ExtremeTech Video
The sweet spot in pricing currently are 22-inch units; some can be found for under $350. But these widescreen models typically have a native resolution of 1680x1050, a peculiar number, though the aspect ratio is still 16:10. You can find lower cost units, such as 19-inch 1440x900 resolution displays, but then you start to realize how small these monitors can feel, and they even offer fewer pixels than a 19-inch, 1280x1024, 5:4 display.
At the high end are 30-inch, 2560x1600 pixel displays, such as the Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP and the recently reviewed HP LP3065.
Between the mainstream 22-inch displays and the massive 30-inch displays are the 24-inch monitors, which have native pixel resolutions of 1920x1200. This is actually slightly better than the 1920x1080 "1080p" displays that are all the rage among HDTV aficionados, though that means these displays have a 16:10 aspect ratio rather than the 16:9 of HDTV. We've used the Dell UltraSharp 2407WFP with good results. Unlike the higher resolution 30-inch displays, the 1920x1200 units have built-in video processing. So these units will typically have video inputs as well as PC inputs.
Stepping into this high-end market is Gateway. Last year, the company shipped the well-regarded FPD2185W, which was one of the first mainstream PC displays to have HDCP built in. Now they're upping the ante a bit with the new FPD2485W. Like the Dell 2407WFP, it's a 24-inch, widescreen, 1920x1200 pixel, PC display. Gateway is currently offering the FPD2485W at a very attractive price of $679, slightly undercutting Dell's 2407WFP. Can Gateway take on the Dell juggernaut? Let's find out. Continued...
