Monitors

[GeoffF100]

The £35 PC system that I have upgraded came with a Proview 15 inch 1024 x 768 monitor with integrated loudspeakers MA582K:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Proview-MA-582 ... B000AYQMEO

This monitor is very old, but it is not bad with Lubuntu on a second machine with limited space. It has been misbehaving though. The screen occasionally goes rather pink, for a few seconds, and then goes back to normal. Pehraps this is a problem with the internal power supply. Threatening to replace the monitor has secured its good behaviour for now, but I have been looking at possible replacements. The cheapest new replacement appears to be:

Hanns-G HE196APB 18.5" HD LED Monitor

https://www.cclonline.com/product/hanns ... -he196apb/

Built in speakers are very convenient for a machine that is likely to be moved about. Nonetheless, this monitor looks like it might be a better buy:

AOC I2080SW 19.5" WXGA+ IPS Monitor

https://www.cclonline.com/product/aoc-i ... k-i2080sw/

I have an old pair of old PC speakers that I could use. Another possibility would be to upgrade the monitor on my main PC:

Samsung S22E390HS 22-Inch LED PLS HDMI Monitor

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-S22E39 ... B00UHAX7XA

This monitor is, however, doing a fine job on my main machine, and would be rather big and precariously perched in its new location. A possible upgrade would be:

Dell U2412M 24" WUXGA LED IPS Monitor

https://www.cclonline.com/product/dell- ... ck-u2412m/

This monitor has the advantage that I could drive it with the integrated graphics in my main machine, and would not need to buy a graphics card. Nonetheless, it is not cheap.

This is a theoretical rather than a practical exercise at the moment, but I wondered what other peoples' experiences were with monitors.

[AF62]

I wondered what other peoples' experiences were with monitors.

Bigger is better (ooh err missus) and I wouldn't bother with anything under 24" these days (22" at a real push). The advantage of a big wide screen is you can tile two documents (web pages, spreadsheets, etc) side by side at a decent size, so effectively have two monitors.

Speakers in monitors are rubbish for anything other than beeps from system sounds.

[GeoffF100]

I have got a big FHD monitor on my main machine, and use that when I want to view two documents side by side. I have two good PC speakers on my main machine, and use that when I want to listen to long passages of speech. The 1024x768 screen is OK for web browsing, command line, editing notes etc, and the text is nice and big and easy to read. The built in speakers are OK for listening to the occasional YouTube clip.

What I do not have is room for another big desk to accommodate an occasional use machine. I can get two speakers behind the monitor, but they have to be carried around separately and have a separate power supply.

I could get a 19 inch FHD monitor, but the text would be very small. I could sit closer to the screen, and perhaps that would work for me. I would, however, have to work on my inner thigh flexibility to manage that in the current location.

[pochisoldi]

This monitor is very old, but it is not bad with Lubuntu on a second machine with limited space. It has been misbehaving though. The screen occasionally goes rather pink, for a few seconds, and then goes back to normal.

Spunds like a dodgy connection between PC and monitor.

Options:
Nip up the screw posts which hold the connector into the pc and monitor.

If you can disconnect both ends of the VGA cable, try another cable (if you have a spare).

Turn off the computer and monitor, then repeatedly unplug and plug the connector. The idea is to remove any corrosion/verdigris/whatever from the plug and socket.

PochiSoldi

[GeoffF100]

This monitor is very old, but it is not bad with Lubuntu on a second machine with limited space. It has been misbehaving though. The screen occasionally goes rather pink, for a few seconds, and then goes back to normal.

Spunds like a dodgy connection between PC and monitor.

Options:
Nip up the screw posts which hold the connector into the pc and monitor.

If you can disconnect both ends of the VGA cable, try another cable (if you have a spare).

Turn off the computer and monitor, then repeatedly unplug and plug the connector. The idea is to remove any corrosion/verdigris/whatever from the plug and socket.

PochiSoldi

That is possible. I switched over the two monitors, and the old monitor was worse, if anything, on the main machine. I then switched the monitors back. I have not had any trouble since. The VGA cable is permanently fixed to the monitor, but I could have corrosion on the connection to the PC. Corrosion is certainly possible for a monitor that could be up to 14 years old. I suspect that the monitor predates the PC.

[MaraMan]

Just a vote for the Dell monitor, I have had this one for a while and its great, much better than any other I have had and the other ASUS one I have on my desk.

MM

PS - I find the larger aspect ratio of 16:10 particularly helpful, its not much different from the usual 16:9 but it makes a noticable difference. The IPS panel is very easy on the eyes.

[GeoffF100]

I thought the Dell would be a good monitor.

I have just measured the width of a piece of A4 and done some sums. It turns out that a 19" FHD monitor will just about display two pages of A4 side by side at actual size. I have to look very closely to see the pixels on my 22" FHD monitor, but they are clearly visible to me on a 24" FHD monitor.

The AOC monitor comes with a driver disk. Does that mean it needs special drivers?

[JonE]

PS - I find the larger aspect ratio of 16:10 particularly helpful, its not much different from the usual 16:9 but it makes a noticable difference.

16:10 is something that doesn't get much mention hereabouts. I probably wouldn't, all other things being equal, have wanted to pay much of a premium for it - which may be a sufficiently wide-spread attitude to keep adoption rates relatively low.

Among other things I've found it helpful that it allows my HP-Z24 to display the 16:9 screen of a 'remote' computer at a familiar and comfortable size while still having space for the menu-bar and status-bar of a VNC window.

Cheers!

[BobbyD]

That Dell was my main monitor for some years, it's now a second screen next to it's big brother a dell u27. They aren't cheap but Dell untrasharps are very good.

Dell refurbished monitor sale: https://www.dellrefurbished.co.uk/clearance

[GeoffF100]

The refurbished 19" monitors look excellent value if you do not have much space.

[servodude]

If you haven't aleady you might want to set it up so that you can "remote in" from you PC with the FHD monitor

That way you can use the nice big monitor for both
- and if the aging monitor ever dies (or the connections to it ) you'll have a way in

I've got a growing collection of aging laptops assigned to different duties around the house that I drive remotely: as eventually their monitors or batteries give up the ghost (through age or accident)

Have fun
- sd

[GeoffF100]

One of the reasons for having a second PC is to have two completely separate machines running different operating systems for security. Remote control is out of the question.

I am having problems with my main PC connecting via Ethernet since I moved to Sky. I am using the Lububtu machine a lot because it connects reliably via WiFi.

The 15" monitor has not been me giving any problems since I reconnected it. Both monitors are doing their respective tasks well, and there is no reason to change either of them.

The refurbished Dell monitors appear to be the best of the options considered here. Interestingly, the 19" 4:3 Dell monitor can be rotated on its stand. Dell's driver only works on Windows, but it is also possible to rotate the screen in Linux:

https://www.faqforge.com/linux/rotating ... inux-mint/

Nontheless, if one of my screens failed, I would probably buy a second hand one on Gumtree.

[GeoffF100]

I have just tried rotating the screen with Lubuntu and it works. The Dell 19" in portrait mode is an interesting possibility.

[GeoffF100]

Rotating the coordinate system for the mouse proved to be to be trickier. The correct approach is described here:

https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/view ... p?t=172025

[stewamax]

A further vote for Dell. I have bought seven to date of the Ultrasharp U2414H and its stable companions. Note that these have Displayport and HDMI rather than straight DVI input so check your PC's sockets first.
I have also used 2312HMs which are strictly DVI.
I have has good experiences also of using Eizo monitors for applications where accurate colour rendering is important; they are not cheap but the quality is excellent. But have never been able to afford the Eizo 4K jobbies: their huge ColorEdge CG319X 31" is reputed to be superb but needs a mortgage or sugar daddy/mummy to acquire.

[GeoffF100]

I found the AOC monitor at a cheaper price:

https://www.ebuyer.com/794191-aoc-i2080 ... or-i2080sw

That monitor just about fits into the space available for my second PC. At under £50 for a new IPS monitor with a 3 year warranty, I cannot go too far wrong. It should be better than my 10+ year old 1024x768 monitor. It will be interesting to compare the IPS screen with my 3 year old TN panel. I added a flash drive to the order to avoid paying postage:

https://www.ebuyer.com/846096-kingston- ... dt106-16gb

[GeoffF100]

The monitor arrived the very next day. Not bad for free delivery. I am very pleased with the monitor. It fits neatly into the space available. Good character size. The image quality is good. I have reduced the brightness and set the colour temperature to normal, which has helped. The viewing angle is better than for the Samsung TN panel, and I find the image more attractive overall, but it does not have the wow factor of an Apple display. Nonetheless, it is a jolly good buy at just under £50.

[GeoffF100]

I have been using the monitor for a variety of tasks, and it is very good.