an issue....so far i'm not blind, but already i have terrible eyesight anyway :)
 
the only issue I have (on my HP 20") is the size of icons and internet text. I set the Vista icons to big and did a lot of tweaking with the FF text settings. 20" is more than enough for me, but I'm not a serious gamer, just HL2 and Halo most of the time...
 
Starwarsman said:
the only issue I have (on my HP 20") is the size of icons and internet text. I set the Vista icons to big and did a lot of tweaking with the FF text settings. 20" is more than enough for me, but I'm not a serious gamer, just HL2 and Halo most of the time...
Click to expand...

How is it an issue? You want them to be bigger than they naturally are?
 
well, I dunno. My eyes aren't perfect and when I first got the computer I had to bump up the size and I've just left it that way cause I'm used to it.
 
1. Buy both.

2. Use each for a minimum of 5 days, no exceptions.

3. Return the one that is not your favorite.

4. Barrel roll.
 
I have a 22"er and it is awsum I do ALOT of gaming and internet surfing and i have owned a 19" 20" 22" and a 24" and out of the lot i prefer a 22" @ 1680 x 1050
 
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