PCitUp Gaming 2012

In order to use all three monitors for your Eyefinity setup you’ll need to have DisplayPort or use a pricey adapter. While the majority of new photo editing monitors have DisplayPort, there are few budget TN panel options for this.

Asus VE248Q

Enter the Asus VE248Q, a new monitor from Asus that is not only a TN panel but has fast responsiveness and doubles as a great gaming monitor.

At around $200 you get a 2ms response time monitor with low input lag and, of course, a DisplayPort connection. While DisplayPort was built to eventually replace DVI VGA and other PC connections it was not meant to replace HDMI, which is ideal for connecting your other electronic devices to your PC. Like HDMI DisplayPort can carry an audio as well as a video signal. You can learn more about DisplayPort by going to their page or checking out this post on the best eyefinity monitors.

Additional specifications for the VE248Q include; a 1920 x 1080 resolution, 170°(H) / 160°(V), 0.2765mm pixel pitch, 16.7 Million colors, 250 cd/m2 brightness rating, ASCR 50,000,000:1, 2 ms GTG response time, D-Sub, HDMI, DisplayPort connectors, tilt adjustable, VESA Wall mount compliant, 1 W x 2 Stereo, RMS speakers, and it comes with a 3 year parts and labor warranty.

What one verified owner said about the product;

“Passed all of the monitor tests, differentiating blacks against blacks and whites against whites, as well as the contrast test with the tightly packed white and black stripes. No dead pixels, and excellent color. Monitor is plenty big and the bezels are reasonably small…”

Overall I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a TN panel gaming monitor with high responsiveness and a DisplayPort connection. For more information on DisplayPort technology Wikipedia has written a great article that I suggest you take a look at.

As IPS technology continues to improve several budget options have become available that are great for the starting photographer or photo editor. In the past the only IPS monitors you could purchase were ones that were several times the price of a common TN panel monitor similar in size.

One of the best monitors for photography available for 2012 is the Dell 2412M which boasts some great specifications for the price you pay.

At just around $100 more than the standard TN panel monitor you don’t pay a lot but you still get a monitor that is full HD and can reproduce up to 16.7 million colors. Another really nice feature that comes with this monitor is how adjustable it truly is. With height, tilt, swivel, and pivot adjustment you can get the monitor positioned exactly where you want it.

Versatility

Dell has made this monitor super easy to connect to any video card by giving it a DisplayPort, DVI, and Analog connector. DisplayPort was released a few years ago but has just really started to gain popularity among IPS panel monitors. Just like DVI was created for high definition connection to your computer a few years ago, DisplayPort was also created specifically for connecting your monitor to the computer. HDMI, on the other hand, was made to connect all of your devices.

Here’s what one verified owner had to say about it:

“Here’s what else I like about the Dell U2412M:
* It has a full 1200 pixels of vertical, like my Samsung. I find vertical screen space to be exceptionally valuable, and was shocked to discover that few reasonably priced monitors these days have more than 1080 pixels. I don’t need a wide movie screen on my desk; that’s what my TV is for.
* It’s EPEAT Gold Energy Star compliant. This is hard to find in any large monitor.
* Its screen is anti-glare. I don’t understand the current obsession with glossy surfaces; the reflections on such monitors are incredibly distracting and make photo editing difficult. And no, the anti-glare surface doesn’t bother me at all.
* It’s amazingly lightweight. Maybe this is normal these days, but the old Samsung weighs three times as much.
* It has all the positioning adjustments you could want (tilt, swivel, height, and landscape/portrait pivot). Especially useful is the height adjustment: I can push it down to 1″ from the desktop, so I don’t have to tilt my head back to see through my progressive lens glasses.”

Overall this is a great budget photo editing monitor, which I’ve used, and can highly recommend. It’s not for those of you who need 32 bit technology, but it’s more than enough for most.

In looking at 2012′s lineup I can’t help but notice how far we’ve come, as far as monitor technology is concerned, in the last few years. Manufacturers are finally catching up with hardware manufacturers and gearing their setups according to what gamers like and don’t like. It’s a good strategy considering that many of today’s gamers are now in their 30′s and starting to fall in to the free spending cash category.

One of these manufacturers, BenQ, is using former professional gamers to tweak their monitors according to what they’d want. Specifications for this monitor not only include full HD resolution, but an ultra-fast 2ms response time, and sub 5ms input lag.

Another one of the best LCD gaming monitors of the year is Samsung’s S27A950D 3D ready monitor. This monitor works with 3D Tri-Def, but it’s the 120 hertz refresh rate and vibrant colors that have attracted so many gamers. Again with a low response time of 2ms, and a sub 1 frame input lag, this monitor is sure to be one of the most popular for gaming in 2012.

Did you know that the average person spends over 8 hours a day looking at a screen? For those of us who spend our time in front of a computer monitor, being productive with our time is extremely important. Time is money.

As someone who works in a tech-related field I often get this question:

So, what exactly is the best sized monitor for productivity? The truth is that I wasn’t really sure at first, but after doing some research I was able to come up with the solution. One of the first known monitor size studies was paid for by Apple Computer back in 2006. In the study it showed that for tasks like moving a folder, copying an image, and even other basic tasks, it takes considerably less time when a person is using their 30 inch computer monitor when compared to the average size of 18-20 inches at that time. Since then, large computer monitors have grown in popularity.

Recent studies show that the productivity gained increases sharply from 18 inches and peaks at around 24 inches. Beyond 24 inches some limited productivity can be gained, but the increase is not as noticeable.

For more information on this and the best rated LED monitors of 2012, I highly recommend this post on LED monitor reviews.

Your computer monitor whether used for gaming or anything else is more important than you think. With the average person spending more than 8 hours a day on screens its important to consider just what you’re staring at all the time.

New LED technology is not just more energy efficient, it also is lighter on your eyes. One of the best new monitors for 2012 is the ViewSonic VX2250WM-LED 22 inch monitor. For under 22 inches you get a great new monitor with full high definition and an incredibly detailed picture with Viewsonic’s 10,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.

5 Tips for improving the computer monitor ergonomics of your work space.

If you get eye strain then here’s a few tips that really helped me to improve my overall work experience.

1.) Get additional lighting behind your screen.

2.) Every 20 minutes take a 20 second break, look away, and force yourself to blink.

3.) Move your keyboard in a location that will allow your shoulders to relax.

4.) Put your monitor 20-26 inches from your face at eye level so that you are reading with your chin slightly up.

5.) Adjust the resolution and contrast on your monitor so that it feels comfortable.

Now that we’re done with our tips here’s the technical details for Viewsonic’s new monitor:

• 22-Inch (21.5-Inch Vis.) LED monitor with sleek design and integrated speakers
• Up to 40% power savings over a regular 22-Inch monitor
• 1080p Full HD resolution with 16:9 aspect ratio for perfect image reproduction
• DVI and VGA inputs for diverse connectivity options
• 100mm x 100mm VESA compliant for wall mount or monitor stands

PC gaming is a fun hobby, but it can get really expensive. I personally prefer the ASUS ML248H 24-Inch 1920×1080 LED Monitor, which is my pick for best gaming monitor, or the ASUS VH236H 23 Inch Widescreen LCD Monitor – Black. The first you can find for just under $200 and the second you can probably find around $160! Both of these monitors are full high definition with 2ms response times and both are customer favorites and among the best gaming monitor

A Gamer On the Asus ML248H Monitor:

I received this monitor right on time as promised. set it up and connected it in just a few minutes. It replaced a wide screen, HD monitor so no adjustments were necessary. It has a fantastic image, full screen, fast refresh rate with no blur. touch buttons are easy, but had to figure out menu navigation. documentation is minimal. This is my second ASUS monitor, and have had absolutly no problems.

Technical Details

• 24″ LED Monitor with 10,000,000:1 ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio
  Ultra Slim with Ergo Fit II Technology
  Full 1080P HD with HDMI
  Ring Stand with Ergo Fit II Technology enables Easy Tilt and Swivel
  LED Touch Sensor Buttons

I’ve seen some issues with ring stand type displays in the past as far as durability but this one is really sturdy and I’m sure you’ll like it.

Should you go with LED or LCD?

LED monitors are in fact LCD displays. They replace the energy sucking CCFL backlights that we’ve seen previously. You should choose an LED monitor if possible because they are thinner, lighter, don’t emit mercury, are better on your eyes, and have a higher contrast ratio than their CCFL counterparts.